Most students hate revising for exams. I often use this method to help my students enjoy revising literature. The class is divided into groups. Each group becomes responsible for a part of the work. Then they receive an envelope with roles for each student. The roles include narrator, artist, quizmaster, phrase picker, word picker, the main character, and the connector. The group starts by getting to know their work well. When they are sure of it, they start working on their roles.
The narrator sums up the content. The artist illustrates a part of it for class display. The quizmaster prepares questions to test classmates’ knowledge. The phrase picker picks salient phrases and explains why they were chosen. The word picker chooses words for different reasons, such as spelling or being unusual. The main character has to prepare for hot-seating and answering questions students might ask. Finally, the connector tries to link events to what is happening now.
Once groups have prepared their work, they present it to the rest of the class. Each group is then asked to put up a display of their work in the classroom. The method works well with different age groups.
Maria Pace, English teacher, Archbishop’s Minor Seminary, Malta
