Today, it felt good to be a teacher.

I am currently working on my PCE (Pre Student Teaching) Tasks for my degree from WGU. I'm getting to so close to finishing, and today- I could finally feel it. I got to teach for the first time on my own. It didn't feel much different from subbing or many other experiences I've had.. until it was over and I had REAL papers to grade. It made me think of all the times since as long as my memory serves that I have wanted to be a teacher. I have graded a million pretend tests, today it felt like I graded a million real ones. Overall I feel like it was a success and I can't wait to teach next week.

I want to share my lesson plan with all of you in case you get the chance to teach this lesson. It really is great!

LESSON PLAN

GENERAL INFORMATION

Lesson Title & Subject(s): Jigsaw Cooperative Learning on Egypt, 7^th Grade Geography

Topic or Unit of Study: North Africa and Southwest Asia> North Africa Today> Egypt

Grade/Level: 7^th Grade

Instructional Setting: This will be taught in a regular classroom with approximately 30 students per class.

STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES

Your State Core Curriculum/Student Achievement Standard(s):

From the Alabama Course of Study Standards for 7^th Grade Geography:

·        Describe the world in spatial terms using maps, major physical and human features, and urban and rural land-use patterns.

·        Explaining the use of map essentials, including type, size, shape, distance, direction, location, scale, and symbols

·        Describing physical and human characteristics used to define regions in the Eastern Hemisphere

·        Identify physical, economic, political, and cultural characteristics of selected regions in the Eastern Hemisphere, including Europe, Asia, and Africa.

·        Describe positive and negative environmental effects of human actions on the four basic components of Earth's physical systems: atmosphere, biosphere, lithosphere, and hydrosphere.

Lesson Goals:

·        Empower students with a sense of personal responsibility

·        Enable students to work cooperatively together

·        Give students the opportunity to express themselves as teachers

Lesson Objective(s):

            After completing the Jigsaw Activity, the student will be able to explain how Egypt’s Nile River and desert landscape have shaped the lives of the Egyptian people for hundreds of years with 90 percent accuracy.

               

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Instructional Materials:

·         Poster with Jigsaw Directions

·         Poster with Rubric

·         Cards to assign groups

·         Index cards for notes

·         Articles for extra students

·         Textbooks for students

·         Expert Group Worksheets

·         Quiz/Evaluation Sheets

·         Rubrics

Resources:

·         Aronson, E. (n.d.). Jigsaw in 10 easy steps. Retrieved from http://www.jigsaw.org/steps.htm

·         Boehm, R. (2005). Glencoe the world and its people: Eastern hemisphere. Glencoe/McGraw Hill.

·         Fadl, A. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aldokkan.com/society/food.htm

·         Smith, N. (1999, March 30). Summary of background information for the aswan high dam:. Retrieved from http://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnes-africa/kaymur/LINK.htm

INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN

Sequence of Instructional Procedures/Activities/Events:

1. Introduction, Explain Directions, and Assign Teams:

The teacher will begin class by reviewing material from the previous day and explaining the jigsaw approach. The poster with jigsaw directions and the rubric poster will be displayed where all students can view this while the teacher talks. This insures that students are aware of the directions. The teacher will quickly explain each step while distributing cards to assign students to colored groups. The teacher will end this section by asking students if they have any questions before they begin.

5 minutes.

2. Team Building:

Students are to move into jigsaw groups. Desks may be moved as well to allow student interaction. The teacher will distribute a piece of construction paper to each group that color coordinated with the colors on the cards to assign the group. On one side of the paper, the students are to come up with a group name. On the other side of the paper, students are to write all group members’ names and what section of the material for which they are responsible. This ensures that students are aware of their role expectations. While students are working on this in groups, the teacher will monitor each group individually for questions/concerns/encouragement. The teacher will also give a brief reminder to each individual group of the directions for the next section. Students whose reading assignment is not in the textbook will be given an article to read. All students will be handed to notecard with which to complete the next section.

5 minutes

3. Students Read Section and Take Notes:

Students are to sit at an individual desk. They are to read their individually assigned section of the text or article and take notes. The teacher will remind students that the purpose of one side of the note card is to “guess what is on the quiz” and make sure they get all of the important points. The teacher will also remind students that this is where they become experts on the topic and that their fellow group mates are depending on them to learn the material. The teacher will quickly observe team building sheets for completion as well as monitor for student progress while they are reading and taking notes.

10 minutes.

4. Expert Groups:

Students will move into expert groups, which are students from different jigsaw groups who have the same academic assignment. The teacher will distribute an expert group worksheet to guide student discussion. Students will be reminded to add any information from the worksheet to their card as well as to not count on only information from the worksheet to be on the quiz. There is only one worksheet per group, so students must work to together to agree. The teacher will quickly visit each expert group to ensure students are on task.

10 minutes

5. Students Teach Jigsaw Groups:

Students will return to jigsaw groups. The teacher will instruct students that they each have about four minutes to teach their group mates the information from their section. Students are to use the information they have completed on their white index cards to teach their group mates the information. The teacher will monitor this step, but at a distance. This is where the students are encouraged to work independently the most.

20 minutes

6. Quiz/Feedback:

Students are to move desks back into rows. The teacher will distribute sheets that contain the quiz on the front and an evaluation of group members on the back. The quiz is true false. The evaluation allows the teacher how students felt about other student performance. 

10 minutes.

Pedagogical Strategy:

Cooperative Learning Groups- Jigsaw

Differentiated Instruction:

Cooperative learning groups will be diverse in terms of gender, ethnicity, race, and ability.

Student Assessment/Rubrics:

1.        All work from the day will be assessed by a rubric the teacher completes. It is broken down as follows.

Section (%)

·         Team Building (5%): Points will be awarded based on completion of team name creation and role descriptions written on the given sheet of construction paper.

·         Notecard (20%): In order for full points to be given, students must have notes that cover at least 75% of the notecard. Notes must be legible and relevant.

·         Expert Group (25%): The worksheet given to expert groups will be graded 50% on completion and 50% on accuracy.

·         Quiz (30%): The quiz will be graded for accuracy.

·         Completed Feedback (5%): If students complete the side of the sheet fully, full points will be awarded.

·         Feedback from others (5%): If students received negative feedback from more than one group mate, these points can be lost.

·         Teach Jigsaw Group (10%): These points will be awarded based on the student teaching their section to their jigsaw group.

2.        Students will be given a guided reading sheet from the textbook to complete on this unit. This is assigned as homework.

3.        Students have a vocabulary assignment for the chapter. All words must be defined and sentence written with each. This is turned in at the end of the chapter.

4.        There will be a multiple choice test at the end of the chapter.