Split information: Secondary science

Split information activities are also called barrier or jigsaw activities. The important feature of these activities is that each student has only part of the information they need to complete their learning task. Because of this, they must cooperate and share their information by speaking or writing to each other. Each student is required to participate and it isn’t possible for one student to take over the task from others.

pH: Acid or alkaline

In this example, sharing the information is only the beginning. The students then have three further tasks:

1. Decide whether their sentences are true or false, according to the written information they have.
2. Rewrite the false sentences so they are correct.
3. Describe the results of particular changes in pH.

Classroom organisation

• Model the activity in front of the students when you first introduce it, so that they understand how to share and discuss their information.
• Have the students face each other so they cannot see the material their partner has.
• Design the activities so that the students don’t write on the sheets and they can be reused.

Split information activity: secondary science: pH – acid or alkaline by Dr Jane Gilbert

Here is the simple text this activity is based on:

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These are the true/false statements, based on the above text and previous class work. Only three are false; most are true.

1. Your skin is slightly acid.
2. It has a pH of about 10.
3. Your skin is the habitat for some special kinds of bacteria, which like to live in acid conditions.
4. But most other bacteria like to live in slightly alkaline conditions.
5. Your skin is acid, so it is not a good place for most bacteria to live.
6. Soap is alkaline.
7. When you wash your skin with soap, your skin becomes acid.
8. Then your skin is no longer a good place for its own special bacteria to live.
9. While your skin is alkaline, other harmful bacteria could take over your skin.
10. It is a good idea to keep your skin alkaline, so that the right kind of bacteria for your body can live there.
11. After you wash with soap, you can return your skin to the right pH by rinsing your skin with vinegar (or ____________).

Splitting the information

To make the split information activity, divide the material so that each partner in a pair of students is given half the information. Each partner should have half of the original text, and half of each sentence. (Working in pairs gives each student the maximum possible amount of speaking time, but you could also divide the material into three or four for small groups of students.)

1. First, the students join the sentence parts to make a whole sentence.
2. Then they check against their parts of the text to decide whether the sentence is true or false.
3. If it is false, they make the sentence correct.

Student materials

Student A

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Complete the sentences below. Your partner has the other half of each sentence.

Some sentences are not true. Correct them.

Work by talking. Do not look at your partner's paper.

The person with the X next to the number speaks first.

1. X Your skin is ___________________
2. _______________ about 10.
3. X Your skin is the habitat for some special kinds of bacteria _______________________
4. ______________________ live in slightly alkaline conditions.
5. X Your skin is acid, so it is _____________________________
6. _______________________alkaline.
7. X When you wash your skin with soap, ______________________
8. _______________________________ for its own special bacteria to live.
9. X While your skin is alkaline, __________________________________
10. ________________________________ so that the right kind of bacteria for your body can live there.
11. X After you wash with soap, you can return your skin to the right pH

_____________________________________________________________________

Explain to your partner why it is not good for your skin to have its pH changed.

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Student materials

Student B

Complete the sentences below. Your partner has the other half of each sentence.

Some sentences are not true. Correct them.

Work by talking. Do not look at your partner's paper.

The person with the X next to the number speaks first.

1. ___________ slightly acid.
2. X It has a pH of ________________
3. ___________________________________ which like to live in acid conditions.
4. X But most other bacteria like to _________________________
5. ____________________________not a good place for most bacteria to live.
6. X Soap is ____________
7. _______________________________________your skin becomes acid.
8. X Then your skin is no longer a good place________________________
9. __________________________other harmful bacteria could take over your skin.
10. X It is a good idea to keep your skin alkaline_________________________
11. _______________________________________by rinsing your skin with vinegar (or ____________).

Explain to your partner what happens to the pH of your skin when you wash your skin with soap and then rinse it with lemon juice.

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