Assembly Objective:
- How can we make the most of our lives? This assembly explores the Bible’s teaching that everyone has been given abilities that they can use to serve others, and we can do so much more if we work together.
Film:
- The Lego Movie (Warner Bros, 2014, certificate U). Click here to buy the DVD online.
Bible:
- 1 Peter 4:10 (Contemporary English Version)
Supporting Values Education:
- The value of Individual Liberty affirms each person’s right to self-determination, but the values of Democracy, Respect and Tolerance call us to live as part of a community. This assembly encourages pupils to consider how we can each use our various abilities for the common good.
OPENING ACTIVITY
Everything Is Awesome!!! (mood-setter)
- Whilst pupils enter the room, play Everything Is Awesome (from The Lego Movie soundtrack), click here to buy the track online. Alternatively, play a piece of classical music, which involves many different instruments.
Build a skyscraper (competition)
- Invite two volunteers to join you in some construction work. Using plastic cups or a range of scrap items, you must build a skyscraper in a minute (longer if you have time). For Round one, each of you builds alone. For Round two, you work together. For Round three, the two pupils work together, but you do the opposite. You might start out sulking by yourself, then move to hoarding all the scrap, and finally, you could knock over their best efforts.
- Afterwards, ask the volunteers which round they enjoyed most, and ask the rest of the group which tower they thought was best and why.
The Ultimate Team (game)
- Choose two volunteers to be team captains for a relay race. Then explain to them that there are four rounds in this race, and they need to choose one person for each round. Also hint that it’s worth them choosing people according to the task. They are free to choose whether to pick four people, or to do one task themselves and pick just three other people.
- Round one: Sculpt it
- A child from each team is given a lump of Plasticine or clay. Choose an object or concept for them to sculpt (e.g. roast dinner) and whisper it to them. On your signal, they both begin sculpting the object/concept for their team mates to guess. The team who guess it correctly first wins the round.
- Round two: Spell it
- A child from each team is given a piece of paper and a pencil. Say a word and ask them to write it down on their piece of paper.
- Round three: Skip it
- A child from each team is given a skipping rope. One at a time the children see how many times they can jump the rope. The person with the greatest number of jumps wins.
- Round four: Say it
- A child from each team is told the name of a famous person or character (the same name for both children). They take it in turns to impersonate the person/character. The children who aren’t part of the teams then vote on whose impression was best.
- The team that wins the most rounds overall is crowned ‘The Ultimate Team’.
Great line-up (something to do)
- If your group size allows, invite all the pupils to line up in different orders. Here are some ideas:
- In order of:
- How tall you are
- How long your hair is
- How big your feet are
- How old you are
- How big your breakfast was
- How early you woke up
- Afterwards, discuss how easy/difficult it was and why, and congratulate them on working together to make each line.
FILM CLIP
- Play the clip from The Lego Movie (Warner Bros, 2014, certificate U).
- Start time: 00:51:25 (in chapter 6 of the DVD)
- End time: 00:52:43
- Clip length: 1 minute and 18 seconds
- The clip starts with Vitruvius (voiced by Morgan Freeman) saying, ‘So, Special, what do we do?’ It ends after Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) says, ‘…and some glitter glue!’
- If you are unable to play the clip, say ‘The Master Builders have amazing imaginations. They have tried to beat President Business in all sorts of clever ways, but nothing has worked. Emmet is no Master Builder, but he does know something that they don’t: he knows how to be part of a team. Emmet tells the Master Builders that if they learn to work together, they could save the universe.’
TALK
Download the Part of a Team Assembly Powerpoint for use with this talk.
Scripted Talk
- [PowerPoint slide 1]
- Put your hand up if you like jigsaw puzzles. Jigsaw puzzles can be really fun! As you find a place for each piece, you begin to see a wonderful picture appear. Isn’t it satisfying when you finally complete the picture? But, sometimes jigsaw puzzles can be really frustrating too. Imagine that you have worked on a big puzzle for ages and ages. You’ve done all of the boring edge pieces, you’ve done all of the fiddly sky pieces, you’ve done almost all of the rest of the pieces, but… there is a gap in the middle of your brilliant picture! One piece is missing, and without it you cannot complete the puzzle! How frustrating!
- [PowerPoint slide 2]
- Today we’re going to talk about working together. A team is a bit like a jigsaw puzzle. All of the pieces are important in a puzzle because, without them, you cannot complete the picture. In a team, all of the people are important – no matter which role they play.
- Can you think of anything we do in school that involves working together? [Take suggestions – sports, orchestra, school council, school garden, community projects, etc.] Why is it important that you work together? [Take suggestions – help each other, hear different ideas, learn different skills.] What would happen if you didn’t work together on that project? [Take suggestions.] What is fun about working together? [Take suggestions.]
- [PowerPoint slide 3]
- We’re going to watch a clip in a minute about some really talented people called Master Builders. All they needed were a few Lego bricks and they could build anything they wanted. Surely they don’t need to work together… or do they?
- Play the clip from The Lego Movie (Warner Bros, 2014, certificate U):
- Start time: 00:51:25 (in chapter 6 of the DVD)
- End time: 00:52:43
- Clip length: 1 minute and 18 seconds
- The clip starts with Vitruvius (voiced by Morgan Freeman) saying, ‘So, Special, what do we do?’ It ends after Emmet (voiced by Chris Pratt) says, ‘…and some glitter glue!’
- If you are unable to play the clip, say ‘The Master Builders have amazing imaginations. They have tried to beat President Business in all sorts of clever ways, but nothing has worked. Emmet is no Master Builder, but he does know something that they don’t: he knows how to be part of a team. Emmet tells the Master Builders that if they learn to work together, they could save the universe.’]
- [PowerPoint slide 4]
- Emmet may not be a Master Builder, but when he and his friends worked together, they could build skyscrapers! The Master Builders will be able to do something truly great, if they work together like that.
- [PowerPoint slide 5]
- As well as listening to Emmet, the Master Builders could learn a lot from what the Bible has to say about teamwork:
- ‘Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.’ 1 Peter 4:10 (CEV)
- [PowerPoint slide 6]
- We all have special talents. The Bible says that these are gifts from God, and that they were given to us in order to help other people.
- We are all part of a bigger picture – we’re part of a family, a circle of friends, a class, a school, a town, a country and a world. When we use our talents for the good of others, we play our part in the bigger picture. When we don’t use our talents or when we only use them selfishly, we are like a missing jigsaw piece. The puzzle needs you – nobody can fill that gap except you!
- Close your eyes for a moment and think about the things you’re naturally really good at. Open your eyes and look around you. Think about the talents of your friends. Now, think about the talents of all the other people in your class. Look up and imagine how much more we could achieve if we all used our talents to serve each other.
Headings and Bullets
- [PowerPoint slide 1-2]
- Jigsaw illustration:
- Isn’t it satisfying when you finally complete the picture?
- But, how do you feel when there’s a missing piece?
- Just as you need all of the pieces to complete a jigsaw puzzle, in a team, all of the people are important.
- Case study: school/community project
- Can you think of anything we do in school that involves working together?
- Why is it important that you work together?
- What would happen if you didn’t work together on that project?
- What is fun about working together?
- Jigsaw illustration:
- [PowerPoint slide 3]
- The Master Builders :
- In The Lego Movie, the Master Builders are really talented.
- Surely they don’t need to work together… or do they?
- Play the clip from The Lego Movie:
- The Master Builders :
- [PowerPoint slide 4]
- Teamwork:
- When Emmet and his friends worked together, they could build skyscrapers!
- The Master Builders will be able to do something truly great by working together.
- As well as listening to Emmet, the Master Builders could learn a lot from what the Bible says about teamwork.
- ‘Each of you has been blessed with one of God’s many wonderful gifts to be used in the service of others. So use your gift well.’ 1 Peter 4:10 (CEV)
- Teamwork:
- [PowerPoint slide 6]
- The bigger picture:
- We all have special talents.
- The Bible says that these are gifts from God, to help other people.
- We are all part of a bigger picture – family, friends, class, school, town, country and world.
- When we use our talents to serve others, we play our part in the bigger picture; when we don’t, we are like a missing jigsaw piece.
- Nobody can fill that gap except you!
- Look and think:
- Close your eyes and think about your talents.
- Look around you and think about the talents of your friends and the others in your class.
- Look up and imagine how much more we could achieve together.
- The bigger picture:
RESPOND
Reflection
- What are your special gifts? How can you use your gift well? How can you use it to serve other people?
Prayer
- I’m going to pray now. If you’d like to make my prayer your own prayer, then just say ‘Amen’ at the end.
- Amazing God, thank you for giving every single person wonderful talents. Please help us to use them to serve other people. Amen.
YOU WILL NEED:
- The Lego Movie (Warner Bros, 2014, certificate U). Click here to buy the DVD online.
- Part of a Team Assembly PowerPoint.
- Everything Is Awesome (from The Lego Movie soundtrack) for Create the atmosphere.
- Plastic cups or scrap items for the Build a skyscraper opening activity.
- Two lumps of Plasticine or clay, two pieces of paper, two pencils, and two skipping ropes for The Ultimate Team opening activity.
Ethos Education 