Survivor: The Freshman Edition
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Teacher Tips
Be sure to spend time helping the students and teacher get to know one another. Use activities that range from knowing one anothers’ names to knowing things about the others’ interest, talents, and families. The Kagan site (see above) offers activities within a SmartCard set called "Classbuilding" that will help the students and teacher get to know one another. The goal is for all of the students to know one another and the teacher -- not just for the teacher to know about each student! When students and teacher know one another well, they are more respectful and caring of each other and more likely to tolerate each others’ differences and find solutions to differences they do not understand.
Assigning successful junior and seniors, who can relate to the freshmen, as coaches of this project will increase the quality of work you get from the students and add editing assistance for the students’ projects. You may be able to identify some of your current or previous class students as coaches. Treat the juniors and seniors as your experts, and their assistance will go a long way in adding to the rigor of the learning and project outcome.
As in all working learning groups, it is best to assign partners to work together. Use "getting to know each other" activities and short writing assignments to decide on the make-up of each group. As in cooperative learning, it is recommended that you have heterogeneous groups -- a range of skills represented within each group, rather than two people with the same strong skills. Teaching students with different skills to work together, monitoring those skills, and giving feedback to the groups will increase the ability of partners to work together. As students verbally report their progress each day, they can also report their group successes and what they are working on improving. Interpersonal skills and teamwork are a constant theme in inquiry units, and are identified as skills and abilities employers and families want and need. See Kagan’s Smartcard set called "Teambuilding" (referenced above).
