https://nifa.usda.gov/ 

program/4-h-positiveyouth-development 

National Institute 

of Food 

and Agriculture 

United States 

Department of 

Agriculture 

LESSON PLAN: TEAMWORK ACTIVITY 1.10 

LESSON DETAILS INTRODUCTION 

ROCKET POWER CHALLENGE I 

A FEDERAL PARTNERSHIP FOR STEM EDUCATION 

EXPEDITIONARY

SKILLS

FOR LIFE 

 

 

 

National Aeronautics 

and Space 

Administration 

AGE/GRADE LEVEL 

Elementary School 

LEARNER OUTCOMES 

Youth will identify ways to efectively 

communicate with members of a 

team, recognize there are many 

diferent solutions to solving 

problems, and define teamwork. 

SUCCESS INDICATORS 

Youth will encourage each other in 

team activities, be able to accomplish a task with limited resources, 

and demonstrate cooperation. 

LIFE SKILLS 

Critical thinking and innovation, 

collaboration, social skills 

NATIONAL STANDARDS 

CCSS.ELA-Literacy.CCRA.SL.1 

Prepare for and participate efectively in a range of conversations and 

collaborations with diverse partners, 

building on others’ ideas and 

expressing their own clearly 

and persuasively. 

21st Century Learning and Innovation Skills: Learning and innovation 

skills increasingly are being recognized as the skills that separate 

students who are prepared for 

increasingly complex life and work 

environments in the 21st century, 

and those who are not. A focus on 

creativity, critical thinking, communication and collaboration is essential 

to prepare students for the future. 

PREP TIME 

15 minutes for room set up 

ACTIVITY TIME 

60 minutes 

MATERIALS LIST 

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device

More supplies may be needed

depending upon the size of the group

HANDOUTS 

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SUGGESTED SPACE 

Indoors, one table or other flat 

surface for each team 

SUGGESTED GROUP SIZE 

4 youth per team, any number of 

teams can be involved. 

INTRODUCTION INFORMATION 

Share after the second part of the 

activity has been completed. Use the 

introduction information as a lead in 

to the discussion question. 

REFERENCES 

Doing It Together 

www.uaex.edu/publications/ 

pdf/4HCD1.pdf 

Building Your Programs 20 Minutes 

at a Time — Leadership and Reflection Activities You Can Use ! 

www.extension.umn.edu/youth/ 

research/quality/docs/buildingyour-programs-book-one.pdf 

5 Ways Youth Can Be Good Team 

Members 

http://msue.anr.msu.edu/news/ 

five_ways_youth_can_be_good_ 

team_members 

NASA Teamwork 

https://science.nasa.gov/sciencenews/science-at-nasa/2005/10jan_ 

teammeup 

Teamwork is a group of individuals 

who use the strengths of each team 

member to work cooperatively 

towards a shared goal. 

Teamwork is a way of working together which 

cares for each person as the tasks are being 

accomplished. The teamwork process has two 

basic components: belonging and accomplishing. 

ƭ Belonging: Each person must feel welcome 

and important to the team. 

ƭ Accomplishing: Each person must have 

opportunity to contribute to the work of the 

team. 

Belonging is the beginning of motivation for 

teamwork and the source of commitment to 

accomplish the necessary tasks. Team building 

begins with the open and supportive relationships among team members. 

Team members share the tasks which enable 

them to carry out their plans. A team builds on 

the strengths of each of its members. Teamwork 

does not make fewer tasks, it redistributes tasks 

so that all who belong may be equally involved. . 

Communication is the lifeblood of the team. 

Communication begins with caring and continues with listening, with being sure that the 

concerns of each person are heard. Communication is transmitted through clear verbal and 

non-verbal messages and adequate well timed 

information. Communication is verified through 

feedback (by checking to be sure that what was 

heard was the message which was originally 

intended). Communication must occur for a 

team to achieve its goals. 

continued next page >> 
PAGE 2

LESSON PLAN: ACTIVITY 1.10 

ROCKET POWER CHALLENGE I, CONTINUED 

EXPEDITIONARY

SKILLS

FOR LIFE 

>> continued from previous page 

ACTIVITY INSTRUCTIONS 

INTRODUCTION ACTIVITY (10 MINUTES) 

Ask and discuss with youth: 

1. What do you think of when I say the word team? Do 

you know what teamwork is? Why is it important for 

people to work together? 

2. Brainstorm the characteristics of a good team member. 

Be Reliable 

Communicate 

Be an Active Listener 

Cooperate 

Commit 

3. Have you ever heard of NASA? (Explain what NASA is 

and does) Do people at NASA have to use teamwork? 

Why or why not? 

ACTIVTY PART 1: NO ASSIGNED ROLES 

(10 MINUTES) 

Youth will be working on a team to complete an engineering activity. Their challenge is to build a rocket model. 

NASA uses models in the process of building rockets.

 Directions 

1. Assign youth into groups of 4 with each group at their 

own table or other level surface. 

2. Hand out supplies. Give each team 12 pieces of 

spaghetti, 10 marshmallows and 10 gumdrops. Tell the 

youth not to touch or eat the supplies. 

3. Tell the youth they will have to work together and build 

a model of a rocket. 

4. The goal is to make the rocket as tall as possible, and it 

has to stand on its own. When they’re done building, it 

should not tip over. 

5. Have the youth briefly discuss and make a plan of 

what their rocket may look like and how they might 

use the limited supplies they have been given. No 

other supplies may be used. 

6. Tell the youth they have 5 minutes to build their rocket. 

Display a countdown clock if possible. 

7. Allow the teams to begin to build. 

ACTIVTY PART 2: NO ASSIGNED ROLES 

(10 MINUTES)

 Directions 

1. Within their teams, allow each team member 15 

seconds to share. Have each member answer one of 

the following questions: 

What is going well? 

What is not working? 

What could we do better? 

Are we working as a team? Why or why not? 

2. Allow each team a chance to move about the room as 

a group for 1 minute to view the other teams’ projects 

to get ideas. 

3. Give teams 5 minutes to finish their rocket model. 

Remind them to think about what they heard from 

their teammates and what they viewed from the other 

teams’ models. 

4. When time is up, have the youth step away from their 

table and have each team showcase their final model 

design. Use the yardstick to measure the final rocket 

model height. Use class applause to celebrate all of 

the teams’ eforts! 

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS (10 MINUTES) 

1. Ask the youth to give a quick nonverbal feedback 

response of the activity with thumbs up, thumbs 

side-ways, or thumbs down. Ask for verbal sharing of 

why they chose to rate the activity the way they did. 

2. What did you learn about teamwork? 

3. What was one thing your team did well? 

4. What was one thing your team could do better next 

time? 

5. Did your team try more than one way to complete the 

challenge? 

6. Why do scientists and engineers at NASA have to use 

teamwork? 

continued next page >> 
PAGE 3

LESSON PLAN: ACTIVITY 1.10 

ROCKET POWER CHALLENGE I, CONTINUED 

EXPEDITIONARY

SKILLS

FOR LIFE 

>> continued from previous page 

DEBRIEF ACTIVITY: WHAT’S MY REFLECTION 

QUESTION? (10 MINUTES) 

MATERIALS LIST 

Reflection question notecards (see questions below). 

1. Hand each youth a card face down so that they cannot 

see the question. 

2. Ask them to hold their card up to their forehead with 

the question visible to all but themselves. 

3. Instruct youth to move around to individuals answering the question the other person is holding. Remind 

them not to read the question out loud. 

4. Each youth should hear answers from a minimum of 3 

people before guessing what their reflection question 

is. After most or all have discovered their reflection 

question, ask a few to share the responses they 

received and how those answers helped them determine what their question was. 

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What are some ways you like to learn? 

What have you learned about making decisions? 

How did others help you? 

Why was this an important/useful thing to do? 

What surprised you about this activity? 

What was most challenging? 

APPLY CHALLENGE: HUMAN KNOT 

(10 MINUTES) 

1. Divide the group into teams of 6 to 10 youth. Have 

each team stand in a tight circle. 

2. Ask the youth to reach their right hand into the middle 

of the circle and grasp the hand of someone that is not 

directly next to them. 

3. Then tell the youth to reach their left hand into the 

middle of the circle and grasp the hand of someone 

else that is not directly next to them. 

4. After they are all holding hands, ask the teams to try 

to untangle the knot (while still holding hands). 

SAFETY NOTE 

Teams should be closely monitored to ensure that the 

untangling process is done safely. Remind youth not to 

pull anyone over and to be careful not to accidently step 

on or kick anyone. 

Discuss: 

1. Can anyone share a feeling they had during the 

activity? (i.e. happy because it was fun, frustrated 

because you could not get untangled, mad because 

people would not listen, proud because you were able 

to untangle the knot, etc.) 

2. How did this activity require teamwork? What could 

your team have done better? 

3. How can you use teamwork during your daily lives at 

school, at home, in extra-curricular activities, etc.? 

FUN FACTS 

ƭ e There is no set number of people in an astronaut 

candidate class; NASA selects candidates on an 

as-needed basis. 

ƭ e Lonnie Johnson, the man who invented the Super 

Soaker was a NASA engineeer. He also helped develop 

the Stealth Bomber. 

DID YOU KNOW 

NASA will send you a text message whenever the International Space Station (ISS) passes over your location. 

https://spotthestation.nasa.gov/signup.cfm 

INSTRUCTOR’S NOTES 
ACTIVITY 1.10: LEARNER ASSESSMENT 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1

Q2 

Q3 

I can identify three diferent ways to communicate with 

someone. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can find more than one ay to solve a problem. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I know how to work as part of a team. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

ACTIVITY 1.10: LEARNER ASSESSMENT 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1

Q2 

Q3 

I can identify three diferent ways to communicate with 

someone. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can find more than one ay to solve a problem. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I know how to work as part of a team. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

ACTIVITY 1.10: LEARNER ASSESSMENT 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

Q1

Q2 

Q3 

I can identify three diferent ways to communicate with 

someone. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can find more than one ay to solve a problem. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I know how to work as part of a team. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

ACTIVITY 1.10: LEARNER ASSESSMENT 

These questions are about things you learned during this 

activity. Please check the circle that best describes you. 

 

EXPEDITIONARY

SKILLS 

EXPEDITIONARY

FOR LIFE

SKILLS 

FOR LIFE 

EXPEDITIONARY

SKILLS 

FOR LIFEFOR LIFE

EXPEDITIONARY

SKILLS 

Q1 

Q2 

Q3 

I can identify three diferent ways to communicate with 

someone. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I can find more than one ay to solve a problem. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me 

I know how to work as part of a team. 

Not at all like me 

A little like me 

Somewhat like me 

A lot like me