Team Work / Theme Work
A Cooperative Learning Project for Exploring the Unit Theme
Oleg Savin, teacher of English, school of
Ladyzhinka, Cherkasy Region.
A Newspaper on Up-to-date Problems and Current Events / an English Wall Newspaper
Students explore the effects that up-to-date problems and current events can have on their lives and learn to present their materials and investigations on newspaper pages.
Introducing the Project
Bring in and share newspaper with students and have them discuss the paper’s similarities and differences. Then explain that they will be creating their own newspaper designed for their school or college mates and teachers.
Cooperative Learning
To form cooperative learning teams, suggest that different students in each team take one of these jobs:
Recorder: makes notes of the team’s discussion and progress.
Scheduler: makes sure that tasks necessary to complete the assignment are completed on time.
Supplies Manager: gathers and organizes supplies for the group.
Liaison: works with the other teams to coordinate activities.
Forming Cooperative Learning Teams
Have students form teams to work on different aspects of creating the newspaper. Students can choose to:
_write and / or edit the stories
_ lay out and design the pages
_ create the illustrations or identify photos to use and write captions
_ produce the newspaper: type the stories, write the headlines, make copies
Brainstorming and Sharing Ideas
Invite students to identify the most urgent problems of their present-day, personal and college / school life and charackteristic features of current community life by asking them to predict what effects drawing of attention to them might have on such areas as student’s heals, environment, local affairs, learning progress, sports and culture. As students offer ides, have a volunteer write them on the board. Then have students select the events and ideas they want to cover in the newspaper. Finally, have students look again at the different types of newspapers and choose which style they want to emulate.
Materials
_ several different kinds of newspapers such as Digest for those who learn English,
English Language and Culture weekly, tabloids, community newspapers.
_typewriters or computers
_ art supplies
_ cameras
_ Dictaphones
_ English Dictionaries and Reference Books
Creating the Newspaper
Have teams work to complete their task for the newspaper. After the groups meet initially, make sure the teams:
_ set a schedule for completing the newspaper
_ set times the liaisons will be meeting to coordinate the work of the different groups
_ have the coordinating group approve the newspaper before it goes to press
Sharing the Newspaper
Have the group in charge of production make enough copies of the newspaper for the class. You might also suggest that extra copies be produced for another class, which would then offer its comments.
We wish your students creative activity and productivity!