GREAT tool for teachers!

Pay Attention Teachers!

Are you looking for a way to be fair when putting students into cooperative groups???

I've got the perfect idea for you! I have popsicle sticks to use when calling specific names for answers, jobs, etc, but I still had to work a bit to create groups for kids to work together. Having them always work in table groups can be boring and some kids always get stuck together. This easy craft will help you to make random groups of students that can change on a daily basis!

You'll need markers (I actually used Flair pens so my Sharpies wouldn't "bleed"), the larger popsicle sticks and the planning list that I created (or one of your own). Stick to the patterns when creating the sticks so you don't have repeats. See the 2nd "before" picture to see what I mean. This project took about 20 minutes, start to finish.

I have 26 students this year, but next year I'll probably have more. I think I can easily make a few more sticks if my class size changes.

The organization list allows you to put students into pairs, 3 groups, 4 groups, 5 groups or 6 groups.  You will put 3 different "categories" on each side of the sticks.

The positive & negative numbers (+/- one through thirteen) put the kids in pairs.
The dots (*, **, ***) split your class into 3 groups.
The colors (ex: red, green, blue, purple) split your class into 4 groups.
The shapes (ex: circle, triangle, square, star, heart) split your class into 5 groups.
The pets (ex: cat, dog, horse, bird, fish, lizard) split your class into 6 groups.

Once you've made your sticks, put them in a fun mug, glass, vase. Let the kids draw sticks & see them scramble! If your students are like mine, they'll start trying to trade & swap ... but with these, they won't know how you are grouping the kids. It can change on a day-to-day basis!

Enjoy!