Okay…”worksheets” and “fun” don’t usually go together, did you know that worksheets can actually be fun? They sure can in cooperative learning! In this blog post, we will discuss the benefits in cooperative learning and give you some ways to repurpose a basic worksheet into an engaging cooperative learning activity. Cooperative learning is a great way to keep your students engaged in the classroom and having fun while they learn!
There are many benefits in cooperative learning, here are just a few:
-Students learn to work together and communicate effectively in order to accomplish a common goal.
-Cooperative learning activities promote critical thinking and problem solving skills.
-Cooperative learning can lead to increased academic achievement.
So now that we know some of the benefits in cooperative learning, let’s talk about ways to make worksheets more fun in the classroom by incorporating them into some cooperative learning structures!
Here are a few ideas for using worksheets in cooperative learning:
Sage and scribe:
Have one student be the sage and read the worksheet aloud while the other students act as scribes and write down the answers.
Fan and Pick:
Put students in groups of 3-5. Cut apart the questions on a worksheet and have one student fan out the questions with the text side down. The next person in the circle picks a question and reads it aloud to the group. The third person answers the question. The fourth person check the work of student #3, congratulating them if they answer correctly or gently coaching if the answer is incorrect.
Showdown:
Put students in groups of 3-5 students and cut apart a worksheet for each group so that each question is on one strip of paper and place it face down on the table. Taking turns as the leader, each student will draw and read a question. All members of the group will answer the question but keep their answers hidden. Once the leader sees that all members of the group have an answer, he/she will say “showdown” and all members of the group will compare answers, discussing answers if they don’t match.
Quiz Quiz Trade:
Cut apart a worksheet so that each question is on its own slip of paper. Give one to each student and have them write the answer on the back of the slip of paper. Then, students will stand-up, hand-up, pair-up to find a partner. Partners take turns asking, answering, and checking answers for their partners. Partners then trade slips of paper and go find a new partner.
Centerpiece:
Collect about 5 worksheets on the same topic. Any review worksheets, such as these daily language reviews work great for this. Give each group of 4 students a stack of worksheets placed face down in the middle of the circle. On your signal, each student will simultaneously reach into the middle and select one piece of paper. They will answer ONE question on the paper and then return it to the middle and get a new piece of paper. Students will continue to select and answer until time runs out or until all the papers have been filled.
As you can see, there are many ways to turn a simple worksheet into a fun and engaging cooperative learning activity! Give one of these ideas a try in your classroom today and see how your students respond! I guarantee they will be excited to work together and learn. And you might just have some fun yourself!
Do you have any favorite cooperative learning activities that you use in your classroom? I’d love to hear about them in the comments below!
For more ideas on how to rethink your daily language review, check out the blog post on morning work for 4th graders.