( Oral Communication Through a Jigsaw Activity )

CLB Level: 2/3
Essential Skills Focus:
Oral Communication
(reporting information
to others), reading (read the whole text to understand), working with others(teamwork in a gap activity)
Task:Learn a complete story through oral exchange of information.
Purpose: Students will
  • orally communicate with others to learn, report and receive information.
  • read and understand text within a team setting
Materials: teacher made jigsaw story (in sections, and whole ),
Letter cards to label group members.
Learning Style: Visual, auditory
Time: One – two hours / Method:
1. Divide the class into 4 groups by handing out letter cards (A,B,C and D) and have them sit accordingly.
2. Explain to the class that each group will now receive a text according to their letter, and they must learn the text information first by reading and then by discussing and asking for each others’ help to fully understand their section.
3. Once enough time has passed for students to read, understand and discuss their text, inform students they will be given a bit more time to quiz one another on the information. Go on to explain they will soon leave the group and on their own, report their information to others, without consulting their written text.
4. When the groups signals they are ready, form new groups, each with a group member from the original groups. ( New groups will have an A,B,C and D member)
Note- Ideally, this works with multiples of 4 in attendance, but if there are extras, pair weak students with stronger ones and they can represent their letter together.
Jigsaws work as well with three or five groups, as long as the groups are equal and the body of information is divided accordingly.
5. In turn, beginning with “A” members in each group,
students now report their area of expertise (learned
text) to the other group members. Once all students have
reported their information and asked for clarification,
repetition, etc., the gaps are filled andall students have
and understand full text in sequential order.
Follow Up: Students can now relay the whole text to
the teacher as reinforcement, and with the whole text in
front of them (new handout) use it to read and review
vocabulary and grammar points covered in this module.
Debrief/Transfer: Go over the importance of knowing
information thoroughly that needs to be relayed to
others and elicit ways to ensure information is solidified
(asking to repeat, say in a different way, asking for help
understanding a word) as done in the lesson. Ask
students where in a workplace this may occur; where
information needs to be learned and reported to
others ( management/ supervisory roles giving
information to workers in the areas of safety, new work
procedures, human resources changes, policy, etc.)
P. Angus

Jigsaw Activity

Rick is Sick

A. Rick is 46 years old.He smokes and drinks beer everyday.

He is overweight and does not like to exercise.

He eats junk food.

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B.One morning Rick woke up and did not feel well.

He had a pain in his chest.

He had a headache and he felt dizzy.

He called his work and said he was sick.

C.Rick’s wife said Rick should call the doctor.

He phoned the doctor and made an appointment.

He went to the doctor and told the doctor he did not feel well.

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D. The doctor told Rick to breathe in and breathe out, say aaahhh

and to lie on his back.

She listened to Rick’s heart and lungs and took his blood

pressure.

She told Rick to stop smoking, to exercise and to eat

healthy foods. Rick will feel better when he does what the

doctor tells him.

Paula Angus