Cooperative Learning Strategies and Sample Assessment Ideas for each of the Five Big Concepts
Cooperative Learning Strategies:
I. Mix-Pair-Share-students pair with classmates to discuss questions. Steps: 1. Students mix around the room. 2. Teacher call “freeze” 3. Students pair with the person closest to them. 4. Teacher asks a question and gives think time. 5. Students share with their partners using: Timed-Pair-Share Rally Robin
II. Line Ups Steps 1. Teacher gives a topic that has a number or a sequence for an answer. 2. Students line up in a specific order. 3. Teacher assigns students something to discuss with closest partner.
II. Quiz-Quiz-Trade-students use cards to quiz different partners. Steps 1. Students stand up, hand up, pair up. 2. Partner A quizzes 3. Partner B answers 4. Partner A coaches or praises. 5. Partners reverse roles 6. Partner trade cards 7. Students find a new partner and repeat process
III. Timed Pair Share-Partners take turns listening and sharing. Steps 1. Teacher announces a topic and states how long each student will have to share. 2. Teacher provides think time. 3. In pairs, Partner A shares; Partner B listens. 4. Partner B responds 5. Partners switch roles.
IV. Rally Robin- in pairs, students alternate generating oral responses. Steps 1. Teacher poses a problem to which there are multiple possible responses or solutions. 2. In pairs, students take turns stating responses or solutions.
V. Rally Coach- partners take turns, one solving a problem while the other coaches. Steps 1. Partner A solves the first problem. 2. Partner B watches and listens, coaches. 3. Partner B solves the next problem. 4. Partner A watches and listens, checks, and praises. 5. Repeat. VI. Listen Right Steps 1. Teacher gives information in small increments. Students, with pencils down, listen for the main ideas. 2. Teacher stops and students write key points 3. Students share with a partner, checking for accuracy and make corrections.
VII. Paired Reading Sentence Starters
Summarizing I would summarize this sentence like this… This paragraph is about… This page can be summed up by saying…
Clarifying Can you answer for me…? What does ______mean? Can you help me understand…?
Predicting I think the next thing the article will mention will be…
Validating This reminds me of… The part that I was already familiar with was… I agree that…
Relating New Learnings I was surprised to read that… I didn’t know that… What was new to me was… Scarcity People have unlimited wants and only limited resources. (Economics)
Wants and Needs Unit
KWL chart wants and needs
Picture sort 1. on white board or chart paper make 2 columns-one for wants, the other needs 2. distribute pictures of “wants” and “needs” 3. Call students one at a time to show their picture, discuss it and place it in the proper column 4. Thumbs up if students agree, down if disagree, middle not sure
Using a cooperative learning strategy, pairs or small group, discuss the wants they have in their homes, then needs
Goods, Services, Barter, Trade, Money Unit
KWL Chart- Goods and Services
Picture Sort: 1. on white board or chart paper make 2 columns-one for goods, the other services 2. distribute pictures of “goods” and “services” 3. Call students one at a time to show their picture, discuss it and place it in the proper column. 4. Thumbs up if students agree, down if disagree and middle, not sure.
Currency/Payment Activity: TTW discuss concept of payment for goods and services. Role play customer/store scenarios Assign specific transaction for students to role play Charades activity: distribute pictures/word cards for community workers. TSW take turns pantomiming their worker for students to guess. Picture Sort-currency and other items
Sample Discussion questions: What is currency? What does currency represent? Why do we use currency? Who makes currency? Can anyone make currency? Does everyone in our community use the same currency? If not, why not? Does everyone in our state use the same currency? If not, why not? Does everyone in our country use the same currency? If not, why not? Does everyone in the world use the same currency? If not, why not? Barter activity: TTW discuss concept of bartering compared to payment in currency.
TTW read stories, show videos of Native Americans and early explorers using the barter system. Role play- students can role play the bartering process using common classroom items.
Role play- students can role play the bartering process using skills and services they are able to provide for each other
Role Play Thanksgiving Activity-
1. TTW prepare a letter home explaining the activity 2. TSW bring in a toy or game they would like to trade with another student for a toy or game they have. 3. Suggested Language: “ I have ______I am willing to trade. I would like to have your ______. Would you be willing to trade ______for ______?” “ Yes, I would be willing to trade my ______for your ______” or “No, I am not willing to trade my ______for your ______.”
Community Helpers
Health Professionals Unit
KWL Chart: Who are our community helpers that keep us healthy?
KWL Chart: with each professional named e.g. doctors, nurses, dentists
Sort/Match Activity: match pictures of tools to the health worker who uses that tool. This can be done in whole group, small group, buddies or alone as a center activity.
Identify Worker: TTW distribute pictures of health workers. Call out a profession and ask which student has that picture. If the student has the picture, they can stand up, describe the job that worker performs and share it with the class.
Role Play: Provide various scenarios for children to role play in cooperative learning groupings. Charades: Provide picture cards of health care workers and allow students to take turns acting and guessing.
Sample Discussion Questions: What do we need to keep us healthy? What do we do if we are sick? Who helps to keep us healthy? Who are some health care workers you have visited or heard about? Are they important in our community? Do they provide a service or goods or both? Do we use the barter system or currency system with our health care workers? Is anyone in your family a health care worker? Do you know any health care workers? What if we had no health care workers?
Create uniforms for health care workers: TTW provide students with pictures of health care workers in their uniforms. Allow students to create their own drawings or Provide students with BLM’s of the uniforms and ask students to cut out and color or… Provide students with paper bags and assist students in creating “vests” and “coats” Provide students with sentence strips and have students create caps, hats etc.
Dental Unit
KWL Chart: Teeth
Picture Identification: Dental Tools and their uses
Dental Health: Books and videos
Picture Match/Sort: Different animals, etc and their teeth
Sample Discussion Questions: How many teeth do you have? What do you do with your teeth? Does everyone have teeth? Do you need your teeth? If not, why not? Do you have to care for your teeth? If so, how? Do you need any tools to care for your teeth? If so, what are they? How do you use them? What foods are good for your teeth? Are any foods bad for your teeth? What drinks are good for your teeth? What drinks are bad for your teeth? What can you do if you eat or drink things bad for your teeth?
Heart Unit (Community Helpers and Heart Month February)
KWL Chart: Heart
Tool identification: stethoscope, heart monitor
Create a poem or song about heart health
Heart Health Fair: students man different stations displaying activities, foods and ideas for a healthy heart.
Poster/collage displaying activities, foods and ideas for a healthy heart.
Sort/Match: heart healthy foods, activities and ideas vs. non-heart healthy.
Sample Discussion questions: Where is your heart? Does everyone have a heart? Why do we have a heart? How do we keep our heart healthy? Will anything hurt the health of our heart? If so, what?
Model: Create a model of the heart
Doctor and Nurse Unit
KWL Chart: Doctor
KWL Chart: Nurse
Match/Sort: pictures of tools used by doctors and nurses
Match: words to tools
Match: symbols for hospital, poison etc Sample Discussion Questions: Where do doctors and nurses work? What does a doctor do? What does a nurse do? Does a doctor provide a good or a service? A nurse? Do you trade with or pay for a doctor?
Create map/model/diorama of a hospital. Movement
People move from place to place for geographic, economic, political and social reasons. (Geography/Economics/Civics/History)
Christopher Columbus Unit
KWL Chart: Christopher Columbus
Chart Columbus’ route
Role play the boat trip.
Role play landing and exploration.
Create a model of the ship
Create period costumes.
Match Sort: period costumes and present day clothing, toys, tools, transportation etc.
Sample Discussion Questions: Who was Christopher Columbus? Why do we celebrate Christopher Columbus Day? Why did Columbus explore? Where did Columbus explore? When did Columbus explore? How did he explore? Does his exploration affect how we live today? If so, how so?
Ferdinand Magellan Unit
KWL Chart-Ferdinand Magellan
Chart Magellan’s route
Role play the exploration Create a model of the ship.
Create period costumes.
Sample Discussion Questions:
Who was Ferdinand Magellan? Where did he explore? Why did he explore? When did he explore? How did he explore? Does his exploration/travel affect how we live today?
Space Exploration
KWL chart Astronaut, outer space
Create a model of a space craft
Role play space exploration
Compare and contrast space travel to travel by land, sea and air
Create a space suit
Diorama of space and space exploration
Sample Discussion Questions: What is outer space? What do we call someone who explores in outer space? When did we begin to explore in outer space? Why did we begin to explore in outer space? How do we explore in outer space? Does space exploration affect how we live today? If so, how so? Location/Region
Where we are affects who we are. (Geography)
Spatial Terms Unit
Match vocabulary to drawing
Move an object according to directional terms to demonstrate understanding.
Locate an object on a map using spatial terms to demonstrate understanding.
Map Key/Legend Unit
KWL Chart: map, map key/legend
Place objects on a map according to a map key
Create a map with a key
Create a map of your bedroom with a map key
Create a map of your classroom with a map key
Map Skills
Place objects on a map according to N, S, E, W to demonstrate understanding
Color a map by N, S, E, W to demonstrate understanding.
Create a map including a compass rose Civics/Government Laws are made to keep order
Citizenship/Character Counts Unit-ongoing
KWL Chart: Rules
Create a classroom constitution that everyone will sign
Poster depicting a specific classroom rule
“Cause and Effect” discussion
“Choices” discussion
Poster depicting a specific pillar of character
Constitution Day Poster
National Symbols Unit
Match symbol to word
Sort national symbols as contrasted with health, traffic symbols etc.
Create a model, poster, diorama depicting a national symbol
Create a costume depicting a national symbol
President’s Unit
KWL Chart: George Washington
KWL Chart: Abraham Lincoln Poster depicting term of George Washington and his accomplishments
Poster depicting term of Abraham Lincoln and his accomplishments
Create a costume depicting Washington or Lincoln
Role play being Washington or Lincoln
President’s Day poem or play
Important Citizens Unit
KWL chart: Martin Luther King, Jr.
KWL chart: Rosa Parks
Role play MLK speech Role play Rosa Parks important moment in history
Civil rights discussions
Equal rights discussions
Segregation discussions
Match/Sort: Segregation-sort like “bears” or any other item Sort two different types of animal