Assigning Roles for Group Work
Make your students’ group work more effective by giving each member a specific role to fill.
![Four students at their desks, working in a group.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-07/Chicago_Classroom_2019_FH2101383.jpg?h=56d0ca2e&itok=spLBW7yj)
Identity Charts
Use identity charts to help students consider the many factors that shape their own identity and that of groups, nations, and historical and literary figures.
![An example of an identity chart for a high school student living in the Boston suburbs.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2023-10/Copy%20of%20Identity%20Chart%20Template%20%281900%20%C3%97%201414%20px%29%20%281%29.png?h=d3d13267&itok=RJS3A0Jw)
Give One, Get One
Students seek out and share ideas and information with classmates through this cooperative learning strategy.
![Students in two lines facing and talking to each other.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Memphis_Classroom_2015_FH221012.jpg?h=10d202d3&itok=7muXHc1M)
Graffiti Boards
Help students process their thoughts and emotions on a topic by engaging them in a written conversation with their classmates.
![Students adding post-it notes to a white board.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Memphis_Classroom_2015_FH221014.jpg?h=10d202d3&itok=5S8BMkZW)
Learn to Listen, Listen to Learn
Educators will structure a discussion that uses journaling and group work to strengthen students’ listening skills.
![Three students sitting in a classroom with one of the students talking.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/SanFrancisco_Classroom_2017_%20FH152786.jpg?h=f2fcf546&itok=amPaill9)
Life Road Maps
Educators will enrich students’ understanding of a historical or literary figure by having students draw the figure’s life journey.
![Student example of an identity chart with a drawing of a person and notes and quotations around it](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Memphis_Classroom_2016_FH212832.jpg?h=a5eb5da0&itok=2tvubA7u)
Jigsaw: Developing Community and Disseminating Knowledge
Students will become “experts” on a topic and then share their new knowledge with peers.
![Four students sitting at a table smiling and talking to each other](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Memphis_Classroom_2015_FH221005.jpg?h=10d202d3&itok=iKLwzbzJ)
Journals in the Classroom
Create a practice of student journaling to help your students critically examine their surroundings and make informed judgments.
![Two students writing in a classroom](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Chicago_Classroom_2019_FH2101676.jpg?h=c11c9c1d&itok=TlOy-GAQ)
S-I-T: Surprising, Interesting, Troubling
Use this quick way for students to demonstrate their engagement with a text, image, or video by having them identify what they find surprising, interesting, and troubling.
![Three students sitting in a classroom with one of the students talking.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/SanFrancisco_Classroom_2017_%20FH152786.jpg?h=f2fcf546&itok=amPaill9)
Save the Last Word for Me
This discussion strategy helps students practice being both active speakers and active listeners in a group conversation.
![Four students sitting at a table with one student talking and gesturing.](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/SanFrancisco_Classroom_2017_FH152755.jpg?h=f2fcf546&itok=KNLRAWk3)
Socratic Seminar
A Socratic Seminar invites students to facilitate a discussion in order to work together toward a shared understanding of a text.
![Two students sitting in a classroom with one student talking and gesturing](/sites/default/files/styles/dynamic_stack_296_1x/public/2022-06/Chicago_Classroom_2018_%20FH151349.jpg?h=c3635fa2&itok=DKqBQANg)