TeamMastermind
29 Followers
Flagstaff, Arizona, United States
About the store
TeamMastermind evolved to bring together creativity, teamwork, and problem solving. Specifically, I sought to provide techniques and strategies that children could use to master these vital skills. I also wanted to emphasize the process of learning — not just the result… in other words, how to think, not what to think.
During the past 25 years, TeamMastermind has impacted thousands of children by providing opportunities for hands-on exploration. That active engagement and pure delight is why I created TeamMastermind… and it’s why I continue to develop curricula that can change lives — one enthusiastic child at a time.
Read more
All resources
Filters
Grade
Subject
Format
Resource type
Audience
Programs & methods
The Sunny Side ~ Why optimistic responses shape positive outcomes
Lest you think this is a Pollyanna-esque treatment of the awful things that may happen in our lives, be assured that there is much data behind why choosing an optimistic response to a negative situation may lead to a more positive outcome. There is a lot of good vocabulary offered to lend to an engaging class discussion.
After the kick-off essay and suggested literature - The Dr. Seuss selection perfectly exemplifies the theme - kids will design a system of transport for their materials....bewar
3rd - 6th
Character Education
Chocolate Cake Teamwork ~ A delicious teamwork lesson
How is teamwork like a yummy chocolate cake? Your students will have fun discovering that just like the ingredients that come together to make a cake, everyone on a team comes together to make an effective team. You will introduce the concept of team roles...it's really never too early to begin to integrate this verbiage in order to practice and apply the core concepts of effective teamwork.
This intro lesson on the essential skill of collaboration lays out a foundation that further TeamMasterm
PreK - 2nd
Character Education
Teamwork & Interdependence ~ Elevate your teamwork skills!
Students will learn the difference between a group and a team as they explore the concept of interdependence. The literature selection is particularly appropriate and a classic kid favorite!
Once your students have a good grasp on the concept, they will apply those skills as they collaborate to create a dual-supported structure that will suspend a tasty treat high above the work surface.
There are opportunities for a thorough discussion and debrief to ensure that your kiddos have completely unde
3rd - 7th
Engineering
Dream On & Ready, Set, GOAL - a 2-pack Mindwinder bundle!
What do goal-setting and gumballs have in common? More than you'd think, as it turns out! This 2-pack Mindwinder explores what it means to have dreams and hopes and then how to turn those dreams into achievable goals in order to realize tangible results. In the first Mindwinder Dream On we explore how our belief systems shape our hopes and dreams and why it is imperative for us to have hopes and dreams. In the second part Ready, Set, GOAL!, we come to understand that merely having the drea
3rd - 6th
Character Education, Engineering
List it! Map it! ~ How to organize & prioritize - skills for a lifetime
Skills like organization, prioritization, goal-setting, time management, and task analysis can be taught and they're fun to learn!
In this Mindwinder your students will learn how to keep a prioritized To-Do list. They'll understand how to break down a complex task into smaller chunks. And they'll be introduced to Mind Maps, a colorful organizational tool that is as effective for planning a birthday party as it is for taking notes in class.
These soft skills will help set the foundation for a lif
3rd - 6th
For All Subjects
Break the Rules ~ A lesson on when & why we should break some rules sometimes!
I'm not trying to start a mutiny in the classroom :) and delivered correctly this lesson won't do that! It WILL clearly illustrate how deliberate, thoughtful rule breaking can boost creative thinking and help our students be better problem solvers.
After the kick-off essay, students will team up to engineer a track for a marble to travel. They'll need to apply physics concepts of acceleration and speed and they'll need to think creatively in order to solve this challenge.
I share some particula
3rd - 7th
Engineering, Physics
Mastermind Your Conflicts ~ How to engage in productive disagreement and debate
Too often we are uneasy when disagreeing with those around us. We may find it hard to be in conflict, and yet conflict is a very real and very necessary part of life. Without debate, disagreement, and conflict nothing great would ever be achieved. But conflict has some very strict grounds rules and we uncover them in this Mindwinder. After an enlivening discussion you will share the wisdom of Aesop in two fables that perfectly illustrate how to be persuasive rather than a bully, and why debate i
3rd - 6th
Character Education
Why We Matter~An exploration of how our actions affect others
In this engaging Mindwinder, you and your students will explore how we each affect many people during our lives, even people we will never meet! After the class discussion, you will offer 2 fiction readings and 1 nonfiction text to drive home the point.
Then your students will work collaboratively to make a chain reaction device with a very special outcome.
After all is said and done, everyone will understand how their actions affect those around them, and can even influence people whom they wil
4th - 7th
Character Education, Engineering
The Sport of Listening ~ Rules of the Game
I was never taught Listening in school. Reading, writing, speaking, languages, yes. Listening, nope. Yet I was told (and we still tell our kiddos) to listen. I was expected to listen. But I was not taught the strategies for effective listening, which is 50% of any communication exchange. Seems like an important topic, no?
In true TeamMastermind fashion, your students will have a blast finding out how good (or not!) they are at listening to and communicating a set of instructions to their teamma
4th - 7th
Character Education, Speaking & Listening
Huge Hopes & Space Dreams - A 2-lesson packet of goal setting fun!
Two Mindwinders for the price of one!
The first, Huge Hopes, helps your students explore goal setting and the hard work, persistence, and learning through failure that's involved with any juicy goal. Here they will participate in a class discussion of goals and dreams, then they will make their own 'Dream Glasses' so they can always keep their goals in sight!
The second, Space Dreams, helps young children understand what it takes to achieve the lofty goal of becoming an astronomer or astronaut
K - 3rd
Character Education
Perspective ~ A community-building lesson
We all need to be reminded from time to time to make sure we are considering all angles, all perspectives in any situation. And your students are no exception; a reminder of the ways in which our unique perspectives shape our behavior will go a long way to promoting community in your classroom.
After the thorough discussion about paradigms and points-of-view, they will apply the skill as they solve a challenging hands-on activity with their team.
This Mindwinder includes:
--an engaging discus
3rd - 6th
Character Education
Go Fish! ~ How to swim along peacefully with others
What can fish teach your students about how to work well with others? In this Mindwinder, students will learn about the physiological advantages that our fishy friends have that allow them to use their senses to swim along peacefully with others.
Students will understand that our own 5 senses can help them to get along with others and improve teamwork and collaboration.
They will have fun "fishing" for colored "fish" in the big ocean. This hands-on activity promotes engineering skills as they
K - 2nd
Biology, Engineering
Life Lessons from Food - Apples!
In my Super Food series for Pre-K - 1st grade, I let good food do the teaching! Life lessons are everywhere if you know how to listen for them. In this Mindwinder, apples teach us how to reuse and conserve resources. Your students will understand why it is important to restrict our landfill waste and reduce consumption. Along the way they will learn some scientific terms for parts of the apple....I confess, I did not know what a calyx was! They'll hear a wonderful story to help them further
PreK - 1st
Environment
Creative Pioneers ~ Pushing boundaries for centuries!
From the covered wagons of the pioneers who broke new ground in the 1800s, to the pioneers who developed Google, a pioneering spirit is essential for new innovation and invention.
Your students will have fun discovering why and how we should all push the boundaries and limits to venture into unknown realms of possibility.
They will cement this concept as they work collaboratively to build a vehicle that will cross a "river".
Every TeamMastermind Mindwinder has:
--springboard ideas for engagin
3rd - 6th
Engineering, U.S. History
Fear Not! ~ Don't be afraid to stretch the boundaries!
Good fear is helpful, bad fear stifles creativity. After a thorough discussion about the differences, your students will understand that some fear is unhealthy and causes stagnation and mediocrity.
After reading a piece of literature to cement the concept, your students will collaboratively build a chain reaction device that will leave you all in the dark! But you're surely not afraid of the dark....
Follow up the hands-on challenge with a great TED Talk to help the kiddos "take it home".
All M
4th - 7th
Engineering
The Art of Conversation ~ Look Mom! No Thumbs....
Are we destined to become of race of people who communicate solely with thumbs? Yes, hands can be expressive, but texting, social media, or emailing is NOT a great substitute for real human interactions.
But as we move further and further in the direction of virtual communication, we stand to lose the rules of engagement for a relationship-building, trust-promoting Face-to-Face conversation.
Here we remind students the rules for a good conversation. Then we play with the concept of Give and T
4th - 7th
Character Education, Classroom Community
Community - We're all in this together!
Loneliness and feelings of isolation don't make for a particularly engaged student: if your student is struggling with the normal feelings of not belonging, this Mindwinder may help them to realize just how connected we actually are! We all belong to and interact with many groups of people, who, over time, grow to become our communities. Help your kiddos realize that they never need to be alone if they desire support and help from others.
After the discussion, they will break out into small tea
3rd - 6th
Character Education
Reflection ~ A lesson on self-evaluation & personal responsibility
In this Mindwinder your students will learn why we need to stop blaming others for things that go wrong in our lives. They will hear a compelling essay and an engaging folk story before they apply the soft skills of self-evaluation and personal responsibility to solve a tricky hands-on challenge.
This Mindwinder includes:
**An essay to kick off the theme
**A memorable folk tail to cement the concepts
**A fun and tricky challenge to practice collaboration and problem-solving
**A ReMindwinder word
3rd - 7th
Character Education, Engineering, Physics
It's Raining! It's Brainstorming! ~ Boost your output for max creativity!
Give your kids the techniques for effective brainstorming and you are planting the seeds that grow great problem solvers.
Effective brainstorming is an essential skill that often goes unpracticed by all of us! It's never too early - or too late - to begin to hone this skill.
And, it's fun! At least I've never participated in a brainstorming session that wasn't!
Introduce your students to these techniques then have them apply the skill as they protect Humpty from his fall.
This Mindwinder inc
K - 2nd
Brainstorm for Creativity ~ A deliberate techinique to increase creativity
Our world needs creative problem solvers and your students are the ones who will be solving the world's problems sooner than you (or they) may think! Let's get them started early with a deliberate technique that will increase their ability to come up with the creative ideas necessary for effective problem solving. Brainstorming, used as an idea generating device, is best practiced - and practiced often. After you lay out the essential rules for an effective brainstorming session, they will appl
4th - 7th
Showing 1-20 of 23 results
About the store
Experience
TeamMastermind evolved to bring together creativity, teamwork, and problem solving. Specifically, I sought to provide techniques and strategies that children could use to master these vital skills. I also wanted to emphasize the process of learning — not just the result… in other words, how to think, not what to think.
During the past 25 years, TeamMastermind has impacted thousands of children by providing opportunities for hands-on exploration. That active engagement and pure delight is why I created TeamMastermind… and it’s why I continue to develop curricula that can change lives — one enthusiastic child at a time.
Teaching style
TeamMastermind is all about the creative process as it intersects with thoughtful problem-solving. As such, it is a very hands-on, interactive curricula designed to promote intellectual risk-taking and creative learning and growth.
Awards & shining teacher moments
--Presenter: 2008: Fifth Annual Teaching and Learning Conference at Coconino Community College, Flagstaff, AZ
--Presenter: 2010: Inquiry-Based Learning Forum at Arizona Charter School Conference, Phoenix, AZ
--Presenter: 2011: Northern Arizona University Employee Development Day, Flagstaff, AZ
Presenter: 2012: Winter Sun School Team Training, Muskegon, MI
TPT is the largest marketplace for PreK-12 resources, powered by a community of educators.
IXL family of brands