Question

Your social studies class is working on team projects. Your team has one member who
doesn’t do much work, but often takes credit for the work you’ve done. One day your teacher
remarks that the project poster for your team is excellent. You know your lazy team member
is the one who created the poster. What do you say to your teacher

Answer 1

You can correct the record politely, calmly, and briefly so the teacher knows it was a team effort without making a scene. Pick a line that fits how direct you want to be.

Quick, in-class responses
- Short and polite: “Thanks — [Name] put the poster together, but we all worked on the research and content.”
- Slightly firmer: “I’m glad you like it. [Name] did the layout, and the rest of the team (including me) did the research and writing.”
- If you want to add your contribution: “Thanks! [Name] made the poster. I did the research and the written sections, and [other names] did X and Y.”

If you don’t want to say anything in front of the class, follow up privately with the teacher
- Email/text script: “Hi [Teacher], I’m glad you liked our poster. I wanted to clarify that while [Name] did the layout, the research and written content were done by [names]. Lately [Name] has been taking credit for work others completed. Could you let us know how you’ll assign individual credit or if we should fill out a peer-evaluation form? Thanks.”
- In-person: “Can I talk quickly about our group’s roles? The poster was assembled by [Name], but the research and text were done by the rest of us. I’m concerned about fair credit.”

Talk to your teammate if this keeps happening
- Script: “Hey, I appreciate you doing the poster layout, but it’s not fair to claim the whole project. Next time please say it was a team effort — we all contributed.”
- If they push back: “If this keeps happening, I’ll tell the teacher so credit is assigned fairly.”

Other tips
- Keep your tone factual and calm; avoid public shaming.
- Keep evidence: drafts, timestamps, shared-doc histories, or messages that show who did what.
- Ask the teacher for a peer-evaluation or individual grading to prevent repeat problems.

Pick the response that matches how direct you want to be. If you want, tell me which option you prefer and I’ll tailor the exact wording.