Have you ever downloaded a PDF and wanted to send it to a student but couldn’t because of the answer key and other erroneous pages were attached to it? Did you know that there is an easy way to pull or extract pages you want from a PDF to send to your students? Watch this ... Read more
Give your students a taste of adventure with over 20 free digital escape rooms to try at home or at school. Doing distance learning? These are perfect!
Zoom Games With Students During Distance Learning shares a variety of games, many familiar from the classroom, that you can play with students virtually.
Distance learning is HARD, and it is NOT the same as our beloved classrooms. We would all LOVE to be back in special learning environments with our students, but that may not happen this year. So I'm here with distant learning tips, tricks, and ideas to make it easier for you and your kiddos. These tips will help you with any video conference platform you use. Zoom tips are at the end.
Here are four freebies to help you transition into distance learning and asynchronous teaching, These 4 free resources have made teaching remotely more manageable. I hope you enjoy these teacher tech tips as much as I have!
Technology came front and center this past spring as teachers everywhere suddenly turned into remote learning specialists managing the ups and downs of all things digital. While eLearning did have a learning curve, the sudden thrust does have many teachers bringing their digital distance teaching knowledge back into the classroom… whenever that will be. ... Read more
#Edtech is a key part of distance learning, remote learning, and digital teaching. Learn about using Google Jams and Jamboard in the classroom.
Social and emotional intelligence is foundational to understanding ourselves and the people around us. The ability to form and maintain meaningful relationships carries such incredible weight and value. I heard a study recently that the impact of loneliness on health outcomes (life expectancy,
Virtual icebreakers are perfect for getting students introduced to one another. They help encourage students to get to know one another better.
Digital lessons made simple and effective. Learn how to use Padlet to teach a digital lesson with student interaction and feedback.
Learn how to teach science digitally. There are online science learning activities and activities to do at home with parents.
One of the most popular types of games is the Internet Scavenger Hunt. So, there are a lot of ways that you can plan this hunt.
Are you working on instrument families while studying instruments of the orchestra?This set can be used as individual assignments or quizzes or can be put together in a workbook for your students.Many of these pages are great to leave for substitutes as well!Included in this set:- A list of websites...
Finding the balance in virtual teaching.
Zoom Games With Students During Distance Learning shares a variety of games, many familiar from the classroom, that you can play with students virtually.
Tired of using Kahoot, Quizlet and Quizizz for vocabulary review? I am! Here are some new, fun distance learning vocabulary activities!
Digital learning has definitely taking the educational world by storm, and it's not going away anytime soon. I think that through all of this, educators and leaders will be able to see that technology in the classroom is crucial, but that doesn't help us in this moment, does it? As teachers around the country are trying to scramble in order to teach students remotely, I wanted to take a minute and show you that you can use what you already have. Just a disclaimer, this lesson incorporates Google Classroom. When I started teaching my students online two weeks ago due to school closures, I was extremely anxious about two things: 1. How am I going to make sure that my students continue learning at the same level that they were in my classroom? 2. How am I going to have the time to suddenly create all of these digital lessons? The only answer that I had for the first question was to continue "teaching" like I was in my classroom. This is what my students were used to, and I wanted to keep things as "normal" as possible for them. When I teach social studies and science, for example, I use PowerPoint lessons and guided notes. I continued this strategy, but I modified it a bit for the digital classroom. Here are the steps that I follow: 1. I break my PowerPoint lessons into about 10 or so slides a day. We were given the guidelines to assign about half the workload that we would in a normal class period. To do this, I open my PowerPoint lesson in Google Slides. 2. Then, I go to "File" and "Save as Google Slides" 3. I then delete the slides that I am not using that day. 4. My lesson is locked for editing so the background images, fonts, and clipart does not move. This makes it easy to use with Google Slides because it locks it from editing when assigning it to students and protects the terms of use of the author and clipart used. 5. I use "online voice recorder" to record myself teaching through some of the slides. To do this, you have to: Record whatever you want to say for that slide The file saves to your computer Drag the saved file to your Google Drive Make sure that you make the file "sharable" (otherwise the kids won't have access) In Google Slides, go to "Insert Audio" and voila! Kids can click on the speaker to hear your voice! Whenever I insert audio on a slide, I always add the yellow speaker note so that kids don't miss it! 6. A lot of the slides on my PowerPoint lessons have discussion questions built in to them, so on these slides, I add a text box for students to respond. 7. The PowerPoint Lessons that I create and sell in my store also have built in videos and interactive links. This makes using them with Google Slides SO SIMPLE because all of these links easily transfer over. On this slide, students simply click on the picture and then watch the video. You can even add a text box below this picture and ask students to respond to a question about the video. 8. Once the lesson is complete, I assign it in Google Classroom. If your lesson is interactive and students had to respond, then you must choose "make a copy for each student" when assigning the lesson so that students into their lesson instead of the original. I always assign my lessons using this method because it keeps kids accountable and I know whether they have or have not completed the assignment. 9. In class, I also have my students take notes using a study guide, and I am currently in the process of making my study guides digital and adding them to the units that I have available in my store. 10. Please remember that it is against copyright terms of use to share any items that you purchase from TpT with other teachers. This method should only be used to modify a lesson for your students through Google Classroom. I hope that I was able to relieve a little stress and make learning come alive for your students! If you are in need of any PowerPoint lessons, I have following units available: Social Studies: Civil War and Reconstruction Westward Expansion Turn of the Century The Suffrage Movement World War 1 Roaring Twenties and Great Depression World War 2 The Cold War The Civil Rights Movement September 11th Attacks Science: Animal and Plant Classification Animal and Plant Cells Harmful and Helpful Microorganisms Heredity Physical and Chemical Changes Electricity and Magnetism Earth Science 5th Grade Math: PowerPoint Lessons for All Concepts Available Happy Teaching!
Many teachers are now using platforms such as Zoom and Google Meet to reach their students. While many teachers use this platform to teach or review standards with their students, many are also using it for socialization during these times and there are lots of great distance learning activities you can use to engage your
These games will help liven things up in your virtual lessons - perfect for middle school, high school, or even Adult ESL classes!
These interactive world language activities will get your students excited about learning—even in remote or socially-distanced classrooms.
HyperDocs make room for more interactive, personalized, and student-directed learning. Let's look at how they work.
25 creative, NO PREP google meet & zoom ideas for distance learning activities. These virtual games & ideas keep kids engaged & make teaching a breeze.
Gallery walks are a great way for students to observe each other's work. Padlet makes this possible to do virtually while distance learning!
7 Seesaw App Tips Nobody Told You About! Learn how to teach your students Seesaw with confidence using a FREE Seesaw Scavenger Hunt!
Learn how to assign Google Slides activities, assignments, and lessons through Google Classroom with this free downloadable guide!
Games are a tried and true way to engage students. Whether teaching in-person or remotely via a live session like Zoom or Google Meets, teachers know that games, brain breaks, and icebreakers are an awesome way to get students actively involved in learning. With the ever-changing landscape of education, I thought it might be nice to compile some versatile activities that challenge students in really fun ways. Best part? These activities are very low prep and work in a variety of settings. These activities encourage students to listen, solve problems, be creative, and practice critical skills. They're designed to be easy to do with little to no prep. You can easily add one of these games to any lesson as a warm-up, closure, community building activity, or lesson extender. GAMES & ACTIVITIES ⭐How Many? Give students a category and then challenge students to see how many different things they can fit within that classification. At first students will respond with obvious ideas. However, as they brainstorm, their ideas will stretch and their creativity will grow. Students can jot their ideas down on scrap paper and earn points for each unique response when they share out. Here are some categories to get started: occupations, things that are slimy, things that roll, animal noises, articles of clothing ⭐Listen Carefully: Read a short passage out loud to students. Then, have them answer questions based on what they can remember. Make it especially fun by awarding points for every answer that students get right. You can change up this activity by reading two versions of the same story. Mix up some of the details in the second version for students to listen for. Give this activity a try with the passages in this set of FREE Brain Bursts. Add your information below and then check your inbox! ⮟⮟⮟⮟⮟⮟⮟⮟ ⭐Silly Silent Spelling: Practice spelling words in a super silly way. Explain to students that you are going to be giving them a practice spelling test (definitely NOT the real thing). Just like a typical practice test, they'll listen for the word and write it down. However, here's the catch: you're only going to silently mouth the words. Students will need to read your lips to figure out what word they will need to write down. Of course, figuring out a word from a silent cue is not easy. That's what makes this fun. Students will write down some wild guesses as they spell their way through this game. ⭐One Word: Pose a fun question to the class and have them all think of a one-word answer. Then, give every student a chance to share their responses as you call on each of them. Here are some questions to get started: --- If you were a type of dessert, what would you be? --- Where do you feel happiest? --- How would a soccer ball describe its day? --- Where is somewhere that you would like to visit? --- What would be the perfect gift for you? ⭐Mystery Item: This activity is quick and easy to play. To prepare, write 5 or 6 clues about an object. Make the clues gradually increase in their specificity. Then, read the clues to students as they jot down their guesses for the mystery item until you reveal the answer. ⭐Punchline: Start telling a joke to students, and then have them guess the punchline. Find a ton of jokes for kids here. ⭐Strike a Pose: Explain to students that they are going to pretend that they are in a photograph. They will need to imagine that the photo was taken at the height of the event. All they have to do is strike a pose after you give them a situation. For instance, you might say, "haunted house," and then students would freeze in a pose that shows them frightened or terrified. Here are a few situations to try: Dentist Office, Roller Coaster, Last Day of School, Scary Movie, Food Fight, Race ⭐Timed Writing Activities: Engage students with a creative writing prompt. Then, "amp up" the fun factor by adding a timed element. Challenge students to race the clock as they write as much as they can in a fixed time period. Find my favorite prompts here. ⭐And Then...: This is a listening game for the entire class. Students will need to listen to and add to a growing story. You'll start the story with an opener like, "At the zoo, I decided to open the lion's cage, and then..." Next, you'll call on a student to explain what happened next. That student will add one line and the phrase "and then" before selecting another student to add to the story. ⭐Listen and Draw: Students love this activity! To prepare, create a simple illustration filled with shapes and designs. Then, write out the directions for students. Have students complete the activity on a piece of paper. Read each direction to students and challenge them to replicate the illustration you instructed them to draw. (These are included in the exclusive freebie below.) ⭐Class Pet: Pretend that you have a new class pet. Explain to students that they will need to guess the type of animal. Students will need to ask questions and write their guesses on a piece of paper when they think they have figured out the new class pet. ⭐Add the Ending: Engage students as they practice writing and storytelling skills with this activity. First, students will listen to the beginning of a story that you read to them. Then, they'll take over the writing and complete the story. The story starters are a fun way to motivate students to write. ⭐Alien, Tiger, and Cat: Here's an improvisational theatre game that works in the classroom. Explain to students that they can be one of three things: an alien, a cat, or a tiger. If they choose to be an alien, they need to hold their pointer fingers next to their head (like antennae) and say "bleeb, bleeb." To be a cat, they need to rub their wrist along their face (like a cat cleaning itself) and say "meow." Finally, to be a tiger they need to push their hand forward with a claw stance and roar. On your cue, every student will choose and act like an animal. The goal is to get everyone to choose the same animal (which is nearly impossible, but fun to try). ⭐Rapid Recall: Create a list of random words. Then, read the list of words to students. As you read the words, you might have students put their hands on their heads so that you know for sure that they aren't taking notes. Once you've read the words to students once or twice, wait about a minute before letting students write down every word that they remember. (Find ready-made lists in this complete resource.) ⭐Finish the Fact: Share the beginning of a fact with students. Then, challenge them to complete the fact. Have them share their guesses before revealing the complete fact. Find a collection of random facts here. Want a free set of virtual classroom activities designed to be NO PREP and NO COPIES? Just add your name and email below. ⮟⮟⮟⮟⮟⮟⮟⮟ BONUS: Here's one more idea: ⭐Paper Airplanes: Help students practice following directions by challenging them to fold a paper airplane by following your directions. To get started, choose a paper airplane design to have students fold. Then, have students take out a piece of paper. They'll need to listen carefully to each of your directions to make their paper airplane. Wishing you tons of fun in your (virtual) classroom, Mary Beth P.S. Find a TON of ready-made activities HERE.
Here are six tech tools ready for secondary English teachers that are worth the time to learn and implement in a digital classroom or distance learning environment. From Google Classroom at the most baisic to screen cast recorders and digital reading platforms, here are the six that I'm using daily
Organize and track student information quickly and easily! This video tutorial helps you set up digital checklists with Google Sheets.
In this inspiring interview with Dr. Catlin Tucker, the blended learning guru, we chat about blended learning strategies and models, and what's working right now!
Learn how to make video tutorials for students using Screencastify to build autonomy, differentiate instruction, and increase effectiveness of lessons.
The Present- For Teaching Plot Twist and Theme This story has the most amazing plot twist! Get your tissues ready! A young boy is behaving like an awful brat. He disrespects his mother when she brings him a new puppy. He even treats the puppy terribly when he discovers it is missing a leg. But […]
Digital learning can be so easy to use and learn through with an educational platform called Seesaw. Let me share some simple ideas for Seesaw success.
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to counselors searching for free games and tools for virtual counseling sessions. Although the pandemic has led to many challenges, one positive aspect is that counselors have been expanding their skillsets as they learn to navigate the virtual counseling world. Whether you are a school counselor meeting with children through
Gallery walks are a great way for students to observe each other's work. Padlet makes this possible to do virtually while distance learning!
This is an oral activity where your students discuss what items they need in order to survive after a plane crash in the desert. - ESL worksheets
Blended Learning will transform the way you teach, and the way your students learn. And the best part? It is easy to start doing it!
These digital spelling and vocabulary activities are perfect for students to use with any spelling or vocabulary list. These 18 ready-to-use pages were designed to be used with Google Slides, but can also be downloaded to use with PowerPoint. Assign these pages in Google Classroom or through Google Drive to help students learn and practice their spelling and vocabulary words. Students can complete these pages independently, in pairs, or in small groups. Text boxes have been added to make it easy for students to get started quickly. Students can also add or edit text boxes as needed. Pages Included... Pages for Spelling: - ABC Order - Tongue Twisters - Spelling Scrabble - Spelling Scramble - Spelling Word Search - Fun With Fonts Pages for Vocabulary: - Word Detective - Chart It! - Word Links - Word of the Week - Word of the Day - In My Own Words Pages for Both: - iMessages - Story Time! - 4 Types of Sentences - Sort It Out! - Parts of Speech - Acrostic Poems Looking for other digital resources?!?! Assignment Slides Student Engagement Slides & Exit Slips Slides for Teaching Routines & Procedures Reading Response for Non-Fiction Texts Reading Response for Fiction Texts Graphic Organizers for Writing Whole Class Writing Journals Digital Word Work Activities Back to School Slides Would You Rather Prompts Please feel free to email me at [email protected] with any questions or comments! **PLEASE NOTE: Due to the nature of this digital resource, links to the Word Work pages will provided within the downloadable PDF.
While this school year is going to be one of constant change. We can make it easier by making a plan for virtual and hybrid teaching.
Virtual icebreakers are perfect for getting students introduced to one another. They help encourage students to get to know one another better.
