Academy Curricular Exchange
Columbia Education Center
Miscellaneous

TITLE:  GUEST SPEAKER PREPARATION
         - A Cooperative Lesson

AUTHOR:  Joe Mauch, Soroco Jr/Sr High School;
         Oak Creek, CO

GRADE LEVEL:  High School students
              (can be used for all grades)

OVERVIEW:  The class period prior to any guest speaker,
the students will work cooperatively in brainstorming
what it is they want to learn from that particular
speaker.

OBJECTIVE(s):
a.   Each assigned student group will prepare and have
     ready for the guest speaker three to four
     questions that they have agreed upon concerning
     that speaker's topic.
b.   Each question requires more than a yes/no answer.

ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES:

Lesson Preparation:
a.  Group Size:  3.
b.  Assignment to Groups:
     Teacher assigned heterogeneous groups.
c.  Room Arrangement:
     Clustered desks or round tables so that group
     members will face one another.
d.  Materials Needed:
     One piece of paper per group and individual class
     notebooks.
e.  Assigned Roles:
     Recorder, Summarizer, and Praiser.

Lesson Set:
a.  Task:
     Produce pertinent questions for the speaker that
     require more than a yes/no answer using previously
     taught and reviewed brainstorming techniques.
b.  Positive Interdependence:
     Each group member has an assigned role.
     Additionally, each will be able to restate the
     questions, as well as know what the questions
     mean.
c.  Individual Accountability:
     A member from each group will randomly be selected
     to explain what one of their group's questions is
     and what it means.  Each group member will also
     record the group's final questions in their own
     class notebook.
d.  Criteria for Success:
     Every group member must be able to restate the
     questions and explain what they mean.  If they can
     all do it, they each receive a bonus of five
     points.
e.  Specific Behaviors Expected:
     Ideas for  questioning, encouragement, staying
     on-task and listening.

Monitoring and Processing:
a.  Evidence of Expected Behaviors:
     The group has written down the questions for the
     speaker.  One group member may check with other
     groups to see what kind of questions they are
     generating.
b.  Observation Form:  Teacher is the observer.
c.  Processing and Feedback:
     Teacher asks the group what three things they did
     really well and what things could they work on to
     improve the group process.

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