Lesson Overview 

There are jigsaw & nonjigsaw versions of this Group Work.  After the first year that I did this - I realized there was not really enough time to do the second round of collaboration that Jigsaw Group Work requires, so I came up with a version were the students only work in their one group.  However, if you spread this over two periods OR you have block scheduling then I would (given the amount of information) definitely go with the Jigsaw Version of this assignment.  In any case, the students will do a cold reading on historical background documents.  There are 7 modern writings (on Women in the Renaissance) and 4 Primary Sources (from the time period).   How you assign the groups and readings is up to you - 5 or 6 seems like an ideal number (2 readings per students).  Once in the group they will be assigned which documents they will have .  They will have time to read the document - cover it with their notes (they will have the Group Work focusing questions, so that should help a lot with their note taking).  

For the JIgsaw Version of this assignment,  then all of the A's will get together, the B's etc.  They will compare notes on what they came up with (thereby the entire class really collaborating) - and then they will get back (or this may be for the first time, depending on how you approach this - there can be an initial question that they could answer and start off in their groups, before getting with their like primary document letters.

Unlike most of my Group Works, there are no questions per se - rather, the idea is to read the information - take notes on it - consult with others and come up with the best Overall Thesis from all of this reading - and topics related to that thesis and the reading.

If either they stayed or once in those groups they refine the Thesis and topics that they came up with  - utilizing what they came up with in their like-letter groups, as well as what they came up with on their own, when they were reading and taking notes.  The students are also given instructions on how to use their text books to supplement what they are coming up with.

Here are the Modern Historical readings and their subjects:

• The Patriciate in Renaissance Florence

• Artistry in the Renaissance

• Female Writers during the Renaissance

• Women in High Culture (during the Renaissance)

• Women and the Church (during the Renaissance).

• Wives and the Roles they were expected to play during the Renaissance

The Primary Sources are 

• A Contemporaneous set of instructions for Man's Authority over his wife - horribly it is about violence against these women (use discretion with this source)

•  A Contemporaneous set of instructions for Women's Domestic Duties

• A song entitled "The Cruel Shrew" (from a man's perspective)

• A song entitled "A Woman's Work is Never Done". (from a woman's perspective)

And here are the 3 parts of this Group Work: 1) student reads their respective Primary Source, cover it with notes (12 to 15 minutes)   2) Students get together with like letters (6 minutes) and compare what they came up  OR if not doing the Jigsaw - continue with their reading and analysis 3) Students get with their Groups (the rest of the period) and answer the questions using what they found on their own and with other like letter students or if not doing the Jigsaw - finalize their topics and thesis.

I have included a set of numbered and lettered squares that can be used (handed out in order) to facilitate the Grouping - especially if you are doing the Jigsaw version of this Group Work.

Thoughts on the Lesson 

As I said - this Group Work was abandoned after a couple of years - of course I hate doing that but I also knew that when something had to be given up due to a loss of class time, I always wanted it to be one of the "background" lessons - rather than the actual literature.  The next lesson in this unit - which was also eventually abandoned - was the greatest loss of any of these retired lessons.