Overview
Grouping of Students
Materials Needed
Process
Resources
Example
of Strategy in On the Job
A Cooperative Learning Strategy
Through cooperative learning, students work in small groups or in pairs to actively engage in the learning process and improve their understanding of the content. Each member of the team is not only responsible for their own learning, but also for helping teammates learn. Cooperative learning promotes achievement, enhances retention, increases desire and motivation, develops interpersonal and social skills, builds self-esteem, and improves student satisfaction with their learning experience.
Pass It On: Overview
This is a great activity for flexible thinking, as
students must let go of their own ideas, to some extent, and work with their
classmates’ ideas. It is also great for practicing beginning, middle, end.
Frances: I have seen this Lesson Strategy in practice in high
school and the students are engaged and enjoyed the outcome very much.
Target Group:
Primary
Middle
Secondary
Grouping of Students:
• Teams of 3-5 depending on age. Usually teams of 3 for Primary students and
teams of 5 for high school students
Materials Needed:
• Pencil/pen
• Paper
A. Older Students
Middle
Secondary
Students form into groups of 5. This is a team.
1. Teacher explains the "Pass It On" creative writing activity to the class.
2. Each group will be assigned:
- a character from the novel the students are reading
- a story or news headline
- stimulus material - a magazine, a The Conversation article, or news article
The students are to write a story about
what happened next to their character
or a new story.
The students are given reading time [if required].
The writing will occur in 5 x 5 minute intervals.
In the first 5 minutes,
all
students will be given time to write an
introduction, when the 5 minutes are
up the students will fold their paper so only the last sentence of their
story is visible. They then pass their story to the person next to them (in
their group).
In the following 5 minutes,
all students will write a
rising action.
When the 5 minutes are up, the students will fold their paper so only the last sentence of their story is visible. They will then pass their story to the person next to them (in their group).
The process will be repeated until each student has completed their story, complete with
- an introduction,
- rising action,
- climax,
- falling action and
- resolution.
Return stories to their original authors. Students are to be given a short time to read through their stories.
The Teacher asks for volunteers to read aloud their story.
The stories are usually hilarious and great fun to read through as each student has added to the story not really knowing what has happened previously.
Process
B. Younger Students
Primary
Have each student choose a picture to use as a writing prompt – magazines are great for this.
Instruct students to start a story about the picture. The goal is not to finish it. Give them a set period of time to write – maybe 10 to 15 minutes, depending on the grade level. Let them know a few minutes before time is up so they can finish their last sentence or thought.
Now, students pass their papers one student over (make sure they don’t just trade with another student, they should all pass in the same direction).
Instruct students to read the story start, and then add to it. Make sure they know that they are contributing the middle, so they should not end the story. Set the timer – adding a few minutes for reading the story and thinking about it, and let the students write again.
One more pass in the same direction. Now, students end the story.
Return stories to their original authors. Allow students time to share stories.
Helpful Tips
- Make sure each author puts his or her name on the paper.
- It might be good to discuss the process, how it felt to add on to
someone else’s work, and how it felt to have your story go in a
different direction than you’d planned.
- You can also do this with art by having students begin a picture
instead of a story.
- I am not exactly sure why, but this project tends to help bond a
group. I have felt that way both when I have participated and
facilitated the process.
TKI - ESOL Online
Video of students in Year 11 [NZ] using a variation of "Pass It On". This time the students are able to read what the previous student has written and uses that as a prompt for their own creative writing
Example of "Pass It On" in On the Job
Private Investigator |
Short
Story.... PI ???? Secondary
Lesson Strategy: Pass It On |
Shearer
 |
The Shearer's Cook (1904) - next chapter 2024Middle Lesson Strategy: Pass It On |
|
LOTJ - William Cooper Shearer & Activist |
Benno
and the Night of Broken Glass Primary
Middle Secondary
Lesson Strategy: Expert Jigsaw Strategy & Pass It On The students will be writing a short story based on what happened to a particular character in "Benno and the Night of Broken Glass" and in the vain of Josee Bisaillon [Illustrator], the students are to illustrate their story. |
Materials sourced from
Minds in Bloom [Pass
it on; ]
