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Jigsaw reading is a useful cooperative learning strategy that engages students and increases their participation and contribution to the learning process. It helps develop a depth of knowledge not possible if the students were to try and learn all of the material on their own. Each student of a “home” group specialises in one aspect of a learning unit. Students meet with members from other groups who are assigned the same aspect, and after mastering the material, return to the “home” group and teach the material to their group members. Each student's part is essential for the completion and full understanding of the final product. Appropriate for year 4 and above.
Watch these short videos to see jigsaw reading being used in a primary level context and in a secondary level context
Primary level
Secondary level
Teaching and learning sequence examples:
Primary level:
Mind mirror activities enable language teachers to integrate target language objectives with the development of critical thinking skills and critical reading skills. The cognitive skills of interpretation, inference, and self-regulation are developed the most. Mind mirror helps students to draw generalisations from text detail and to synthesise their understandings in a visual form with close reference to the text.
Students work in groups to create a poster, based on a text they are reading, that illustrates the key elements on an outline of the character’s head. Groups then present their posters to the class. Students depict how this character was feeling and thinking at a specific time and what questions the character was considering. To illustrate all these ideas students use (two) relevant quotes from the text and create (two) symbols and (two) drawings that are important in explaining the character's perspective. This activity provides a good opportunity to clarify the difference between a drawing and a symbol.
Variation: Each student in the group may use a different coloured marker to illustrate their items and to sign their names on the poster. In addition to enabling the teacher to view each student’s work, this color-coded method promotes equal participation and accountability among all group members.
Watch this video to see mind mirror activities being used in a year 12 English classroom
The teacher prepares a preview of the text to be read. A preview is the gist of the longer text written using relatively simple sentence construction. A preview often has an accompanying visual. A preview can help students understand what the text is about by activating their formal and content schemata and making them familiar with the topic before they begin reading.
Present a summary to the students of the headings/subheadings from the article/text. Ask them to make notes under each heading about what they would expect to find in each section. Ask the students to read the first section of the article – then ask, "What do you think will be discussed next?". " Can you identify any words you do not know?" "How can you determine the meaning of these words from the article itself?". As students read they should be checking their predictions and ticking them off if they feel they are correct.
Students look at titles, headings, and pictures, and read the first few paragraphs and the last paragraph. This is usually followed by group discussion and students predicting what the text is about before they read the text for themselves.
Some other before reading strategies are: Anticipatory reading guides; KWL, and structured overviews.
This example shows students simplifying a text rather than a simplified text strategy in a year 11 science class.
Teaching and learning sequence planning examples:
Secondary level:
To prepare for this activity, the teacher reads a text aloud, marking where natural pauses occur. The teacher then uses these pauses to chunk the text into meaningful parts. Copies of the text are then created that differentiate the chunks in four alternating type styles. In groups of four, students read the text aloud, each student reading a given type style. Each group should read the text aloud twice as English language learners' fluency often improves from a second reading. The group then discuss the text.
The benefits of reading in four voices:
Watch this video to see students using this activity in a year 9 classroom
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Students draw a line graph to show the rise and fall in excitement level of the plot. (See example below.) OR using the main events of the book (which the teacher may provide), give each event a rating e.g. 1 – not exciting....5 – very exciting. Plot this information on a line graph. Drawing story graphs helps students to understand the structure of narrative texts.
© Ministry of Education, Wellington, New Zealand (First published 1998)
A story map is a strategy that uses a graphic organiser to help students learn the elements of a book or story. By identifying story characters, plot, setting, problem, and solution, students read carefully to learn the details. There are many different types of story map graphic organisers. The most basic focus on the beginning, middle, and end of the story. More advanced organisers focus more on plot or character traits. It is an important task for all children, but especially for ELL students, to learn how to distinguish the main story from the unimportant material. Using story maps can improve students' comprehension and provide students with a framework for identifying the elements of a story. They can also help students of varying abilities to organise information and ideas efficiently. The Reading rocket website provides examples based on books at different levels and in different learning areas.
Watch this video to see year 12 english students using a story graph in the classroom
A structured overview is a graphic organiser used to arrange the key words and concepts on a topic. They may be completed individually or collaboratively. The words are organised in a hierarchical structure, beginning with the topic heading. Lines connect the words or subtopics showing their relationship to the central idea and to each other.
The conceptual map is like a tree diagram with the most general terms at the top moving down to the details or examples at the bottom. Once completed they are shared with their partner or with the class.
Students using structured overviews: link new information to existing knowledge; think about relationships between ideas; learn to categorise ideas; clarify their thoughts and learn key vocabulary. See also Graphic organisers.
Watch this video to see a structured overview being used in a year 13 economics class
Teaching and learning sequence planning example:
The Three-Level Guide is a reading strategy which supports students to read the text closely by providing a clear purpose and direction for reading. It is used to develop comprehension skills. The guide is a series of statements written by the teacher about a text, some are true and some false. Students/readers are asked to agree or disagree with these statements and justify their responses.
These statements are divided into three levels:
Level One: Literal Statements (at the surface level of the text) where students simply search for the information within the text.
Level Two: Inferential/Interpretive Statements (at a “between-the-lines” level) where students use the literal information and combine it with other information, either from the text or from their previous knowledge and experience, to find whether a statement is true or false.
Level Three: Applied Statements (at a “beyond-the-text” level) where students use the literal and inferential information and combine it with other information from their previous knowledge and experience in making generalisations, hypothesising, being creative and discussing points of view. Information from the text is extended beyond the limits of the text to find whether a statement is true or false.
The reader is directed to focus on the relevant information and to develop an informed opinion on the issues explored in the text. Once everyone has decided whether the statements are true or false they then share their answers and discuss any that they disagree on in order to form an agreement.
Watch this video to see year 13 students using three level guides in the classroom
Dictogloss is a co-operative task where groups of two-four students try to recreate a text that the teacher has read to them. At the first reading the students just listen and then they take notes as the text is read twice more. By combining their knowledge the students then try to recreate the written text (not word-for-word) by using full sentences while trying to retain the meaning and form of the original text. Afterwards the students, with their teacher’s help, identify similarities and differences between their text reconstruction and the original text.
A dictogloss requires the students to use all four language modes and it helps the students to notice their own language gaps. It is particularly useful for providing a focus on grammar.
Watch this video to see a dictogloss being used in a year 10 social studies classroom
A double entry journal is a form of reflective writing based upon a text. Students can use a double entry journal to help them study concepts or vocabularies, express opinions, justify an opinion using text, and to understand or respond to the text they are reading. The double entry journal is a two-column journal. Students divide their page into two columns. In the left-hand column, students should note down a word, phrase, quote or situation from the text that they can relate/react to. In the right column, learners write their thoughts or reactions about the entries in the left column. Reinforce the fact that the thoughts/reactions that students’ record should make a connection between the text and themselves (text-to-self), another text (text-to-text), or the world (text-to-world). Explain how readers often make connections to a story to help them better understand the text. Students can use their own notes from their double entry journal to assist in constructing essays.
Double entry or Dialectical journals:
Variation: Double entry journals can be used to develop an outline for writing assignments. Students write their ideas that they want to include in their essay in the left column and expand on their ideas in the right column.
Watch this video to see a year 12 class using a double entry journal.
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