When it came to forming random groups for cooperative activities, I often found myself at a lose. I could point to students and assign them to a group, I could have them count off, or I could let them select their own groups. I wasn't satisfied with any of these methods. I wanted something that was truly random, that was by chance. Here's what I finally devised:

1. Locate several colorful magazine pictures that measure 8' by 11" or less.
2. Laminate the pictures for durability.
3. Cut the pictures into jigsaw puzzle shapes, depending on the number of students you wish to be in each group. For instance, if you wish to have three students per group, cut the picture into three puzzle pieces; four students per group, four puzzle pieces, etc.
4. You will need to determine how many groups will be formed from the students in your class to decide the number of pictures you will need. If you have 24 students and you wish to form groups of four, then you will need six pictures, each of them cut into four pieces. If you have 25 students and you wish to form groups of four, you will still need six pictures; however, you will now need five pictures cut into four pieces and one picture cut into five pieces. It takes a bit of mathematical figuring and your groups will not always be evenly distributed. I have sets of puzzle pictures for a class of thirty-five students for groups of three, four, five, six, and seven.
5. Store the puzzles in envelopes that are labeled according to the number of pieces per puzzle.
6. When it's time to form cooperative groups, I pull out the necessary number of puzzles, drop them into a brown paper lunchbag, shake them, and have each student reach in and pull out a piece. The students must find the others who have pieces that when matched with theirs will create the whole picture. This then is their cooperative group for the upcoming activity.