LESSON PLAN

GENERAL INFORMATION
Lesson Title & Subject(s): Jigsaw Cooperative Learning on Egypt, 7th Grade
Geography
Topic or Unit of Study: North Africa and Southwest Asia> North Africa Today>
Egypt
Grade/Level: 7th Grade
Instructional Setting: This will be taught in a regular classroom with
approximately 30 students per class.

STANDARDS AND OBJECTIVES

Your State Core Curriculum/Student Achievement Standard(s):

From the Alabama Course of Study Standards for 7th Grade Geography:
Describe the world in spatial terms using maps, major physical and human
features, and urban and rural land-use patterns.
Explaining the use of map essentials, including type, size, shape, distance,
direction, location, scale, and symbols
Describing physical and human characteristics used to define regions in the
Eastern Hemisphere
Identify physical, economic, political, and cultural characteristics of
selected regions in the Eastern Hemisphere, including Europe, Asia, and
Africa.
Describe positive and negative environmental effects of human actions on the
four basic components of Earth's physical systems: atmosphere, biosphere,
lithosphere, and hydrosphere.
Lesson Goals:
Empower students with a sense of personal responsibility
Enable students to work cooperatively together
Give students the opportunity to express themselves as teachers
Lesson Objective(s):
After completing the Jigsaw Activity, the student will be able to
explain how Egypts Nile River and desert landscape have shaped the lives of
the Egyptian people for hundreds of years with 90 percent accuracy.

MATERIALS AND RESOURCES

Instructional Materials:

Poster with Jigsaw Directions

Poster with Rubric
Cards to assign groups
Index cards for notes
Articles for extra students
Textbooks for students
Expert Group Worksheets
Quiz/Evaluation Sheets
Rubrics

Resources:
Aronson, E. (n.d.). Jigsaw in 10 easy steps. Retrieved
fromhttp://www.jigsaw.org/steps.htm
Boehm, R. (2005). Glencoe the world and its people: Eastern hemisphere.
Glencoe/McGraw Hill.
Fadl, A. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.aldokkan.com/society/food.htm
Smith, N. (1999, March 30). Summary of background information for the aswan
high dam:. Retrieved
fromhttp://teacherlink.ed.usu.edu/tlresources/units/byrnesafrica/kaymur/LINK.htm
INSTRUCTIONAL PLAN
Sequence of Instructional Procedures/Activities/Events:
1.

Introduction, Explain Directions, and Assign Teams:

The teacher will begin class by reviewing material from the previous day and
explaining the jigsaw approach. The poster with jigsaw directions and the
rubric poster will be displayed where all students can view this while the
teacher talks. This insures that students are aware of the directions. The
teacher will quickly explain each step while distributing cards to assign
students to colored groups. The teacher will end this section by asking
students if they have any questions before they begin.
5 minutes.
2.

Team Building:

Students are to move into jigsaw groups. Desks may be moved as well to allow
student interaction. The teacher will distribute a piece of construction paper
to each group that color coordinated with the colors on the cards to assign
the group. On one side of the paper, the students are to come up with a group
name. On the other side of the paper, students are to write all group members
names and what section of the material for which they are responsible. This
ensures that students are aware of their role expectations. While students are
working on this in groups, the teacher will monitor each group individually
for questions/concerns/encouragement. The teacher will also give a brief

reminder to each individual group of the directions for the next section.
Students whose reading assignment is not in the textbook will be given an
article to read. All students will be handed to notecard with which to
complete the next section.
5 minutes
3.

Students Read Section and Take Notes:

Students are to sit at an individual desk. They are to read their individually
assigned section of the text or article and take notes. The teacher will
remind students that the purpose of one side of the note card is to guess
what is on the quiz and make sure they get all of the important points. The
teacher will also remind students that this is where they become experts on
the topic and that their fellow group mates are depending on them to learn the
material. The teacher will quickly observe team building sheets for completion
as well as monitor for student progress while they are reading and taking
notes.
10 minutes.
4.

Expert Groups:

Students will move into expert groups, which are students from different
jigsaw groups who have the same academic assignment. The teacher will
distribute an expert group worksheet to guide student discussion. Students
will be reminded to add any information from the worksheet to their card as
well as to not count on only information from the worksheet to be on the quiz.
There is only one worksheet per group, so students must work to together to
agree. The teacher will quickly visit each expert group to ensure students are
on task.
10 minutes
5.

Students Teach Jigsaw Groups:

Students will return to jigsaw groups. The teacher will instruct

students that they each have about four minutes to teach their group mates the
information from their section. Students are to use the information they have
completed on their white index cards to teach their group mates the
information. The teacher will monitor this step, but at a distance. This is
where the students are encouraged to work independently the most.
20 minutes
6.

Quiz/Feedback:

Students are to move desks back into rows. The teacher will distribute sheets
that contain the quiz on the front and an evaluation of group members on the
back. The quiz is true false. The evaluation allows the teacher how students
felt about other student performance.

10 minutes.
Pedagogical Strategy:
Cooperative Learning Groups- Jigsaw
Differentiated Instruction:

Cooperative learning groups will be diverse in terms of gender,

ethnicity, race, and ability.
Student Assessment/Rubrics:

1.

All work from the day will be assessed by a rubric the teacher completes. It
is broken down as follows.
Section (%)

Team Building (5%): Points will be awarded based on completion of team name
creation and role descriptions written on the given sheet of construction
paper.

Notecard (20%): In order for full points to be given, students must have
notes that cover at least 75% of the notecard. Notes must be legible and
relevant.

Expert Group (25%): The worksheet given to expert groups will be graded 50%
on completion and 50% on accuracy.

Quiz (30%): The quiz will be graded for accuracy.

Completed Feedback (5%): If students complete the side of the sheet fully,
full points will be awarded.

Feedback from others (5%): If students received negative feedback from more
than one group mate, these points can be lost.

Teach Jigsaw Group (10%): These points will be awarded based on the student
teaching their section to their jigsaw group.
2. Students will be given a guided reading sheet from the textbook to complete
on this unit. This is assigned as homework.
3. Students have a vocabulary assignment for the chapter. All words must be
defined and sentence written with each. This is turned in at the end of the
chapter.
4. There will be a multiple choice test at the end of the chapter.