The first group work assignment is usually[6] a simple and easy one. This gives students a chance to adjust to their partners and to choose a group name. Students love to choose group names because it is cool and because it gives them decision-making power. Ideally, all groups should choose a name by the end of the class period. One member of each group places the name of the group and the names of its members on an index card for me.
I then create a handout that lists the name of each group and its members in alphabetical[7] order. This handout is distributed to the class, along with a list of cooperative learning rules (see below).