Work Together 12 th Grade Keys to Postsecondary Success #5

Review Discuss: – What are some of the major differences between high school and college? – What were some of the tips college student provided for succeeding academically in college?

Activity In your group of 4, work together to build the tallest card castle you can in 5 minutes. Microsoft, 2011

5 Minutes! stopwatch.com/full- screen-stopwatch/ stopwatch.com/full- screen-stopwatch/

Times Up! Time to measure! Microsoft, 2011

Discussion What was easy about creating your castle? What was difficult about creating your castle? How did you communicate with your group members? What could you have done differently? Why are we building a card castle in the middle of a unit about skills for high school and postsecondary success?

Objectives Today’s lesson objective: To learn the importance of working together To learn why, how, and when to set up study groups In college, not only will you be required to work together on projects, but you may choose to do so because of the benefits of working together.

Study Groups “Studying in groups…refreshes my memory on course material, makes me aware of information I missed during class or didn’t quite understand, and gives me new ideas and perspectives on class topics.” —Fall 2005 undergraduate at Berkeley “Throughout my three years in Berkeley, I have found that student-to- student support is the most academically and socially rewarding.” —SLC Study Strategies Peer Mentor “Those of us who lived in the dorms were first year freshman. We were all anxious about doing well, so we created a late night study group with people from different majors. We shared food, tested each other, and studied throughout the night. It really helped to have a supportive group of people who all wanted to do well.” —Social Welfare, African American Studies major University of California, Berkeley, 2011

Working Together Helps Everyone Studying with others in a small group is helpful because you: – Think out loud. – Share ideas. – Learn from one another. Microsoft, 2011

Benefits Reinforce note-taking Share talents Cover more ground Benefit from a support system Socialize Microsoft, 2011

Guidelines How many? – 4-6 people Who? – Students who will contribute to the group Where? – A place with few distractions and room to spread out supplies How long? – 2-3 hours at a time When? – Regularly. Set up a schedule to meet at the same day and time each week.

Getting the Most Out of Session Decide what you’re going to do in advance. Prepare for the session, so you can make the most of your time together. Take turns teaching, to reinforce your own knowledge. Stick to the session topic. Microsoft, 2011

Activity 3 Students will work together in a group in the hall while the rest of the class will work independently. You will have 3 minutes to complete the assigned task.

Activity Brainstorm singers/bands whose name begins with an “T.” – List as many as you can in 3 minutes

How Many Did You Get? Count the number of singers/bands you came up with. What was the highest number of singers/bands that students came up with independently? How many did the group come up with?

Discussion Why did the group do better than most students? Imagine the impact on studying when a group of students works together! Microsoft, 2011

Review Today we talked about the importance of working together now and in college. – What are the benefits of working together? – How many people should be in a study group? – When should study groups meet? Microsoft, 2011

References College Board. (2011). The Power of Study Groups. Retrieved from school/50432.html Microsoft Office Images. (2011). Retrieved from University of California, Berkeley. (2011). Student Learning Center. Retrieved from