Having been a teacher myself, I understand the limited time available to create content, make sure it is captivating, and distribute it with ease during distance learning. Google Classroom has been such a time saver in general, but how do we create activities with it?
Essays, questions, worksheets and readings can all be made readily available to your class and distributed online using Google Classroom. Under the “Classwork” tab, you will select the material you would like to create. You can even write a simple post or design a quiz assignment.
With the number of teachers needing distance learning resources increasing by the day, we must get more comfortable using Google Classroom. You can easily assign e-learning activities, but what else can you do?
Creating Activities in Google Classroom
The beauty of Google Classroom is that it gives you the ability to create and assign work for your class, all without the need to print it. Most activities you need are covered; you can create essays, questions, readings, quizzes, readings or even a simple post. They can all be easily distributed online and made available with a click of a button.
To start creating your activity, you will need to navigate the “Classwork” tab; you will also view all current and past assignments. Click the “Create” button to begin, select “Assignment” or “Question” if you would like to post a question to your class or “Material” if you would like to post visual, reading, or supplementary material. You can add additional information such as grading, categories, attachments or due dates.
The Assignment form will then be displayed; Google Classroom offers considerable flexibility and options when creating activities. Once you have chosen your assignment, completed the form, and clicked “Assign,” your student will receive a notification email with the details. Attachments are also available when creating activity by adding from Google Drive, a Link, File or YouTube.
Steps on How to Create an Activity with Google Classroom
Google Classroom is free to use for schools to manage their work online. Using Google Classroom with students requires your school to be registered for a free G Suite for Education account.
- Sign in to Google Account. Log in to your school Google Account and head to Google Drive. We recommend signing out of other Google accounts to upload the document to the correct account if you still need to.
- Add the digital resource to your Drive. As mentioned, you need first to add the document to your Drive. Some sellers may do things differently, but typically you will receive a link that allows you to copy the file to your Drive.
- Organized System for Drive. You may want to create an organizational system for your Drive by separating your master copies from your edited documents.
- Open the file and make a copy of your activity. Open the file you would like to distribute, click on File > Make a Copy > Entire Presentation. You can also rename the file while saving it to your preferred folder.
- Edit and Rename your Copy. The copy will open in a new tab, and you will notice the words “copy of” in front of the name. Use the Grid View to see all the pages. You can select any page to be deleted. Go to “Filmstrip View” to see one page at a time. Click on the name at the top of the screen to rename it. You add instructions by clicking on the “T” icon to add a text box.
- Open Google Classroom to Create your Activity. Open Google Classroom and the class you want to create the assignment for. On your main tab is the “Stream,” you have a general view of upcoming assignments, schedule and create announcements, see your class code and change your class. The class code is used for students to register for your Google Classroom course. Go to Classwork > Create > Assignment. Fill in the details of your assignment. Google automatically saves everything you do.
- Student View Of The Assignment. Students have an upcoming calendar that shows everything you have added to the Classwork page with the due date. The assignment will be displayed for the student under the “Work” section. Students can leave a comment for the teacher or all students.
- You Are Grading And Sending It Back To The Student. When you click on an assignment, you will see the students working on the task who have already turned their work in and missed the due date. Click on a student’s activity to view their assignment. You can add comments, a grade or even comments on specific sections of their work. You can go front one assignment to the next without closing the tab.
How to Organize Your Activities in Google Classroom?
On the “Classwork” tab, you will see the selection of a topic available. This option is to sort and group your assignments, activities or Material. To start organizing, click the “Create” button, then select “Topic.” Topics can help manage your content according to the various units you teach throughout the year. Use it to separate your content by classwork, type, splitting it into homework, reading, and other chosen topic areas.
Google Classroom takes care of your organization by handling all your assignments and automatically adding them to your Google Calendar, accessible from the “Classwork” tab. You can click “Google Calendar” to get a better overall view of the timeline for your activity due dates.
Only the student who the activity is assigned can view their work; no one else in the class can unless the teacher has set it for the student to collaborate.
Can I attach a Google Doc with Activities in Google Classroom?
Yes, you can. When creating an activity, there may be times you need to attach a document from Google Docs; these can be very helpful when explaining lengthy instructions, study guides and various other materials.
Before attaching your chosen types of files, you want to ensure you select the correct setting regarding how your students can interact with the file. After attaching a document to an activity, you will find a drop-down menu selection with three options:
- Make a copy for all students. If you have created a document or worksheet in which you want each student to complete individually, choosing this option will create a separate copy of each student’s same document.
- Students can view the only file. Select this choice if you would like your students to view or study but not make any changes.
- Students can edit the file. This option can help you send a document you want your students to collaborate on or fill out collectively.
The teacher can allocate these activities to a class or selected students; additionally, they can add comments or instructions to the assignment once submitted.
Conclusion
I’m sure by now you think it’s easier than you thought to create activities in Google Classroom. The Google team has thought out teachers’ needs to quickly create content that can be distributed to all students in their class.
You can start by creating your activity in the “Classwork” tab of Google Classroom. You can select which Material you are planning to develop at that given time. The students will receive an email notification once they have submitted the activity. This activity will automatically be added to Google Calendar to navigate across your upcoming activity deadlines quickly.
There are various materials to choose to create, such as readings, posts (you can also reuse posts), quiz assignments, questions or essays. Teachers can determine whether this activity should be an individual task or a collaboration between students. Teachers can add additional information such as due date, grading, a rubric, and attachments.