Aquiring strategies

Jigsaw

Purpose

Jigsaw is an oral strategy that can be used in a collaborative learning

activity where students learn about a topic and then share their learning
with others. It is an effective way to process large chunks of text in a short
time.
Jigsaw also allows physical movement and accountability.

Procedure

1. Determine a topic, theme, or issue for student to study. Decide on, and
then create, four different sub-topics or things to learn about that topic.
2. Have students create home groups of four. Assign a number from 1 to 4
to each student.
3. Direct all students with the same number (for example, all the twos) to
leave their home group and form an expert group. Assign a different
sub-topic to each of the expert groups, and direct them to work
together to learn everything they can about their specific topic.
4. Each group researches and become experts on a particular piece of
the topic, theme, or issue.
5. When the expert groups have completed their work, have students
return to their home groups and share what they have learned. In this
way, everyone in the home group has a complete picture of the topic
from the individual pieces contributed by each member – as though
they were putting together a jigsaw puzzle.

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