Embedded Files
Problem
In my specific classroom, there have definitely been issues with engagement and work completion. In Unit 2, in which students were expected to read a novel, I knew that some students would be more self-motivated to read independently than others. I found some initial success with students listening to the audiobook, but I knew that if I wanted students to know what happens in the longer chapters, I’d have to find a way to get them to actually read, and be held accountable for their reading.
Hypothesis
If students feel a responsibility to teach others and not just answer to me/themselves, then maybe they’ll be more motivated to complete their work. The amount of students who turn their work in on time will increase if they know that they have to share their understandings with others who rely on them.
The use of accountable talk stems and specific roles will increase work production, on-task behaviors, the quality of conversations, and the thoroughness of written responses will increase.
Target group
10th grade disengaged students (boys) who are frequently late and do not submit work.
Planning & resources
Planning
I consulted with Lindsey a lot, particularly with developing a discussion protocol.
Resources
Teacher Made Materials
Data collection
Data collection
Baseline data
I looked at daily attendance and student work in MP1 and the beginning of MP2. I tracked which assignments were turned in, what their scores were, and what student behaviors were exhibited during independent work time.
I also took a look at my own practice. I categorized which lessons felt successful to me, and which lessons fell flat.
Measuring success
It was a success if:
students knew the big events that happened in the beginning, middle, and end of a longer chapter by the end of a single class period.
students could determine which events in a chapter were big ideas and which were small details.
students could explain the events of the chapter to their classmates.
students could correctly identify the main idea of the chapter by the end of the class period.
Overall findings & impact
The first time I tried this, it was a huge success. We normally couldn’t get through 20 pages in one class period, but with the jigsaw activity we could finish the whole chapter. The second time didn’t go as well because we had a fire drill. I didn’t use sentence frames or accountable talk frames for this activity like I said I would, but I did it the third time around.
At the beginning of unit 3, I tried it again with nonfiction texts about apartheid. Each student could choose the article they wanted to read, knowing that there were only 7 copies of each text. We used a pause protocol so that students could discuss their texts together in different ways. By the end of day 1 they were asked to summarize their articles. On day 2, they met with predetermined jigsaw groups to share information about their article. Then, they wrote a short answer response where they had to synthesize across texts. I would rate this third time as a complete success. There were times when I had complete silence as students were working!! I even got positive verbal feedback from certain students about how much they liked this activity. I would definitely give students choice in their text but have predetermined groups again.
Actionable steps
If you want to use this strategy in your classroom, I recommend …
Using post-its to color code each group.
Letting students choose their own groups by walking around the room and finding other “pieces of the puzzle” (students with different colored post-its from them).
Setting timers for reading the pages, summarizing the pages on their own, and then sharing in groups.
Leaving time at the end to reflect on the activity, as well as come up with the main idea on their own.
Michelle Bellamy | michelle.bellamy@uamaker.nyc
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