Good teamwork and teambuilding is key in a healthy, collaborative classroom. To foster that sense of community, here are 5 amazing picture books to teach teamwork in the classroom.
1. The Subway Sparrow by Leyla Torres
An unlikely group of subway passengers team up to try to free a bird that has been trapped inside their subway cart. A great story about people from all walks of life coming together to work as a team. It can also be used to teach respect and empathy!
2. Teamwork Isn’t My Thing and I Don’t Like to Share by Julia Cook
RJ’s get partnered with a disfunction group for a group project and his week just goes downhill from there. The only time RJ seems to be a good team player is on the soccer team, but everywhere else he finds teamwork frustrating. RJ must learn how to work with different people and along the way discovers that maybe teamwork isn’t as different on and off the soccer field as he once thought.
3. Duncan the Story Dragon by Amanda Driscoll
First of all, this one is about a dragon, which automatically makes it amazing. Of course, it’s also a great story about how sometimes the best way to get something done is by working together with someone else. Duncan is a dragon who loves to read but keeps accidentally setting his books on fire. Duncan travels the neighborhood searching for a friend to read with.
4. Stone Soup retold by Jon J Muth
Muth retells the story of three monks who travel from village to village trying to determine what makes people happy. When they come across a village of people who no longer trust strangers – or each other – the monks teach them how to be a community again by making “stone soup”.
5. How the Crayons Saved the Rainbow by Monica Sweeney
The sun and the clouds loved working together to make rainbows until one day they get into a fight. Unlike the quarreling sun and clouds, the crayons set out to work together to make their own rainbows and solve the conflict. The whole world is better when we don’t fight with our friends!
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