Cooperative Learning Activities Writing Grammar

Writer's Choice Gmmmar and Composition

Cooperative Learning Activities

Grade 12

_ Glencoe _ McGraw-Hili

New York, New York Columbus, Ohio Woodland Hills, California Peoria, Illinois

Acknowledgments Grateful acknowledgment is given authors, publishers, and agents for permission to reprint the following copyrighted materiaL Every effort has been made to determine copyright owners. In the case of any omissions, the Publisher will be pleased to make suitable acknowledgments in future editions.

pp.3-4 Special thanks to Spencer Kagan. Figure from Kagan, Spencer (1989). "The Structural Approach to Cooperative Learning:' Educational Leadership, 47,4. Reprinted with permission of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development. Copyright © 1985 by ASCD. All rights reserved.

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ii

ontents

\.... To the Teacher . .................................................................. 1

.'hit'l A Chip off the Old Block Activity 1 Teacher Notes ................................................. 5 Activity 1 Student Sheet ................................................• 6

.'hit'l Practice What You Preach Activity 1 Teacher Notes ................................................. 7 Activity 1 Student Sheet ................................................. 8

•'hitEI Read All About It! Activity 2 Teacher Notes ................................................. 9 Activity 2 Student Sheet ................................................ 10

.'MI Building Castles in the Air Activity 2 Teacher Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... 11 Activity 2 Student Sheet ................................................ 12

\". .'..io.---T_h_e_S_p.......i_ce_s_o_f_L_i£_e________________ Activity 3 Teacher Notes ................................................ 13 Activity 3 Student Sheet ................................................ 14

In Other Words Activity 3 Teacher Notes ................................................ 15 Activity 3 Student Sheet ................................................ 16

.'hit,. Once Upon a Time .. . Activity 4 Teacher Notes ................................................ 17 Activity 4 Student Sheet ................................................ 18

I'hit'l GoingHollywood Activity 4 Teacher Notes ................................................ 19 Activity 4 Student Sheet ................................................ 20

Back to the Drawing Board Activity 5 Teacher Notes ................................................ 21 Activity 5 Student Sheet ................................................ 22

iii

On Sale Now! Activity 5 Teacher Notes. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ................ 23 Activity 5 Student Sheet ..........................................•..... 24

Vote! Activity 6 Teacher Notes ................................................ 25 Activity 6 Student Sheet ............................................•... 26

A Barrel of Laughs Activity 6 Teacher Notes ................................................ 27 Activity 6 Student Sheet ................................................ 28

iv

• • • • •

To the Teacher Cooperative learning creates a structured, natural environment where students are encouraged to work together. Traditionally, the reward system in education has supported individualistic and competitive approaches to learning-the "best" student, the "best" grade, the "best" individual accomplishment. What traditional educational programs sometimes overlook are the interpersonal skills that all students-regardless of their individual achievement-will need for positive participation in the workplace and the greater community.

The goal of cooperative learning, however, is not to abandon the traditional methods of education but rather to provide opportunities for learning in an environment where students contribute freely and responsibly to the success of the group. The key? A balance between group goals and individual accountability-team members plan how and what to research, divide work among themselves, and then each member carries out his or her part of the project. On the following pages, you will find an overview of select cooperative learning structures. This overview is based on the theory and research of Spencer Kagan, author and teacher. (See "The Structural Approach to Cooperative Learning," Educational Leadership, December 1989-January 1990.) These techniques can be applied to a variety of subject areas and learning objectives.

The team approach, with its built-in emphasis on member interdependence, does not interfere with learning. In fact, evidence indicates that cooperative learning boosts academic achievement and creates practical development of strategic thinking and problem-solving skills. In the process, cooperative learning provides a "safe;' low-risk environment, a small-group focus rather than a large-class atmosphere.

As you incorporate cooperative learning into your classroom, keep in mind that some students may not have much experience working cooperatively. Take the time up front to explain what will be expected of every group member-listening, participating, respecting other opinions, and so on.

Groups comprised of four to six students with different ability levels work best in cooperative learning activities. Your role as teacher is one of orchestrator. You introduce the project at hand, set the parameters, create the teams, provide materials, offer support, monitor group progress and individual participation, and provide meaningful closure. Monitoring is an integral part of cooperative learning. Though your goal is to foster independence and cooperation, it is still important to monitor, evaluate, and reward.

The activities in this book provide the step-by-step information you will need to involve your students in a series of unit-based cooperative learning projects. Each unit comes with two activities that afford students the chance to practice and extend specific writing skills covered in the composition units of the Student Edition. Each activity begins with an overview, linking it to the theme of the unit and stating its learning objective. Step-by-step guidelines follow, including tips on how to prepare, introduce, set up, monitor, and close the project. Finally, a reading extension is suggested so that you might encourage students to go beyond the activity and thus strengthen the knowledge they have acquired.

Accompanying each activity is a reproducible student page that offers students detailed instructions, guidelines, and suggestions to help them accomplish their specific tasks. The activities are thoughtprovoking and educational-as well as fun! As a teacher committed to developing the knowledge and talents of young people, you understand the importance of materials that grab-and holdstudents' interest.

Writer's Choice: Cooperative Learning Activities, Grade 12 1

. . . . ·

Once students have worked together to complete an assignment, one very important issue remainsevaluation. A fundamental part of cooperative learning is evaluating how well the group functioned as a unit. This can be done in a number of effective ways.

• Encourage discussion of what went especially well and what could be improved upon.

• Encourage groups to share any problems they encountered and successfully worked through.

• Offer feedback to the entire class or to specific groups on ways of improving cooperative skills.

In addition to assigning traditional grades, you may wish to vary the evaluation process from time to time. For example, try averaging individual scores, giving group scores, randomly grading one student's contribution, or awarding bonus points for successful group performance.

We hope that you will find these cooperative learning activities a highly successful and rewarding extension to your students' composition program. By contributing opportunities for individual growth within a collaborative setting, these cooperative learning activities attempt, in a nutshell, not only to educate but to replace the personal credo of "I am the greatest!" with the cooperative credo of"Together, based on each person's individual contributions, we all move forward."

Writer~ Choice: Cooperative Learning Activities, Grade 12 2

An Overview of Select Cooperative Learning Structures

Roundrobin

Description: Each member in turn answers a question or shares an idea with teammates.

Functions: Expressing ideas and opinions; equal participation; getting acquainted; listening to ideas of others

Pairs Check

Description: Students work in pairs within groups of four. Within pairs, students alternate--one solves a problem while the other coaches. After every two problems the pair checks to see if they have the same answers as the other pair.

Functions: Practicing skills; extending comprehension through application of strategic thinking and problem-solving skills; applying one's prior knowledge and experience to the solution of a problem; peer support; cooperation; giving and receiving constructive feedback

Three-Step Interview

Description: Students interview each other in pairs, first one way and then the other. Interviewers share with the group information they gained about their interviewees.

Functions: Sharing personal information, viewpoints, and perspectives; contributing to the group's combined knowledge and experience; summarizing; reporting; identifying main ideas; listening; appreciating individual diversity

Think-Pair-Share

Description: Individually, students think about a topic provided by the teacher. Each formulates an opinion or answer and then pairs up with another student to share and discuss. They then present their conclusions to the class.

Functions: Applying deductive and inductive reasoning; generating hypotheses; comparing and contrasting individual viewpoints; discussing and sharing information; listening; participating freely and equally; appreciating individual diversity

Roundtable

Description: Each student in turn writes one answer as a paper and pencil are passed around the group. In Simultaneous Roundtable, more than one pencil and paper are used at once.

Functions: Applying and assessing prior knowledge; practicing skills; thinking creatively and imaginatively; creating hypotheses; recalling information; creating collaborative writing or art; participating equally; team building; extending individual creativity; appreciating the talents and imaginations of others; peer support

Partners

Description: Students work in pairs to create or master content. They consult with partners or "experts" from other teams. They then share their collaborative project or views with the other members of their team.

Functions: Mastery and presentation of new material; concept development; generating hypotheses; sharing information and expertise; appreciating the views and talents of others; practicing presentation and communication skills

Writer's Choice: Cooperative Learning Activities. Grade 12 3

Cooperative learnin9 Activities81---Jigsaw

Description: Each student on the team becomes an "expert" on one topic by working with members from other teams assigned to a corresponding "expert" role. Upon returning to their teams, the experts, in turn, teach the group. Group members are then assessed on all "expert" aspects of the topic.

Functions: Acquiring and sharing new material; summarizing and instructing; defining main ideas; paraphrasing; dividing a large task into manageable parts; developing interdependence through individual accountability; listening; practicing presentation and communication skills; peer support; appreciating the diligence of co-workers; committing to group success

Co-op Co-op

Description: Students work in small, heterogeneous groups to produce a specific project to share with the class. Each group member has a specific role or makes a specific contribution to the group effort.

Functions: Researching and sharing complex material, often with multiple sources; synthesizing; dividing a large task into manageable parts; practicing comprehension skills; evaluating and analyzing; extending individual creativity; creating collaborative writing or art; listening; participating freely and equally; appreciating individual talents and diversity; giving and receiving constructive feedback; developing interdependence through individual accountability; appreciating the diligence of co-workers; committing to group success; resolving conflicts; practicing presentation and communication skills

Bibliography

For more information about cooperative learning, you may wish to read the following books.

Andrini, B. Cooperative Learning and Math: A Multi-Structural Approach. San Juan Capistrano: Resources for Teachers, 1989.

Aronson, E., et al. The Jigsaw Classroom. Beverly Hills: Sage Publications, 1978.

Johnson, D. W., R. T. Johnson, E. J. Holubec, and P. Roy. Circles ofLearning: Cooperation in the Classroom. Alexandria: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1984.

Johnson, D. W., R. T. Johnson. Learning Together and Alone: Cooperative, Competitive, and Individualistic Learning. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1987.

Kagan, Spencer. Cooperative Learning: Resources for Teachers. Riverside: University of California, 1985.

Slavin, R. E., et al., eds. Learning to Cooperate, Cooperating to Learn. New York: Plenum Press, 1985.

Stone, J. M. Cooperative Learning and Language Arts: A Multi-Structural Approach. San Juan Capistrano: Resources for Teachers, 1989.

Writer~ Choice: Cooperative Learning Activities, Grade 12 4

---------{ICooperative learJ1iJ19 Activities

NUMBERED HEADS TOGETHER ACTIVITY

Unit 1 A Chip off the Old Block Poetry can both express and evoke deep feelings. In Unit 1, students focus on giving personal responses to literature. In this cooperative learning activity students will practice personal writing skills by responding to a poem and writing a parody.

• Objective To help students develop their personal writing skills in a cooperative setting

• Activity Summary In small groups, students read aloud the poem "Sea-Sand and Sorrow" by Christina Rossetti. Each group member records his or her personal reactions to Rossetti's poem in a readerresponse journal entry and writes a parody of the poem. Group members share their parodies and work cooperatively to plan and present a poetry reading.

III Teacher Preparation • Make one copy of the Student Material on

page 6 of this booklet for each student.

• Obtain a tape recorder or video equipment in order to record the groups' poetry readings.

• Provide students with materials to make an anthology: paper, hole punch, three-ring binder.

Activity Guidelines 1. Ask students to recall specific parodies or

other works of literature that they have enjoyed. Tell them that they are going to read and respond to a poem by the British poet Christina Rossetti (1830-1894). Tell them they will tape-record a reading of their responses.

2. Divide the class into heterogeneous groups of v three to five students with varying levels of .Ii i ability. Provide each student with a copy of '2 the Student Material on page 6.8. E 3. Within each group, have members take turns 8

J ~

reading aloud, line by line, the poem «Sea-Sand and Sorrow." Urge each group to read the poem more than once; some students may have difficulty with the poem's syntax or

011 {:. vocabulary. 0 ...s; 4 . Ask group members to independently write .~ their reactions to the poem in a reader8 response journal entry on a separate sheet of

paper. Have each member share his or her response and interpretation of the poem's meaning. After the groups have discussed the poem, calion one student from each group to interpret the poem.

5. Challenge students to write parodies of the poem that reflect the original work while adding a unique and humorous twist to the

language or story line. If students are keeping a daily log or diary, encourage them to refer to it for experiences or character sketches that can be applied to the poem.

6. Ask students to share completed parodies within their groups. Direct each group to plan and record-by tape recorder or video recorder-a poetry reading for the class. Have them select parodies and arrange them in an effective order. Suggest that group members assign these roles: host, reader or readers, recording crew. Have each group practice before presenting their parodies-readers should read the poems aloud and the recording crews should perform a test run with the recording or video equipment.

7. Call on each group to present their parodies. Ask the class to explain the manner in which each parodies the original poem.

S. Have each group select several parodies to be included in a class anthology. Have volunteers from each group make clean copies of the poems and place them in a binder.

Reading Extensions Have students read Parodies: An Anthology from Chaucer to Beerhohm-and After, edited by Dwight Macdonald, or listen to recordings of «Weird AI" Yankovic's parodies of popular songs.

Writer's Choice: Cooperative Learning Activities. Grade 12, Unit 1 5

Cooperative Learnin9 Activities4 _1----Name ...................... ............ .......... ........ .................................. Class ................. .............. ................... Date ............................... .

STUDENT MATERIAL

Literature Model

What are heavy? Sea-sand and sorrow: What are brief? To-day and to-morrow: What are frail? Spring blossoms and youth: What are deep? The ocean and truth.

Christina Rossetti, "Sea-Sand and Sorrow"

Poem Parody Use your reader-response journal entry to write a parody of "Sea-Sand and Sorrow:' Consider both the form and content of Rossetti's original work before you write your own humorous version of the poem on the lines below.

Writer's Choice: Cooperative Learning Activities, Grade 12. Unit 1 6

--------IICooperative learnin9 Activities

CO·Op co·op ACTIVITY

Unit 1 Practice What You Preach Advice columns often recount personal experiences and offer advice based on knowledge. In Unit 1, students focus on recording ideas, feelings, and thoughts in ajournal. In this cooperative activity students will sharpen personal writing skills by using a journal entry to write an advice column.

• Objedive • Teacher Preparation To help students refine their personal writing • Make one copy of the Student Material on skills in a cooperative setting page 8 of this booklet for each student.

• Adivity Summary • Have photocopies of appropriate newspaper Students independently write journal entries and magazine advice columns, such as "Miss about memorable job experiences and then Manners" or "Ann Landers," available for work cooperatively in small groups to create an students to use as models. advice column. Groups share their advice

• Collect materials that students may need tocolumns with others by displaying, publishing, display or publish their columns: pushpins,

or distributing them. plain bond paper, magazine illustrations, and so on.

Adivity Guidelines 1. Begin this activity by having students

describe jobs that they have had-paying and nonpaying jobs, summer or part-time jobs. Students may describe work in a fast-food restaurant or at a summer camp, delivering papers, baby-sitting, or doing chores. Tell students that they will use their experiences to create a job-related advice column.

2. Distribute copies of the handout on page 8. Have each student independently write a brief journal entry about a firsthand work experience. Ask students to focus on one aspect of the experience-for example, how they located the job, why they liked or disliked it, what skills they acquired, what training they received, what responsibilities or duties they had, or how they related to coworkers or a supervisor.

3. After students finish writing, divide the class into groups of three to five students. Tell each group to use its group members' journal entries to plan a job-related advice column for high school students. Suggest possible formats to use: question-and-answer, a bulleted list of do's and don'ts, a numbered list of tips, or three to four expository paragraphs.

4. Have group members share and discuss their entries, identifying employment tips or relevant issues to be included in their column. Remind them to include information of interest to a high school audience. Encourage group members to add or delete information to create a useful, coherent, and interesting advice column. Ask one group member to act as a reporter and record the group's ideas.

5. Have each group organize their material for presentation. Direct one member in each group to act as a columnist and write out the group's ideas on a separate sheet of paper. Ask each columnist to submit the finished work to the group for approval.

6. Groups should then decide how to share their advice columns with other students. Students should create a clean copy and may want to add illustrations, a logo, or borders. They may decide to post the column on a school bulletin board, submit it to the school newspaper, or hand out copies to students.

Reading Extensions Have students read excerpts from autobiographical recollections about work. Examples include Life on the Mississippi by Mark Twain or Working by Studs Terkel.

Writer's Choice: Cooperative Learning Activities, Grade 12, Unit 1 7

Name ......... ...... ........... ........................ ..... ............................... Class ....................................... ...... ..... Date ............................... .

STUDENT MATERIAL

Journal Entry Write a one-page journal entry about a real or imaginary job experience on the lines below. Your entry might describe your first job interview, your first day at a new job, a positive or negative encounter with a supervisor, a work triumph or disaster, or a conflict between schoolwork and a paying job. Try to record thoughts and feelings that capture the essence of the experience and that explain why it was important to you.


• • • • •

CO-OP CO-OP ACTIVITY

Read All About It! A newspaper journalist presents isolated facts and information to the public in polished written form. In Unit 2, students learn the five stages of the writing process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing/proofreading, and publishing/presenting. In this cooperative activity students will practice the writing process by creating a newspaper .

• Objective The class organizes the edited work into a To help students develop their writing-process newspaper issue. skills in a cooperative setting • Teacher Preparation • Activity Summary • Make one copy of the Student Material on Students research the Middle Ages, A.D. 500- page lOin this booklet for each student. 1500, to create an issue of the newspaper

• Provide research materials about the Middle Medieval Times. Each student creates one of the Ages, such as books, magazine articles, andfollowing: news story, feature article, editorial, encyclopedias.editorial-response letter, or visual. In groups, students share, revise, and edit their work. • Bring local and national newspapers to class.

Activity Guidelines 1. Ask students to discuss what they know about

the Middle Ages, A.D. 500-1500. Urge them to name specific people, places, and events.

2. Tell students to imagine that they are reporters for the Medieval Times, a fictitious newspaper of A.D. 1400. Students will research and create appropriate news items and as a class publish an issue. Ask the class to discuss the newspaper's purpose and audience-to inform the upper classes or to entertain the general populace, for example.

3. Divide the class into four groups and assign each group one of these tasks: current events, editorial page, feature articles, and visuals. Distribute copies of the handout on page 10.

4. The "current events" group will research fastbreaking stories such as inventions or major battles. Ask each group member to choose one topic and independently draft a news story about the event on the handout. Urge students to explore causal relationships in their stories.

S. Ask the "editorial page" group to research and select a controversial issue such as feudalism. Ask the group to select two members who will independently draft opposing editorials about the issue. The other members each draft a letter on the handout in response to one of the editorials. Students should refer to the model essay on page 278 in the text.

6. Have each member of the "feature article" group research and select a medieval person, place, or thing and independently draft a feature article. Remind students that feature articles are in-depth, human-interest news stories-a proflle of a leader, for example.

7. Direct members of the "visuals" group to research and create visuals for the newspaper. Students must work with the other groups to make visuals appropriate for the features but may also create visuals independent of classmates' work. Visuals may include drawings, graphs, charts, maps, time lines, or diagrams. Each student drafts one visual and its caption.

8. When students finish their drafts, group members help each other revise and edit their work for accuracy, coherence, and clarity. Each student makes a clean copy.

9. Ask the class to work together to arrange written and visual items for presentation as an edition of the Medieval Times.

Reading Extensions Assign students to read examples of professional expository writing in local or national newspapers.


· . . . .

Name .............. ......... ............................................................... Class .............................. .................... Date ............................... .

STUDENT MATERIAL

Newspaper Assignment Draft your assignment in the space below. Create a visual and caption, or write a news story, feature article, letter to the editor, or editorial for the Medieval Times. Keep in mind your purpose and your audience. Include details that answer who? what? where? when? why? and how? You may want to use a current newspaper as a model of the form in which you will report medieval news.

10 Writer's Choice: Cooperative Learning Activities, Grade 12, Unit 2

THINK·PAIR·SHARE ACTIVITY

Unit 2 Building Castles in the Air In Unit 2, students focus on the five stages of the writing process. In this cooperative activity students will use the writing process to write and share newspaper editorials about a fictitious architectural plan or letters that respond to the editorials.

• Objective • Teacher Preparation To help students pradice their writing-process • Make one copy of the Student Material on skills in a cooperative setting page 12 in this booklet for each student.

• Activity Summary • Display a photograph of the Eiffel Tower. Students are told that a local business plans to

• Provide reference works such as encyclopebuild a reprodudion of the Eiffel Tower in their dias, travel books, or articles to allow stu

community. To explore their reactions to the dents to research facts about the Eiffelplan, each student independently writes a newsTower.

paper editorial or an "op-ed" letter. Student drafts undergo peer review, are revised, edited, and then organized for presentation as editorial pages from a newspaper.

Activity Guidelines 1. Introduce this activity by asking students to

list famous or distinctive buildings. Ask them to discuss architectural style, purpose, building materials, and prominent features.

2. Ask students to imagine that a local business plans to build a full-scale replica of the Eiffel Tower in their community. Tell students they will independendy create a cluster that explores positive and negative topics about

v the proposed construction. In groups, stu..5

dents will select and develop one of the ideas .~ c into an editorial topic; independently, stu

j dents will write either an editorial or a letter. Finally, students will work in groups to revise, edit, and present their work in newspaper form.

3. Display a photograph of the Eiffel Tower, while students research its history. Distribute copies of the handout on page 12, and have students use it to create independently a cluster of ideas about controversial issues that might arise as a result of the proposed construction.

4. Divide the class into groups of four to six students. Ask each group to use their clusters to select and refine an editorial topic about the replica. Remind students that an editorial tells the audience the newspaper's position on issues. Next each group should assign pairs

of students to draft opposing editorials. Remaining students draft letters responding to the editorials or presenting a third opinion.

5. Working in pairs, students draft their assignments on their handouts.

6. Students regroup and submit their drafts for peer review. Direct group members to check content and structure. Ask each student to revise her or his draft and to make a dean copy on a separate sheet of paper.

7. Within each group, ask student pairs to edit each other's revised drafts. Direct students to correct their errors and make clean copies. Tell the groups to organize the final, edited copies for presentation as a newspaper's editorial pages.

8. Each group should distribute copies of its editorial pages to the class. Lead a discussion on the strengths and weaknesses of each group's work. Ask students if the construction would be approved in their community.

Reading Extensions Direct students to read what writers say about their own work and the writing process in a book such as Writers on Writing, edited by Robert Pack and Jay Parini.


Name .............. .............. ......... .......... ....................................... Class .......................... ........................ Date ................................

STUDENT MATERIAL

A Cluster of Thoughts A reproduction of the Eiffel Tower may be built in your community. Create a cluster below to explore possible responses to and issues related to the proposal. Add a separate bubble for each idea.

A Monumental Task Draft a short editorial or "op-ed" letter about the "new" Eiffel Tower on the lines below. Use additional paper as needed. Keep in mind your purpose and your audience. Include an introduction, body, and conclusion, and be sure to use an effective order and transitions that will unify your thoughts.


-------IICooperative learJ1iJ19 Activities

THREE-STEP INTERVIEW ACTIVITY

Unit 3 The Spices of Life Vivid descriptions in a cookbook can whet the appetite for a spicy, sweet, or tart dish. In Unit 3, students learn how the use ofsensory details, figurative language, and analogies helps recreate memorable experiences and impressions. In this cooperative activity students will write about a tasty international dish to hone their descriptive writing skills.

• Objedive • Teacher Preparation To help students develop their descriptive writ • Make one copy of the Student Material on ing skills in a cooperative setting page 14 of this booklet for each student.

• Activity Summary • Provide a world map, a globe, or an atlas for Each group is assigned a different continent. student use. Each group member selects a country on his or

• Have the following reference materials availher assigned continent and researches one able: restaurant menus, cookbooks, booksnative dish from this country. Students write a about international cuisine, and encyclopedias.

descriptive paragraph about the dish. Group You may want students to use library resources

members then share their paragraphs and work to research foods from other cultures.

together to create a chapter for a cookbook.

Adivity Guidelines 1. Ask students to describe their favorite kinds

of foods. What ethnic foods do they like? Ask them to describe a dish that they enjoy.

2. Tell students that they will each select one international recipe and use expository writing to write a descriptive paragraph about the dish. Explain that each group will create a chapter of a cookbook called Palate Pleasers.

3. Divide the class into groups of four to six students. Assign each group one continent: Africa, South America, North America, Europe, or Asia.

4. Instruct each group to brainstorm a list of countries located on their assigned continent. Encourage group members to use available resources to confirm their list.

5. Have each group member choose one country from the group's list and independently research a dish from this country. Ask each student to identify the ingredients, cooking methods, and utensils needed for the dish.

6. Distribute copies of the handout and have each student write on it a descriptive paragraph about a dish. Tell students that the paragraph introduces the recipe that follows and entices the reader to try the dish. Remind

students to select a suitable organizational scheme and to use sensory details, figurative language, and analogies in their descriptions.

7. One student reads her or his paragraph aloud to a partner. The partner then shares his or her reactions to the paragraph and offers suggestions for improving unity, coherence, or figures of speech. Partners trade places for the second student's paragraph. Each student revises his or her paragraph and makes a clean copy. Students rejoin their groups and share their edited paragraphs and suggestions on solving problem areas in writing and editing the paragraphs. Partners should make suggestions for improving the coherency and consistency of their group's chapter.

S. Urge students to illustrate their work. Have each group organize the paragraphs into their chapter of Palate Pleasers. Ask volunteers to assemble the five chapters, make copies, and distribute them to the class. Have students select the most descriptive paragraph.

Reading Extensions Have students read examples of professionals writing about food in magazines such as Gourmet, in restaurant reviews, or in books by chefs such as Julia Child.


_1--Cooperative Learnin9 Activities Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ............................... .

STUDENT MATERIAL

Cookbook Paragraph On the lines below, write a descriptive paragraph for the cookbook Palate Pleasers, describing one dish in detaiL Focus on sensory details, figurative language, and analogies that will help your readers visualize, smell, and taste this dish, but also include information about special ingredients, cooking equipment, or methods. Organize details in spatial order, order of importance, or order of impression. The actual recipe should follow your descriptive paragraph.


ROUNDTABLE ACTIVITY

In Other Words Authors often utilize imagery to enliven what could be a mundane description. In Unit 3, students focus on analyzing imagery in descriptive writing. In this cooperative activity students will analyze the imagery in a passage from Out of Africa by Isak Dinesen and use it as a model to write a passage using their own imagery.

• Objective • Teacher Preparation To help students analyze and use imagery in • Make one copy of the Student Material on descriptive writing in a cooperative setting page 16 of this booklet for each student.

• Activity Summary • Have travel books, magazines, and brochures In small groups, students read a passage from that use imagery available for use as models. Isak Dinesen's novel Out of Africa, and use a

• Provide resources that describe the typicalchart to analyze its imagery. Each group then features of the community-zoological and

lists features typical of or unique to their locale. geographical features, for example. ContactUsing this information, students independently a local library or chamber of commerce for

generate imagery describing those features and information.assemble them in a descriptive paragraph.

Group members share their paragraphs for peer • Provide art supplies for students who wish to review. Each group selects one paragraph to illustrate their work. share with the class.

Activity Guidelines 1. Have students identify a work of literature

that they have recently read. Ask them to recall images that were particularly vivid.

2. Tell students that in groups they will read a passage from Isak Dinesen's Out ofAfrica and analyze its imagery. Each group will list features, equivalent to those described by Dinesen, that are typical of or unique to their own locale. Each student will use imagery to describe the features and use the images to write a descriptive paragraph. In groups, students' work will undergo peer review and will be revised as needed. Each group will select one paragraph to share with the class.

3. Distribute copies of the handout on page 16, and divide the class into groups of three to five students. Have group members take turns reading aloud the passage from Out ofAfrica. Each student should read a few sentences.

4. Ask each group to pass around a sheet of paper on which each member records one of the images in the passage or what it actually describes. Each student then transcribes the group's answers onto his or her own handout.

5. As in step 4, have each student list a feature of the community or local-for example, plants, animals, structures, or geologic features. Have each student transcribe the group's list on a separate sheet of paper.

6. Each student writes images describing the features on the group's list. Ask each student to use the images to write a descriptive paragraph. Remind students to include a topic sentence, transitions, and specific details.

7. Have students read their paragraphs aloud to their group for peer review. Have each student revise accordingly and make a clean copy. Urge interested students to illustrate their work.

8. Have each group review the final copies and decide which paragraph best utilizes imagery. Ask each group to choose one member to read the paragraph aloud to the class.

Reading Extensions Expose students to imagery by having them read magazines such as National Geographic or travel books such as Paul Theroux's Kingdom by the Sea.


• • • • •

NalDe ....... ...... ...... .............................. ..................................... Class .................................................. Date ............................... .

STUDENT MATERIAL

Literature Model

A little before the rains, the Masai burn off the old dry grass, and while the plains are thus lying black and waste they are unpleasant to travel on: you will get the black charred dust,

which the hoofs of your horse raise, all over you and into your eyes, and the burnt grass-stalks are sharp as glass; your dogs get their feet cut on them. But when the rains come, and the young green grass is fresh on the plains, you feel as if riding upon springs, and the horse gets a little mad with the pleasantness. The various kinds of gazelles come to the green places to graze, and there look like toy animals stood upon a billiard table. You may ride into a herd of Eland; the mighty peaceful beasts will let you get close to them before they start trotting off, their long horns streaming backwards over their raised necks, the large loose flaps of breast skin, that make them look square, swaying as they jog. They seem to have come out of an old Egyptian epitaph, but there they have been ploughing the fields, which gives them a familiar and domesticated air. The Giraffe keep farther away in the Reserve.

At times, in the first month of the rains, a sort of wild white fragrant Pink flowers so richly allover the Reserve that at a distance the plains look patched with snow.

Isak Dinesen, Out ofAfrica

Image AnalysiS


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co-op co-op ACTIVITY

Unit 4 Once Upon a Time ... A fable is one kind ofshort-short story. In Unit 4, students focus on basic story elements: characters, plot, point ofview, theme, setting. In this cooperative learning activity, students will write their own fables to sharpen their narrative-writing skills.

.Objedive II Teacher Preparation To help students develop their narrative-writing • Make one copy of the Student Material on skills in a cooperative setting page 18 of this booklet for each student.

• Adivity Summary • Have additional proverbs ready for groups Groups of students choose a well-known who want alternatives to those listed on the proverb, discuss its meaning, and use it as the handout. You may want to include a few basis for independently writing their own con unfamiliar proverbs from other countries. temporary fables. Volunteers from each group

• Assemble materials that students will need toread a fable to the class and challenge students create a mini-library: empty stationery boxes,from other groups to identify the proverb on manuscript binders, or plastic report covers.which the fable is based. Groups then create

a mini-library of their completed fables.

Adivity Guidelines l. Introduce the activity by reading the follow

ing proverb aloud: "A stitch in time saves nine." Ask students what it means. Explain that a proverb is a short saying that expresses a common truth. Encourage students to list other proverbs.

2. Tell students that they will work in groups to discuss one proverb. Then they will independently write their own modern fables to illustrate this proverb's meaning. They will share their fables and create a mini-library of fables.

3. Divide the class into groups of three to five students. Give copies of the handout on page 18 to the class, and instruct group members to read and to discuss the proverbs listed there. Ask each group to select one proverb; their choice should be kept secret.

4. Check that each group has selected a different proverb, and then guide members to independently write a fable based on the group's proverb. Refer students to the model of a modern fable on page 184. Suggest that they brainstorm personal experiences that reflect the proverb's meaning. Remind them to select an effective point of view and to limit details in order to tell a concise story.

5. After students finish, have the members of each group silently read their group's fables. Have each student keep notes about each member's fable, including any suggested revisions. Have group members select the fable that they think best represents their group's proverb, work quietly to revise the fable as needed, and then make a clean copy. Urge each group to illustrate their fable.

6. Help the class play "What's my proverb?" Ask each group to select a speaker to read the selected fable aloud, and challenge the groups to guess which proverb the fable represents. Direct group members to confer and give one answer. Report which group had the most correct responses.

7. Have students use available materials to create a mini-library. Ask each group to "bind" and label their collected fables with the appropriate proverb. Students should "shelve" their collections where others may read them.

Reading Extensions Have students read modern fables such as Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling and Fables of Our Time by James Thurber, or traditional fables by Aesop.


Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ................................

STUDENT MATERIAL

Pithy Proverbs All that glitters is not gold. Don't judge a book by its cover.

Necessity is the mother of invention. Two heads are better than one.

A bad penny always turns up. Many hands make light work.

It's always darke~t before the dawn. Haste makes waste.

Every cloud has a silver lining. Make hay while the sun shines.

A Fabulous Fable Choose a proverb from the list above, or select another of your choice. On the lines below, write a fable to illustrate the meaning of this proverb. Your fable should be concise and to the point.


THREE·STEP INTERVIEW ACTIVITY

Unit 4 Going Hollywood A good story is so vivid that readers can picture in their mind's eye where and when it takes place, whom it is about, and what happens. In Unit 4, students learn the basic elements in a narrative and how to adapt these elements for film. In this cooperative activity students write a narrative and a film treatment to extend their narrative-writing skills.

• Objective • Teacher Preparation To help students develop their narrative-writing • Make one copy of the Student Material on skills in a cooperative setting page 20 of this booklet for each student.

• Activity Summary • You may want students to read the literature Each student writes a narrative about an experi selection from Christy Brown's book, My Left ence and then reads it to a partner. The partner Foot on page 1 96 and use a projector or interviews them and then shares reactions and VCR to show students the corresponding suggestions. Roles are exchanged. In groups, excerpt from the film as an example of narrastudents share their insights on narrative writing. tive converted to film. Partners exchange narratives and write a film treatment based on their partner's narrative.

Activity Guidelines 1. Introduce this activity by having students

name their favorite films. Ask them to identify the type of film-adventure or mystery, for example. Have students discuss key ingredients that help make a successful movie.

2. Tell students to imagine that their life story is going to be filmed. Explain that they will write a narrative about one real-life incident and then convert a classmate's narrative into a film treatment. Explain that a film treatment, the stage before a screenplay is drafted, is a simple summary of action, scenery, sound effects, props, music, and lighting written by a screenwriter. A film treatment is written in the present tense and does not include dialogue. Some students will share their film treatments with the class.

3. Distribute copies of the handout on page 20 to the class. Have students independently write a narrative about one unforgettable experience, such as a personal triumph or disaster. Remind students that the narrative must be appropriate for a wide audience.

4. When students have written their narratives, group students in pairs. One student reads his or her narrative aloud, and then his or her

partner asks, "What is the goal ofyour narrative? What are you attempting to communicate to your audience?" After interviewing the partner, the student shares her or his reactions to the narrative and suggests revisions for heightening interest or for improving the clarity of the partner's work. Students then repeat this step for their partner's narrative.

5. Students rejoin their groups and share suggestions and insights on narrative writing. Next, partners exchange narratives and each student independently adapts the narrative as a one-paragraph film treatment on their handout. Refer students to the example on page 190 of the textbook.

6. Ask five or six volunteers to read their film treatments to the rest of the class. Have the class discuss which scenes would be most effective and why. Encourage the authors of the original narratives to offer their insights on their proposed film adaptation.

Reading Extensions Have students read part of a narrative that was made into a film-for example, Roots by Alex Haley, A Passage to India by E. M. Forster, or The Bostonians by Henry James.


• • • • •

Name ............. ................................ ......................................... Class ... ............................................... Date ............................... .

STUDENT MATERIAL

Writing a Narrative Brainstorm to come up with one exceptional moment from your life that would be appropriate for a wide film audience. For example, recount an instance when you conquered a fear or experienced a personal triumph or disaster. On the lines below, write a narrative that tells what happened, who was involved, where and when it happened, and what you learned from the experience. Write clearly and cohesively. Use additional paper as needed.

--------.

Writing a Film Treatment Write a one-paragraph film treatment based on a group member's narrative. Bring the narrative to life by describing music, lighting, props, scenery, sound effects, and action. Use additional paper as needed.


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Unit 5 Back to the Drawing Board Inventors must be able to explain how their inventions work; otherwise, their dreams might never become reality. Unit 5 focuses on writing that explains or informs. In this cooperative activity students invent an imaginary product and use exposition to convey their ideas.

• Objective • Teacher Preparation To help students develop their expository writ • Make one copy of the Student Material on ing skills in a cooperative setting page 22 in this booklet for each student.

• Activity Summary • Have art supplies available for students who In small groups, students brainstorm solutions will draw product visuals or make models. to problems in pizza delivery. Group members

• Get permission for students to display theirevaluate possible solutions and contribute ideas work in a public area.

to develop a product. Students write product instructions, develop visuals, or write an inquiry letter.

Activity Guidelines 1. Begin this activity by asking students the pros

and cons of having pizza delivered.

2. Tell students that they will work in groups to invent a product that eliminates this problem: customer complaints of cold, damaged pizza delivered in ecologically unsound or awkward containers. Tell students that they will brainstorm for possible solutions, evaluate the solutions, and then select one for development.

3. Distribute copies of the handout. Divide the class into "companies" of three to five students.

4. Refer students to the charts on page 235 in the textbook. Ask each group to brainstorm on a separate sheet of paper to select a problem to solve, and then record it on the handout. Next, assign each group to brainstorm for ideas for a product that will solve the problem. Students should record the proposed solutions in the handout chart's first column.

5. Ask members to review and evaluate their group's proposed solutions and record responses on the handout. Direct group members to review the evaluations and select a product they want to develop.

6. Each group determines specifics regarding their product-materials, size, how it will work, who will use it. Ask each student to record ideas on the handout. Then ask group

members to share their ideas and discuss how to create a viable product.

7. Ask one member from each group to write instructions on a separate sheet of paper to explain how their product is used. Tell the writers to include a thesis statement, give steps in chronological order, define any unfamiliar terms, and use transitions.

8. Ask several members from each group to create visuals that illustrate the instructions for their group's product. One member of each group should create a "blueprint" of the product.

9. On a separate sheet of paper, one member of each group should write an inquiry letter requesting patent information. Students will address the letter to the Department of Commerce, Patent & Trademark Office, 14th Street NW, Washington, DC 20230.

10. Have each group arrange a display of their inventions using written and visual materials, or a prototype of their product.

Reading Extensions Ask students to read expository writing about inventions in Everyday Inventions by M. Hooper; Panati's Extraordinary Origins ofEveryday Things by Charles Panati, or related books.


Cooperative learnin9 Activities_1----Name . .......................................... ........................................... Class ............................. ..................... Date .............................. ..

STUDENT MATERIAL

Solve the Problem Have you ever had pizza delivered to your door? Was it cold? Did the cheese stick to the top of the box? Was the packaging environmentally sound? Here's your chance to improve the pizza delivery process. Write your ideas on the chart below.

Problem to be solved:_______________________

Possible Solutions Evaluation of Possible Solutions

Invention Note Pad Brainstorm to get ideas for developing your product, and record your notes below.


-------IICooperative learning Activities


On Sale Now! Before a product can become a bestseller, advertisers must convince their supervisors of the success of their proposed ad campaign through a clearly explained marketing proposal. In Unit 5, students focus on writing that explains. In this cooperative activity, students sharpen their expository writing skills by creating a marketing proposal.

• Objective proposal into final form. The finished proposal is To help students develop their expository writ then submitted to another group for review. ing skills in a cooperative setting • Teacher Preparation • Activity Summary • Make one copy of the Student Material on In small groups students choose a product and page 24 in this booklet for each student. write a proposal for a marketing plan for the

• Provide sales catalogs of unusual or uncomproduct. Each group member is assigned to mon items from which each group will selectwrite part of the proposal and create clusters a product to advertise. to develop the assigned section. Each group reviews its members' work. Each student makes • Provide art supplies and appropriate adverrevisions, and then each group organizes the tisements for students to use as models.

Activity Guidelines 1. Ask students to discuss what features of a

product or of an advertising campaign make certain advertisements successful.

2. Explain that, in small groups, students will select a product and write a proposal for a marketing plan. Students will be assigned one aspect of the proposal and will independently cluster to develop that aspect. Tell students that they will finalize a proposal that will be submitted to another group for review.

3. Distribute copies of the handout on page 24. Divide students into groups of three to five, and ask each group to use the catalogs provided to choose their product.

4. Once groups have chosen their product, ask each group to assign members to write independently one or more of the following on a separate sheet of paper: an introduction, a product description, a market assessment, a discussion of projected revenue and expenditures, an advertising plan and ad, and a business letter.

Explain that students must generate fictional data for the market assessment and when projecting revenue. Any "facts" they create must avoid logical fallacies about their market-their community or schooL Tell the letter writers

that the letter needn't be a cover letter, but must communicate information or request action. Ask students to cluster to generate ideas for their task and consult available resources and group members as needed.

5. After students complete their tasks, ask them to read their work aloud to their groups for peer review. Ask each student to revise and make a clean copy on the handout.

6. Groups should brainstorm to make an outline of their proposal and record the final version on the handouts. Next, ask each group to organize the proposal on separate sheets of paper. Ask one member in each group to read the proposal aloud while the group checks for organization and clarity. Ask each group to make one clean copy.

7. The groups should exchange and assess proposals. Ask if the proposal would be approved. Ask each group to justify its decision, citing both positive and negative aspects of the other group's proposal.

Reading Extensions Ask students to research the origins of new products and their advertising campaigns in periodicals such as Business Week and Advertising Age.


Name .................................................. ........ ............................ Class .................................................. Date ............................... .

STUDENT MATERIAL

A Separate Piece In the space below, write your assignment: introduction, product description, market assessment, projected revenues and expenditures, advertising plan, or business letter. Remember to be pithy and well organized. When appropriate, use visuals and analogies to clarify your message. On a separate sheet of paper, use clustering to help you generate ideas.

The Outline Before the Final Form In the space below, record the proposal's final outline as decided by your group. Use the outline as a guide to help you work with group members to organize your proposal into its final form.


---------jlCooperative learJ1iJ19 Activities

ROUNDTABLE ACTIVITY

Vote! The goal ofa political candidate is to win the support ofvoters. In Unit 6, students learn how effective persuasion can influence an audience to think or act in a certain way. In this cooperative activity, students apply persuasive writing techniques to garner their classmates' support for a candidate in a fictitious school election.

• Objective • Teacher Preparation To help students develop their persuasive writ • Make one Copy of the Student Material on ing skills in a cooperative setting page 26 in this booklet for each student.

• Activity Summary • Provide buttons, bumper stickers, brochures, The class selects one type of mock school elec and other artifacts from a recent election as tion to run. In small groups students develop a examples. candidate who has the appropriate qualities for

• Have high school yearbooks, history books,that election. Groups devise campaigns-creat social studies textbooks, and other referencesing speeches, slogans, and advertisements. The available. You may want students to useclass holds a mock convention and election to library resources to research historical elecshare and judge persuasive writing. tions or contests.

Activity Guidelines 1. Ask students who have voted in elections to

discuss factors that influenced their decisions. Lead a discussion of nonpolitical competitions such as talent contests and science fairs and the factors that determined the winners.

2. Tell the class that they will select one type of school contest. In small groups they will create an ideal candidate to compete in that contest. Each student will write one of several types of persuasive campaign materials. Students will share their work through a mock convention and election.

3. Ask the class to select a contest in which voters can be persuaded to elect a winner. Distribute copies of the handout on page 26, and divide the class into groups of three to five students.

4. Ask each group to pass around a sheet of paper on which members record one of their candidate's qualities or ideals. Then each group uses their list to create a "dream" candidate. Direct each group to develop one issue with which their candidate will be identified. Have students record their candidate's "profile" on their handouts.

5. Instruct each group to plan a campaign and choose writers for the following: a speech, slogan, and TV and radio advertisements.

Urge students to use, when appropriate, a thesis statement, effective organization, transitions, satire, and inductive and deductive arguments. Students will record their material on their handouts.

6. Tell speech writers to be sure to address their candidate's major issue. Challenge slogan writers to choose a short, catchy phrase that sums up some aspect of their candidate's character or beliefs. Remind students writing TV or radio ads to limit their message to thirty seconds. They should describe images and music that will be used in the ads.

7. Ask students to share handouts within their group. Ask group members to suggest revisions to improve arguments and eliminate logical fallacies. Each group should coordinate their material for presentation at the ()convention. "

8. Hold a convention where groups may share their work. Urge each group to present their work in a realistic manner. Determine which group produced the most persuasive material by holding an election.

Reading Extensions Ask students to examine how persuasive writing was used in a recent local, community, state, or national election.


Cooperative Learning Activities.1-------Name ...................................................................................... Class .................................................. Date ............................... .

STUDENT MATERIAL

The Candidate's Profile Elect the perfect candidate! In the space below, brainstorm a list of qualities and ideals that a winning candidate should have. Include ideas for a major issue with which your candidate will be identified. Share your list with the members of your group, and create a final profile. Don't forget to give your candidate a name.

On with the Campaign Give your perfect candidate a voice. In the space below, write a speech, a script for a TV or radio advertisement, or a slogan that conveys your candidate's views or qualities. Use a variety of persuasive techniques to appeal to voters and to help your candidate win.


THREE-STEP INTERVIEW ACTIVITY

Unit 6 A Barrel of Laughs A critic tries to convince readers of the merits and drawbacks ofan artistic work. In Unit 6, students analyze critical reviews. In this cooperative activity students will both write and evaluate critical reviews ofa humorous movie or book.

• Objedive revised reviews with the class. Reviews will be To help students apply persuasive writing skills displayed or submitted to a school or local and analyze a critical review in a cooperative newspaper. setting • Teacher Preparation • Adivity Summary • Make one copy of the Student Material on Students independently review a humorous page 28 in this booklet for each student. movie or book that they have seen or read. In

• Bring book and movie reviews by profespairs, they exchange critical reviews for evalua sional critics to class for students to use astion and revision. Some students will share their models for their own reviews.

Adivity Guidelines 1. Begin this activity by asking students what

has influenced them to see or read a humorous movie or book. Ask students if a written review has ever persuaded them to watch or read a work.

2. Ask students to imagine that they are critics who write a newspaper column called "Laugh Track." Tell them that they will independently review a movie or a book. In pairs, they will exchange their reviews with fellow critics for evaluation. Partners will help one another polish reviews before sharing them with the rest of the class.

3. Distribute copies of the handout on page 28 to the class. On the handout, ask the class to brainstorm a list of funny books and movies that they have recently read or seen. Urge students to include novels, nonfiction books, and comedies they have seen in a theater, on television, or on video.

4. Direct students to choose from their list one familiar work that they either strongly liked or disliked. Ask each of them to write a short critical review on the handout. Refer students to the model of a critical movie review on page 302. Encourage them to use a variety of persuasive techniques to convince readers to accept their opinions.

5. When students finish writing their critical reviews, pair each student with a partner. Have partners exchange handouts. Ask students to evaluate their partner's review using the checklist on page 303 in the text. Direct each partner to write an evaluation on a sheet of paper and then read the evaluation to her or his partner. Review authors should note their partner's comments, revise as needed, and then make a clean copy.

6. Call on students at random to share their revised reviews with the class. If any students have reviewed the same comedy or humorous book, ask them to read their reviews side by side. Have the students display their reviews or submit them to a school or community newspaper.

Reading Extensions Have students read critical reviews by professional critics in popular magazines or newspapers. The New Yorker, Newsweek, and Time are magazines that include both book and movie reviews.


Name ....... ............ ................................. ............. ..................... Class .. ................................................ Date ............................... .

STUDENT MATERIAL

A Media Riot What humorous books and side-splitting movies have you recently read or seen? Brainstorm a list of titles on the lines below.

A Critical Review Write a critical review for the column "Laugh Track:' Include the title and author or director of the work, a brief synopsis, special features, and your perception of the work's strengths and weaknesses. Use specific details to support why you liked or disliked the work. Conclude your review with a recommendation to your readers. Use additional paper as needed.


Documents

Cooperative Learning Activities Writing Grammar