Cathy Cook Cooperative Lesson
EDP 621 ‚ Summer 2001
6/12/01
Description:
As part of the freshmen
English curriculum, students are required to read and understand the themes and
events in the Odyssey. This piece of literature can sometimes be rather difficult
for students to comprehend, so this cooperative lesson allows students to focus
on the smaller sections asthey are divided in the textbook. In turn, they
can then present to their fellow classmates, and it breaks up the difficulty of
the literature while catering to multiple intelligences. (See below).
Objective:
Working in groups of two
or three, students will work together to gain an in-depth understanding of the
Odyssey after working on particular sections. Each student will have a
job in which they have to complete. After the students fulfill certain
duties, they can then present their particular section to therest of the class.
Sections include:
(Sections may vary according to different texts) ‚
”Phaecia‚”
“Land of the
Laestrygonians‚”
“The Lotus
Eaters‚”
“The
Cyclops‚”
“Circe’s
Island‚”
“Aeolia‚”
“The Land of the
Dead‚”
“The Lord of the
Sun‚”
“Scylla and
Charybdis‚”
“The
Sirens‚”
“Calypso’s
Island‚”
“The Return of
Odysseus‚”
“Odysseus’
Revenge‚”
Grade Level:
7-10
Required Materials:
Classroom set of the
Odyssey (in our textbook) Assigned sections of the Odyssey
Crayons
Drawing paper
Wordprocessor
Instructions:
1.
Divide students into groups of two or three. One
student is in charge of vocabulary, pulling out difficult words and getting
definitions. He/she must typeup these definitions. Another student
is the recorder, and he/she is in charge of typing up a complete summary of the
section. The third student is the illustrator, and he/she is responsible
for drawing a vivid picture, detailing the scene to aid in further
understanding of the events.
2.
Within their groups students may either read their
section silently or out loud together. Students should have a notepad
handy in order to scribble down questions or comments they have about the
reading.
3.
After reading, students should discuss the events of
the section in order to make sure each student has a good understanding of the
material. This works well for the lower-achieving reader, because the three
together can come to an understanding together. This discussion should
then be followed by the groups’ decision of what words
should be defined and what picture should be drawn. This is helpful,
allowing each person to feel he/she is not on his/her own with regard to
highlighting the important areas of their section. The group must also
decide on a relative journal prompt that will help the other students relate
his/her own life experience to the events in the section.
4.
Students must then spend time working on their
individual jobs. After summary is complete, the group should turn in to the
instructor so that he/she can make copies for the entire class at the time of
presentation.
5.
On the due date, the group will be ready to present.
First, they will write their prompt on the board. For instance, for the
section “The Return of Odysseus,‚” the group may write
a prompt, such as: ”Tell about a time when you came back home after
a long journey. Also, describe how you felt and the things you learned
while you were gone.‚” The group will allow students time to
write(5-10 minutes). After time is up, the group will ask for volunteers
to share their journal entries. This is a good warm-up to get the
students thinking about what the section is going to be about.
6.
Next, the group will pass out copies of their summary
and then read out loud to the class. Their picture will be posted in the
order in which it happened. (If other groups have already presented,
their picture will be in a visual area in which the class members can keep
track of the events in chronological order.)
7.
Last, the group will ask if the events in the
individual journals remind them of the events that took place. Sometimes
the group may go a step further, having prepared discussion questions, which
will get the class thinking more about the events that have taken place.
Evaluation:
Each person’ job
within the group is worth 25pts. If all people have completed their jobs
in a satisfactory manner, giving their class a full description of their
particular section, they will receive full credit. If all members receive
full credit, they will be given a total of 5 bonus points each to which they
can add to their individual grades. Hopefully, this incentive will help
them work more aggressively together in order to achieve success.