BC Core Competency Comments: Collaborating, Gr 4-9
Collaborating is working with others toward a shared goal: planning a task together, contributing ideas and a fair share, supporting and building on classmates' ideas, and sorting out disagreements within the group.
Below are 13 sample sentences for Grades 4-9: two strengths and one next step for each of the 4 comment levels (Extending / Proficient / Developing / Emerging), plus a tip for families. They are a small selection from the 173 collaborating sentences in the full pack. Copy one, then add a detail only you know about the student.
Jump to: Extending · Proficient · Developing · Emerging · Writing tips
Fills in the name and pronouns on this page. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Extending X
Strengths
- [Name] uses class criteria to help [his/her/their] group review its shared work honestly and decide together what to improve.
- [Name] adapts easily to new partners and groups, finding common ground with a wide range of classmates.
Next step
- A stretch goal for [Name] is to co-create group criteria with classmates and use them to guide how [his/her/their] team shares work on the next project.
Proficient P
Strengths
- When a group project hits a disagreement, [Name] usually listens to each person's view and helps the group agree on a plan.
- [Name] often asks group members questions to better understand their thinking before sharing [his/her/their] own view.
Next step
- In [his/her/their] next group presentation, [Name] could take on a leadership role, such as coordinating rehearsal and checking that each part fits together.
Developing D
Strengths
- On shared digital tasks, [Name] is learning to add to group work respectfully and check before changing a teammate's part.
- When prompted, [Name] invites others in the group to share and listens to what they say.
Next step
- [Name] could set a goal of trying a new group role, such as timekeeper, during the next group presentation and reflect on how it went.
Emerging E
Strengths
- One-on-one with a teacher, [Name] is beginning to reflect on how [his/her/their] group worked together and what [he/she/they] might do differently.
- [Name] enjoys working with familiar classmates and, with guidance, is beginning to welcome others into the group.
Next step
- A simple checklist of [his/her/their] group jobs, reviewed one-on-one with the teacher, would help [Name] keep track of [his/her/their] share.
Support at home
- After playing with friends or cousins, you could ask [Name] how everyone decided what to play and whether each person had a say.
How to write collaborating comments for Grades 4-9
- Name the role the student held in an inquiry group, such as researcher, recorder or presenter, and whether they met their commitments to the group, not only how the final product turned out.
- Describe how the student responds to others' ideas: building on them, offering a compromise, or bringing the group back to the plan. One specific project moment is enough.
- For a next step, suggest a group tool the student can use, such as a co-created group agreement, a task tracker in a shared document, or a quick check-in at the start of each work block.
Watch out: Avoid judging collaboration by the group's finished product. A strong project can hide uneven effort; describe the student's own contribution, such as the research they gathered or how they helped settle a disagreement.
The proficiency scale is used for learning standards; here its four names only label levels of written feedback on a Core Competency facet. Extending-level wording describes depth, independence and new situations; Proficient, regular use in familiar ones; Developing, parts of the facet with support; Emerging, first steps with guidance. Add the evidence instead of restating a level, so the comment never reads as a grade.
What Collaborating covers
In these comments, collaborating covers these behaviours:
- works with others to plan and carry out tasks
- contributes ideas and does a fair share
- supports others and builds on their ideas
- resolves problems and disagreements in the group
More British Columbia comments
- Communicating, Grades 4-9
- Collaborating, K-Grade 3
- Creative Thinking, Grades 4-9
- Critical and Reflective Thinking, Grades 4-9
- Personal Awareness and Responsibility, Grades 4-9
- Positive Personal and Cultural Identity, Grades 4-9
- Social Awareness and Responsibility, Grades 4-9
- Opening and closing sentences
- All British Columbia skills and grade bands
- For the same report: BC Report Card Comments by Subject, K-9
- Build a comment with the comment picker
How these sentences were made, and what has been checked: About these comments.