Print (on cardstock) and cut the six pages of cards, fill in names on each card, then distribute to students. Have them tape the card to their binder or desk so that groups can be formed quickly.

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You can call groups by the following options:

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• Partners: Letters (12 groups of 2) {A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, K, L}

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• Groups of 3: Numbers (8 groups of 3) {1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8}

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• Groups of 3: Stripes (8 groups of 3) {1 stripe, 2 stripes, 3 stripes, 4 stripes, 5 stripes, 6 stripes, 7 stripes, 8 stripes]

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• Groups of 4: Color (6 groups of 4) {red, blue, yellow, green, orange, purple}

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• Groups of 4: Shape (6 groups of 4) {circle, square, triangle, heart, diamond, pentagon}

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• Groups of 5: Dots (4 groups of 5, 1 group of 4) {2 dots, 3 dots, 4 dots, 5 dots, 6 dots}

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• Groups of 6: Arrows (6 groups of 4) {left, right, up, down}

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• Teams of 12: Name label side (2 groups of 12) {left side, right side}

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Not including the “Teams of 12” category, no two students will be in the same group more than twice and they will never be in the same small group (pairs/groups of 3).

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If two students need to be separated, cards A1 and F4 are never together and K6 and D8 are never together. #teachertrick!

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You can call on individual students with their letter/number combo. (For example, A2 or G6.)

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You could also create different variations by combining groups. (For example, reds/blue, yellow/green, orange/purple to form groups of 8. Or “four stripes or fewer” vs. “5 stripes or greater” to form different teams of 12.)

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The spreadsheet that I used to create the groups is here. You can use the spreadsheet to adjust for your class size, or you can fill in student names for each card so that you know who will be in each group that you call.

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You can add, remove, or customize cards by duplicating slides and moving/recoloring items. This presentation file and the spreadsheet are editable by choosing File → Make a copy. You are free to edit for your own purposes, but please give credit if reposting.

WARNING!

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If your class size is 21, 22, or 23, you can probably use this set of cards by just strategically removing a few from the deck. But note that removing too many cards will lead to lopsided groups, especially if you don’t carefully choose which ones are going.

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Likewise, if your class size is 25 - 27, you can probably randomly create a few extra cards and all will work out. But adding too many will also lead to lopsided groups if not planned properly.

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If you are going to customize the set for your class, I recommend that you go to the spreadsheet first. Map out the groups there, then change the cards accordingly!

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After you go to File → Make a copy, you can customize by changing the existing cards or adding new ones in the blank template/icons at the end of the presentation.

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If you have a larger class, you can find a set of 32 cards here.

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A

A

B

B

1

3

2

4

C

C

D

D

5

6

7

8

E

F

E

F

1

3

2

4

G

H

G

H

5

6

7

8

I

K

I

K

1

5

6

2

J

L

J

L

3

4

7

8

A

B

C

D

E

F

G

H

I

Q

R

S

T

U

V

W

X

J

K

L

M

N

O

P

Y

Z

1

2

3

4

5

6

7

8

9