Group Project: Review for our Semester Exam

This year I'm trying something a little different with my Honors Geometry students to help them prepare for our semester exam.  We'll be turning the tables and the students will become the teachers.  In order to prepare for our exam students will break up into small groups of four or five students to become the "experts" on one of the topics that we covered throughout the semester.  The group will then will be responsible for preparing the material to help us review.

Each group will be responsible for putting together three items for their assigned topic:

1. Summary of the content for the topic
2. A review activity that will be presented to the class
3. A practice summative assessment, with answer key

The idea is that once the students have compiled all of their content, they will all be housed on a class Google Site so that students can access the material as they prepare for the exam.

Summary of the Content

It is up to the group to decide what is important about their topic.  They will also decide the best method to present their information.  Students can create a quick reference guide using a Google Document, a series of videos using the app "Explain Everything", a Google Presentation, or another method of their choosing.  This content will be housed on the class Google Site.

Review Activity

The group will be in charge of leading a group activity for the class during a 20 minute time slot.  The intent is not to have the students lecture, but instead guide the students through an exercise.  I gave the suggestions of creating a game, setting up stations, leading a "think-pair-share" activity, or another activity of their choice.

Practice Summative Assessment

Students will also need to create a practice summative assessment, with answer key, for their content.  This practice assessment will be assigned to the class as their homework for the evening.  It will give students another opportunity to practice the material.  

It is my hope that this activity will help my students prepare for a major test.  Since the majority of my students are freshmen this will be their first experience with taking a major math exam.  I wanted to lead my students through good study habits.  We are starting this activity well before our actual exam---we are not cramming it all in with only a day or two before the exam.  I also want to teach my students to anticipate the types of questions that might be on the exam.  By creating their own test, hopefully students won't find any surprises.