9.4.2. Cooperative Learning Lesson Plan Guide

The following lesson plan guide should help you develop cooperative learning lessons. The sample lesson follows the guide.

Cooperative Learning Steps	Focus and Purpose
1. Preliminary information	Course Grade level Lesson summary Materials Time required
2. Decisions	Group size Assignment to groups Roles
3. Procedures	Instructional task Positive interdependence Individual accountability Criteria for success Expected behaviors
4. Monitoring and Processing	Monitoring Intervening Processing

 

Sample cooperative learning lesson: Identifying Skeletons.

Subject Area: Life Science

Grade level: Junior High

• Lesson summary: Students are given pictures of skeletons of vertebrates and must figure out what they are.
• Objectives:
  • Student will observe various vertebrate skeletons.
  • Students will identify animals by skeleton characteristics.
  • Students will recognize adaptations of skeletons which enable the animal to survive in its environment.
• Materials Pictures of 14 vertebrates (per group): anteater, penguin, lion, hippopotamus, walrus, deer, kangaroo, frog, camel, bat, crocodile, elephant, giraffe, ape. Teacher transparency of the skeletons, Answer key transparency
• Time required Forty-five minutes

1. Decisions

• Group Size: Three
• Assignment Either random---counting off---or teacher assigned to groups with high, medium and low students in each group.
• Roles
  • Recorder---records answers of the group
  • Tracker--keeps the group on the task by watching the time and not letting the group dwell on one skeleton too long.
  • Encourager: Makes certain each member is participating and invites any reluctant members in by asking them for their ideas.

2. Procedures

a. Instructional task.

Teacher says: Your group will be given a handout containing pictures of 14 modern-day vertebrates' skeletons. You will have 15 minutes to identify the 14 animals by their skeletons.

b. Positive interdependence.

Teacher explains: I want one set of answers from the group. When you sign your name it means that you agree with the answers and can defend and explain them. Also, you will have a job to do to help the group achieve the task. At this stage the teacher assigns the students to groups, or has them formed randomly.

c. Individual accountability

Each group member must be able to identify each skeleton and tell why it fits that classification. I may ask any one of you to come to the overhead and point out the features of the skeleton that led to your group's identification of it.

d. Criteria for success

Groups that correctly identify ten skeletons will have mastered the task. Groups that correctly identify more than ten skeletons will receive bonus points.

e. Expected behaviors

I expect to see all group members participating, each one performing his or her role, and everyone justifying answers by pointing out features on the skeletons.

3. Monitoring and Processing

a. Monitoring

Teacher circulates to see how the groups are doing and give hints when groups are at a standstill. Hints should be general, such as which class the animal belongs to (amphibian, reptile,etc.). Also, watch and encourage participating from all group members.

b. Closing

Identify the skeletons at the overhead projector and have the groups assess how well they did. Have members of groups that successfully identified the skeletons explain the answers to the groups that missed them.

c. Processing

Comment on the behaviors you observed, then have each student tell their group members what they did best.