Complex Cooperative Sample Lesson 1
Two Day or 80 Minute Cooperative Lesson
Teacher: Cruz/Lazarus | Date: 19-20 June 1998 |
Unit: Bible | Grade: 9 |
Lesson Title: Making Spiritual Choices in I Kings 18 |
Structure: Expert Jigsaw |
Objectives:
- Dimensions of Learning: Students will apply the knowledge of making choices to their lives in a meaningful manner.
- Content:
- Students will learn that there are always choices to make.
- Students will become familiar with the story of Elijah on Mount Carmel and the issue of making spiritual choices.
- Social Skills:
- Students will listen politely to each other.
- Students will participate in whole class discussion.
Materials:
Teacher: Bible flip chart/chalkboard markers duplicated worksheet |
Student: Bible |
Warm-Up:
Anecdote (personal experience)
Situation 1: I was given theater tickets for a famous play which related to school work. The play started one and a half hours before sunset on Friday. The dilemma — to go or not to go? I went and stayed past the setting of the sun. Feeling guilty, I went home and prayed never to put myself before doing right.
Question to class: What would you have done?
Situation 2: You are undercharged for the flowers for the senior class farewell. Do you tell the clerk or do you think it is a blessing from God?
Components:
- Group Size: 5 or more
- Group Selection: Heterogeneous, randomly assigned by the teacher
- Positive Interdependence: Students leave home group to form expert groups and answer questions, then return to home groups to share.
- Group Accountability: Students note answers to questions in the expert groups and return to home group.
- Individual Accountability: Quiz on content and journal on social skills.
- Roles: Expert, note-taker.
Bible Passages:
- Adam and Eve (Genesis 3:1-19)
- Abraham (Genesis 12:1-8)
- Elijah (1 Kings 18:16-46)
- Agrippa (Acts 25:23-26:32)
- Ananias and Sapphira (Act 5:1-10)
Directions: (Expert Jigsaw)
- Divide the class into five heterogeneous "home" groups. Each student in the group will have a different Bible passage written on a card which the teacher passes out.
- Students will leave their "home" group to form "expert" groups. Each "expert" group will deal with a particular passage of scripture and answer the following questions about their passage:
- In 2-3 sentences briefly recount the story/situation of the passage.
- Which characters have a choice to make?
- What choices do the characters make? Why?
- What is the outcome of the choice?
- Students reassemble into their original "home" groups to present their acquired expert knowledge to the rest of the home group members.
Monitoring Group Work:
Teacher moves from expert group to expert group to facilitate and coach, reorganizes home groups, and continues to move from group to group.
Processing Content:
- Listen, take notes.
- Write 2-3 paragraphs on a spiritual choice that you have had to make. Describe the situation/choice/dilemma and the outcome of your choice. (Extend into a homework assignment if not completed during class time.)
- Why was Ahab willing to risk a confrontation on Mount Carmel?
Processing Group Dynamics:
- How many listened politely/quietly today? (Stickers for those students)
- Who participated willingly in the question/answer period? (Stickers)
- How well did your groups work?
Evaluation:
- Evaluate the process (how well the students worked together) in student journals.