6.6 Committees
This is a “Reaching New Heights” leadership development lesson (RNH.6.6) titled “Committees” that teaches students the purpose, types, and operation of committees and how to be an effective committee member. It includes direct instruction on the three basic committee types (executive, standing, and special/ad hoc), guidelines for conducting committee meetings, and a hands-on “Towers” team-building activity in which student groups act as ad hoc committees to plan, bid on materials, and build a construction-paper tower that is judged and observed. Student handouts (AS.A–AS.D) provide activity instructions, judges’ and observers’ briefing sheets, and play money.
At a glance
- Learning objectives
-
- Define committee.
- Describe why committees are used by teams or groups.
- Describe how committees operate.
- Demonstrate how to be a responsible committee member.
- Time required
- 60 minutes
- Materials
-
- Writing surface
- Writing utensils
- 2 pair of scissors
- 2 roles of tape
- 2 staplers
- 2 bottles of glue
- 8 packages of construction paper (five 9" x 12" sheets per package)
- 1 ball of string
- 2 sets of markers
- RNH.6.6.AS.A – one per student
- RNH.6.6.AS.B – 3 copies
- RNH.6.6.AS.C – two copies for each group of 2-3 students
- RNH.6.6.AS.D – enough copies to meet the requirements of the Towers building activity
- Purpose
- The intention of this lesson is to help students understand the purpose of committees and how to work in them effectively.
- Connection Questions
- 1. What are some situations where you will serve on a committee? 2. What is the value of committees? 3. How do the concepts of team building, conflict resolution, and committees relate? 4. What are some decisions you have been part of that would have been better decided by a committee? 5. How does working collaboratively and cooperatively relate to committee work?
- LifeKnowledge Precepts Addressed
- Action: A1, A2, A4, A5, A7; Relationships: B1, B2, B3, B4, B5; Vision: C4; Continuous Improvement: F3; Mental Growth: J1, J2, J3, J4; Communications: M5; Decision Making: N1, N2; Flexibility and Adaptability: O3
- LK Lesson Suggestion
- Middle School: MS.32, MS.46, MS.47, MS.52; High School: HS.24, HS.62, HS.63, HS.68, HS.75, HS.76, HS.77, HS.81, HS.94; Advanced High School: AHS.10, AHS.26, AHS.28, AHS.35