Additionally, they have a color coded folder for each person on their team at their table. One student picks up the green folders and takes them to his table for his team. the portfolio is also helpful for having students keep track of their work and grades. Great place for team members to put handouts for their absent team members when there is one in class. I no longer chase kids down who were absent to give them a handout.

I have formed groups in my class. Here is how I do it.

http://dpurdy.edublogs.org/2014/02/09/how-a-30-year-veteran-teacher-forms-classroom-teams/

Each group is a team and I have rewards for good team effort and behavior. I teach MS so I give students badges (stickers or mailing labels I have printed.) Which they put on their color coded team folders. Who would have thought that students would want something like a sticker, but even 8th graders are thrilled to earn one. I may give a piece of candy for earning several stickers to sweeten the deal. Anyway, when someone on a team acts inappropriately during class, the team gets a zero for the day and needs to have 4 good days to earn their good behavior status. So far, I let them out 30 seconds early. Yes, I trade 30 seconds of class time for 42.5 minutes of attentive cooperation. They feel it is special, particularly when they have lunch next or need locker time. Students don't want their behavior to hold back the other kids special privileges so they behave and monitor each other.

I have the students names printed out in blocks of teams and I color code the names blue, red, yellow, green, manila so I can quickly pick out the team I want to mark off or on. You could use class dojo for this to. I find, picking up a paper and adding a check faster than dojo for this, but I do use CLASS DOJO for discipline in one of my classes.