It’s all about organization for teachers because it’s such a huge time saver! Here is the most efficient way I’ve found to organize my assignments on Google Classroom after trying so many other ways and not feeling completely satisfied with it. This new system has made a world of difference not only for me but also for my students. I’ve already received positive feedback from them, and now I want to share it with you. Happy Tinkering!!!
Topics
- Students easily manage assignments via the All Topics section on Google Classroom by weeks not titles.
Create topics using a Week, Month, and Day format. I spell out the entire month. Why? The number format for the month looks too cluttered, Week 1 8/24-8/28. It seems simple and satisfying for us, but not so much for our students. After you create a topic for the first time , you will see it as an option when you create a new assignment.
Assignments
- Students quickly refer to assignments by number rather than a title.
- Teachers manage the grade book in the same way for faster data entry.
Number assignments by its corresponding week. For example week one is 1.0, 1.1, 1.2…while week two is 2.0, 2.1, 2.3... and so on. Make sure that you also number attachments such as slides, docs, forms….
Week At A Glance +
- Students see what they missed if they are late or absent .
- Teachers have immediate access to lessons, assignments, community building activities…
The Week At A Glance is mandatory for our school as it allows students to see all their assignments in one place. I also use it to manage all my lessons, assignments, community building activities..for the week. For me, Slides and hyperlinks are the best way to maintain a routine for both asynchronous and synchronous work. It keeps all my day to day activities all in one place, and looks great when I screen share! Note: Students open their own Week At A Glance (view only) and assignments via Google Classroom.
Did I mention that I don’t like clutter? When creating lessons, I keep all my students in mind especially my special education students who need the most support during this time. I like to create lessons from a minimalist approach, and try to keep clutter out as much as possible. I hope this helps you as much as it does me.
Noemi Gonzalez 