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Home Teams: Cooperative Learning in ElementaryScience

Robert M. Jones

John E. Steinbrink

School a/EducationUniversity of Houston�Clear LakeHouston, Texas 77058

Department of Curriculum & InstructionOklahoma State UniversityStillwater, Oklahoma 74078-0146

In 1985, an article describing work usingcooperative task groups for conducting hands onactivities in elementary science was published inScience and Children. The article, ’Teaming Up,"detailed how to establish task groups, develop jobdescriptions, and manage activities during process skillinquiry lessons. The "Teaming Up" model usingstudent badges, job descriptions, and a structuredmanagement plan developed by Piper (1980) has beensuccessfully implemented in thousands of classroomsand is currently featured in several elementary sciencetextbooks.The "Teaming Up" approach has been adapted for

use with lessons in elementary science textbooks. Thereasoning was that most teachers and students spendfar more time with the textbook than they do withlaboratory equipment and materials. In response tothis, a content learning model was developed andtested in which students belong to a 3- or 4-membercooperative group known as a Home Team. Byparticipating in cooperative learning, students are ableto learn concepts, processes, and generalizationspresented in the textbook while working under thesupervision of the classroom teacher. Initial efforts inthis area resulted in a modification of the Jigsaw IImodel of cooperative learning (Slavin, 1982). In thisapproach, students belong to two levels of smallgroups. Home Teams and Expert Groups. The HomeTeam is stable and remains together for weeks at atime. For one class period during each instructionalunit, the Home Team members split up and go toseparate Expert Groups to learn one subsection of thecontent. After mastering this material in the ExpertGroup, each student expert returns to his/her HomeTeam to teach the material to the other Home Teammembers. The development and use of the 2-levelcooperative group model was described in theNovember, 1989, issue of School Science andMathematics (Jones & Steinbrink, 1989). This articledescribed the 2-level model and presented the resultsof a series of studies in elementary science whichdemonstrated significant gains in student achievementover control classes taught by traditional readingapproaches.During the past two years, teachers have continued

to modify and adapt the Teaming Up approach for

use with textbooks and expository learning materials.One result of this activity is the emergence of asecond cooperative learning model which eliminatesthe use of the Expert Groups. The Home Teamscomplete the Expert worksheets as group workproducts. The Home Team members receive a gradefor each worksheet when it is completed. This 1-levelmodel is simpler and easier to manage. Teachers nowhave the choice of using either the 1-level Home Teamor 2-level Home Team-Expert Group approach tocooperative learning.

The One Level Cooperative Group Model

The Home Team is a heterogeneous or mixedability group composed of three or four students.These groups work together for up to six weeks at atime. Following written instructions. Home Teammembers are responsible for cooperating on learningtasks using the science textbook. The Home Teamsuse aligned curriculum materials which includereading organizer worksheets, conceptual diagrams,focused study items, and a chapter or unit test. Theinstructional goal is to maximize the achievement ofboth the team and its individual members.

This cooperative content study group approachminimizes individual student memorization andmaximizes student interaction, resulting in improvedlearning for all team members. (Jones & Steinbrink,1989). In studies using the 1-level small group, aboveaverage students maintained and slightly improvedtheir performance levels, while lower ability studentsin second through sixth grade improved their testscores dramatically (Jones & Johnson, 1990). Inaddition, students learned the social skills needed tocooperate in achieving academic goals.

Preparing Materials for Home TeamsPreparing instructional materials for cooperative

study groups is not difficult. The same materials canbe used for both 1- and 2-level cooperative groups.Any chapter or combination of chapters in anelementary science textbook can be developed into acooperative learning unit. Both models use readingorganizers printed on worksheets, a unit or chaptertest, review items, and supplemental instructionalmaterials developed or located by the teacher. To

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140HomeTeams

Figure 1. Sample Home Team "worksheet.

DIRECTIONS: Meet with your Home Team to locate and discuss the responses to these items. Complete eachitem with enough detail to help you remember the information.

V. COMPOUND MACHINES AND ENERGY (Pages 126-128)

1. What is a compound machine?

2. A can opener is composed of several simple machines. List three of them.

3. A wheelbarrow is made up of two simple machines. What are they?

4. What kind of energy does a wheelbarrow use?

5. What kind of energy does a car use?

6. Complete the attached conceptual worksheet, "The Simple Machines In a Compound Machine, TheBicycle."

THE SIMPLE MACHINES IN A COMPOUND MACHINETHE BICYCLE

DIRECTIONS:

Use the information on page 128 to list the parts of a bicycle that are simple machines.Complete the questions that follow.

1. 2.

3. 4,-�Tpl.ri?� ItllL BICYCLE-

5.

1. Which of the parts of the bicycle are composed of a wheel and axle?

2. Which part is a lever?

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construct cooperative study group materials, followthese steps:

1. Select a unit or chapter of study. The unitshould include printed material that can be taughtduring five to nine instructional days. It should alsoinclude a test and study items to prepare students fortaking the test. Most elementary textbook programscontain tests and study items which can be modifiedfor use.

2. Construct reading organizer worksheets for eachunit. Each worksheet contains a list of readingorganizers that tells the learners what is important ineach paragraph. Figure 1 presents a sample HomeTeam worksheet developed from a fourth-gradetextbook chapter on simple machines1. Since thischapter divides into five equal subunits, four otherworksheets are generated in a similar manner. Theitems on each sheet are questions or task statementsbased on the main ideas, details, processes, andgeneralizations found in the subunit. These itemsreflect the major concepts in the reading material.There is approximately one reading organizer for eachparagraph.Most textbook chapters or units naturally divide

into three, four, or five subunits. The key for dividingthe chapter for the worksheets is to have equalnumbers of items for each worksheet. Most work-sheets will cover one or two subunits and require oneclass period to complete.

3. Align the study items and test items. The studyitems should be based on the reading organizerworksheets and include all facts, concepts, and skillsthat will be on the test. This process will insure a highdegree of alignment between the unit as taught andthe evaluation of student outcomes. This is importantbecause our research has shown a low degree ofalignment between publisher furnished review and testitems (Jones & Johnson, 1990). Check these itemscarefully and change any review or test items that arenot clearly aligned. Figure 2 presents conceptuallyaligned focused study items and the correspondingevaluation items.

4. Assemble supplementary materials. These materi-als may include graphs, pictures, diagrams, work-sheets, and short readings on the unit topic.

5. Develop badges and job descriptions for HomeTeam members. Each student can be given a colorcoded Home Team badge and a short job descriptionof his/her tasks in the Home Team. Leadership cardswith tasks for the students in charge of each HomeTeam are useful. This system of written instructionseliminates student confusion about what tasks toperform.

Implementing Cooperative Home TeamsOnce the materials are assembled, you are ready to

organize the mixed ability Home Teams. With a littleplanning, it is possible to have high-, average-, and

Figure 2. Test items and aligned focused study items.

ENERGY AND MACHINES

FOCUSED STUDY ITEMS

A machine made of very few parts isa ____________ . (p. 120)

List four types of kinetic energy, (p. 118)

Storage batteries have what type of kinetic en-ergy? (p. 118)

How does chemical energy change to mechanicalenergy to operate a crane? (p. 116)

TEST ITEMS

A car battery contains:a. chemical energyb. mechanical energyc. light energyd. heat energy

A machine made of very few parts is a:a. complex machineb. simple machinec. large machined. compound machine

Explain how one type of energy can change intoanother type. Give one example.

Volume 91 (4), April 1991

142HomeTeams

low-achieving students in each Home Team. Give eachgroup a task card describing the team’s tasks andcolor coded Home Team badges. There will be threeor four members in each Home Team.Once the materials are developed and the students

are grouped in Home Teams, the followinginstructional sequence can be implemented:

1. Teacher introduces the unit to the class. The unitoverview may include a film, video tape, or othermedia to generate excitement about the topic. Theintroduction should also highlight the major divisionsin the unit.

2. Teacher distributes Home Team worksheets andmakes assignments. Students do not read the chapterbefore the Home Team meets. The reading organizerson the Home Team worksheets will be used forreading the specific paragraphs in sequence.

3. Students meet in Home Teams and learnconcepts identified on the "worksheet. In this session,students use the reading organizers to readparagraphs, discuss concepts, and agree on responses.During the Home Team study session, the teachermoves among the groups and facilitates their work. Agrade can be given to each student for completing theworksheet. The supplemental curriculum materials canalso be used during this session.

4. Teacher conducts whole class summary of theworksheet. This discussion session helps clarifycontent questions and eliminates the possibility thatan incorrect response has been given in the HomeTeams. At this time, the teacher can correct errors,expand concepts and add explanatory information.Short demonstrations using manipulative materialsand equipment can be conducted during this summarysession.

Steps 2, 3, and 4 are repeated for each Home Teamworksheet. If there are three worksheets in thechapter, the process will be conducted three times. Ifthere are four worksheets, there will be four HomeTeam sessions. A grade can be given for completingeach worksheet.

5. Students conduct one or more of the laboratoryactivities presented in the textbook or selected fromsome other source. The Home Team can function as alaboratory activity group during this class session.Other extending activities such as films, guestspeakers, discussions, and reports can be included atthis time.

6. Home Teams use study items to review for thetest. After instruction is complete, the Home Teamsreconvene to prepare for the test. This session isimportant for slow learners and low ability readers.The students should locate the study item responsesand discuss them. One student should be in charge ofthis process at each group station. A grade can begiven to each student for completing the study items.

7. Teacher conducts whole class review. At thispoint the classroom atmosphere should be positive

and encourage participation. Home Teams, forexample, can be organized into "families" and play"Family Feud," "Baseball," or another whole classtest review game. This team competition can beplayed for small non-academic rewards or teamrecognition. The goal is to achieve closure to thereview process in a positive manner.

8. Students take individual tests and receiveindividual grades. Up to this point, the Home Teammembers have received identical grades for the groupwork products. The individual unit test is used toassess student mastery of the concepts. The HomeTeams are given recognition based on groupimprovement and sustained performance. Eachstudent receives a unit score based on a weightedcombination of the daily group work and theindividual test score.

Using this general instructional sequence, a singlechapter unit can be taught in five to seveninstructional periods. Extending activities utilizingguest speakers, field trips, or library research can beinserted between steps 5 and 6. These activities canexpand the schedule by two or three days. Notice theonly difference between this model and the 2-levelcontent study approach is that the 1-level modelrequires one to three extra days to complete the HomeTeam worksheets.

Hints and Suggestions

Once you decide to use Home Teams with thetextbook, here are some useful suggestions that havebeen developed by teachers:

1. Include worksheets on the processes and cyclespresented in the chapter. Have at least one of thesesequencing, cause/effect learning activities toaccompany each Home Team worksheet. Use higherlevel questions on the worksheets to ensure that theteam members think about the material.

2. Establish reasonable deadlines for Home Teamactivities. This keeps teams on task. Have extramaterials or meaningful tasks available for groupsthat finish early.

3. Provide peer tutors for marginal or problemlearners. Pair a marginal student with an average orbright student for peer instruction and support. Thismeans that some Home Teams will have extramembers. Over time, this close support will assist themarginal learners to improve their learning andleadership skills. Give "good citizen" awards for thepeer tutors.

4. Send the Home Team worksheets and focusedstudy items home with a note to parents. Explain thatthese materials will help the students improve theirtest scores. These sheets provide parents with a usefulmechanism for working with their children.

5. Encourage the Home Teams to participate insome fun activities. Nonacademic games and contestscan include paper airplane and kite flying contests,

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Home Teams 143

construction tasks, and science trivia games. Theseactivities will build team spirit and cohesiveness.

6. Charge the Home Team mth updating membersafter absences and maintaining and distributingpencils, paper, and other materials. Make themresponsible for routine maintenance and clerical tasks.This saves you time and shares meaningfulresponsibility with the Home Teams.Using Home Teams in the elementary science

classroom can help motivate students because every-one is involved with discussing and learning thematerial. The problems associated with reading thechapter are eliminated by using Home Teams forshort, structured reading tasks and concept learning.In this approach, the requirement to read the chapteras a precondition to participating in science iseliminated. On the other hand, after successfulparticipation in science, students are motivated toparticipate in meaningful reading and languageexperiences. Home Team membership and peertutoring give status to slow or disinterested learnerswho seldom receive classroom recognition. Eachstudent must contribute to the Home Team and isrewarded for his or her contribution. In return, theHome Team provides academic and social support foreach member. The elementary science curriculum canbe taught more effectively because less classroom timeis needed to teach the same material at greater depth.The research demonstrates that in most cases whereHome Teams participated in test review games, failurewas virtually eliminated in the elementary scienceclassroom. Today, teachers have the option toimplement either the 1-level Home Team or 2-levelHome Team-Expert Group model. Both use the samecurriculum materials and group processes. The basictrade off is in the simplicity of the 1-level approachcontrasted with the efficiency and higher inter-dependence of the 2-level model. Many teachersintroduce cooperative learning using the one levelmodel and after students become comfortable withworking in Home Teams, they introduce the use ofExpert Groups. It is easy to mix the two cooperativegroup models with each other and with conventionalwhole class instruction. Sample materials andtechnical information on both models are availablefrom the authors.

References

Johnson, D. W., Johnson, R. T., Holubec, E. J., &Roy, P. (1986). Circles of learning: Cooperation inthe classroom. (Rev. ed.) Edina, MN: InteractionBook Company.

Jones, R. M. (1985). Teaming up. Science and Chil-dren, 22(8), 21-23.

Jones, R. M., & Johnson, L. C. (1990). Improving atrisk student scores. Southwest Journal of Educa-tional Research into Practice, 3, 13-17.

Jones, R. M., & Steinbrink, J. E. (1988). Concept

learning strategies: Using cooperative groups in sci-ence and social studies. Southwest Journal of Edu-cational Research into Practice, 2, 43-49.

Jones, R. M., & Steinbrink, J. E. (1989). Using coop-erative groups in science teaching. School Scienceand Mathematics, 89(S), 541-551.

Piper, M. (1980). A science activity teaching plan.School Science and Mathematics, 80(5), 399-406.

Slavin, R. E. (1982). Cooperative learning: Studentteams. Washington, DC: National Education Asso-ciation.

Footnote^he curriculum materials presented in Figures 1, 2,

and 3 were developed using Chapter 6, Fourth Grade,Science, Silver Burdett, (1985).

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Volume 91 (4), April 1991