Thanks, Kathleen, for your comments. As an icebreaker (just as an example), I will pair students up in a learning group and have each student simply talk/interact for a few moments with his/her partner. Next, each student draws a positive characteristic, feature or trait of his/her partner without using any letters, words or numbers. Then the partner tries to guess the characteristic being represented (and vice versa). I also usually give a small, fun prize to the student who the group thinks has drawn the most creative and representative picture. This really gets the groups going; it sounds silly, but very effective. I like the idea of handing out individual outlines or tasks; I usually include the expected outcomes from the group as well as individual responsibilities, along with exactly how each student will be assessed individually and from the group perspective. Jay Hollowell ED106 Facilitator