Topic 2: Governing the European Union

Strategy: Cooperative Learning Jigsaw

Activities

Make copies of Handout #5: Topic 2, Lesson 1 (Governing Institutions of the European Union) and distribute them to the class. Review the handout with the students focusing on such concerns as:

Purposes of Each Institution

Similarities and Differences to American Institutions

Arrange the class in “Jigsaw Groups.”
Talk to the students about the purpose of this type of cooperative group:

Acquiring new information to share with the group

Presenting and teaching new information to the group

Explain how the process works:

Each student on the team will become an “expert” on one topic by working with members from other teams assigned the same topic.

Each “expert” will share what they have learned with their own group by teaching and answering questions about the topic.

Have each group review the handout. Have each member of the group choose a topic for which they will become an expert. Assign areas for each expert group to meet and allow time for each member to become an expert.Be sure all members of the expert groups feel comfortable about teaching the topic to others before having them go back to their home group.

Allow ample time for the “expert” to teach the topic to his/her group.

Use Slide #6: Topic 2, Lesson 1 (How European Laws are Made) to talk about how laws are made in the European Union.

Slide #6