Describe the academic task of the activity. This includes the objectives of the task, necessary concepts and principles they need to understand as well as the procedures they need to follow.
Explain the criteria you have for judging whether the students are successful in the task. One way to do this would be to develop and hand out a rubric for the activity.
Structure the cooperative aspects of the activity.
Positive Interdependence - Make sure students understand that they are not only responsible for their own learning, but for each member's learning.
Intergroup Cooperation - Have groups check their work with other groups to establish a wider circle of cooperation.
Individual Accountability - Ensure that individual feels responsible for learning the material. Consider doing frequent, random oral quizzes or having a group member assigned to check in with everyone to make sure they understand.
Describe the behaviors you expect to see explicitly. Be sure to teach them the social skills you expect them to be able to employ.
