Reading comprehension can be one of the hardest parts of any lesson to make genuinely interactive. Too often, students read a passage quietly, answer a few questions and then wait for the teacher to confirm whether their answers are correct. It works, but it doesn't always encourage much discussion or deeper thinking.

Worse still, some students won't even read the text at all. That's one of the reasons I keep coming back to the Jigsaw structure.

Instead of asking every student to read exactly the same text, Jigsaw gives every learner responsibility for becoming an expert on one part of the reading before teaching it to someone else.

The result is a classroom full of discussion, explanation and active listening. Rather than rows of students working silently on the same worksheet.

I've used Jigsaw in EFL classrooms for years. And particularly with longer reading passages that students might otherwise find overwhelming.

Breaking texts into manageable chunks makes them much more accessible, while the responsibility of teaching classmates encourages students to read far more carefully than they otherwise might.

It's one of those structures that takes a little more preparation from the teacher, but the payoff is always well worth the extra effort.

What Is the Jigsaw Cooperative Learning Structure?

Jigsaw is a cooperative learning structure where each student becomes responsible for learning one section of a larger text, before teaching that information to the rest of their team.

Rather than every student reading the entire passage independently, the reading is divided into smaller sections.

Students leave their home-teams and form new study-groups and workw it with other classmates studying the same section.

In their new groups, they discuss vocabulary, clarify meaning and agree on the most important information.

These temporary groups are often called expert groups, because everyone in the group is becoming an expert on that particular part of the text.

After a set amount of time, they return to their original teams. Then, one by one, each student teaches their section until the whole team has reconstructed the complete text through discussion or story-telling.

The result is a classroom where every student has information that somebody else needs. Where each member of a team has one piece of the jigsaw.

That's one of the reasons the structure works so well. Every learner has a genuine purpose.

Why I Like Using Jigsaw

One of the biggest challenges in reading lessons is getting students to do more than simply decode the words on the page, and Jigsaw naturally pushes them further.

Because students know they'll soon be responsible for teaching their classmates, they tend to read more carefully, ask better questions, and spend longer discussing unfamiliar vocabulary.

Instead of rushing through the text, reading simply to get to the end as quickly as possible, they read slowy, carefully, and with purpose: so they can explain the text to someone else.

I've also found that it changes the classroom dynamic.

Instead of twenty-five students depending on one teacher, you suddenly have six or seven mini-teachers working around the room.

Students often explain ideas in language that feels more accessible to their classmates, particularly in EFL classrooms where learners sometimes feel more comfortable asking questions to peers.

And another advantage is that longer reading passages become much less intimidating.

Rather than handing students two pages of text and hoping they stay engaged, each learner begins with a smaller, more manageable section before gradually building an understanding of the whole article.

How to Run a Jigsaw Lesson

Although there are lots of variations of Jigsaw, this is the routine I use most often.

Step 1 – Divide the Reading

Breaks the text down into four or five sections. Give each section a number or a letter to help easily identify it and organise students. Each section should contain enough information to be meaningful without overwhelming students.

Step 2 – Allocate sections

Students begin in their normal cooperative learning teams. Give each student in each team a different section of the reading, so that between them, the team have the whole text.

Step 3 – Make Expert Groups

Students leave their home teams and join classmates with the same section of reading. So students with Part 1 of the text form a group, students with Part 2 of it form a new group, and so on... This is where the real learning begins.

Expert groups read the text together, discuss unfamiliar vocabulary, identify the key ideas and decide how they're going to explain the information later. I encourage students to make notes or underline important points, and think about what questions their teammates might ask.

Step 4 – Return to Home Teams

After a set amount of time, students return to their original groups. One at a time, they teach their section to the rest of the team.

Everyone else in the their team has to listen, asks questions, and takes notes where appropriate.

By the end of the discussion, every team understands the complete reading text, despite no individual student having studied every section independently.

Step 5 – Check Understanding

Now check that every student understands the complete text, not just their own section.

You might use the Numbered Heads Together structure, a short class quiz, mini whiteboards, choral responses, or a set of comprehension questions.

Why Jigsaw Works So Well in EFL Classrooms

Although Jigsaw can be used in almost any subject, I think it has particular advantages for English language learners, because students spend far more time talking about the text than they would in a traditional comprehension lesson.

What's more, they getting genuine practice using communicative language to complete a real life mission.

And instead of answering questions individually, they're constantly explaining ideas, checking vocabulary, asking for clarification and listening to different interpretations.

That repeated discussion gives learners multiple opportunities to process new language before they're expected to use it independently.

It's also much less intimidating than asking a student to explain an entire reading passage. Becoming an expert on one section feels achievable, even for lower-level learners.

Tips for Running a Jigsaw Lesson

Like most cooperative learning structures, Jigsaw becomes easier the more often you use it. The first lesson may take a little longer to set up and run.

Some students may be a little confused at first until they learn the routine, but before long they'll move between groups confidently with very little direction from you.

Beacuse it's so different, it's a very memorable routine. Meaning that student will usually remember what to do the next time you use. Definitely, by the third time you use it, learners will know what to do.

That said, a few simple adjustments can make a big difference.

For instance, if possible, choose a text that naturally divides into equal sections. If one section is much longer or more difficult than the others, some expert groups will finish before everyone else.

Secondly, set students a clear purpose while they're in their expert groups. Rather than simply telling them to "read and discuss", encourage them to identify the two or three most important ideas, underline and plan how to explain the meaning of new and unfamiliar words. And also think about how they're going to relay the information within the text to their teammates.

For younger learners, I also recommend providing a simple note-taking sheet. Students don't need to copy every detail, but jotting down key words or short phrases helps them remember new words and what they want to teach when they return to their home team.

Finally, don't rush the teaching stage. It's tempting to move quickly once students return to their groups, but this is where the deepest learning happens. Give classmates time to ask questions, clarify ideas and build on one another's explanations.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

One of the biggest mistakes is making the reading sections too long. The aim isn't to reduce the amount students read overall; it's to make each first step feel manageable. If students become overwhelmed during the expert stage, the quality of the teaching later will suffer.

Another common mistake is allowing one confident student to dominate the discussion. Every learner should become the expert for their own section. Resist the temptation to let stronger students explain everything.

Teachers also sometimes skip the expert group discussion altogether and ask students to read independently before returning to their teams. While this certainly saves time, it also removes one of the strongest parts of the structure. The conversations that happen in expert groups are where misunderstandings are corrected and confidence grows.

Finally, don't skip the comprehension check at the end of the lesson. It can be tempting to move on once students have finished teaching one another, but this final stage is an important part of the Jigsaw structure. It doesn't just check that students have understood the text—it also reinforces accountability by ensuring every learner has listened to, understood and learned from the rest of their team, not just taught their own section.

My Favourite Way to Use Jigsaw

Although Jigsaw works with almost any informational text, I find it particularly effective for non-fiction articles.

Topics such as animals, habitats, famous people, historical events and scientific processes read and naturally divide into smaller sections, making them ideal for expert groups. And let's face it, they can also sometimes be a bit of a dry read.

Jigsaw livens things up and transforms reading from an individual activity into a genuinely collaborative one.

I've also used Jigsaw successfully with stories by dividing the narrative into different scenes or chapters. With students reconstructing the plot together while discussing characters, settings and important events, it's a great way to teach about story-maps and story elements.

Save Yourself the Preparation

One drawback of Jigsaw is that preparing the materials can take time. Choosing suitable texts, dividing them into balanced sections and formatting everything for the classroom isn't difficult, but it does take more planning than just telling your learners: "Open your books and turn to page seven".

To make that process easier, I've created a growing collection of Jigsaw Reading Cards that I use in my own classroom. Each set is based around common EFL/ESL topics and themese, and designed specifically for Jigsaw and use with other cooperative learning activities.

They're the perfect way to teach all the staple EFL/ESL topics in a fun and interesting way, practice reading skills, and free you up to focus on running the lesson rather than preparing the resources.

Whether you're teaching English as a Foreign Language, English as a Second Language or simply looking for a more engaging way to teach reading comprehension, they're designed to get students talking, teaching and learning from one another.

You can explore the full collection of Jigsaw Reading Cards here:
[Insert link to your Jigsaw Reading Cards collection]

And if you're looking for individual topics, you can also browse the complete range of printable resources in my Teachers Pay Teachers store.

Final Thoughts

Jigsaw is one of those structures that completely changes the role of students during a reading lesson and brings texts to life.

Instead of working through a passage alone before waiting for the teacher to explain the answers, every learner becomes responsible for helping others understand the text.

That simple shift creates more discussion, more accountability and, in my experience (and according to the research), much better comprehension.

It isn't the fastest structure to implement, but it's one of the most rewarding to watch in action.

The classroom quickly fills with purposeful conversation as students question, explain and teach one another. By the end of the lesson, they haven't just answered comprehension questions - they've worked together to build an understanding of the whole text.

If you've never tried Jigsaw before, start with a short article and a confident class. Once both you and your students become familiar with the routine, you'll find yourself reaching for it whenever a reading lesson deserves more than silent worksheets and individual answers.