Pairing and Grouping

Kick them out of their cliques with innovative grouping strategies.

Humming Along
Groups sing a song together.

To form cooperative groups, create sets of index cards with the titles of familiar songs printed on each. (The number of groups you want to form determines the number of different song titles.) Have each student draw a card and walk around the classroom humming the tune written on the card until he or she finds all the other students humming the same tune. (Let them know how many there will be.) When students have located their entire group, they stop humming and sing the song with words.

A Little Logic
It's funny how that happens.

Cut apart several comic strips and pass them out to students -- one pane to a student. Have students walk around the room to find the rest of their comic strips. Each completed comic strip creates a team.

Boxed Pairs
Make sure everyone works together.

If students frequently work in pairs, create a chart listing students' names across the top and along one side. When two students work together, have them initial the box at which their names intersect. Explain to students that all boxes must be initialed by the end of the year.

Article by Linda Starr
Education World®
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