10 practical lesson ideas for Google Classroom

I’m sharing various ways of how I set assignments on Google Classroom.

1. Using booklets (SLOP).

1. Upload .docx Word file to Google Drive & save as Google Docs file (so you can 👀 their progress even before they submit/turn it in) (download booklets)
2. They answer the questions in a different coloured text.

💾 Save as Google Docs.

📎 Attach doc so each student will get a copy.

2. 5 Sentences, 5 Words

Using PiXL idea 💡.

1. Create a question — usually about mechanism or defining something.
2. Attach web links or videos that they can look up information.
3. They come up with 5 sentences to answer your question.
4. They summarise that 5 sentences to 5 words for them to memorise.

Clear title, instructions & video links.

3. Auto-grade Quiz with Google Forms

1. Create a quiz on Google Forms (or write quiz on Google Sheets then import them as quiz using this add-on) (example)
2. Create quiz assignment on Google Classroom.
3. Randomise 🔀 quiz questions (in settings) if you’d like.
4. Automatically import grades at the end of deadline.

💡 If you’re a PiXL’s school, you can import multiple choice questions from their PiXL Independence booklets.

💡 You can also create a form for students to create questions, then use them to create a class quiz.

Multiple choice questions can be imported from various sources (BBC Bitesize, Exampro, PiXL, Physicsandmathstutor).

4. (Physics/Chemistry) Using Isaac Physics

1. Set up your Isaac Physics teacher account, teaching group & set assignments.
2. Set assignment on Google Classroom. (example)
3. 📎 Attach link to assignment & a few web videos to help them for the questions board. (A-Level Physics, GCSE Physics, A-Level Chemistry)

💡 They also offer Isaac Computer Science — but I have no experience with that (I think it’s the same format?)

5. Video 📹 Task

1. Set a question/research task.
2. Set success criteria 🎯 — points they must include, length of video etc.
3. Attach a link/document to start with as a guide.
4. They can use numerous apps — Instagram story (stop animation), Apple iMovie etc.
5. They turn it assignment by uploading to assignment.

6. Summary Task

1. Come up with a question title.
2. Attach related links for them to guide them find information.
3. Set success criteria 🎯 including word limit.
4. You could also suggest the 📖 Reader’s Super Skills technique (Predicting, Clarifying, Questioning, Summarising).

7. Individual Microteaching 👩‍🏫 - Google Slides

1. Assign short sub topics/titles to each student to prep for a micro-teaching.
2. Set success criteria 🎯 (topic’s learning outcomes), time limit, format
3. Students required to create a presentation on Google Slides — to turn-in on Google Classroom.

8. Exam practice ✍️ using Exampro Web Sharing

1. Create your own exampro questions set as per usual.
2. Click the export button.
3. Copy the share document-web link (you can customise what to share)
4. They can answer in their book or on Google Docs.
5. On a separate assignment — you can share the mark scheme of the questions for them to self/peer assess.

9. Pre-Lesson Task (Flipped Learning)

Using materials from flippedaroundphysics.

1. Set assignment by attaching a template of questions as lesson prep. (link)
2. Attach relevant videos for self-learning.
3. Complete the questions.
4. Turn in.

10. Practising Graphing 📈 Skills using Google Sheets

1. Provide them with a set of raw data.
2. Set success criteria (correct symbol quantities, units, table headers, scatter graph, axes labels, line of best fit, equation of line etc.)
3. Student turn in work.
4. Extension: Calculations to work out quantities from graph or let them decide what graph should they plot to determine something (eg. determine Planck’s constant from LED voltage readings)

Honourable mentions 👇

1. Quizlet sets — credit to Mr Benyohai.
2. Gimkit assignments — see help here. (You can also import from Quizlet)
3. Quizizz homework assignments — see here.
4. Uplearn (paid)
5. Seneca Learning (free)
6. GCSEPod (school subscription)
7. Tassomai (paid)

Follow me on Twitter (@MrKhairi_)as I’m collating more ideas to implement in my teaching!