"Iron Chef, modeled after the Iron Chef Cooking shows, is a student centered, gamified jig saw (with accountability) that is used to cover content and connect to standards. Students read, synthesize and create, and present to their peers." (source)
- This type of activity can be implemented in various ways, but you must have a group member for each SLIDE.
- Students have a finite amount of time to complete their slide - 10 to 20 minutes, depending on depth of content and what you're asking them to read, synthesize and create.
- Try to ask the types of questions that prevent students from copying and pasting the answers from the (digital) material.
- They MUST include at least ONE picture on their slide.
- They can decorate / personalize the slide once the rest of the required elements are done.
Same Slides Template:
- One person in group makes a copy of the slide deck and shares with the group and teacher (may be able to do this in classroom)
- Each slide is the same (same types of open-ended questions or tasks), but the content that the whole class is reading is divided into chunks. Typical content requirement is 5 to 7 facts (sentences) to ensure they work the entire allotted time. This may vary depending on age of students.
- Each student is assigned a "chunk" to read and use to complete their ONE slide with questions, a picture, plus ONE secret ingredient that is specific to their slide only, such as a related (or unrelated) trivia question, three facts (bullets). The material can be physical reading material or links to content on each slide.
- Give a time limit (10 to 20 minutes) to ensure students stay on task.
Presentation :
Group Presentation / Discussion: Once completed, the group has a limited amount of time to read through the slides of other group members and discuss the content. Then, as a whole group, each slide can be discussed but the "expert" for that slide can't talk, which is on a set timer. At the end of the timed discussion, the "expert" can fill in any missed information or clarify misconceptions.
Class Presentation: Each GROUP will have a finite amount of time PER SLIDE to present their information to the ENTIRE class. Although repetitive, all students are hearing the synthesized content from different students; each one may have a different perspective on the content.
Accountability
Each student is responsible for completing their OWN slide and understanding the content to present to their group members / class. When presenting to the entire class, students in other groups who have the SAME slide should pay special attention to any inaccurate content.
- Feedback Ideas:
- Using a Google Form, have students in the other groups give a quick rating to the group presenting using only three criteria such as:
- Technical accuracy - Are the facts and pictures good?
- Artistic Impression - Does the slide look good to the viewer? (background and other images, font choice)
- Overall Content - Speaking skills, addressing the audience, tone and delivery.
- Oral feedback from ONE group of "judges" using only three criteria and judges give the group a "score" and briefly tell WHY. Rotate groups that get to be judges, but not every group may get to judge in one day.
- The "points" given by other students shouldn't be for a grade.
Topics That Can be "Iron Chef-ed"
More Ideas (source)
- Self presentations (Name, 3 facts, a photo of self, secret ingredient: something they find funny)
- Farm animals (Name of animal, 3-4 facts, photo of the animal, animal habitat, secret ingredient: animal sound)
- Math properties (Name of the property, 3 facts, example, secret ingredient: application in everyday life)
- Countries (Name of country, 3-4 facts [ex. population, language spoken, religion, continent], picture of the people, secret ingredient: popular dish
Note: This is not a good tool for large, complicated ideas, such as the Civil War. Break down large concepts into smaller, well-defined portions.