Short description: Students are divided in groups (pairs, three or four). Each group is given a jumbled text and asked to put it back together in the proper order. For higher levels, the variation can be to make groups unjumble sentences which belong to just a paragraph of one text. Afterwards, students discuss the order of the different paragraphs to make up the original text. (see M. Asunción's proposal!!)
Objectives:
To foster reading comprehension skills
To use knowledge of structural, lexical, and cohesive clues to order a text
To work collaboratively
Assessment: The students are only assessed on how well they have performed in the group activity. This is an activity which is meant to encourage reading skills. Formal assessment would not be appropriate as it might hinder the process.
You have a point when you say sometimes formal assessment is not appropriate. I agree catching the students' attention is a pre-condition. However, if you assess group collaboration, then you are not assessing reading comprehension. If you are not taking your own objectives into account, while these are relevant, then you cannot measure if you have attained them. I have the impression that what you have presented here is the first step of a reading activity that would assess group collaboration and then would assess reading comprehension, using maybe a different text at a different time.
Hi Sònia, this is Lluís Miquel
I like this kind of activities very much and the links you provide are very interesting. In order to assess reading skills you could divide the class in groups and make them compete against each other in trying to work out the right order of the paragraphs. The winning group could get some gold stars. A competition is always an incentive.
Level: Any
Short description:
Students are divided in groups (pairs, three or four).
Each group is given a jumbled text and asked to put it back together in the proper order.
For higher levels, the variation can be to make groups unjumble sentences which belong to just a paragraph of one text. Afterwards, students discuss the order of the different paragraphs to make up the original text. (see M. Asunción's proposal!!)
Objectives:
Assessment:
The students are only assessed on how well they have performed in the group activity. This is an activity which is meant to encourage reading skills. Formal assessment would not be appropriate as it might hinder the process.
Useful links:
A mixed up article
Jumbled paragraphs for beginners
Add your comments:
Hi, Sònia. This is Nuria
You have a point when you say sometimes formal assessment is not appropriate. I agree catching the students' attention is a pre-condition. However, if you assess group collaboration, then you are not assessing reading comprehension. If you are not taking your own objectives into account, while these are relevant, then you cannot measure if you have attained them. I have the impression that what you have presented here is the first step of a reading activity that would assess group collaboration and then would assess reading comprehension, using maybe a different text at a different time.
Hi Sònia, this is Lluís Miquel
I like this kind of activities very much and the links you provide are very interesting. In order to assess reading skills you could divide the class in groups and make them compete against each other in trying to work out the right order of the paragraphs. The winning group could get some gold stars. A competition is always an incentive.