How to Get Students Into Groups

Organizing Teams and Partners in Classroom Activities and PE Games

Jun 10, 2009
Suzanne Pitner

Cards for Student Groups - Ardel Fin

There are many ways of putting students into groups, for classroom activities and for physical education lessons. These flexible grouping methods are quick and adaptable.

Teachers need to break students into groups for many activities in many different ways. Grouping can be as simple as 1-2-3-4 or blue-red-green-yellow. Sometimes students need to be divided into groups for a physical education game in the gym or outdoors. Then grouping with an activity is the fastest method.

Using Cards to Group Students

As students enter the room, each one is given a playing card. Once the students are in the room, there are several ways to group them.

Students with hearts stand in one corner, clubs in another corner, diamonds in another, and spades in the fourth corner.
Students gather in groups of four, with each person having a different suit in his hand.
Students with red cards move to one side of the room, and students with black cards stand on the other side of the room.
Students find a partner with a card that comes just before or just after their card. For example, a person with a 9 will look for a partner holding an 8 or a 10.

Using Colors to Form Groups

Students are given a colored dot on their hands or on their desks. Packs of colored dots in red, green, yellow, and blue may be purchased at office supply stores.

Four students may group together if each person has a different color dot.
All the students of the same color may form a group.
Students with two colors form one team, students with the other two colors form another team. For a game it could be reds and yellows against the blues and greens.

Group Students by Numbers

When students have assigned numbers, they can be used to set up groups.

Odd numbered students make one group and even numbered students make another.
Three groups can be formed by having all students with a number that is a multiple of 3 move to one area of the room. The remaining students divide into two groups of odd numbers and even numbers.
Any number of groups may be created by counting off. Five groups may be organized by having students line up. Move down the line, having the students call out 1, 2, 3, 4 ,5, then starting over. All the ones form a group, twos form another group, and so on.

Group by Position

In this activity, students position themselves and then form groups.

Students find a partner. Once everyone has a partner, one person sits down. All seated people form one team, all standing people form another.
Students form a triad. Once all students are in groups of three, one person sits down, one person places her hands on her head, and the other person remains standing. Students are placed in groups according to what position they held.
Students form two lines and face each other. The persons across from each other become partners.

There are many more ways of grouping students in the classroom. Changing the methods for grouping often helps to ensure that students work with a variety of partners and groups. However, it’s not necessary to have special grouping charts or tools. It can be done simply and quickly, and each of these methods can be adapted to individual classrooms.