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https://www.weareteachers.com/bitmoji-classroom/

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Bitmojis are fun, entertaining, and completely educational. At least they are for these teachers, and especially during distance learning. Teachers have gotten super creative with their Bitmoji classrooms and Bitmoji lockers, but they also are using them for classroom management, virtual field trips, and more!

1. Host a virtual open house

We love how Rachel J. shows her classroom off virtually this year with Bitmojis! Get her template here.

2. Set expectations

Some teachers are using their Bitmojis to set up expectations posters for virtual meetings during distance learning. Thanks to Erika R. for this template.

3. Turn your Bitmojis into a poster or anchor chart

We love the creativity of Mrs. Lopinto. You'll have fun, scrolling through your Bitmoji options to decide which ones to use.

Source: @mrslopintoslife

4. Create a Bitmoji virtual field trip!

This aquarium field trip is downright adorable! Thanks to teacher De K. for the template.

5. Create a Bitmoji escape room.

Escape rooms are all the rage right now. Make yours virtual and interactive. Perfect for assessments! Thanks Destinie B. for this template!

6. Make a library!

These adorable libraries are clickable. Thanks Casey V. for the inspiration!

7. Make your Bitmoji 3D

So many teachers, like Cindy W., are turning their Bitmoji characters 3D and animating them!

8. Print stickers to reward students for a job well done

Lots of teachers are turning their Bitmojis into stickers to give to their students, and this teacher, Little Miss Fiesta, makes it really easy. You only need the Bitmoji app, Avery 22805 labels, and the free template. If you want a quick and easy tutorial on this, check out her YouTube video. These make a great, inexpensive gift idea to send home to students during distance learning.

Source: @littlemissfiesta

9. Use yourself as a welcoming face

Your students and visitors won't have any doubt which door is yours when you put a giant Bitmoji on it. Thanks to But First, First Grade for this idea.

Source: @butinfirstgrade

10. Reinforce classroom rules with Bitmojis

With so many Bitmojis you can choose, you'll surely find a Bitmoji for all of your classroom rules. Thanks for the idea, The Texas Teacher.

Source: @thetexasteacher14

11. Use Bitmojis to give instructions

This is a fun way to give your students instructions or tasks. If you want to be a little extra by dressing up to match your Bitmoji, then go for it. (Kudos to Valerie, this fourth grade teacher who matched hers perfectly!)

Source: @apizza5thgrade
We'd love to hear-how are you using bitmojis in the classroom? Come and share in our WeAreTeachers HELPLINE groupon Facebook. Plus, check out our favorite teacher stickers.

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11 Super Creative Bitmoji Classroom Ideas for Teachers

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Bitmojis are fun, entertaining, and completely educational. At least they are for these teachers, and especially during distance learning. Teachers have gotten super creative with their Bitmoji classrooms and Bitmoji lockers, but they also are using them for classroom management, virtual field trips, and more! We love how Rachel J.

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https://padlet.com/aliciabankhofer/cmqa7rbdwi3a1zyo

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https://twitter.com/XpatEducator/status/1287954653720715264?s=20

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🎙UPDATE! My ‘Create a Podcast’ workbook now includes a range of YouTube tutorial videos to support each topic & a selection of learning scaffolds that can be added!👇

1️⃣ Research & Plan 📝
2️⃣ Design & Create 💡
3️⃣ Edit & Publish 📲

@AppleEDU #EveryoneCanCreate #edtech

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🎙UPDATE! My ‘Create a Podcast’ workbook now includes a range of YouTube tutorial videos to support each topic & a selection of learning scaffolds that can be added!👇

1️⃣ Research & Plan 📝
2️⃣ Design & Create 💡
3️⃣ Edit & Publish 📲

@AppleEDU #EveryoneCanCreate #edtech https://t.co/P2LvOZra4f

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🎙UPDATE! My ‘Create a Podcast’ workbook now includes a range of YouTube tutorial videos to support each topic & a selection of learning scaffolds that can be added!👇

1️⃣ Research & Plan 📝
2️⃣ Design & Create 💡
3️⃣ Edit & Publish 📲@AppleEDU #EveryoneCanCreate #edtech pic.twitter.com/P2LvOZra4f
— Jamie Clark (@XpatEducator) July 28, 2020

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🎙UPDATE! My ‘Create a Podcast’ workbook now includes a range of YouTube tutorial videos to support each topic & a selection of learning scaffolds that can be added!👇

1️⃣ Research & Plan 📝
2️⃣ Design & Create 💡
3️⃣ Edit & Publish 📲

@AppleEDU #EveryoneCanCreate #edtech https://t.co/P2LvOZra4f

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🎙UPDATE! My ‘Create a Podcast’ workbook now includes a range of YouTube tutorial videos to support each topic & a selection of learning scaffolds that can be added!👇

1️⃣ Research & Plan 📝
2️⃣ Design & Create 💡
3️⃣ Edit & Publish 📲

@AppleEDU #EveryoneCanCreate #edtech https://t.co/P2LvOZra4f

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.metadata.attachment_props.text
🎙UPDATE! My ‘Create a Podcast’ workbook now includes a range of YouTube tutorial videos to support each topic & a selection of learning scaffolds that can be added!👇

1️⃣ Research & Plan 📝
2️⃣ Design & Create 💡
3️⃣ Edit & Publish 📲

@AppleEDU #EveryoneCanCreate #edtech

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Blog article on Mystery Skype with Isle of Mann

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Blog article on Mystery Skype with Isle of Mann

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https://bankhoferedu.com/2019/02/05/mystery-facetime-connecting-classes-via-the-internet/

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My ESL class recently connected with the class of fellow ADE Rachel Smith (who I had the pleasure of personally meeting last year in Texas) for a session of Mystery Facetime. Here the challenge was for each learning group to guess where the other class was.

Rachel and I convened an appropriate time and procedure beforehand. Since my ESL class was practising asking questions in English, this type of activity was perfect for them. Each member of the class was assigned a role for the session, some asked questions, some researched online using iPads and the application Maps and others documented the answers for the others. We used an iPad that was wirelessly connected to the projector and connected via Facetime so that the whole class could follow proceedings.

The impact and outcome could be seen immediately. The classes were initially shy but after successfully guessing their locations, they were conversing and asking questions about hobbies etc. It was amazing to see how much teenagers have in common, even though they come from different countries. Some students recorded short messages using Clips to share with the others.

Connecting classes is so simple and straightforward, thanks to educational technology.

A few impressions can be seen here: https://padlet.com/aliciabankhofer/mysteryfacetime

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Mystery Facetime - connecting classes via the internet

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My ESL class recently connected with the class of fellow ADE Rachel Smith (who I had the pleasure of personally meeting last year in Texas) for a session of Mystery Facetime. Here the challenge was for each learning group to guess where the other class was.

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https://www.evernote.com/shard/s1/sh/36665644-12a3-420f-bda6-9d60244192b4/a28145bd576bd6ecc3531ac2251dd0ba

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Free resources by an English Teacher Jamie Clark

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Free resources by an English Teacher Jamie Clark

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https://www.dropbox.com/sh/qare7r7fygne9b6/AACoYHc1PugdgHIPmwWCFgfoa?dl=0

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@XpatEducator Teaching & Learning Resources

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Great templates for teaching by slidesmania

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Great templates for teaching by slidesmania

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https://slidesmania.com/

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Recent Templates

Looking for how to videos and tutorials?

Are you too a #SlidesManiac?

Shout out to SlidesMania for creating so many unique and fun templates! I especially love the virtual notebooks!

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SlidesMania | Free Google Slides themes and PowerPoint templates.

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The best 100% free Google Slides themes and pptx templates. Your PowerPoint and Google Slides will never be the same. No registration or download limits!

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory interactive presentation in PPT

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Charlie and the Chocolate Factory interactive presentation in PPT

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Our high school yearbook in Book Creator

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Our high school yearbook in Book Creator

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https://read.bookcreator.com/ElAlboPy5jMVWsvTeDgfnSIMy2O2/5rAxRG1bTTau3O3_l3Pp9w

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The best students in the whole world

Message from your Class teacher

Reflecting on the past 4 years of Ganztagesklasse a lot of things come in my mind: the Kennenlernwoche, our time in the Storchencamp on the Neusiedler See, the Schikurs in Annaberg. There were great projects too like the Geisterbahn, the Fahrradprojekt, the Death in Vienna Project, the Berufsprojekt... As your Music teacher I must say, that I really liked to work with you for our performances together with Mrs Meintz like the Märchenprojekt in first grade and the theatre pieces.

I hope you will remember all those things and treasure your 4 years Unterstufe at the Antonkriegergasse like I do very much!

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Read this free ebook by Class 4E. Find thousands of free educational ebooks for classroom use at read.bookcreator.com

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What does our virtual classroom look like? Google Slides

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What does our virtual classroom look like? Google Slides

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https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1iv1GPphLMVGORCql4rpzRch4zKwiZWyVAauZLulAPZs/copy

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Wie sieht unser virtuelles Klassenzimmer aus?

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https://padlet.com/aliciabankhofer/createvideos

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Padlet Page - Tips on creating videos (German)

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Padlet Page - Tips on creating videos (German)

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https://padlet.com/oliver_zirwes/7INFEV

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Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain (book tip)

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Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain (book tip)

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https://www.amazon.com/Culturally-Responsive-Teaching-Brain-Linguistically-ebook/dp/B07C6NQ1QL

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The achievement gap remains a stubborn problem for educators of culturally and linguistically diverse students. With the introduction of the rigorous Common Core State Standards, diverse classrooms need a proven framework for optimizing student engagement and facilitating deeper learning

Culturally responsive pedagogy has shown great promise in meeting this need, but many educators still struggle with its implementation. In this book, Zaretta Hammond draws on cutting-edge neuroscience research to offer an innovative approach for designing and implementing brain-compatible culturally responsive instruction.

The book includes:

Information on how one's culture programs the brain to process data and affects learning relationships

Ten "key moves" to build students' learner operating systems and prepare them to become independent learners

Prompts for action and valuable self-reflection

With a firm understanding of these techniques and principles, teachers and instructional leaders will confidently reap the benefits of culturally responsive instruction.

" An essential, compelling, and practical examination of the relationship between culture and cognition that will forever transform how we think about our role facilitating the learning of other people's children-and our own children!

-LaShawn Routé Chatmon, Executive Director

National Equity Project

"All students can and will learn at high levels when provided the type of instruction described in this book. This work calls us to action by mandating that we move beyond looking for student outcomes that rely heavily on the regurgitation of memorized facts to applying the information learned to new situations."

-Kendra Ferguson, Chief of Schools

Kipp Bay Area Schools, Oakland, CA

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Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students

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Buy Culturally Responsive Teaching and The Brain: Promoting Authentic Engagement and Rigor Among Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Students: Read Kindle Store Reviews - Amazon.com

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Printable cutouts Little red riding hood, Three Little pigs, Glodilocks

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Printable cutouts Little red riding hood, Three Little pigs, Glodilocks

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http://miniaturemasterminds.com/2016/01/25/printable-story-book-characters-little-red-riding-hood-goldilocks-and-the-three-little-pigs/

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Printable Story Book Characters Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, And The Three Little Pigs

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Printable Story Book Characters Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks, And The Three Little Pigs Printable storybook characters to reenact three storybook favorites. Little Red Riding Hood, Goldilocks…

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https://answergarden.ch

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https://jamboard.google.com/d/1YyDwWes2-FD6ObyQnih_B8chPGeAiaEoZfi_FqYS4mI/edit?usp=sharing

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https://jamboard.google.com/d/1Zv1T6AC5PGfojoWrAlSIaeBEbMbUEllvjLjd8-3Ft6c/edit?usp=sharing

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The version of the browser you are using is no longer supported. Please upgrade to a supported browser. Dismiss

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http://ajjuliani.com/the-ultimate-guide-to-choice-boards-and-learning-menus/

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https://spencerauthor.com/choice-menus/

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I have three kids ranging from older elementary to high school. Each one of them is handling distance learning differently. My daughter, who is also the youngest, initially felt overwhelmed at the list of assignments that popped up each Monday and the scheduled meetings twice a week. However, once we walked her through the process of breaking down tasks and estimating work time, she was able to create a weekly schedule for herself. I even taught her about the planning fallacy and why we should take our initial estimation of time and multiply it by 1.5 to get a more accurate sense of how long things will take. My middle son decided to do as much of his work on Monday and Tuesday as possible to free up time later in the week. Meanwhile, my oldest son has chosen to go the "deep work" approach by focusing on one subject each day.

Their favorite parts of school have varied as well. My daughter loves her virtual meetings. My middle son prefers working asynchronously and enjoys it when teachers create tutorial videos and let students jump ahead if need be. Meanwhile, my oldest is working his hardest in his engineering class where they are doing a PBL unit based on a design challenge. Here, he is working on his computer while he has FaceTime open for hours as he talks with his friend.

Seeing distance learning through the lens of my own children is a reminder that each child is different. There is no single right way to do distance learning - an idea I explore in this video:
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While there is no instruction manual for distance learning, there are some universal ideas that can guide us as we design distance learning experience. One of these core ideas is student voice and choice. One of the best things we can offer students in this time of social distancing is a sense of autonomy and control over their learning. If you look at the following diagram, there is a progression in student agency where they move through compliance to engagement to empowerment as they have greater choice and control over their learning.

Note that too much choice can be a problem. Students can feel overwhelmed when things are too loose. Children need expectations, which is why agency and compliance still have a place. Moreover, choice can be overwhelming. As Barry Schwartz wrote in the classic Paradox of Choice, "Learning to choose is hard. Learning to choose well is harder. And learning to choose well in a world of unlimited possibilities is harder still, perhaps too hard." We do a disservice when we provide "unlimited possibilities" because it is simply too much choice for our brains. For this reason, it can help to create structures for student choice. One option is through the design of a choice menu.

Listen to the Podcast

If you enjoy this blog but you'd like to listen to it on the go, just click on the audio below or subscribe via iTunes/Apple Podcasts (ideal for iOS users) or Google Play and Stitcher (ideal for Android users).

https://spencerauthor.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/Choice-Menus.mp3

Four Approaches to Choice Menus

Choice menus have been around for years with different names, including "choice boards" and "learning menus." Regardless of the terminology, the idea is the same. Create structures that provide choices for students in their learning tasks. However, as mentioned before, choice often exists on a spectrum from teacher-directed (less autonomy) to student-directed (more autonomy). The following graphic is a continuum of choice menus with four different levels.

I want to point out that these do not to be sequential or linear. You don't have to start at a Level 1 and then move to a Level 4. But there is this idea that you may want to start at a more teacher-centered approach to get students used to the idea of choice and then move toward a Level 3 or 4 over time.

Level 1: Embedded Choice
Choice Level:
Mostly Teacher-Directed
Description:
With this first level, students all work on the same main assignment or project. Here, every student is working on the same learning targets and tasks for the majority of the assignment. The entire class has common grouping (individual, partners, or small groups) and generally works at the same pace. However, within this assignment, the teacher provides options on a sub-task.

So, in a language arts class, students might all do the same reading and answer similar questions but they have a menu of options for how they present their answers. They might record a podcast, make a slideshow, do a sketchnote, film a video, or write a blog post. Another variation of this might be that every student is writing a blog post but they have a list of topics they can select. So, they don't have a choice in the final product but they do have a choice in the topic.

In a math class, students might have the same set of word problems but they select from the menu. Or they might work on the same word problem but have a menu of options for how they solve the problems. For linear equations, this might include graphing, creating a table, or using an algorithm. Another time, they might all solve the same problem but they have a choice in how they share their answers with classmates.

The core idea is that most of the assignment is the same but there is one element where a choice menu is embedded. This is ideal when you first introduce a concept or skill and you want to make sure every student has the background knowledge they need before moving on. It can also function as a way to introduce choice to students without overwhelming them. Later, they'll move toward higher levels of choice and autonomy until they end up with something like a Genius Hour.

Level 2: Simple Choice Menu
Choice Level:
Somewhat Student-Directed
Description:
This builds on the last idea with a key variation. Instead of having a common assignment and embedded choices, students have a common objective but a choice in assignments. This might include choices in grouping, choices in topics, and choices in the products they create. So, students might do independent reading with whatever novels they choose to read. Afterward, they can select any number of book report prompts that the teacher provides. If you're interested in trying these out, I have partnered with Presto Plans to create a set of alternatives to book reports. Each one has a sketch video and a set of handouts. They've already been optimized for online and distance learning classroom.

The simple choice menu is ideal for a classroom where students are all mastering the same standard. If the standard is is skill-based but topic-neutral, students have leeway in choosing their own topics (or choosing from a list of topics) but less freedom in the skills they practice. For example, with Wonder Day, every student engages in research, reading, and writing. Other times, the standard might be topic-based and conceptual but there is more freedom in the skills students master and the products they create. Here, students might learn about World War II but the simple choice menu could include making a comic book, creating a virtual museum, or doing a diary of a soldier.

If you want to create this type of chart, I would recommend putting this onto a Google Document and using the icons from Flat Icon. You can hyperlink the icon and use the same hyperlink under each icon. Using the internal Bookmarks and link functions, you can have one single document that has each of the assignment options below it. You can then submit this an attachment on the common assignment in Google Classroom. Another variation of this is the Tic-Tac-Toe option which Catlin Tucker and Kasey Bell have both done a great job demonstrating. Here, students select an assignment in each row to get a "Tic-Tac-Toe" for a completed assignment.

The key idea is that there is a common learning target but freedom in everything else.

Level 3: Advanced Choice Menu
Choice Level:
Mostly Student-Directed
Description:
Advanced choice menus take the last idea another step forward by having students self-select the standards or learning targets. The following is an example of an advanced choice menu. Students begin by selecting their grouping (partners, small group, or independent). Next, they select the specific learning targets. This is ideal for students who need additional review of certain content. It functions as a built-in intervention. After deciding on the learning target, students find related resources that they explore connected to the learning target. These might be tutorials, examples, articles, podcasts, or videos. Finally, students select from options in how they will present their learning. You can find out more about it here. Here's a table that spells out how it works:

In a math class, you might have a student choose to work with a partner. Both partners decide to work on dividing fractions. When they look at the list of curated resources, one partner chooses to watch a tutorial video while another partner chooses to read an online tutorial. Next, they complete a task where they are dividing fractions and then they select the video option where they show how they solved the problems together. Although they are working miles away from each other, they are able to share their videos with one another and with the teacher on Flipgrid.

While the table works well for this option, a more advanced variation would be to do it as a Google Form, with students selecting an option that leads to a new set of options. So, in science they might choose a learning target on adaptations. When they click submit, it takes them to the specific resources on adaptations. Once they select their resource to learn about adaptations, they click submit again and go to the form with the options for how they will share what they learned.

Note that this option works best with secondary students who have a solid background knowledge of their topics or a solid understanding of the skills. This type of choice menu can easily overwhelm students, which is why I would recommend using one of the first two options before moving to this one.

Level 4: Independent Project
Choice Level:
Entirely Student-Directed
Description:
Independent projects require a shift from choice to freedom. Instead of relying on teachers for to provide a menu of options, students select the grouping, decide on the topics, ask their own questions, engage in their own research, find their own resources (rather than selecting from a curation), and ultimately create their own products.

One option is a Genius Hour project. Based on Google concept of 20% Time, the goal is to provide students with 20% of their class time to learn what they want. They choose the content while also mastering skills and hitting the academic standards.
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With Genius Hour, students own the entire journey. They choose the topics based upon their own geeky interests. It doesn't have to be a traditionally academic area. They might like fashion or food or sports or Legos or Minecraft or deep sea creatures. They can then match these topics with topic-neutral standards. Students ask the questions and engage in their own research to find the answers. Along the way, they design their own plan of instruction. They decide on the resources and activities. Each student sets goals and engages in self-assessment. They work at their own pace and set their own deadlines. Students decide on the grouping. Some work alone. Others work in pairs or small groups. In the end, students figure out what they will make and how they will share their learning with the world.

A word of caution: It's not a free-for-all. The best Genius Hour projects have systems and structures that empower students to reach their full potential. I find it helpful to break Genius Hour into phases and have students document it with a Genius Hour Journal. This could be done on a Google Doc or it could be done as a podcast or video. I love this quote from Austin Kleon:

In some cases, students might not finish their Genius Hour projects. They might even hit failure. But failed projects are also a learning opportunity:
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Here's a video you can use with your students.
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Another option would be something like a Wonder Day project, where students can choose their grouping, choose their topics, create their own questions, engage in research, and ultimately create either a podcast, video, slideshow, or blog post where they share their findings. Here's a chart you can use to help walk students through the choices.

If you'd like to download the Wonder Day or Wonder Week (a deeper dive) project, you can check them out for free here.

Even so, there will be mistakes. You'll have to experiment.

Ultimately, student choice is a long journey. We are in the midst of social distancing and experimenting as we go. Some students might be at a place where they can only handle the first or second levels of choice menus - and that's okay. The important thing is that they are seeing how much you are honoring their autonomy and agency. In the end, when we provide students with choice, they are empowered to be be self-directed learners, engaging in creativity and critical thinking. In other words, they own the learning.

This next week, I'll be running a webinar taking a deeper dive into this subject. Together, we will explore four different choice menus you can do in your online classroom. I'll walk you step-by-step through each type of choice menu so that you can craft a practical choice menu for your students. You can sign up here.

Distance Learning Toolkit

If you want to learn more about distance learning, please check out the toolkit and eBook below.

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4 Ways to Craft Choice Menus in Distance Learning Classes

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I have three kids ranging from older elementary to high school. Each one of them is handling distance learning differently. My daughter, who is also the youngest, initially felt overwhelmed at the list of assignments

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https://www.cultofpedagogy.com/busysheets/

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Listen to this post as a podcast:
Sponsored by Screencast-O-Matic and Microsoft Hacking STEM

I saw a video a few months ago that I haven't been able to get out of my head. In the video, a high school student named Jeff Bliss stood up in the middle of class and basically expressed his frustration to the teacher in the room:

Okay, now let's get something out of the way: Yes, this student was disrupting class and his behavior is disrespectful. I will acknowledge that. On the other hand, we don't know exactly what happened before the camera was turned on. Based on what he says in the video, my guess is that Bliss had just voiced some kind of concern, the teacher told him to quit complaining, and at that point, I guess he'd had enough.

What I have gleaned about Jeff Bliss from the internet is that at the time of the video, he was an 18-year-old sophomore. So apparently, at some point, he had not been successful in school. For some people, this takes away his credibility. For me, it makes him an even better source of information about why school isn't working for some students.

Disruptive behavior aside, the content of Bliss's outburst tells me that his teacher's primary mode of instruction is through packets. This was what got me. This is what made me watch this video six, seven, eight times over. Because I just believe him.

I believe him because I've seen it. I've seen classrooms where teachers deliver instruction overwhelmingly through worksheets, or packets of worksheets. I have seen my own kids' schoolwork come home, and I have asked friends, other parents with school-age kids, and colleagues who consult in lots of schools, and nearly all of them tell me that a lot of our students' instructional time is being spent hunched over some kind of worksheet.

That's a problem.

I want to spend some time looking at this problem from all sides: What distinguishes a "busywork" worksheet from something that delivers real value, why teaching with worksheets is usually not the best choice for learning, the reasons teachers default to worksheet teaching, and what other learning experiences would be better for our students.

Not all Worksheets are Created Equal

Let's start by agreeing on some terms.

First we need to define what we mean by "worksheet." Technically, a worksheet is anything printed on copier paper and given to students to write on. And since you can print just about anything on a piece of paper, we really can't say that worksheets per se are good or bad. That would be like saying "books" or "movies" are good or bad. It's a medium. A delivery system.

And there are plenty of instructionally rich things you can do with a worksheet: A graphic organizer is a wonderful tool for research, pre-writing, and notetaking. An excerpt from a primary source can be printed on a worksheet for close study and annotation. Worksheets can be used for analyzing data (like this collection from Maria Andersen), as scaffolds for notetaking, as tools for reflection, or as formative assessments. They can also be used as recording tools alongside more active experiences: data sheets for labs, planning sheets for group projects, and so on.

In my experience, when people criticize worksheets, they are referring to a specific type of worksheet, what I will call a busysheet, the kind where students are either doing work that's fairly low-level recall stuff-filling in blanks with words, choosing from multiple-choice questions, labeling things-or work that has no educational value at all, like word searches, word scrambles, or coloring stuff in cases where coloring adds no extra layer of understanding.

Sometimes the difference between a busysheet and a quality learning tool is obvious, and other times it's a judgment call. After talking to lots of educators about how they use worksheets in their classrooms, I think it's most accurate to say that every worksheet falls somewhere on a continuum: Some worksheets are clearly nothing but busysheets, while others, like note-taking sheets or data collection tools, directly support student learning; I'll call these powersheets. I think a lot of worksheets fall somewhere between the two. Because there is such a range, the only person who can really make the call is you.

Packets, to be clear, are simply a bunch of worksheets stapled together. They could contain a lot of powersheets, but when a student refers to them as frickin' packets, it's highly likely that they are mostly made up of busysheets.

Possible Busysheets in Disguise

Some formats have come along recently that have the potential to deliver the same kind of work we find in busysheets, only they don't always look like it. While each of these certainly could offer instructional value, they could also be just another way to keep kids still:

Computer programs or apps that have students performing the exact same activities we see on busysheets.

Interactive notebooks: These vary widely in quality, with some offering true interactivity and others just offering the same value of a worksheet, just colored, cut, and pasted into a notebook.

HyperDocs: If these are thoughtfully designed, they have the potential to offer wonderful variety, exploration, and differentiation, but they could also just be a new way to organize busywork.

The Problem with "Busysheet Teaching"

"Busysheet teaching" is when we use busysheets in place of other, better forms of instruction. This type of teaching might take the form of bell-ringers, homework, early finisher work, classroom centers, or even the main learning activity during regular class time.

So what's wrong with teaching this way?

It's disconnected from anything meaningful.
Busysheets isolate skills so much that students have trouble connecting them to real life. When a student sees little value in an activity, he is not truly engaged. Take this reading worksheet, which has students read a short passage about Maya Angelou, then answer four fill-in-the-blank questions about the passage.

This type of busysheet would most likely be used to teach reading comprehension or serve as a Black History Month activity.

Let's unpack these one by one.

Reading comprehension: Having students answer low-level recall questions about a passage of writing that offers no meaningful context doesn't do a lot to make them better readers. If the questions were more challenging, if they asked students to choose which textual evidence supports some particular idea, for example, that might move it up the continuum a bit more toward the power end, but is this the best way to give students reading practice? If students do this kind of work day after day, with passages instead of real books, they won't be reading enough. So much of what we call "reading instruction" is far inferior to having students read real books.

Black History Month: Giving students a packet of these types of busysheets-where the work and contributions of significant African Americans are reduced to one-page blurbs followed by some cute activity-is inadequate in so many ways. This article from Teaching Tolerance lists much more comprehensive and authentic ways to honor Black history in your classroom all year round.

It often misses the standards.
Even if they are labeled as addressing certain standards, the kind of work we see on busysheets often misses the mark. Take, for example, this typical grammar worksheet:

This type of worksheet, where students are asked to label or identify various grammatical constructions, has thrived for decades, and in the days before worksheets, it existed in the form of exercises from grammar books.

Apart from the well-established fact that teaching grammar outside the context of meaningful writing does nothing to help students become better writers, and in many cases makes them worse, the skills being practiced in this kind of worksheet don't actually teach or reinforce the goals set by our academic standards.

Here's what I mean: For convenience, I'll use the Common Core Standards as a reference. There is no mention anywhere in the standards of students being able to identify or label these verb tenses. Nothing. It does, however, require students to use them correctly in their writing. So it would make a lot more sense to show students these different constructions, then have them find places in their writing where they are using them. If they aren't using them anywhere, have them try it. They never ever have to actually know the names of the verb tenses or a whole lot of other grammatical constructions. Despite this, tens of thousands of students are required to complete busysheets like this every day. And I bet they get tested on the same kind of information, too. Meanwhile, little to no time is being spent giving them opportunities to use these constructions in their real writing.

It often has no instructional value.
By definition, a busysheet's goal is to keep students busy, not necessarily teach them anything. The most egregious types of busysheets are word searches, word scrambles, and and crossword puzzles, which might as well be a list of definitions with blanks next to them.

I have watched my own children do word searches for homework and stress out about not finding every single word because they would lose points. If there is any pedagogical justification for that, I certainly haven't found it.

It requires lots and lots of sitting still.
The more teachers use busysheets, the more students will sit and sit and sit. Yes, it's possible that there are teachers who use a lot of busysheets but have great alternative seating options in their classrooms, but my guess is that in most of the classrooms where busysheets are abundant, students are basically sitting in desks. This is far from ideal. In 2014, teacher Alexis Wiggins spent two days shadowing her students and was shocked to discover just how much time they spent sitting, and how exhausting that was. And we hear all the time about the studies that are confirming how dangerous it can be to sit for extended periods of time. So planning for extended periods of sitting, all day long, just isn't good for our kids.

It requires a ton of copying.
Anyone who has ever had to wait in line for a copy machine or found themselves staring desperately at a cryptic error message on the copier knows that relying heavily on worksheets wastes a lot of time and paper.

It gives you more stuff to grade.
Many teachers who use a lot of worksheets also grade them, calculating those points as part of a student's overall grade in a course. This approach creates two problems. One, it erases the value of formative assessment: If worksheets are meant to be used to teach students something or give them practice on skills they are learning, then why would students be penalized for making mistakes on them? I can see why teachers might give points for completion, but going through and marking wrong answers, then taking off points for something students are still actively learning is really missing the point: That's what summative assessments are for. The other problem is that this system creates a ridiculous amount of grading for the teacher. If you are going home with piles and piles of papers to grade, you're assigning too many things to be graded. If you can shift some of these activities from graded to "practice," you'll be giving students the practice they need without creating a lot of extra paperwork for yourself.

Why We Do It, and What to Do Instead

Teachers have a lot of reasons for leaning heavily on busysheets, and some of these may seem unavoidable. Let's look at the most common reasons, along with some ideas for what we can do instead.

1. No Textbooks, No Tech

If your school is short on materials and technology, it may be necessary to use printables to build your curriculum. Much of what we learn comes from reading things, so if you don't have good science textbooks, for example, worksheets and handouts can serve the same purpose. What's important is that we do this thoughtfully.

Even if you download a whole unit or curriculum, only use the parts that are going to provide value to your students, rather than just marching students through the whole thing.

Beware of cute: Some materials are so beautifully designed, they may make it hard to notice if they're thin on quality learning. If you can get both at once, awesome, but always scrutinize for the learning first.

Not all students need the same materials: Consider making some handouts and worksheets available to students as resources, rather than giving everyone the same stuff. Show them how to select the materials they need and where to store them for future reference.

2. Skills Practice

Many teachers use worksheets to give students practice in required skills. This seems to be most common in math (or, in the later grades, with things like chemistry equations). While this method obviously gives teachers some of the results they're hoping for, if you take a few things into consideration, you can probably refine the practice. Here are some questions to consider when heading to the copy machine:

How much practice is really needed? Does every student need the same amount of practice? Can they stop when they've had enough?

Would other activities be just as beneficial-or more beneficial-than practice problems? In this youcubed article, professor Jo Boaler describes four other ways to develop number facts and number sense. She also shared a strategy in a recent tweet where a problem is placed in the center of a paper and students use the corners of the page to show four different ways of solving the problem. These kinds of activities get kids to actually think and talk about the math they're doing, rather than just completing problem after problem.

I'm going to bring this up again: If you're recording a grade on practice work, especially if that grade is based on accuracy, it's not practice!! Keep this in mind when deciding how many problems are really necessary to give students the practice they need.

3. Differentiation

Teachers often find that creating leveled packets of work is a simple way to personalize learning for each student. But again, does that have to mean each child gets one of three large, comprehensive packets? Let's look again at the suggestion I made earlier, where handouts (containing information) and worksheets (offering practice) are offered as resources, and students decide which they need. To see this idea fully developed, check out Natalie McCutchen's self-paced math classroom: Students work through units on their own, and they decide how much practice they need before taking the assessments, so some students do a lot, while others do very little.

4. Grade-level Alignment

In some schools, teachers are required to teach the same thing as their grade-level counterparts, on the same day, and document the whole process in detailed, standards-aligned lesson plans. When I talk to teachers about why they're burned out, it's policies like these that they often cite as completely draining them. This type of requirement also causes many of them to resort to teaching entirely with packets: Find a workbook that says it's standards-aligned, then everyone use the same set of pages every week. Done.

This makes for incredibly dry, uninspired learning, and unfortunately, I don't have a good solution for it. My best advice is to share this post with your administrator so they can see the impact that this type of policy is having. I would also urge you to question the integrity of the standards label: Is the packet really getting kids to do what the standard says, or is it a "lighter" version of that? These packets may act as a stopgap for now, but if your team has been using the same set for several years, now may be the time to look more closely at them to see if some pages could be removed and replaced with other activities.

5. Sub Work

When we have substitute teachers, sometimes packets seem to be the only option. This is another tricky one. If you really have no other option, at least do everything you can to make sure the worksheets lean more toward the "powersheet" end of the continuum. Another option that can work if you know you're going to be out ahead of time is to train a few students to lead the class in an actual lesson, then let the sub know that the plan is to let these students teach. This would obviously require a lot of work up front, and you need to have built a classroom culture where students want to behave while you're gone, but I do think it can be done.

6. Crowd Control

In overcrowded classrooms it seems impossible to do anything hands-on, any kind of group work, anything interactive. Worksheets keep everyone in their seat and under control. This, again, is more of a systemic issue that could only truly be solved at the policy level. With that said, I still don't believe worksheets are the only option. Sure, you might not be able to do big, sweeping hands-on stuff, but you can do paired work, set up tasks around the room in stations, or even split the class in half so that only some are doing the "active" work while others are seated and calm, then switch. More than anything, just don't throw in the towel on this.

7. Bell-Ringers & Morning Work

In order to maximize instructional time, we are advised to make sure students have meaningful work to do from the moment they walk into class; hence the birth of the bell-ringer. I have definitely seen the value of a good bell-ringer, and saw a huge difference between the year that I didn't use these and the years that I did. But if that work isn't really meaningful or isn't helping most kids learn, it's a waste. Here are some other options:

Have students do self-selected reading for the first 10 minutes of class.

Give students a great anticipatory set to introduce the day's learning. There are so many options for these, like the thought-provoking images that Christina DeCarbo-Wagners now uses instead of morning work, or the "appetizers" recommended by math teachers Matt Vaudrey and John Stevens in their book, The Classroom Chef.

Establish morning choice: Why not offer students a variety of choices for morning work? In this fantastic post, principal Adam Dovico describes how one teacher made this shift, allowing students to choose between artistic expression, problem solving, computer time, leadership, collaboration, and game time. The big key in making this successful was that she rolled it out slowly, giving students experience with each station first before giving them more freedom to choose later on.

8. Some Kids Like Worksheets

For some students, busysheets give them a nice, calm, quiet activity to pass the time. But this alone is no reason to make them standard fare in your classroom. What you can do is make busysheets an option for free time, as something to do to decompress, or as one of several options students might choose to practice a set of skills or test themselves on some aspect of your content-not for a grade, but for practice.

9. Students Need Fine Motor Practice

Early childhood educators sometimes rely on worksheets for handwriting practice or to have students color, cut, and glue items to develop fine motor skills.

Although worksheets offer one way to give students fine motor practice, there are lots of other ways to do it, too. This post offers 40 ideas for fine motor practice, and this one offers 30 more.

Once a child has gotten to a certain level of fine motor development, do they still need to keep practicing it the same amount as other students?

More Ideas

If you're going to cut down or eliminate your use of packets and worksheets, you'll have a lot more instructional time, and that's a good thing. Here are some things you can do with that time:

The Challenge: Do a Worksheet Audit

Everyone teaches differently, and as we have established, all worksheets are not created equal. There is no single prescription for what kind or how many worksheets you should be using with your students. Only you and your students can know that for sure.

So my challenge to you is simple: From now on, every time you're about to use a worksheet, ask yourself if it's contributing to student learning or if it's actually just keeping them busy. If it's the latter, start replacing your worksheets with better, richer alternatives. Your students will learn better, school will be more fun, and you'll waste a whole lot less time in line at the copy machine. ♦

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Are your worksheets contributing to meaningful learning, or just keeping students busy?

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Sample Breakout Padlet page - Going Places - Learning App link

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Sample Breakout Padlet page - Going Places - Learning App link

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https://padlet.com/aliciabankhofer/breakouts

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Scavenger Hunt Supporting Document - questions, answers, qr codes

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Scavenger Hunt Supporting Document - questions, answers, qr codes

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https://templates.office.com/en-us/exit-tickets-tm44563831

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Education-related design templates | Microsoft Create

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Elevate any education-related project with customizable design templates. Whether you’re looking for classroom flair or have an education-themed project, find a template that works for you.

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https://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/exit-ticket

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Use this technique to show you what students are thinking and what they have learned at the end of a lesson. Before students leave (for recess, lunch, the end of the day, their next class, or are transitioning to another subject area), they have to hand you a "ticket" filled out with an answer to a question, a solution to a problem, or a response to what they've learned.

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https://www.mentimeter.com/blog/interactive-classrooms/how-to-use-mentimeter-quizzes-live-in-the-classroom

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If you have been using Mentimeter to facilitate online quizzes using tools such as Zoom or Mircosoft teams during the past few months, you might be wondering how you can continue to incorporate Mentimeter quizzes into your lessons as you start to return to the classroom. With just a few simple tweaks you can easily transition from online quizzes to quizzes in the classroom. We put together this simple guide to help and inspire you with presenting Mentimeter quizzes in the classroom!

The setup

The good news is that using Mentimeter live in the classroom is simple to set up! The best way to set up a live Mentimeter in the classroom is to, once you have created your quiz as per usual, share the presentation on a big screen or smartboard (rather than sharing your screen in a call with your students). This means that the students will be able to see the quiz on the big screen, and then they can use their smartphone or another device to connect to the presentation as normal.

Presenting

When going from hosting Mentimeter quizzes online to hosting them live in the classroom, there are no major changes you need to make to you presenting method, but there are a few things to keep in mind. For example, all the students will now be in the same room competing against each other, which means that you might notice the higher energy levels compared to doing a quiz online - and you won't be able to mute anyone either! Try to keep students focused on the quiz by making sure the questions are challenging and that you keep a fast pace throughout in order to maintain focus.

You might want to think about how you present, now that you are back in the classroom. Previously, you might have been presenting by just sitting behind your computer screen. However, now that you are presenting your quiz face to face with your students and sharing your Mentimeter quiz on a big screen you should consider best how to control your presentation from your computer whilst engaging with your students in the classroom.

Pro tip: If you have some students in the classroom and some students calling into the lesson you can use the Mentimeter quiz to still add fun in an inclusive way which makes sure that everyone in the class feels involved.

You have now successfully transferred your online Mentimeter quiz skills to the classroom! You can now create fun whilst testing knowledge wherever your students are, and make sure that everyone is included! If you want to learn more about Mentimeter quizzes, we have plenty more guides, templates and inspirational blog post for you to explore. Here are some of our favorites:
Free-to-use Mentimeter Quiz templates How to host a Mentimeter Quiz like a pro
55 free trivia and fun quiz question templates

New to Mentimeter? If you are looking for a solution to help engage your students in the classroom whilst increasing learning - Mentimeter quizzes and interactive presentations is suitable for all types of students. Create your account and get started for free today.

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How to use Mentimeter quizzes live in the classroom

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If you have been using Mentimeter to facilitate online quizzes using tools such as Zoom or Mircosoft teams during the past few months, you might be wondering how you can continue to incorporate Mentimeter quizzes into your lessons as you start to return to the classroom.

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https://quizlet.com/de/features/live

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https://padlet.com/aliciabankhofer/moodcards

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https://wakelet.com/wake/JV4fQSTepy_KVqqWPUOJ2

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The Ultimate Collection of Google Jamboard Templates

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The Ultimate Collection of Google Jamboard Templates

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https://wakelet.com/wake/IvYG3p-OAGQN2w11MM5D4

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The Ultimate Collection of Jamboard Templates

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If you have a template I can share on this list tweet me @HollyClarkEdu or FB Group facebook.com/groups/infusedclassroom 👉🏼Please click on three dots and then Make a Copy to get a copy for yourself.👈🏼 🚀More ideas like this in The Chromebook Infused Classroom on amazon.

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The image in English Language Teaching (PDF)

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The image in English Language Teaching (PDF)

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https://www.teachingenglish.org.uk/sites/teacheng/files/The_Image_in_English_Language_Teaching.pdf