Jigsaw Falling Into Place



Our class this week was taught an interesting group activity that will be great to share in classrooms for today and the future.  The jigsaw activity is nothing new, however it was one of the first times I had ever been apart of a group activity so seamlessly fluid.

For those who may not know, the jigsaw activity is when you break the class into different groups.  In a class of 20 lets say, you would divide them into five groups of four.  From there, each person in the group picks a sub-topic of the topic they are going to talk about. After that has been decided, you then break off again and work with the other people from the other groups that are researching the same thing that you are.  In these "expert groups" you work on finding all of the information you can in relation to your sub-topic.

Image result for jigsaw puzzle memes

Once you are finished, you report back to your original group and teach them everything you can about what you just learned, instead of presenting it to the class.  Overall, while it sounds confusing in concept, and it might be the first few times you try it, the kids do like it and it keeps them on their toes about who they are working with.  It also keeps the lesson fluid, as students are constantly moving, researching, and presenting to fellow classmates.

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