These group role task cards provide an easy way to assign groups and tasks for group members for any activity that requires 3 or 4 members.

The four roles & their key responsibilities are:
1) material manager (taking care of materials and keeping the group on time)
2) data manager (recording the group's ideas)
3) supporter (encouragement and moderating of discussion)
4) civil engineer (making sure the group understands the task and keeps on task)

How They Work:

1) Print the PDF file on card stock. Cut along the horizontal lines, fold along the vertical lines, and glue together - creating double-sided cards. Create as many sets as you will need to match the number of groups you will have. (Alternative: print on regular paper, then glue to either side of an index card.)

2) Take a deck of regular playing cards. Pull out 4 of a kind for the number of groups you need. For example, if you need 5 groups, pull out all the aces, twos, threes, fours, and fives.

3) Distribute the cards you pulled out in step 2 to your class - one card per student.

4) To get into their groups, students must find all the other students that have the same numbered card as they do.

5) Give one set of role cards to each group. Students match the suit of their card to the symbols on the role cards to discover what their role in the group will be.

TIP: Have students come back from a recess/break to discover a card already sitting face-down on their desk. Using this method you can ASSIGN groups and roles by planning which card sits on which student's desk but the students will think it was completely random.

TIP: For groups of three, you can remove the "supporter" role.