To: Mr. Montgomery 

Subject: Social Studies Group Project

Dear Mr. Montgomery, 

    I wanted to talk to you about our social studies project. It’s such a cool idea to have us create board games based on a time period from history! I just don’t think we should do it in groups. Let me explain.

    First of all, not every group member does equal work. In fifth grade, I was in a group where no one else cared. I ended up doing the whole project. We got an A. Why should everyone get a good grade when I was the one who earned it?

    Being forced to work together also causes too much conflict. Last year, I was in a group with one really bossy person. They didn’t listen to anyone else’s ideas. We ended up arguing so much that we barely finished on time. 

    I know the point is to teach us to work as a team, but it’s just not worth the stress. Some kids are shy and afraid to speak up. Others have a lot of anxiety about their grades. Solo projects give us all more control. 

    Sincerely,

    Spencer

To: Mr. Montgomery 

Subject: Social Studies Group Project

Dear Mr. Montgomery, 

   I want to talk to you about our social studies project. Creating board games based on a time period from history sounds fun! I just don’t think we should do it in groups. Let me explain.

    First off, not every group member does equal work. In fifth grade, I was in a group where no one else cared. I did the whole project. But we all got an A. How is that fair?

    Also, being forced to work together causes conflict. Last year, I was in a group with a really bossy person. They didn’t listen to anyone else’s ideas. We argued so much that we barely finished on time.

    I know the point is to learn to work as a team. But it’s not worth the stress. Some kids are too shy to speak up. Others are very stressed about their grades. Solo projects give us all more control. 

    Sincerely,

    Spencer

To: Mr. Montgomery 

Subject: Social Studies Group Project

Dear Mr. Montgomery, 

  I wanted to talk to you about our social studies project. It’s such a cool idea to have us create board games based on a time period from history! I just don’t think we should do it in groups. Let me explain.

    First of all, not every group member does equal work. In fifth grade, I was in a group where no one else cared, and I ended up doing the entire project myself. The whole group got an A, which seemed pretty unfair when I was the only one who had earned it.

    Being forced to work together also causes too much conflict. Last year, I was in a group with one really bossy person who ignored everyone else’s ideas. We ended up arguing so much that we barely finished on time.

    I know the point is to teach us to work as a team, but it’s really not worth the stress. Some kids are shy and afraid to speak up, and others have a lot of anxiety about their grades. Solo projects give us all more control.. 

    Sincerely,

    Spencer

To: Spencer Fields 

Subject: Re: Social Studies Group Project

Dear Spencer,

    I’m sorry you’ve had bad experiences with group projects. But I’m still going to assign them. Why? Even those bad experiences likely taught you valuable lessons.

    Take your bossy classmate, for example. That person showed you what poor leadership looks like. I’m sure you’ll now head into this project a better leader. You clearly understand how important it is that everyone gets to pitch in.

    As you said yourself, the point of group projects is to learn to work as a team. Part of that is dealing with difficult people. It’s a skill you’ll need for the rest of your life. You can always come to me if you’re having serious problems. But let’s give it a fair shot.

    In my opinion, group projects are worth it. They bring students with different talents together. That can lead to exciting things. Just look at your 1920s group: Maya is the founder of the gaming club, and you’re an amazing artist. I can’t wait to see your game! 

    Sincerely,

    Mr. Montgomery

To: Spencer Fields 

Subject: Re: Social Studies Group Project

Dear Spencer,

  I’m sorry you’ve had bad experiences with group projects. But I’m still going to assign them. Why? Even those bad experiences likely taught you some things.

    Think about your bossy classmate. That person showed you what poor leadership looks like. I’m sure you’ll now head into this project a better leader. You clearly know how important it is that everyone gets to pitch in.

    As you said, the point of group projects is to learn to work as a team. Part of that is dealing with difficult people. It’s a skill you’ll need for the rest of your life. You can come to me if you’re having serious problems. But let’s give it a fair shot.

    I think group projects are worth it. They bring students with different talents together. That can lead to great things. Just look at your 1920s group: Maya is the founder of the gaming club, and you’re an amazing artist. I can’t wait to see your game! 

    Sincerely,

    Mr. Montgomery

To: Spencer Fields 

Subject: Re: Social Studies Group Project

Dear Spencer,

    I’m sorry you’ve had bad experiences with group projects, but I’m still going to assign them. That’s because even those bad experiences probably taught you some valuable lessons.

    For example, your bossy classmate showed you what poor leadership looks like. I’m sure you’ll now head into this project a better leader. You clearly understand how important it is that everyone gets to participate.

    As you said yourself, the purpose of group projects is to practice working as a team. Part of that is dealing with difficult people, which is a skill you’ll need for the rest of your life. You can always come to me if you’re having serious problems, but let’s give it a fair shot.

    In my opinion, group projects are definitely worthwhile. They bring students with different talents together, which can have exciting results. Just look
at your 1920s group: Maya is the founder of the gaming club, and you’re an incredible artist. I can hardly wait to see your game! 

    Sincerely,

    Mr. Montgomery