A puzzle, of course, is an activity in which several small groups of students each get only one part of a reading text. They must figure out how to explain their part to members of other groups, so that the whole story can be put together. It’s good practice for students, promotes cooperation, and gives less proficient students a chance to be the ones who know for a change.
Callan’s Puzzles by Nancy Callan brings you nineteen ready-to-use, reproducible puzzles, and much more.
Topics include daily routines, health, shopping, banking, and Christmas (including a simple version of O. Henry’s famous tale, “The Wizard’s Gift”). Each chapter contains a text already divided into four sections, four images corresponding to the sections, and various follow-up activities (clozes, true/false questions, sentence strips to order, and others). Several come in beginner and intermediate versions. Each one is labeled with the language points it reinforces.
Each chapter can serve as the basis for a class session. Of course, they work best in a class large enough for at least four small groups, but the author gives suggestions on what to do when this is not the situation. I used the texts successfully in puzzle form (for other reading and listening activities) when I didn’t have enough students for one puzzle.
This book can save you a lot of preparation time and increase the interest and participation levels of your students.
Callan’s Jigsaws, by Nancy Callan, is published by Snug Harbor Publications (ISBN 0-9730398-1-7) and is available from the author’s site, esljigsaws.com