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Good Teaching

Create Interactive Learning with a Choice Board

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Ready to create interactive learning opportunities for students? Take advantage of choice boards. In this blog entry, we’ll explore a few reasons why they are powerful and provide examples you can adapt. First, let’s answer a simple question.

What are Choice Boards?

choice

“Teachers will plan in a whole new way,” says Kathi Kerznowski (@kerszi). Wondering what choice boards are? Some define them as graphic organizers that provide students choices about how they learn.  “Choice boards are awesome,” tweets Stacey Noonan (@snoonan44)

“Choice boards are set up in a grid, generally with 9 squares,” says Cassidy Reinken. She says, “You can require that students complete items from the choice board in a specific way.” This can involve expecting students to choose choices in a row, one activity from every colored section or choose at random. You can vary level of difficulty. Cassidy makes four suggestions about choice boards:

  1. Focus on a single concept or learning expectation.
  2. Each activity square should relate to a different multiple intelligence.
  3. Encourage students to complete three activities in a row.
  4. Each square, with the exception of the interpersonal square, are individual activities.

Watch this short video how to teach with choice boards(updated video):

Why Choice Boards?

Here are ten reasons why choice boards engage learners. Choice boards:

  1. Facilitate differentiated learning opportunities.
  2. Can be used in any subject.
  3. Provide different contexts for students and engage a variety of their senses. These approaches are supported by research (Source).
  4. Offer learners of all ages choices in how they learn about a new topic or understand a familiar one.
  5. Provide tiered levels of learning opportunities.
  6. Serve as a contract between student and teacher.
  7. Can be adapted for special education or individualized education plans (IEPs).
  8. Increase student ownership.
  9. Focus students on essential knowledge, skills, and strategies aligned to curricular goals.
  10. Make it easy to manage “a single lesson, a week-long lesson, or even a month-long period of study” (Source).

Want to see some examples of choice boards or learning menus?

Where Can I Find Choice Board Examples?

Looking to get started with designing choice boards? Some choice board sources include:

Wondering how to design your own digital choice board? Read Caitlin Tucker’s instructions.

Create Interactive Learning with Choice Boards

Begin with digital choice boards. Use tech tools like Google Docs, Microsoft Word Online, or Microsoft OneNote. Adapt these tools to create choice boards. All of them support tables, image insertion, and sharing with students. Make a digital choice board to facilitate access to activities, and be sure to include multimedia.

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Canva Dashboard
Canva

Exploring Canva Whiteboard as a Jamboard Alternative

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Wish you had an easy-to-use online whiteboard? With Google moving Jamboard to read-only mode on October 1, 2024, you may be seeking out an alternative. What digital, online whiteboard will you use with your students instead? If you are a “less is more” kind of person, you may be looking for easier tools to use than those suggested by Google (e.g., Figjam, LucidSpark, Miro). Let’s look at one you may want to know more about: Canva Whiteboard.

What is Canva Whiteboard?

Canva Dashboard

The simple-to-use Canva Whiteboard is already a part of the toolset you know and love in Canva. Canva Whiteboard offers a simple solution with powerful components, like built-in timers and more. Once you start using it, you may find yourself thanking Google for pushing you out of the Jamboard nest. Canva offers so many delightful features that are free to verified educators, and its whiteboard tool is a worthy replacement for Jamboard. Let’s walk through some of the Jamboard-compatible features Canva Whiteboard offers. Here’s a quick video overview:

Import Images or Presentations

Save your Google Jamboards as images for an easy upload to Canva Whiteboard. Or, upload any image file you’d like to use (keeping licensing and copyright in mind, of course)!

Google Jamboard content being saved as a PNG

Here’s one of my favorite activities as a Google Slide, the 3-2-1 activity (3 main ideas/words, 2 supporting details/phrases, and 1 question/quote). You can vary this activity in many ways! I can download it as an image and then upload it to my whiteboard in Canva for students to annotate. You can do this with any image you save or find.

Google Slides content being saved as a PNG
Save a Google Slide as an Image
Canva Whiteboard Image Upload
Upload Images to Canva

Get a few other Google Slides activities here that can be exported and use in an online whiteboard of your choice.

Yes, you can download presentations as PNG or image files and upload them to Canva, but wouldn’t it be great if you didn’t have to? In Canva Whiteboard, you can import a presentation straight from Google Drive, Microsoft OneDrive, or Dropbox and turn it into a whiteboard.

  1. Click the menu icon in the top left corner.
  2. Open Projects.
  3. Click Add New in the top right corner.
  4. Choose Import from app in the drop-down menu.
  5. Choose to import from Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox.
How to import presentations from an app in Canva

You can change it to a whiteboard in Canva by right-clicking a slide and choosing Expand to Whiteboard in the drop-down menu.

How to expland a Canva Presentation to a Whiteboard

Lock the Background

In Canva, like in Jamboard, you can lock the background. This ensures your students won’t be able to move the background around as they are using the whiteboard. Click the image and select the lock in the toolbar, or right-click the image and select the lock in the drop-down menu.

Canva lock background options
Lock an image from the Canva toolbar.

Canva image drop down menu
Lock an image from the image drop-down menu.

Duplicate a Page

Now that you have your whiteboard slide looking the way you want, you’re ready to duplicate it.

How to duplicate a page in Canva Whiteboard

When you present or share your screen, as you’ll see in a bit, these pages will become available as slides. Students can write on these slides with the Draw tools in Canva. And, since you locked the background, that should help keep certain elements unmoveable, as you can see below:

Canva Locked Background example

Additionally, you can see students working live in the document. This makes it easier to monitor progress.

Everything ready to go? Now, you can bring students into the equation to add comments and annotations. To share the Canva Whiteboard, use the Share button that appears in the top right corner of the screen.

Canva's share menu

As you can see in the image above, the “Can Comment” is enabled, but you will want to change that to Edit. Remember, you can also share a presentation in Canva for groups of students to work on!

Note: If whiteboard vandalism is a concern, then you can take a more limited approach. That is, you can share the link to a whiteboard with only that group of students or an individual student.

Share Your Whiteboard as a Template

If you’d like to share your whiteboards as editable templates with other educators, you can do so by clicking Share and then clicking the Template Link option. This makes sharing your whiteboard designs easy. The only catch? To edit the template, you need to have a Canva account. That’s not a bad thing for colleagues since Canva is free for educators and students.

Share options in Canva

When you click on the icon for the template link, you will see a link to copy:

Example template link

Here’s what sharing a whiteboard as a template link looks like. Try out this editable template of my 3-2-1 whiteboard!

Did You Know?

Canva offers a desktop app that will run on your computer. This means you can work on your computer (e.g. Windows/Mac) with Canva creations outside of your browser. Get the app.

Add Text and Content to a Whiteboard

Once your students have access to Canva Whiteboard via the Share link, they can do so much. I almost wish Canva Whiteboard offered a limited set of tools for their whiteboard or a toggle switch for the tools available to keep choices simple for younger students.

This video gives you a big-picture overview:

Like some of my colleagues, when I heard Jamboard was going away, I worried I wouldn’t find an easy-to-use replacement. Thank goodness Canva’s Whiteboard solution is available and ready to go! Here are a few more Canva Whiteboard videos to get your brain moving in the right direction:

Please share any resources or whiteboards you have created in the comments. We’d love to hear how you’re using Canva Whiteboards!

Featured Image: Screenshot by author, Canva Dashboard.

All images within this article are screenshots by the author.

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Back to SchoolGoogle Tips and TricksOnline Tools and Apps

Five Jamboard Bellringers to Start the School Day

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

Jamboard is such a good tool for creating quick, interactive activities to warm up students’ brains at the beginning of class. I can’t think of a better time to jump into a Jamboard than when the morning school bell chimes. Here are five bellringers that you can copy and run with! 

1. For the Rest of Your Life

For the rest of your life

This bellringer will really get your students thinking about making a choice. Similar to “Would you rather…”, options include: 

  • If you could only have one utensil, would you choose a fork, knife, or spoon?
  • If you could visit only one landmark would you choose the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, or the Great Wall of China?
  • If you could eat only one fruit, would you choose an apple, banana, or orange? 
  • If you could eradicate a species of animal, would you choose alligators, snakes, or spiders?
  • Would you rather live in a skyscraper in a large city, a hut on the beach, or a castle in a foreign county? 
  • Would you rather only eat tacos, pizza, or hamburgers for every Saturday meal?

2. Picture of the Day Bellringers

Picture of the Day

Students will take a look at a picture and be challenged to consider what they see, what details they notice, and what they think is happening in the image with this bellringer. The Jamboard comes with a selection of post-it-notes that include the prompts:

I notice . . .

I wonder  . . .

This makes me think . . .

Photos include:

  • Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo
  • Snow scene
  • Breakfast time
  • The Girl and a Bubble
  • A Road in the Desert
  • The Crown Fountain in Chicago
  • A Maker Costume

3. Color Jam Bellringer

Color Jam Bellringer

Each slide is a different color. Students think of one item for each color (banana for yellow, sky for blue, etc.) and either type it on a sticky note or in a text box. For a challenge, see if they can come up with different items for each color without any duplicates.  When finished, they could also find an image to go along with the items they listed for an extended bellringer.

4. Quick Debates

Quick Debates Bellringer

Share one of the quick debate topics, and students can pick a position and defend their decision. It’s always interesting to hear the different arguments for and against! The 10 topics include:

  • Is a hotdog a sandwich?
  • Does a straw have one hole or two?
  • Is your thumb a finger?
  • Eat rice with a spoon or a fork?
  • Is chess a sport?
  • Should you eat ice cream in a cup or a cone?
  • Is cereal a soup?
  • Does a snake have a tail?
  • Is cheesecake a cake?
  • What is the correct way to put on socks and shoes? Sock, sock, shoe, shoe OR sock, shoe, sock, shoe.

5. This, Not That

This, Not That Bellringer

There are 12 “This, Not That” puzzles to choose from on this bellringer. How does this work? Each frame gives five statements and you have to figure out from those statements what a person likes. For example, let’s take Emily. 

  1. She likes minutes, not hours
  2. She likes the Seven Dwarfs, but not Snow White.
  3. She likes poems, not novels
  4. She likes power naps, not dusk to dawn sleeps.
  5. She likes skirts, not jeans.

If your reasoning led you to believe she likes things that are short – you are CORRECT! Sometimes these puzzles can be a little tricky. So teachers, if you do not have time to figure out the answer, email me at preimers@tcea.org, and I can send you the answers. 

I know that educators are always looking ideas for bellringers. Please feel free to drop a link or comment in the chat if you have any to add. Let’s ring that bell!

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Google Tips and TricksOnline Tools and Apps

Free Jamboard Templates for Elementary Students

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

Jamboard, like many of Google’s other products, is an amazing tool. It’s easy to use, powerful, and integrates into any content area or grade level. What makes it even better is that there are LOTS of great educational templates that are readily available for teachers and instructional coaches to use. Let’s take a look at a few of those now.

Using Jamboard

Before you can start copying some fabulous templates, it’s important to remember a couple of things. First, you can use the wonderful trick of typing “jam.new” into a browser address bar like you can with almost all of the other Google tools to start a new Jamboard. Or, if you want to spend more time, you can go into the Google Apps waffle from any Google tool in your browser. Then, scroll down until you see the Jamboard icon.

Second, to use one of the templates below, you’ll be asked to make a copy of each one to your Google Drive. That way, you can edit them as you like and use them with your elementary students.

Cross-Curricular Templates

  • I love this morning meetings calendar. It features a place for the weather, seasons, and counting practice. And it’s colorful!
  • Using this See, Think, Wonder template will help students develop thinking routines. And with the emojis, it’s just cute!
  • Take a poll using Jamboard. Divide a into several parts and have students vote on their choice by placing a sticky with their name on it in the part. This can be great for selecting the next book to read, the next activity, and more. This site offers lots of other great ideas, too.
  • This Question of the Day (or week) is great for getting students thinking. Write your question in the center and have students post their thoughts and ideas around it.
  • Eric Curts offers 12 different rainbow scratch-off templates that are fun and beautiful. Use them to reveal vocabulary words or math problems for students to solve.

jamboard

Jamboard Templates for ELA

  • Alice Keeler has five different handwriting templates that work great for younger students. One way to use them is demonstrate how certain letters should be made and then have your students recreate them themselves.
  • Next, check out the magnetic letters Jamboard template. This works great as a center for spelling and vocabulary words.
  • Help your students develop editing skills by working with their peers on this Glows and Grows Jamboard.
  • All students can learn with a Sentence Maker template. But it’s especially effective for ESL students. You also find several other Jamboard ideas at this site.
  • Vocabulary words must be learned in lots of subjects. And having the students play word detective to learn them is a fun way to go. This template will help.

Templates for Math

  • While actual base 10 blocks are most effective with young learners, virtual ones can be good, too. Check out this set.
  • This place value grid allows students to move digital sticky notes around the board. You can change the notes out as students learn different numbers.
  • Help your students develop their word problem skills with this free equations template from Teachers Pay Teachers.
  • Check out the pattern building and math modeling templates for primary students here.
  • There are a number of math jams available here broken out by grade level (kindergarten, first grade, second grade, and grades 3-5).

If those aren’t enough Jamboard activities for you, then take a look at this Wakelet of even more templates and get your jam on! And, if you want to learn more about how to best use Jamboard with students of any age, check out TCEA’s online, self-paced course Google Jamboard. Priced at just $29, the course will help you master unique ideas for using Jamboard, how best to share boards with your students, and collaborative ways to foster engagement and learning. Finally, this blog will showcase how you can use Jamboard to help with social-emotional learning.

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differentiation
Good Teaching

It’s Time to Let the Kids Choose

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

Part of the growing up process is learning to make good choices. From the time babies begin to talk, we encourage them to think about their actions and the choices they make. But sometimes in school, we limit the choices that they have in the assignments that we give them. That’s where differentiation comes in.

Educational research has shown that choice leads to more confident, more capable, and more interested students. Alfie Kohn’s classic article “Choices for Children” cites the findings of a number of studies on student choice. He describes a study that showed that giving second graders choice in learning tasks led to greater task completion in less time. Another study concluded that high school students asked to write up chemistry problems without step-by-step instructions completed better write-ups and later remembered the material better than those who had been told exactly what to do. Student choice, when implemented correctly, works.

Giving Students Choices

So how can you give students choice? A simple way is to use choice boards. Also called extension menus or Think Tac Toe, choice boards present a variety of choices for students to select from. This Think Tac Toe board on The Hunger Games for eighth grade students, for example, requires all of them to complete the activity in the center of the board (the “free space”) and then complete three in a row by selecting two other activities to do. The teacher remains in control of the content being covered and the depth to which students must learn the content. But the students are able to showcase their learning in ways that meet their individual needs.

To allow even more choice, the teacher can add a “Free Choice” square to the board that lets a student come up with his/her own activity. The choice must be cleared with the teacher first, however, to ensure that it meets the required standards.

This multiplication Think Tac Toe for elementary students is another example. And to find more ways to incorporate student choice, take a look at the Dare to Differentiate website on choice boards. It has numerous resources, including videos.

While students shouldn’t have a choice about every single assignment they have to complete, they should be allowed some choices based on their particular needs and interests. Begin with just a few choices and then, once they are better at making these choices, allow them more. You’ll both be glad you did.

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AI/VR

EduSphere: Premade Prompts Ease AI Usage in K-12

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“Why use premade prompts when you have access to an open-ended chatbot?” This question popped up at a school district AI Summit in Northside ISD in San Antonio, Texas, earlier this year. The session title, Battle of the Bots: Your AI Assistant pitted a popular school-centric AI solution against a chatbot. In this blog entry, you will be introduced to a new pre-created prompt tool for educators. If you read my blog entry on TeacherServer, you may find EduSphere worth a moment of time.

Weighing In: PreMade Prompts or Open-Ended

That AI Summit presenter, Lucia, demonstrated the use of a premade prompt to make a choice board (see image above). The result included instructions for students, as well as a simple chart. Pro users of the AI school AI tool can easily export the chart to Google Docs, MS Word, or Print to paper or PDF. You can imagine taking that PDF and dropping it into a tool like Seesaw or Kami to heighten interactivity.

That’s the benefit of a pre-created prompt through a school centric AI like MagicSchool.ai, School AI, TeacherServer, and others. They take the stress out of the initial work, giving you something to modify. This removes the pain of figuring out a more detailed prompt like the one you will see in action below.

Open-Ended Prompts

As useful as premade prompts are, more adept users of AI tools will want increasing control over their creations. For example, consider this prompt written with the TCEA Prompt Engineering acronym (get a copy) in mind:

As a patient and energetic fifth-grade social studies teacher, generate a choice board activity to explain the significance of important landmarks, including the White House, the Statue of Liberty, and Mount Rushmore, in accordance with Social Studies TEKS 5.16(D). The choice board should include a markdown table formatted with three columns and three rows. The center cell (B2) should have a catchy title. Include a mix of interactive, hands-on activities that can be done both online and offline. Ensure that activities reflect UDL 3.0 Design guidelines and ELPS for grades 4-5. Provide links to age-appropriate resources and videos.

Below is what an example of a table looks like in Markdown format:

| Choice Board: | Explore U.S. | Landmarks |
| -------------        |  -------------       | -------------        | 
| Cell A1 | Cell B1 | Cell C1 |
| Cell A2 | Cell B2 | Cell C2 |
| Cell A3 | Cell B3 | Cell C3 |
| Cell A4 | Cell B4 | Cell C4 |
| Cell A5 | Cell B5 | Cell C5 |

Put both the prompt and the table example together, you get a result like this one from the chatbot:

Choice Board:Explore U.S.Landmarks
White House Virtual Tour
Take a virtual tour of the White House and draw your favorite room.		Exciting Choice Board Activity
Discover the significance of U.S. landmarks through various activities.		Mount Rushmore Research
Research the creation and significance of Mount Rushmore and create a presentation.
Statue of Liberty Fact Sheet
Create a fact sheet about the Statue of Liberty.		Exciting Title
An exciting introduction to the choice board activities.		Mount Rushmore Model
Build a model of Mount Rushmore using materials at home and explain its significance.
Statue of Liberty Video
Watch an age-appropriate video about the Statue of Liberty and write a summary.		Exciting Title
Explore U.S. Landmarks!		White House History
Write a brief report on the history of the White House.
ChatGPT. “Use the TCEA Prom…” A.I. Archives, 8 August 2024,
https://aiarchives.org/id/e5VDZRdHDSqGVjwry9KO

Use the citation link above to see the entire conversation, from start to finish. How would you have approached prompt design?

Adding UDL and ELPS

If I had attempted to add the English Language Proficiency Standards (ELPS) and UDL 3.0 guidelines as PDFs to the school-centric AI, I would have run into limits (e.g. one PDF file allowed). You would have had to fine-tune the result much in the same way I had to using ChatGPT 4o:

With this type of prompt in hand, you can go to any chatbot and drop in the prompt and get similar results. The quality of the response will vary based on whether you are using a free or paid version. For example, here’s what a Perplexity Pro choice board looks like:

Landmark Lego Challenge

Build a model of the White House, Statue of Liberty, or Mount Rushmore using Lego bricks or other building materials. Write a short explanation of the landmark’s significance.		Virtual Field Trip

Take a virtual tour of one of the landmarks using Google Arts & Culture. Create a travel brochure highlighting its key features and historical importance.		Symbol Sketch

Draw a detailed sketch of one landmark, labeling its symbolic elements. Explain how these symbols represent American values or history.
Create a 3D Model

Use clay, paper mache, or digital tools like Tinkercad to create a 3D model of a landmark. Present your model to the class, explaining its historical significance.		Landmark Legacy

Explore U.S.		Postcard from the Past

Design a postcard as if you were visiting the landmark when it was first built. Write a message explaining its importance to someone back home.
Time Traveler’s Tale

Write a short story about traveling back in time to witness the construction or dedication of one of the landmarks. Include historical details and the landmark’s significance.		LandmarksDigital Scavenger Hunt

Create a Kahoot! quiz about the landmarks for classmates to play, focusing on their historical importance and interesting facts.
Landmark Rap

Compose and perform a rap song about one or more landmarks, highlighting their significance in American history. Record your performance if possible.		Monument Meme

Create a meme that cleverly explains the importance of one of the landmarks. Share and explain your meme to the class.
See the complete chat via Perplexity

As powerful as designing your own prompts can be, it requires a little more time. The results may be better, but you may not want to spend the time.

Wait, One More Point!

Want an open-ended chatbot to remember your lesson plan formats, UDL 3.0 guidelines, and ELPS? Then, consider paying for a Pro or Plus account. Both ChatGPT’s Custom GPT and Claude’s Projects offer long-term memory chats. These types of chats differ from drive-by chats free users use. These not-free tools allow you to set the context and detailed instructions ahead of multiple queries. They rely on tailored instructions (a.k.a. long prompts or mega prompts) with supporting documents.

Here’s what a Claude Projects’ Lesson Design Helper looks like:

Introducing EduSphere

Unlike TeacherServer which offers 47 premade prompts, EduSphere starts out with six. These include:

Let’s take a quick look at three popular ones.

Tool #1: MindMap Generator

This tool offers to create mindmaps on any given topic. Once you submit your specifications for the mindmap, EduSphere will do some research, sharing resources referenced. Then, it generates a mindmap, as you can see below.

It’s easy to export the content to PDF or Microsoft Docx formatted files. The generated mindmap is not as sophisticated as you might get from a chatbot like ChatGPT or Claude.ai as a Mermaid chart.

See an example generated from the research EduSphere provided via this Claude.ai Artifact.
Claude. “Copygraph TD I…” A.I. Archives, 8 August 2024,
https://aiarchives.org/id/Ny83CdhNLxOh4tTemkFM

You might consider EduSphere’s mindmap a starting point or worthwhile only for simple mindmaps.

Tool #2: Quiz Generator

The Quiz Generator tool allows you to generate a quiz. EduSphere will decide what content it uses for the quiz, so it’s not customizable up front. You can’t give it certain content standards or background information to generate a quiz from. While you can upload content, the questions won’t reflect that content. That means that you are at the mercy of the quiz generator. It’s only at the end of the process that you can edit the quiz, and make changes to it.

This tool is only good at basic level, getting you past the blank page but not much else.

Tool #3: Rubrics Generator

Once you submit the learning objectives, set the difficulty level, EduSphere’s Rubric Generator will take off. It will generate scoring criteria, points, and more.

Points to Ponder

Many school-centric and open-ended AI tools are finding their way into the education market. Use a standard prompt of your design that challenges these paid and free options. If the AI tool’s pre-created prompts or assisted chatbots can’t get the job done, don’t waste your time. More sophisticated tools are in the wings waiting for you.

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Good TeachingHoliday and Winter Classroom Ideas

Keep Your Students Focused During the Holiday Season

by Macee Hall
written by Macee Hall

Happy Halloween! For many educators, today kicks off that spooky (and exciting) part of the year where the holiday season makes time seem to hasten and attention spans… well… shorten. But fear not — we’ve compiled a list of tricks and treats to get you through the end of the semester in one piece! Check out these strategies to help you keep your students focused during the holiday season.

Holiday Season Tips to Keep Your Students Focused

Set clear goals and expectations for what needs to be accomplished before the break.

As with any good goal, the process you develop to keep your students focused throughout the holiday months should start with setting clear parameters around what needs done prior to winter break. Take a moment to identify any goals or benchmarks you have for your classroom, and then brainstorm some ways to meet them with your students. Getting your students involved with this process gives them a sense of responsibility during the process and will help them prioritize and set goals of their own, in the future!

Maintain regular routines and schedules as much as possible.

Scheduling during the later “‘ber” months can get difficult, what with all the holiday breaks and various travel plans. After you’ve set your goals and decided how to help your students meet them, it’s important to stick to that plan as much as possible and to maintain a sense of normalcy through the continuation of a set classroom routine. The goal is to find ways to engage students without distracting from or derailing their studies entirely.

Communicate with parents about maintaining routines and expectations at home.

Students spend the vast majority of their time in the classroom and at home with their families. With the holiday season just beginning, now is the time to send home a letter or handout asking families to help keep students on-task and regulated throughout the next few months. We all know that it takes a village… Now’s the time to band together and model good goal-focused habits!

Incorporate holiday-themed activities and content into lessons to engage students.

It’s understandable why our seasonal activity blogs are always a hit within the TCEA community… Students and educators, alike, love a seasonal activity! Engage students with holiday-themed activities to keep them learning while also providing them space to get excited in anticipation of the coming celebrations. You might choose to use seasonal themes for writing prompts, math word problems, or even science experiments. But remember to keep things inclusive — with so many holidays and cultures to represent, it’s often safest to stick with winter imagery and examples, as opposed to honing in on a specific holiday. 

This is also a great chance to introduce a variety of cultural holidays through inclusive, hands-on activities! Just make sure to check with your school or district leadership, first.

NOTE: We’re collecting and developing exciting Thanksgiving and winter holiday activities, and will share them as blog posts in the near future! In the meantime, check out these past examples to get your inspiration flowing.

Re-energize students with short movement breaks.

One of the best ways to combat student jitters is to actually let them move! Incorporate a fun game of “Simon Says” and lead students through some basic stretches while turning their listening ears back on. Or, turn on some energizing music and have a 30-second dance party — it works wonders (even for me when I get overwhelmed at my desk)! View more movement break ideas here.

Use choice boards to give students more autonomy.

Students of all ages benefit from a little autonomy and trust within their own education. An easy way to give them a choice while still keeping them on-par with your classroom benchmarks is to utilize choice boards in your lesson plan. Plus, these choice boards provide an opportunity for differentiated learning and for students to help each other stay on task.

How do you keep your students on task during the holiday season?

Let us know what tactics or techniques you use in your own classroom in the comments below!

*List created with the help of Perplexity.AI. Edits provided by Macee Hall, Communications Specialist at TCEA.

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A classroom of middle school students working in small groups at different stations, with a teacher assisting students in the background
Classroom ManagementGood TeachingInstructional Coaching

Maximize Student Engagement with Station Rotation Models

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

As educators, we’re constantly seeking innovative ways to engage our students and maximize learning outcomes. One method that offers a fresh, dynamic approach is the station rotation strategy. Having used centers in elementary school and successfully adapted them for secondary students, I’ve found this method to be highly effective across all grade levels—with some adjustments to accommodate older students’ preferences and learning styles.

Station rotations involve dividing your class into small groups that move through various activities, such as teacher-led instruction, independent work, collaborative tasks, or technology-based learning. This approach goes beyond simply breaking up the routine; it creates an environment where students are actively engaged, moving, and interacting with diverse learning experiences. Whether you’re new to this concept or looking to refine your practice, this guide will walk you through the essentials of implementing effective station rotations in your K-12 classroom.

Why Try Station Rotations?

For teachers who haven’t yet incorporated centers into their classrooms, you might wonder if it’s worth the effort. The benefits are substantial:

  1. Differentiate instruction: Station rotations allow you to tailor activities to meet each student’s specific needs. You can offer challenging work to advanced learners while providing extra support to those who need it—all simultaneously.
  2. Increase engagement: Keeping students moving and working in smaller groups helps maintain their attention. They’re more likely to stay focused and participate when actively involved in a variety of activities.
  3. Use time and resources efficiently: With multiple stations running concurrently, you’re maximizing both your time and classroom resources. While one group works directly with you, others can tackle independent or tech-based tasks, ensuring that everyone remains productive.

Station rotations aren’t just about breaking up monotony — they’re a strategy to meet students where they are and keep them engaged in meaningful learning.

Station Rotation Frameworks

There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the station rotation model. Depending on your teaching style and your students’ needs, you can experiment with different frameworks to keep your classroom running smoothly. Here are three options to consider:

1. Fixed-Time Rotations

This straightforward and structured approach involves students rotating between stations at set intervals, usually dictated by a timer. It’s easy to manage and predict, making it ideal for teachers new to using centers.

How to implement Fixed-Time Rotations:

  • Set up 3-4 stations around your classroom, each with a different task (e.g., teacher-led instruction, independent practice, technology-based learning, collaborative activities).
  • Determine the time needed for each station (start with 10-15 minute rotations).
  • Use a timer to signal the end of each station.
  • Maintain structure by keeping station materials organized and providing clear instructions at each station.
  • Reflect and adjust after a few rounds, paying attention to timing and task difficulty.

2. Flexible Rotations

In this model, students move between stations based on task completion rather than a set timer. This allows students to work at their own pace, promoting independence and accommodating different learning speeds.

How to implement Flexible Rotations:

  • Design tasks of varying lengths and complexity.
  • Set clear expectations and goals for each station.
  • Monitor progress closely, using formative assessment techniques.
  • Plan for flexibility by having extra or optional activities ready.
  • Create a system for smooth transitions between stations.
  • Balance flexibility with accountability to ensure task completion.

3. Choice-Based Rotations

This model gives students more ownership of their learning by allowing them to choose which station to visit and in what order. Using a choice board can help structure this approach effectively.

How to implement Choice-Based Rotations:

  • Create a choice board with various activities aligned to learning goals.
  • Provide clear expectations for the number of stations students must complete.
  • Allow flexibility in the order of task completion.
  • Monitor pacing to ensure appropriate progress through stations.

Tips for Success

To make the implementation of station rotations smoother for both you and your students, refer to the Station Rotation Implementation Checklist that I put together for you. And, if implementing stations into your classroom seems daunting, remember these five tip:

  1. Start Small and Simple: Begin with 2-3 stations to focus on getting the basics down.
  2. Establish Clear Routines and Expectations: Take time to explain and practice procedures for transitions and station activities.
  3. Plan Purposeful Activities: Ensure each station has a clear purpose aligned with your learning goals.
  4. Prepare Detailed Instructions and Materials: Provide step-by-step instructions at each station to promote independent work.
  5. Be Flexible and Patient: Expect some initial challenges and give yourself grace as you fine-tune the process.

Incorporating station rotations into your classroom can transform your instructional approach, increasing student engagement and meeting diverse learning needs. Whether you’re just starting or looking to refine your practice, these models offer flexible and effective ways to maximize your instructional time.

Remember to start small, stay patient, and gradually expand as both you and your students become more comfortable with the routine. By embracing this research-based approach, you’ll create a dynamic and student-centered learning environment that promotes growth, independence, and deeper understanding.

Station rotation frameworks
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Fall Classroom Activities

Hauntingly Good Halloween Activities to Electrify Your Classroom

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

If you are a long time TCEA TechNotes blog follower, then you will know my favorite time of year is coming up soon: Halloween! Creating activities for educators and students ranks in the top three of my favorite things to do at TCEA. So, if you are looking for hauntingly good Halloween activities to electrify your classroom party or a personal party, this blog is just for you!

So fresh out of the bubbling and creative cauldron, are TWO brand new Halloween activities:

Name That Costume | Canva Presentation with 26 Costumes 

Halloween Connections Game | Two Games Housed in Canva

This blog also is your one-stop-shopping-spot for a total refresh of my Halloween edition of “Would You Rather?” and my other spooky-ooky standards. 

Name That Costume

Many full moons ago, I used to play a pencil and paper version of Name That Costume with my fifth and sixth graders, and now I have converted it into a Canva presentation. How does NTC work? A page is set up with a word list of several parts and pieces of a Halloween costume. Students are to guess and identify the costume. The following page contains the answer and a picture of the costume.

Access Name That Costume
Edit Name That Costume

The Connections Game (Halloween Edition)

Have you ever played a word association game? The Connections Game is similar, but with a Halloween twist! This word association game is where you must organize 16 words into four categories of four words each. Each group is linked by a common theme. Your job is to figure out what that connection is.

For example:

  • Words: bat, pumpkin, skeleton, ghost
  • Group topic: Halloween symbols

I have two Halloween-themed Connections games ready for you to try. Each game has a different set of words and a unique connection to discover. See if you can crack the code! For more information, check out this blog. 

Access Connections
Edit Connections

Would You Rather: Halloween Edition

I also have revamped my Halloween Would You Rather. The original was set up in Google Slides with only text on each slide. I have transferred this presentation into Canva and added monsterific-graphics. 

If you are not familiar with Would You Rather, it is a fun activity where you’re presented with two hypothetical situations and asked to choose one. It’s a great way to spark conversations, test your preferences, and learn about your students’  thoughts and opinions. The resource has 29 questions. 

Directions

  1. Take turns asking questions: One person asks a question, and everyone else answers. Or one person gets a question all to themselves. Your choice or think up another way to play WYR.
  2. Explain your choices: After everyone answers, share why you picked your crazy choice. 
  3. Have fun! The goal of the game is to have fun and spark interesting conversations. There are no right or wrong answers!

Here are a few examples for WYR:

  • dunk for apples or carve a jack o’lantern?
  • wear a creative costume or wear a scary costume?
  • get attacked by a giant spider or a spooky skeleton?
  • explore a corn maze or visit a haunted house
  • be a member of the Brady Bunch or the Addams Family?
Access Would You Rather
Edit Would You Rather

Two Digital Breakouts

Also, I have two digital breakouts for Halloween. A little history for you, The Boo Breakout was the first digital breakout I ever created seven years ago, in 2017. As I write this blog, 8,217 students and teachers have thus far solved The Boo Breakout!

 And, if you are up for unlocking more fun, check out The Trick or Treat Breakout. This breakout was created in 2020 and it is so close to cracking the 2,000 finish line. 

Halloween Adjective Challenge

Looking for a fun and spooky way to celebrate Halloween? Check out our Halloween Adjective Challenge! This Google Form quiz presents you with ten images. Your task is to read the three sentences below each image and select the sentence that uses the correct adjectives to describe the image.

How to Play:

  1. Access the Quiz: Click here to start the Halloween Adjective Challenge.
  2. Read the Sentences: Carefully read the three sentences provided for each image.
  3. Choose the Correct Sentence: Select the sentence that best describes the image using the correct adjectives.
  4. Submit Your Answers: Once you’ve completed all ten questions, submit your quiz.
  5. Check Your Score: After submitting, you’ll receive your score and correct answers.

Halloween Synonym Challenge

Get ready to test your vocabulary skills with my spooky Halloween Synonym Challenges! These two quizzes, housed in Google Forms, will put your word knowledge to the test.

Level 1: This challenge focuses on more common Halloween-related words, such as “candy,” “horrible,” and “yell.”

Level 2: If you’re feeling brave, try our Level 2 challenge. This quiz features more advanced words like “afraid,” “gross,” and “shiver.”

How to Play:

  1. Access the Quizzes: Click on the links below to start each challenge.
  2. Read the Words: Carefully read each word presented in the quiz.
  3. Choose the Correct Synonym: Select the word that best means the same as the given word.
  4. Submit Your Answers: Once you’ve completed all the questions, submit your quiz.
  5. Check Your Score: After submitting, you’ll receive your score and correct answers.
Level 1  
Level 2

Halloween Charades

4 Halloween charades cards: candy, fangs, mask, and trick or treat bag.

Get ready for a frightfully fun Halloween activity! I’ve created 48 Halloween-related words. These cards are housed in Google Slides, ready for print. All you need to do is click on the link and make a copy. The goal of Charades is to act out words without speaking, using only gestures and expressions. Your teammates will try to guess the word based on your performance. You can view the slide deck here or get your own copy of the game here.

How to Play:

  1. Divide into teams.
  2. Choose a player. This player will be the actor.
  3. Select a card. The actor draws a card and reads the words silently.
  4. Act it Out: The actor uses gestures, expressions, and mime to convey the meaning of the words.
  5. Guess the Words: The actor’s team tries to guess the words within a set time limit (e.g., 30 seconds).
  6. Keep Score: Each guessed word earns a point for the team.
  7. Switch Players: After a few rounds, switch players and continue the game.

As you gear up for Halloween season, I hope these activities spark creativity and fun in your classroom or personal celebrations. Whether it’s guessing costumes, cracking word connections, or diving into a digital breakout, these resources are designed to engage and entertain students of all ages. From revamped classics like Would You Rather? to fresh takes on challenges, there’s something here for everyone. Don’t be afraid to customize these activities to fit your classroom needs and watch the spooky magic unfold. Here’s to a hauntingly good time for you and your students—Happy Halloween!

More Fall-Themed Activities for the Classroom

Fall Into Learning: Autumn-Themed Activities for the Classroom

Fall Activities for the Classroom

Trick or Treat Digital Breakout

Spooky Games and Breakouts

7 Spooktacular Activities for the Elementary Classroom

Fall Into Elementary Autumn Resources

Falling for Digital Breakouts

Discovering Autumn-Themed Choice Boards

Celebrating Day of Dead with Crafts and Learning

3 Fall-Themed Activities for the Classroom

Fall Websites for You and Your Students

The Dump Truck Incident: An Elementary Problem-Solving Challenge

11 Thanksgiving Activities for Joy and Learning

The Gobble Gobble Breakout

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Image that depicts five ways to use Google Slides.
Google Tips and Tricks

Five Imaginative Ways to Use Google Slides

by Diana Benner
written by Diana Benner

Google Slides is fantastic for presentations, but there are so many more ways you can use it. The application is so versatile that it can be used creatively to transform the classroom into an interactive and engaging place.

Here are a few imaginative ways to use Google Slides with your students.

Group Brainstorming

Instead of using a whiteboard, you can create a shared slide deck where students can brainstorm ideas together. Brainstorming is an excellent way to access student’s prior knowledge and can have great impact on student achievement. Students can use shapes to create sticky notes and could use shapes, lines, and connectors to create mind maps to capture their thoughts.

Choice Boards

You can offer students a choice when completing classroom activities by creating a choice board in Google Slides. Allowing students to choose how they want to demonstrate their learning can increase student buy-in and recall because students are more interested in their learning. In addition, it’s a great way to differentiate in the classroom. Slidesmania has a ton of choice board templates to help you get started. If you want to learn more about using choice board in your classroom, check out this online course.

Image of choice board templates from Slidesmania.
Screenshot by Diana Benner of Slidemania’s Choice Board Templates

Virtual Field Trips

Take your students on virtual field trips without leaving the classroom. Use Google Slides to compile a series of images, videos, and informational text about various locations. Hyperlink to 360-degree videos or interactive websites for a more immersive experience. Students can explore different locations or historical sites without leaving the classroom. Google Slides also has a field trip template in the template gallery so students can convey what they learned on their virtual field trip.

Flashcards

Google Slides also has a flashcards template in the template gallery. To access the template, go to your Google Drive and click on New > Google Slides > From a template. From there, you can select the flashcards template. Flashcards are an excellent tool for introducing new vocabulary words or academic concepts in a visual and interactive way. The images and words on the cards help students make connections and commit the information to memory.

Image of flash cards that say Spanish Quiz flash cards. This image is from Google Slide's template gallery.
Screenshot by Diana Benner of Google Slide’s Flashcard Template

Digital Escape Rooms

You can create engaging and interactive escape room activities by embedding puzzles, riddles, or clues within Google Slides. Students can work together to solve the challenges and “escape” the room. This will promote problem-solving skills and critical thinking. To get started, check out these step-by-step directions by Learnexus.

Google Slides is such a versatile tool. By thinking beyond traditional presentations, teachers can leverage this powerful tool to enhance student engagement, promote active learning, and foster a dynamic and interactive learning environment.

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