What is the Most Magnificent Thing?

I showed the students what book we read on Monday: The Most Magnificent Thing by Ashley Spires. We reviewed what might happen when we are in a group and what we can do about it. 

Today they were going to get into partner groups today (I made them smaller in hopes the future groups can get bigger). 

There are a couple things I do in hopes to help my students get along in a group: 

1. I was very honest with them. I told them that I will not allow them to create their own picture and they will sit out if they can't be a kind friend in a group. 

2. I also put the students that were going to struggle in a group on purpose.  We have to get through being a bad group member. Talking through an argument with them and helping them resolve these problems will be great modeling for students.  

3. My groups got smaller to get more practice on being good group members. 

The students today got one piece of paper and I wanted them to draw me the most magnificent thing.  They needed to draw ONE thing and work together to draw it and tell me what it does. 

I started the lesson by saying...is there something in this world that really bugs you? Do you miss you could create something to help your life? I gave them an example that I wished my car to drive for me.  So I'm going to draw that. 

Here is what they made: 

A soccer kicker:

A reader: