The Slip Game - Tribes Agreements In Action

This afternoon, we found time for Tribes. This is just one way that we practice being a community in our classroom. We reviewed the four agreements - active listening, mutual respect, appreciation/no put-downs, and the right to pass. In this very simple activity called "the slip game", we got some good practice with each one of these.

I prepared three bags (one for each tribe) with a good selection of questions on slips of paper. These ranged from "If you were given a million dollars, what would you do?" to "What makes you sad?" Tribes got together, and decided who would go first, second, etc. Then, taking turns, they pulled a question out of the bag and answered it. If the question made them uncomfortable, they could "pass" and pull another question.

Children were expected to actively listed to each other, and showed respect by helping each other read (if necessary). They could not put down any answer given, and, very importantly, they respected each other if anyone chose to say, "I pass."

This type of practice is crucial at ANY age, but we are creating some basic building blocks with these seemingly simple types of games and listening activities.