Cooperation - Students' ability to establish new relationships, maintain positive relationships and friendships, avoid social isolation, resolve conflicts, accept differences, be a contributing member of the classroom and school community, and work productively and collaboratively with others. (source: The Responsive Classroom Approach)
As a school we read the book, "Up The Creek", by Nicholas Oldland. This is an entertaining story about a beaver, a bear and a moose who have some disagreement when working together to paddle a canoe up the creek. We discussed how the characters handled conflict and how we can work together as a school to cooperate within small and large groups. For example, a simple game of “Rock, Paper, Scissors” can quickly resolve an argument on the playground to get us right back to having fun. All 319 students worked together as a team to create the sounds of rainstorm by using our bodies to snap, clap, and stomp in a carefully timed order. Students learned that cooperation is a joint effort of give and take and we must be able to balance our needs with someone else’s needs in order to cooperate.