Google Classroom in Distance Learning

All of this Virtual Learning as been quite the learning experience for a lot of teachers!  I am so thankful that we used Google Classroom throughout the school year.  It was the perfect platform for us to use and great for the students' transition to Distance Learning.  They were already familiar with the layout and "turning in" assignments on GC.  Each morning, I post a "Daily Schedule" for students to see their daily assignments.  Assignments include reading a story in their reading textbook, practice pages in their workbook, ReadWorks assignments, journal entries and Google Slide activities.

I love ReadWorks because it makes it easy to differentiate the reading assignments.  The passages are leveled and the website is easy to navigate.  I can assign each group a different leveled-passage so students are practicing fluency at their own reading level.  After students read the passage, there is a set of vocabulary words and comprehension questions they complete.  For my lower students, I can give the option of an audio-assist, so the passage is read to them.  I also love that ReadWorks has a huge range of topics; each week we have a theme which has been helpful with integrating Science and Social Studies.  ReadWorks makes it easy for the kids to access too!  It posts directly to their Google Classroom feed so a direct link takes them to their reading assignment.  After they read, they complete the questions and click submit!

It was tough to be able to see their work with all of the writing and workbooks being at home.  And I wanted to assign activities that were more fun for the students and gave them some hands-on practice.  Or as much as they could do virtually!  I took a lot of practice pages that we normally use from TPT and converted them onto Google Slides.  The kids complete the assignments and then click "Turn In" so I can see their work.  They really enjoy these types of assignments.  Some assignments prompt students to type answers, and others prompt them to match words or pictures.  Instead of cutting and gluing to sort, they click and drag!

Another kid-favorite was the animal report!  Students researched a zoo animal and filled out a report.  I posted a few links to use (National Geographic, kiddle, etc.) and they wrote 8 facts into their journal.  I taught them how to change the fonts and colors too!  After they finished typing their facts into the matrix, they could go back to change their text boxes.  All the reports were so colorful with lots of detailed facts and animal pictures.  They really got creative and loved the whole process of researching, typing, and editing!