EDP 621

Spring 2004

Cooperative Lesson

Shannon Hatton

Title: Extra, Extra, Read All About It!

Goals: To have students with and without multiple disabilities work cooperatively together in groups to produce a symbol based newspaper that can be read by all students. To teach students the similarities they have with each other. To teach that we all have differences.

Abstract: This project is a cooperative experience that enables students to work toward a common goal. Each group member will have a specific assignment. Group members will produce a newspaper that can be read by students with and without multiple disabilities using symbols and programmable communication devices. Groups will be comprised of three randomly selected first grade students and one student with multiple disabilities. The group will decide what to put in their newspaper. Roles will be assigned to each student for specific parts of the paper. Other sections of the paper will be completed as a group.

Materials: - “News 2 You” symbol based newspaper template book

- “ Writing with Symbols” computer software

- scissors

- glue sticks

- Programmable augmentative communication devices

- Computer and printer

Procedure: 1. The students will be divided into heterogeneous groups of 4 (1 being a student with multiple disabilities) from the first grade classroom.

2. Explain to the students that they will be working together to make a newspaper.
3. If the student with multiple disabilities is not in the first grade classroom it will be necessary to introduce the student to the other. Talk about the student’s interest, about their specific disability, and how the student needs to work and learn.
4. Explain to the students that they will be using a special program called “Writing with Symbols”. Demonstrate the program to show how when words are typed that a corresponding symbol will appear above the text. Explain that this is very helpful for the students with multiple disabilities to read the paper.
5. Talk about what collaboration and cooperation means as a group. Ask the students why they think that it is important for them to work together and to include everyone.
6. Discuss the parts of the newspaper with the group. Ask them what parts they would like to have in their paper.
7. Look through the “News 2 You” book with the students to pick the parts they would like to have in their paper.
8. There could possibly be a front page, joke page, weather page, sports page, interview page, book review page, restaurant review page, recipe page, movie review page, and a last page (which is a game based on the theme of the front page).
9. Specific page assignments will be given to each student randomly for the interview page, movie review page, book review page, and restaurant review page.
10. For the student who receives the interview page discuss possible persons within the school that they could interview (example: principal, secretary, nurse, cook, cashier, etc.). They may choose whomever they wish. Review the questions they can ask during their interview.
11. For the assignment of the movie review discuss with the group what movies they have seen lately (either at the theater or rented to watch at home). This is a good opportunity for the students with multiple disabilities and their peers to find some commonalities and get to know each other better.
12. Review the questions that are on the movie review outline form with the student who has that particular assignment.
13. Repeat steps 10 and 11 above for the restaurant review and the book review assignments. Be sure to stress commonalities and differences within the group. Give the students a day to complete their specific page and then reconvene and discuss the completed pages.
14. Assist the students to use the “Writing with Symbols” program to type out a text and symbol based page.
15. For the front page, last page, joke page, and recipe page have the group choose between three or four different possible premade pages. The students must as a group to come up with a group decision for these pages.
16. For the weather and sports pages split the group of 4 into pairs. One pair will make the weather page and the other pair will make the sports page.
17. The weather pair will go to the computer to find the local forecast (have the weatherchannel.com bookmarked for easy access). Have the students write down the 5 day forecasted high temperatures and what the conditions will be (students will need some guidance as to how to decipher the information).
18. The weather pair then will use the premade weather picture symbols from the “News 2 You” book to make a symbol based weather chart that corresponds to the forecasted information.
19. The sports pair will discuss together what sport they would like to write about (have local professional and high school team sites bookmarked on the computer as well as other kid friendly sport websites). Once the pair has picked the sport assist them to look up information on the internet to include in their page. Have the students jot down a few items they feel are important (scores, player information, big game coming up, etc.) Assist this pair in typing on the computer using the “Writing with Symbols” program to produce a text paired with symbol sports page.
20. Take a picture of the group working on the current issue of the paper. This will be included into the paper to showcase the week’s editors.
21. The group will assemble the paper.
22. Make copies for the class.
23. Have the students as a class read the papers. Students with multiple disabilities may use augmentative programmable communication devices to read the paper as needed.

Elements of Cooperative Learning

I believe that this is a good cooperative learning assignment because it teaches that we all have similarities and differences. It encourages working together and individual responsibility to the group to reach a common goal. Everyone shares leadership (leadership density).

Positive Interdepence: The students work together to reach a common goal. They each have an assignment to complete and depend on each other to achieve the completion of the newspaper. They must also work together on decision making. Cooperation and communication are crucial elements of this activity.

Individual Accountability: Each member of the group is responsible for a part of the paper. Each student is responsible for contributing ideas. Each student is responsible for working collaboratively and respectfully with other group members.

Social Skills: Social skills are very important in this lesson. Students must use various skills such as collaboration, communication, listening, and problem solving.

Face to Face Interaction: The small group setting encourages face to face interaction and communication. The group will be sitting by each other in a circular fashion. The group will be split up into pairs in one part of the assignment which will lead to further face to face interacting.

Heterogeneous Grouping: First grade students will be randomly selected by drawing names from a can. One student with multiple disabilities will be in each group. Total group number will be four.

Evaluation: Students will be evaluated on how well they cooperate which each other in the group and in their pairs. Evaluation will also be determined by how well the students communicated with each other, participated in group and pair interpersonal skills, and individual assignment completion.

Processing: After the paper is completed the students will sit down as a group and be asked the following questions: 1. What did you like about making the paper? 2. What do you think we should have done differently? 3. How did you like working in the group, in pairs, and individually? 4. Why do you think it is important to work in groups, in pairs, and individually?

Addressing Expectations: The students will have expectations of working in groups and of their group mates. Students may have expectations of the student with multiple disabilities, of the task of making the paper, and self expectations.