Set Group Work Expectations on the First Day of School!

We, as educators, can attest to the many benefits of collaborative learning for our students. Group work encourages active participation and helps improve students’ social, emotional, and cognitive abilities. This approach allows our students to develop essential skills such as communication, critical thinking, and empathy.

However, we all know that effective group work doesn’t magically happen on its own. Establishing clear guidelines and expectations for group projects can make them more manageable, productive, and beneficial to student learning. That’s why we must invest time and effort to explicitly teach the expectations for successful group work in the classroom. That’s where we come in!

Grab Our Printable Group Work Mnemonic Poster!

We’ve put together a handy anchor chart to help you give your students a daily reminder of the appropriate behaviours used when working in cooperative groups. Display this G-R-O-U-P-S acrostic poster in your classroom to encourage your students to work together in a cohesive and friendly manner.

Get along – Do not argue.
Respect others – Listen to everyone.
On task – Are you doing your job?
Use quiet voices – Only your group should hear you.
Participate – Join in and do your part.
Stay in your group – Sit with your group. Listen & watch.

Before Printing Your Rules for Cooperative Groups

This resource is available as a printable PDF resource file. We have included two options for printing – including a full-colour display, as well as a low-colour poster. Simply click the download button to grab your poster and start improving your in-group interactions right away.