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How Do You Teach Digital Citizenship in the Classroom? [ep. 28]

How Do You Teach Digital Citizenship in the Classroom? [ep. 28]

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Check out the full episode on How Do You Teach Digital Citizenship in the Classroom:  

 

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

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Episode Summary

Digital citizenship is an important topic to discuss with students of all ages, even in the elementary classroom.

With a world of technology constantly growing, we need to equip our students better to be able to adapt and respond online when different situations arise.

In today's episode, I'll be sharing with you how to teach digital citizenship in the classroom with a STEM twist. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Google’s Be Internet Awesome Resources
  • BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr.
  • Common Sense Media digital citizenship lessons
  • Digital citizenship books
  • STEM challenges to highlight these concepts

Resources Mentioned:

Some items are linked to my Amazon Affiliate account. When you purchase through my link, there is no added cost to you, but I receive a small commission in return.

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

Digital citizenship is an important topic to discuss with students of all ages, even in the elementary classroom. With a world of technology constantly growing, we need to better equip our students to be able to adapt and respond online when different situations arise. In today's episode, I'll be sharing with you how to teach digital citizenship in the classroom with a STEM twist. 


Naomi Meredith  00:25

During the month of October, there is an official digital citizenship week. If you are listening or watching this in real-time, this week is October 17-21, 2022. This episode is coming out just in time for that. Likewise, I want to make sure that you download the free guide I put together for you when organizing all of your digital citizenship resources. This is a breakdown of how I use the resources in my K through five STEM classes throughout the week that I'll be talking about in this episode. You can grab the free download at naomimeredith.com/digitalcitizenguide. 


Naomi Meredith  01:06

Yes, there is a digital citizenship week. This is a topic that should be talked about year after year and throughout the entire school year. Some of my students come in, and they're all, “why are we talking about digital citizenship again?” Well, I tell them the same thing I just told you. This is something that is not going away, how to interact online. We need to be prepared for those situations and not be blindsided when something happens. We know how to be prepared upfront during the situation and even after. So let's dive into those resources that you can implement in your classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  01:45

The first one is Google’s Be Internet Awesome Resources and Interland. Over the past five years, these resources have really blown up. You can see why once you go and check out this free resource for teachers. It is geared towards grades third through middle school. It is an amazing resource that adds gamification to the lessons that you'll teach in your classroom. This is an awesome addition that they've added to these lessons within the past couple of years, as they have created Pear Decks to make the slides interactive with your students. Not only are the slides created, but they have specific questions where students can collaborate and respond and share the responses. I am so glad for this update because when I first used these lessons, when I first started teaching STEM, I was trying to make them interactive in my own way and creating Google forums for all the different discussion questions and scenarios that they have for each of the topics. Now it is so much easier with these Google Slides and Pear Decks that you can bring this experience to life within your classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  02:54

During the pandemic, I used these slides online, and it was perfect because students were at home and they were able to interact with me using these slides. I know some of you still teach online, do I definitely recommend this resource if you teach those grades that I mentioned. Something that I also like to do when I use this resource and the other ones that I'm talking about is I will supplement with other videos that are related to the topics that they're talking about. For example, one of the lessons is about sharing information, and they talk about AI-Artificial Intelligence. I found a video on YouTube that is quick and to the point and helps students understand the very basics of what AI is and how we use it in our everyday lives. Also, the biggest draw to this Google the internet awesome is Interland. My students are absolutely obsessed with playing this. Since I've had the kids now in my fifth year of STEM, the little kids are, oh, I've seen my siblings play this at home, which is awesome. I am so glad that they are practicing their digital citizenship at home through the games that are on this platform. This game doesn't require a login or anything for you to set up. Students' scores won't be saved after they play, so something to keep in mind when you're using this tool in your classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  04:17

The second resource that I love to use when teaching digital citizenship in the classroom are the videos and resources on BrainPOP and BrainPOP Jr. Some of the videos offered are free, and hopefully, your school purchases this subscription for you because there's a lot of great content for all subjects. BrainPOP is constantly researching and improving its videos to make sure that they are relevant to what we're teaching our students, and they have definitely stepped up the game when it comes to digital citizenship resources to share with your students. A lot of these videos I will pair with the Google Be Internet Awesome lessons and the other ones that I'm going to talk about in just a bit. Not only are the videos engaging and amazing, as we know that BrainPOP is, but I definitely recommend checking out on the side of the videos all of the activities and resources that you can do as a whole class, or you can even assign to students. This is a great way for students to reinforce those skills in an interactive way, and it's already done for you. Definitely check those out with any BrainPOP video because it's worth your time, and they really try to make these engaging for your kids. 


Naomi Meredith  05:32

The third great resource to use in your classroom and teaching digital citizenship is the Common Sense Media  Digital Citizenship lessons. These are always being researched and constantly updated to make sure that they are relevant, especially the lessons for primary students. They had things before where it was grouped K-5, but now, in the past few years, they've broken down these lessons where it's specifically for Kinder, specifically for first, and so on. This is an amazing resource, and you can use all of these things. Like I said in that free guide, I have all of this organized for you. In the free guide, you can see a breakdown of my week, how I teach digital citizenship, and my K-five STEM space. So make sure to grab that free guide because this will help you make sense of all of this cool stuff. In the Common Sense Media lessons, there's way more than you can get through throughout the week. So if you are a classroom teacher, dive into these and go through them with your students because they have great lessons that you can talk about all year long. 


Naomi Meredith  06:40

For my K through two students, their absolute favorite is these little guys called the digital citizens. They are these little characters who have different physical features that are exaggerated to help students remember of the lessons that they're learning. For example, one of the characters' names is legs, and it has really, really long legs to help students remember to stand up to bullies online. There's another character who is literally a giant head with feet, and its name is head, as you guessed. Head's job is to help students remember to think about the lessons that they learned and be smart when they're online. A lot of the lessons that are linked for each grade level have different videos and songs that the kids can sing along with, and they absolutely love them. Secretly, I love them too. I start dancing along and singing because, as you know, as a special teacher, you teach things a lot. You start memorizing some of the stuff, so I start singing and dancing, and I get weird looks or laughs, or both. So definitely check those out. 


Naomi Meredith  07:48

They also have slides ready to go for your lessons and worksheets that you can pair with the lessons. For many of those worksheets, instead of printing them out, I put them in Seesaw for my students. I might even add in some interactive pieces so students can respond digitally, and I don't have to print out a ton of paper for them. This is especially helpful again if you teach all the students in your school that they have this right at their fingertips, unlimited colors, and they might be a little bit more engaged in the lesson. A little side tip about these lessons, they have some older videos that relate to digital citizens on their YouTube channel. So go and search on YouTube Digital Citizens Common Sense Media, and you will see some older videos that are still really awesome. You can fit them into what you're teaching for the week and all year long. 


Naomi Meredith  08:39

The fourth resource to use when teaching digital citizenship in your classroom is to check out some digital citizenship books. There are a lot more books being made about this topic to make this not as overwhelming for students but age-appropriate, and we know students K through five love hearing a good read-aloud. I talked about this in a past episode, but I highly recommend pre-recording yourself reading any picture books to your class, doing a screencast, or reading it on the computer. Bonus points if you do this at home and you have your little pets. But this will actually help you save time when you have limited time with your students. They can still see your face, and you can set up any materials that are needed for the lesson. There is a whole bunch of digital citizenship books out there, but here are the top ones that I love to use in my class that relate to the lessons that I am teaching that week for each grade level. These will all be linked in the show notes with all of their full titles and author names, so you don't have to pause and write these down. All of that work is going to be done for you. 


Naomi Meredith  09:46

For media balance, these books are really great: Good Night iPad Tek. It's spelled t-e-k, and the book is actually shaped like a giant tablet, which is super cute; If You Give a Mouse an iPad. This book is not written by the same author who wrote If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, but it has a similar style, and it is a little bit funnier too. For online privacy and sharing private and personal information, I really like reading Chicken Clicking and #Goldilocks: A Hashtag Cautionary Tale, or Being Kind and Sharing Information Online Nerdy Birdie is a great one, especially for those older students. There's a little bird and a vulture who are friends, and they like to tweet, literally tweet like tweeting birds, but also tweeting. So it's a cute little story. So definitely mix up these books throughout the week. But from there, I use these books, along with all the lessons that I'm talking to you about, for some STEM challenges that I created that go along with all of these lessons to make it more hands-on. If you're a specialist teacher, you're hoping that in the classrooms, they're talking about digital citizenship, and it's okay that you overlap some, but you also want to give the lessons your own STEM twist and do something that you know they're not doing in their homeroom classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  11:07

Here are the lessons that I like to use for K-five that integrate all of these topics and make it more hands-on and engaging in a different way. In Kindergarten, we talk about media balance. Students create their own balance using some simple supplies, including a clothing hanger, pipe cleaners, and small cups. We discuss what the word balance means. After they create their balance, they put different items in their balance to see which side weighs more than the other and test different materials to see how their balance will work. They also have a sort that I can do digital or paper, and they have different items that are screen-free or screen related. They have to sort the items to make sure that their paper and digital balance is well balanced. It also has different activities that they can refer to. For first grade, we talk about different types of websites that are out there because the internet is a huge, scary place. There are things that are green means go websites for a first-grade age, yellow means slow down for things that are meant for bigger kids, and red means stop which is for things that are meant for adults. We talk about these different kinds of websites. We even explore a few like the NASA kids website or the San Diego Zoo kids' live animal cameras. Then students create their own internet traffic light using construction paper or small cups. Then they have different types of websites or apps that are explained. We color each of those things together, and then they sort them on the internet traffic light using green, yellow, and red. 


Naomi Meredith  12:50

For second grade, we talk more about the information that is safe and not safe to share online, the private information that we need to keep to ourselves, and personal information that can be general and pretty much be true about anyone and that is generally safe for kids to share. We talk about different examples of those, and students will create their own paper laptop that shares their personal information that is safe to share. The ultimate goal for this little laptop is for the information to spin around, so it looks like the screen is actually changing. You get some really cute and interesting designs for what they think computers look like. Many of the kids like to draw the little keyboard, and they always write it in ABC order, which is so funny because keyboards aren't in ABC order, but they come up with some really cool designs. 


Naomi Meredith  13:42

For third grade, we talk about private and personal information in more detail. Students create a coding unplugged game where they have all of the safe personal information as game pieces and the general topics when it comes to private information that needs to be kept to themselves. They have a game board with different game variations that they can play to collect information before they get to the end. For fifth grade, I do the same project, but they have a different topic that they need to relate their creation too. They are taking on the role of a Digital Designer, and they create a sticker that will be shared with other kids their age to help remind them of the lessons that they learned about during the week. 


Naomi Meredith  14:25

For fourth grade, their sticker is for talking about ways that they can be kind online, and I make sure that my students' stickers don't say Be Kind online. Instead, I have them put what they can do to be kind online. Likewise, the fifth-grade stickers are about online privacy and safety, and the different types of things they should look for and not fall for. I have students create their stickers digitally using Google drawings. You could use a similar platform, but they have that one-page digital sheet in Google drawings where they create their digital sticker, and it can be shared digitally. Or if you have a machine that can cut out items, like a Cricut machine, I have students share their design with me in a Google forum that has all the different colors of sticker paper, their name, and what color sticker paper they would like. I end up actually cutting out their sticker design that is from that Google drawing in the Cricut platform. I have found having students create this way instead of creating within the Cricut program has been a great way to integrate this lower cost tool in the classroom because that way, I don't have to create a Cricut account for all of my students. They also get the benefit of learning how to use Google tools when it comes to digital design. You can use similar platforms like Adobe Spark, Canva, or PowerPoint. My students have Google accounts, so that's what has worked best in my classroom. 


Naomi Meredith  15:50

As a recap, here are ways to teach digital citizenship in your classroom. First is Google's Be Internet Awesome resources. Next are BrainPOP and BrainPOP, Jr. Third are the Common Sense Media digital citizenship lessons. Fourth, integrate digital citizenship books, and the fifth, STEM challenges to highlight those concepts. I know that this seems like a lot, and it's a lot of great resources to tackle. That's why I have that free guide for you that you can download to see how I structure my week integrating all of these resources within my K through five STEM spaces. You can grab that free download in the show notes, or you can also grab it using this direct link naomimeredith.com/digitalcitizenguide

teach-digital-citizenship-in-the-classroom

teach-digital-citizenship-in-the-classroom

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

fall-stem-activities

5 Fall STEM Activities to Try [ep. 23]

5 Fall STEM Activities to Try [ep. 23]

fall-stem-activities

Check out the full episode on 5 Fall STEM Activities to Try:  

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Watch the full episode

Episode Summary

Fall is in the air, and it is a great time to mix in some themed STEM challenges. These five fall STEM activities to try are perfect for one-day lessons, sub plans, or even class parties, especially since they are low prep challenges. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • Apple and pumpkin lifecycle robotic coding
  • Fall-themed engineer inspiration boards
  • Pumpkin bridges
  • Pumpkin digital activities
  • Designing a harvest basket

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

Naomi Meredith  00:00

Fall is in the air, and it is a great time to mix in some themed STEM challenges. These five fall STEM activities to try are perfect for one-day lessons, sub plans, or even class parties. Let's jump right into these low prep challenges.  


Naomi Meredith  00:27

If you haven't learned this about me by now, I love a good theme. You heard all about how I themed out my first unit of the year back in episode four, Welcome to STEM Survival Camp. If you take a peek around my house, I have some fall decorations peeking in the corners on my tables. Of course, I have all of those fall-flavored candles. In turn, I don't always teach themed lessons in my class. It can be really fun to integrate these within your lessons, especially if you need something quick that works for one day. If you really want to extend it throughout the week, all of these challenges will work perfectly for you and across many different grade levels. So let's jump into these five ideas that you can implement in your STEM space.  


Naomi Meredith  01:40

The first fall STEM activity to try is apple and pumpkin lifecycle robotic coding. This is a great low prep challenge that you can use as a station, and students can learn all about the lifecycle of favorite harvest fruits like apples and pumpkins. You can do this challenge for anything, but these two are very popular during the fall season. All you need to do is have each stage of the lifecycle of the pumpkin or apple on different cards, and students will code in a variety of ways to help them learn more about those life cycles. So here are a few variations of this that you can use with the robots that you have in your classroom. This will work well with pretty much any type of robot that you have. The only one I think it might not work best with is Ozobots unless you have a special grid, you could definitely do this in a different way.  


Naomi Meredith  02:40

Speaking of grids, there are grids that you can purchase that are fancy for all of the robots. However, when you are on a budget like most of us, it is sometimes easier to create your own grid that the robots can move along is really helpful for students to visualize the steps that they need their robot to travel. Most robots for children have very specific movements when they are moving forward in one space. You can create your own mat by measuring the distance of one forward move for each robot. However, I have created a lot of these for all the smaller robots and RDS with all the measurements done for you. So you can just print, cut, glue, and create whatever size mat that you want. Of course, all of the challenges that I will be talking about and these gridlines will be linked in the show notes to save you some time with your fall theme planning.  


Naomi Meredith  03:35

So for this lifecycle coding, create a map or use one that you have on hand and have those cards that are about the lifecycle of that living thing. You can even have students be more involved in this creation process. They can create the cards that they will code for that specific lifecycle. Once all of these resources are created, here are variations that you can play with these cards. If you're creating the grid ahead of time, you can laminate the different stages of the lifecycle of the pumpkin or apple. Students will code to those different locations on the grid. Another variation of this challenge is students can be in partnerships. Instead of having the cards laminated on the grid, they can be movable. One partner can place the cards on the grid-facing app, and the other partner will code the robot to gather all of the pieces in order of the lifecycle, and then they can switch. The third variation would be having that partner system, but then they have to code the lifecycle backward. The fourth variation is they can either go backward or forward, but instead of the grid-facing app, they can have them facing down, and it can be more like a memory game.  


Naomi Meredith  04:53

So there are a lot of different variations to this and with the age of your students and their coding experience. It's fun for them to try these different challenges to practice their coding skills. The second fall STEM activity to try is creating one-page inspiration boards that follow along with any of the fall holidays you are discussing in your classroom. These could be things like the Day of the Dead, Thanksgiving, Halloween, or even for the whole month, such as what different things are typical for that month. For instance, for the month of September, October, and November, what are different items that people think of for that month? You can have different pictures on this one-page board that can inspire students to build, such as apples, pumpkins, baskets, you name it. You can have these visuals for students, and then they can build with any materials that you have on hand, whether it'd be items in your Makerspace or if you want to pull out LEGO bricks. I really like using this type of engineer inspiration board with my younger students, especially when a lesson might go quicker than expected. These are really great to have on hand that you can have printed at a station, or you can display on the projector or TV in your classroom.  


Naomi Meredith  06:14

The third fall STEM activity to try is creating a pumpkin bridge. Again, this can be a one-day challenge in your classroom, or, if you want to dive in deeper, you can extend this for the whole week and use the Engineering Design Process. If you are a bit unsure about what the Engineering Design Process is, fairly recently, I had a whole mini-series about the Engineering Design Process where I dove into every single stage of that process to give you ideas on how to teach this in your classroom. So make sure to go back and listen to those because that will help you extend your knowledge whether you use the Engineering Design Process already or looking to gain more knowledge about it. For this pumpkin bridge challenge, you can use any materials you have on hand. I like to use popsicle sticks, tape, and cups. Students will build one of the types of bridges that we talked about in class to hold as many pumpkins as possible. This is fine if you use the pumpkin candies that you can find at the store. You can also use unifix cubes as I have. I'll tell the kids that the pumpkins are square because they came right out of Minecraft. There's a whole lot of buy-in for that, and they don't mind that the pumpkins are different colors. You could do a whole lot of math afterward, like how many pumpkins could it hold, and compare the different bridges in the classroom. You could measure how long the bridge was, how wide the bridge was, or how tall. So there's a whole lot of math that you could do with this STEM challenge.  


Naomi Meredith  07:30

The fourth fall STEM activity to try is pumpkin digital activities. Now this one isn't as hands-on, but it's a great way to implement the T-technology within your classroom if you want something that is paperless and easy to assign. I have two different variations for the grades. So for K through two, I like to create a digital interactive activity that they can use on Seesaw or Google slides that are quick little tasks on each slide. These tasks are helpful for the students because they can practice their digital skills, such as dragging and dropping, drawing on the screen, and labeling a picture. All of those tech skills are important for any type of activity, not just pumpkins. You can create each slide that goes along with a theme, like pumpkins. They can do things like measuring a vine using digital unifix cubes. They can use the shape tools to decorate a picture of the pumpkin or even an alphabet match where students are dragging the letters to help them spell different words such as pumpkins. Having these slides with quick activities helps students be successful. They can work at their own pace and also help each other out when they get stuck. For the older students, you could do something similar, but I also like to give them digital interactive notebooks that help them explore other outside resources that are kid friendly. This is where I like to pull in other resources such as podcasts, videos, paired selections, and nonfiction and fiction texts, and they can respond within the digital interactive notebook. You could share just one slide a day. You could have it be differentiated where certain kids might have specific slides, or you can have it even open-ended, and kids pick the slides that are most interesting to them. So this is a great way to pull in those outside resources that you might have been collecting over the years and assign them to one digital platform.  


Naomi Meredith  08:01

The fifth fall-themed STEM activity to try is having students design a harvest basket. Now, this isn't a lesson that I have in my store yet, maybe by the time this recording comes out, it will be in there. But this would be another fun challenge that you can use the Engineering Design Process or even do it in one day. You can have tiny pumpkins or tiny apples, or even pretend if you're worried about them getting damaged, and students could use materials like straws, popsicle sticks, or string to create a harvest basket to hold as many of these fruits as possible. This will be a great collaboration challenge, and also learn different techniques when it comes to securing items and being able to hold weight. If you wanted to extend this challenge even further, you could have students weigh how many apples or how many pumpkins their basket was able to hold. Then you could compare the weights using greater than and less than place value, or even graphing, depending on the age of your students and the math standards that would tie into those.  

 

Naomi Meredith  09:04

This was a quick episode today, but just some fun fall STEM activities that you can try in your STEM space and bring the fall into your classroom. So let's go over those five different activities that you can try. First is the apple and pumpkin lifecycle robotic coding. Next, our fall-themed engineer inspiration boards. Third, are pumpkin bridges. Fourth is pumpkin digital activities. And fifth is designing a harvest basket. I hope you enjoyed these fall-themed activities and definitely share with me what you have done in your classroom. I would love to see how it goes with your students. 

 

fall-stem-activities

 

fall-stem-activities

fall-stem-activities

fall-stem-activities

fall-stem-activities

fall-stem-activities

 

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

teaching-strategies-to-help-student-projects

Teaching Strategies to Help Student Projects [EDP Series: Create, Ep. 19]

Teaching Strategies to Help Student Projects [EDP Series: Create, Ep. 19]

Check out the full episode on Teaching Strategies to Help Student Projects:  

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

Episode Summary

The create stage of the Engineering Design Process is a fun stage and tends to be the kids' favorite stage.

Although a fun stage, it is easy for chaos to ensue during this stage.

In today’s episode, I will be sharing teaching strategies to help student projects so that you can have control instead of chaos in your classroom.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn three teaching strategies to help students with their projects during the create stage in the Engineering Design Process:

  • Create with controlled chaos
  • Manage the materials that stick (i.e., glue, tape, hot glue gun)
  • Have strategies for cleaning up and storing the projects

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

00:00

Kids love to create in STEM, and this is by far their most favorite stage in the Engineering Design Process. In this episode, I'll be sharing with you teaching strategies to help student projects so you can have control of chaos in your classroom. 


00:50

I wanted to start off this episode by reading another review that was left on Apple Podcast for this podcast. Here's what brownie 819 had to say. “I am looking forward to hearing your podcast. I am a K through two STEM teacher and love all your work that you do with engineering challenges. So many times, I put together an idea and hope children will have some success with it. I can't wait to follow along.” Thank you so much for your review. I am so appreciative of that. Speaking of engineering challenges, for this episode, I have a free Engineering Design Process poster and planning guide that you can download for your classroom. You can grab that at Naomimeredith.com/podcastEDP. I'll also link it in the show notes. 


01:41

Now let's jump into the Create stage in the Engineering Design Process. Not only is this a favorite stage of my students, but secretly it's one of my favorite stages as well. When I am planning and researching lessons for my K through five STEM space, I have a vague idea of what the project should look like in my head. My students always surprise me with their creative and innovative designs when it comes to solving the problem. Over the years, I've also noticed that my students have been paying more attention to the details they've been adding to their designs. Not only are they solving the problem, but they are adding intricacies to their designs that make them even better and look amazing. I always joke with my classes that, yes, I am their STEM teacher, but there's a little bit of a, a little bit of art. In the top corner of my whiteboard, I have a giant whiteboard sticker on one of my walls. So the entire wall is a whiteboard. In the top right corner, I have the letters STEM cut out in paper, and, in between the E and the M, I literally have a little a written. So I'm their STEM teacher with a little bit of a literally. I tell them that it's always good to have an element of art within your designs, add the beautifying piece and a little bit of style because your project should not only solve the problem but also look good. 


03:17

If you're an inventor selling your designs, people are going to want to buy them. I always give them the example of the car, the PT Cruiser, because, yes, it's probably a quality car, but it is super ugly. I'm sorry if you drive this car, but it's super ugly. It's not super popular because, well, people don't want to be seen driving that, at least I don't. Anyway, let's dive into these strategies that you can use within your teaching during this create stage in the classroom. The Create stage is right after the plan in the Engineering Design Process. We talked about that in the last episode, episode 18. So if you haven't given that a listen, make sure to go and check that out to get some ideas for enhancing the planning stage before the kids dive into create. 


04:27

The Create stage can get a little bit crazy very quickly. So let's talk about ways you can have students create within controlled chaos. I definitely thrive in a classroom when there is a lot going on. My ADHD kicks in, and it becomes my superpower because, for some reason, I know exactly what is going on with all the kids in all of their projects. Also, being the oldest of five kids, I am used to being in loud environments with a lot going on. So these two things definitely become an asset during this create stage and the Engineering Design Process. When students come in for the day, so this is typically day three for me after we have asked the question and did some imagining and planning, the students still come in and meet in our group meeting area. I still have a mini-lesson for them before they tackle their projects and work the entirety of the class. This is the time when I will review where supplies are located in my classroom. This depends on how long you have known the students, if things have changed, or if you have set materials out in a specific part of the classroom, which I will do for certain projects. 


05:32

This is also the time when I will talk about the Makerspace menu, how that process will work for the day, and where all those materials are located. If you're interested in this whole process of the Makerspace menu, I talked about this in episode six. So go back and take a listen. This management system helps with the controlled chaos. During this create stage, I let students build on the floor and at the tables by choice. I typically don't have assigned seating for this stage of the process; however, you know your students best. So if you do need to have assigned spots, don't be afraid to do so. When students are creating, I let them create in groups of one, two, or three. Sometimes they want to create groups of four. However, that gets a little bit crazy, especially since the projects are so small. There isn't usually enough for kids to do when they are in a group of four. So when that's the case, I tell kids to split up in two groups. They can work side by side and share ideas, but they're creating two different projects so that all the kids have a chance to work on something for the next few days. 


06:44

I also remind students that projects will need to be cleaned up at the end of class, and they will be put on our grade-level shelf. This is especially important to tell kids because sometimes they might want to glue or tape things to the tables. Then when the end of class comes, they're sad because they have to take it all apart. So this really enhances their designs because this helps them be mindful of creating things that can be moved back and forth over the next few days. I also like to have a timer up on the screen that all students can see during their work time. I did this as a classroom teacher during their independent work time just as a time management strategy. It's so interesting when I started implementing this with my K through five STEM students. Many of them started getting freaked out by the timer. I did have to have a whole lesson about the timer, and is that me making you rush through everything. The timer is more, for me as a teacher, to make sure that I am giving you enough work time and that when it's time to clean up, we have enough time for that. I tell them I have more students to teach throughout the day. I teach six classes a day, and I wish I could keep them all day. I need to have a timer so we can stay on track and clean up, and then the next kids can come in. 


08:10

Also, a little tip about the timers: remind students that it's not New Year, and they're not counting down when it gets to 10 seconds or less. For some reason, this has become a pet peeve of mine. When it happens 24 different times, you get annoyed pretty quickly. So add that little tidbit in there when you use a timer. My favorite visual timer to use in the classroom is the one from classroomscreen.com. If you haven't checked it out already, pause this podcast and go look at it. The website is named classroom screen.com, and it has all of these widgets at the bottom. There's not only a timer that you can pull up on the screen but there is a clock you can add. You can embed images, and Google slides that you can click through. All of these different widgets are up on the one screen. So you don't have to minimize and move different website tabs around so you can fit it all in. You can fit it in on this main platform. It is a freemium. So the free version won't save all the stuff that you have up on the screen unless you leave the tab open and don't shut down your computer. I believe the annual subscription is a pretty reasonable price. It actually might be worth the investment, especially if you are teaching many classes a day like I am during this mini-lesson. 


09:34

This is also the time where I will teach strategies to help them with their projects, but not necessarily teach them step by step how to do everything. I really want my students' projects to look different. They might have some similarities just because those similarities might all solve the problem. However, this isn't a step-by-step craft. It is a STEM activity. So their inventions should all look different. So here's what I mean about teaching a strategy. When I was doing a lesson with cardboard, students wanted some of their designs to stand up on their own. I noticed that they wanted to do this. So during my mini-lesson, I taught students how to create an L brace using cardboard. Some students wanted to use the strategy, some didn't. But it was just another way to enhance their designs and make them better without me showing them. Oh, you all have to do this, you all have to use this strategy. Another way that I like to do this is posting up on my screen. With classroom screen, I will add images of students' work from the past that I have taken pictures of, and also real-life examples, if it's applicable. These are just as guides as inspiration. The students probably have even seen them before when we were in the Imagine stage. But this is just a great jumping-off point, especially for students who are having a hard time visualizing what their projects should look like. So break out your camera while students are working, take pictures of their work, and save it to a Google Drive folder. This is a great way to store all of those examples and help you reflect as a teacher on how you can improve the projects or even notice which strategies you can teach the students in the future. 


11:25

The second teaching strategy to help manage the projects in your STEM classroom is managing the things that stick, and I'm literally talking about the things that stick: glue sticks, tape, and hot glue guns. It's kind of funny that I'm talking about this, but this is a hot topic in the STEM space and let me tell you. First are glue sticks. I like to buy the Amazon Basic brand, which is so similar to the ‘s glue brand, but a little cheaper. I will link these in the show notes for you. In Episode Five, I talked about the organization of materials in your STEM classroom. So go back and listen if you're unsure how to get things going in your space. With glue sticks, I like to have these in a simple plastic bucket on the tables and have a collection of scissors for students to use. I have a separate bucket for pencils and large erasers. At one point, I had caddies with all the compartments I would set out on the tables. However, I felt that having all those supplies available all the time was quite a distraction for kids, especially when it came to pulling out the scissors and cutting things that aren't supposed to be cut, like hair and pencils. So I like keeping the pencils out all the time. Then I pull out those buckets of glue sticks and scissors when needed. 


12:54

I actually don't use the white Squeezy glue in my classroom because with that many kids coming into my room, I feel like that would get messy really quickly. I know that the tops of the glue bottles get clogged, but there is a way to unclog them. That's just something I don't want to be doing with my time. So glue sticks aren't for me. I also have a little collection of glue stick caps that I keep available for kids if they happen to lose their caps. So that's really helpful as well, so we can keep those glue sticks as long as possible. When it comes to tape in my classroom, I am a masking tape-only girl. I do have clear scotch tape on the side when it comes to specific student requests. They might want the tape to not show in their design. But overall, we are here for the masking tape. There is a bundle of tape that I like to purchase on Amazon quite regularly. So I will also link that as well. Now, one of my favorite things to do when it comes to tape management is to create baby tape rolls. This is something that I started during COVID but has carried on because it's been quite a success in my classroom. What I do and also what I have also taught my students to do is to measure about 24 inches of tape on a yardstick, rip that off, tape it onto a popsicle stick and hold the side and roll it up to create a baby tape roll. This is great because this is all the tape that students can use for their projects. So it really helps them be mindful of how they use the tape. Then, in between those days, their tape is in their supplies throughout the week. So then they can have it readily available for them. 


14:40

As a review, here are the three main teaching strategies to help students with their projects during this create stage in the Engineering Design Process. First is create with controlled chaos. Next, manage those things that stick, and third, have strategies when it comes to the cleanup and storage. There are two stages left in this mini-series about the end scenario design process, and I really hope that you have been enjoying it. If you have any successes from these episodes, definitely tag me on Instagram or send me an email because I would love to see how I am helping you and your students in your classroom. Before you go, make sure to grab your free Engineering Design Process poster and planning guide that can help you thoughtfully plan all those amazing ideas you have floating around in your head and implement them in your class. You can grab them in the show notes for today or use them using this direct link: Naomimeredith.com/podcastedp


14:40

Last is the hot glue guns, and this is a specialty item that I have on my Makerspace menu. I don't use hot glue guns all the time for all projects. This is something that we work up to the second semester of the year for second through fifth grades. During that mini-lesson, I will teach kids about the expectations and rules when using hot glue guns. Your school might also want you to have a permission slip when using this type of tool. So ask your admin if that's something that you need to implement. We'll go over hot glue guns, how to use this inner space, and where they're located in our classroom. I do have a list of those safety rules up in my TPT shop and a simple, organized poster, which, again, I'll link for you in the show notes. The hot glue that I like to use is low temperature, and they are made for kids. So there are fewer safety concerns when they're used this tool, but it's also great for them to learn to use that as well because it does have some stronger capabilities. Then my sad little glue sticks. 


15:44

Finally, at the end of class, during this create stage, students have to clean up and store their projects. Again, this is why a classroom timer is super effective because this helps students manage their time and even work a little bit quicker since they know they're going to have to clean up at the end of class. I am really big on transitions, boundaries, and setting up systems and routines in my classroom. So make sure to go back and listen to episode nine because I talk to you about those tips and tricks that I like to use, especially when you teach six classes a day. When it comes to cleanup time, some classes are going to need more structure and routines than other classes. This also will depend on how long you have known the kids and the dynamic of the classroom. Over the years, most of my classes have been able to clean up independently. When the timer goes off, they clean up their supplies, and then they sit at their clean table. Here and there, I have to go over those expectations and break down the cleanup step-by-step. This also comes into play when you think about who their classroom teacher is and what types of systems or routines they have in their homeroom. That will be reflective within your STEM space. So keep that in mind that you might have to change it up for certain classes to help them be successful during this cleanup time. 


17:07

For classes that need more structure, I will actually have them pause, leave their materials on the table and then come join me in a group meeting area. I'll talk about what it looks like to clean up, physically model where those supplies go, and then send them back out to their seats. For classes that need even more structure than this, I will still have that tiny little mini-lesson. So about one minute long, they go back to their seats, and then we will clean up step-by-step-by-step. I just did this with first grade with their fishing pole lesson where the timer went off and it was time to clean up. I showed them how we're going to clean up and then we did each step together as a class. So I said okay, everybody put their fishing pole and their fish in their grocery bag and hold it in the air. So they did that and they had their bag in the air. I'm all great, good job. Okay, put your bag down and throw any trash in the trash can. So they did that. Then after that I'm like okay, check your glue sticks and scissors and then sit at your table. So some classes will need more guidance. Over time, hopefully they can be more independent during that cleanup time. Also, setting a timer during cleanup can be very helpful for classes that move slowly. Some kids do get sad when it's cleanup time. However, that's how it is. You don't have them all day typically, and so it's just part of the process when it comes to this create stage. 


18:35

Like I mentioned with that fishing pole, I have students put all their extra supplies in a grocery bag, along with their plan from the day before. I don't have them write on the bags. I don't pull out sharpies because their plans have their names on them, and they know which bag is theirs. When they grab it the next day, all of their plans will go into a big fabric box from IKEA. I click on the name of their classroom teacher, and then all of their projects that they're continuing to build go on their grade level shelf. The projects are fairly small, so everything fits pretty well throughout the week. When students are done cleaning up all their supplies and materials, they have to go back and sit at their clean table so I can double-check that everybody did their part and cleaned before they line up in the hallway and wait for their classroom teacher while they're sitting at their tables. This is a great time to review the objectives for the day and the next steps for this project.

19:45

As a review, here are the three main teaching strategies to help students with their projects during this create stage in the Engineering Design Process. First is create with controlled chaos. Next, manage those things that stick, and third, have strategies when it comes to the cleanup and storage. There are two stages left in this mini-series about the end scenario design process, and I really hope that you have been enjoying it. If you have any successes from these episodes, definitely tag me on Instagram or send me an email because I would love to see how I am helping you and your students in your classroom. Before you go, make sure to grab your free Engineering Design Process poster and planning guide that can help you thoughtfully plan all those amazing ideas you have floating around in your head and implement them in your class. You can grab them in the show notes for today or use them using this direct link: Naomimeredith.com/podcastedp

 

teaching-strategies-to-help-student-projects

teaching-strategies-to-help-student-projects

teaching-strategies-to-help-student-projects

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

back to school night ideas

5 Back to School Night Ideas for STEM Teachers [ep. 13]

5 Back to School Night Ideas for STEM Teachers [ep. 13]

back to school night ideas

Check out the full episode on 5 Back to School Night Ideas for STEM Teachers:  

 

Episode Summary

Back to school night for STEM teachers and classroom teachers can look very different.

Back to school night expectations for STEM teachers is different for each school.

As a STEM teacher, what should you set up for back to school night?

In today’s episode, I will be sharing 5 back to school night ideas that STEM teachers can incorporate into their classrooms.

 

In this episode, you’ll learn 5 back to school night ideas for STEM teachers:

  • Create a hand-on building station
  • Make a digital meet-the-teacher letter and collage
  • Create your clubs’ signups or summaries about the clubs you’re hoping to host
  • Share your wish list and donation list
  • Create a STEM affirmation station

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

00:00

Back to school night can look different for STEM teachers compared to classroom teachers. So what in the world should you actually set up? In today's episode, I will be sharing with you five easy things that you can add to your STEM classroom for back to school night. 


00:49

Each school has a different style when it comes to back to school night expectations for STEM teachers. It has always changed for me and my STEM classroom. So try what tips work best for you, and even consider using some of these tips for parent-teacher conferences or doing the same thing, and you have it ready to go for these situations throughout the school year. 


01:15

Idea number one is creating a simple hands-on building station. You can set out things like mixed LEGO bricks, planks, hashtag blocks, playdough, and other easy things that encourage the kids to be hands-on with the materials. This is also a great distraction for kids when they're in your space. You can chat with their families a little bit and get to know them better. You can add small images for the kids to inspire them, like an engineer inspiration board. I have one that is for back to school that my kids love doing. It can get them talking about back to school night or back to school in general and encourage them to have a fun conversation with you. 


02:02

Idea number two is to create a digital meet the teacher letter. You can create a one-page letter that lets families know a little about you, has a picture and lists some of your favorites. To take the favorites page even further, you can create a collage that visually shows all of your favorites. One way I like to do this is to make the collage on Google Slides or Canva. I use a background removing tool for the images that I find online. There is a cool website called remove.bg. It's free to use, and you can upload any image, and it will remove the background for you. It's pretty good if everything is clear in the picture. It makes it so that you don't have to do extra editing in Canva. Another option is if you create your collage in Canva, you can upload the image or use images that are available in Canva. When you click on the image, there is a tool that allows you to remove the image's background. A digital meet the teacher letter is a fun way for families to learn more about you and your favorites. You can share this all on the screen in your classroom instead of printing a copy for each family. You can also repurpose this letter and have it in your school-wide newsletter or send it on a parent communication platform your school uses or on Seesaw. 


03:42

Another idea for back to school night is to share your club signups. I have done this in the past while the signups weren't open yet. I had a summary of each club I would be hosting. We will have future episodes about clubs because I am very passionate about after-school clubs. Even as a classroom teacher, this was something that I loved doing. We will explain more about clubs in the future. But think about when you're planning your clubs and how you can have a balanced selection and involve various grade levels. Think about if you could have a Makerspace club, a robotics club, maybe a LEGO building club, or my personal favorite, a school-wide news recording Club, which I will do an episode about that in itself. You can send home that information, so parents are aware. You can include that information if you know when the signups will open. This is a great time to promote your clubs and allow parents to get to know you since you will be the one hosting the clubs with their kids. 


05:53

The fourth idea for your back to school night is to share your wish lists and donations. In episode three, we discussed creative ways to gather supplies for your STEM space. Those ideas can apply to your back to school setup. This is a great opportunity to share links or QR codes to your Amazon wish list, or a donors choose that you have set up in your classroom. Double-check your school guidelines to make sure this is something you are allowed to share. I know different schools and districts have different restrictions. So just make sure you are following your school and district policies. If you need help with setting up an Amazon wishlist, I created a short tutorial video that is up on my Youtube, Naomi Meredith. It will also be embedded in today's show notes.


Another thing that you can share and include with your Amazon wishlist or donors choose, or if you can do this instead, is having a donation for Makerspace supplies. Often these supplies don't cost anything, like cardboard and paper towel tubes. Maybe people have a roll of tape that they can donate. Back to school night is a great time to share this with parents. You can create a list, print it out, and send it home with the families. Or you can create a QR code of the digital list where parents can scan that. Another option is to give them a tiny QR code card with this information they can take home. So think about creative ways that you can get families involved. I know that it's hard as a specials teacher not always knowing who the families are. So this is a great time to chat and interact, sharing what your space is about and how they can help contribute to that area. 


07:42

The fifth idea for your back to school night is one that you can keep up all year round: having a STEM-styled affirmation station. Now Secretly, I love my affirmation station because I can check my hair and outfit in the middle of the day. Mine is outside my classroom door, so when classroom teachers come and pick up their classes, they're also fixing their hair. So the teachers and I are affirming ourselves with this affirmation station. It is for the kids, but we all know it's also for the teachers. You can go to Walmart since they have some cheap ones for about $7. Grab them here, grab some Gorilla Glue tape, and hang them on your wall. Then create little light bulbs that you can hang up around the mirror with little phrases like, “I'm an innovator, I am an entrepreneur, I am a maker.” Create a positive way to look at STEM and help bring to light the whole purpose of your class. It's not just about the tools and the toys, but the experiences for kids that you are creating. The affirmation station is a great reminder of that. 


08:55

Today's episode is short because your back to school night prep shouldn't be overwhelming. These are some fun ideas you can set up and repurpose at various times throughout the school year and annually. The five back to school night ideas that we discussed are creating a hands-on building station, making a digital meet-the-teacher letter and collage, creating your clubs' signups or summaries about the clubs that you're hoping to host, sharing your wish lists and donation lists, and creating a STEM affirmation station. All of this will be linked in my show notes for today's episode. You can even see pictures of some of these ideas to give you some inspiration to make your planning so much easier for this special day.

back to school night ideas

back to school night ideas

back to school night ideas

Video: How to Make a STEM Affirmation Station

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

 

STEM Favorites That You'll Enjoy:

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

 

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

how-to-manage-transitions-in-the-classroom

How to Manage Transitions in the Classroom [ep. 9]

How to Manage Transitions in the Classroom [ep. 9]

how-to-manage-transitions-in-the-classroom

Check out the full episode on How to Manage Transitions in the Classroom:  

 

Watch the video version of the episode here on YouTube:

Subscribe to the podcast HERE on your favorite podcasting platform.

 

Episode Summary

Being a STEM teacher is so much fun, but going from teaching in a general education classroom to a STEM classroom usually means time goes by faster.

Your transitions between classes might only be a few minutes long or nonexistent. While you can't change the time that you are given, you can change how you use your time throughout the workday.

In this episode, I will be sharing with you strategies on how to manage your transitions in the classroom so you can accomplish what you have planned with your students and have those awesome STEM lessons. 

In this episode, you’ll learn:

Three strategies to help you manage your transitions in the classroom:

  • #1-Time management and boundaries as a teacher
  • #2-Setting up systems and routines
  • #3-Find ways to build student independence and responsibility

Resources Mentioned:

Design Your Digital Classroom Summit: Google Style

STEM & Makerspace Labels | 180+ Labels

Episode Transcript: 

00:00

Let's face it, being a STEM  teacher is so much fun, but you may have realized that compared to the general education classroom, time goes by even faster. Your transitions in between classes might only be a few minutes long or nonexistent. While you can't change the time that you are given, you can change how you use your time throughout the workday effectively.


00:26

 In this episode, I will be sharing with you strategies to help you manage your transitions throughout the day so you can accomplish what you have planned with students and have those awesome fantastic STEM lessons. 


00:48

Both behavior management and overall classroom management go hand in hand before even getting into the meat of your STEM lessons. Back in episode eight, we talked about behavior management in the classroom. If you haven't checked out episode 8, make sure to go back and watch or listen. 


01:29

Being a former classroom teacher myself, I was so surprised by how fast the time went in my classroom. I went from teaching third grade all day with all the subjects to being a K through Five STEM teacher teaching six classes a day, with only a few minutes in between each class to transition from one to the next. Everything flew by so fast, and I had no idea what had happened. 


01:59

Along the way, I have learned some tips and tricks and altered what I used in the general education classroom to make it work for the STEM space. Now, I am able to accomplish what I have planned for the most part in my K through Five STEM classroom. 


02:15

Here are three major tips that have helped me. I know that you're going to benefit from these tips, have an awesome year, and make what works best for you. 


02:25

The first tip for setting up effective transitions in the classroom begins with you as the teacher, and that is setting up your own time management and boundaries. I am a recovering yes person. I used to say yes to everything. I'm not saying that I am mean, but I have learned that saying no for myself is absolutely okay. So what do I mean by that? Well, first of all, I use my plan time to actually plan. I love chatting with people, don't get me wrong, I love my friends. I love getting to see everybody come through my room. 


03:04

Now, my planning time is so sacred to me. I use that time to research lessons that are coming up for the next unit, going through materials that I might need for a lesson, testing out robots, researching things, or planning my after school clubs. I'm really using that time to focus. 


03:24

With that, I am really lucky what time my planning time is in the day. Mine is first thing before I see any students. So I actually get to school really early before my contract time. That's just me. I'm not saying to do this. But I get to school really early. So the building is nice and quiet, and then it flows right into my planned time so I can get a big chunk of my work done. For me, at the end of the day, I am really brain dead. So at the end of the school day, I'm not as effective with my time. I will save things that I know I don't need a lot of brainpower for. Those first couple of hours of my day before I even teach kids, I get that stuff done so when it is the end of the day and the end of my contract hours, I can leave and feel successful for how I used my time.


04:12

When it comes to lesson planning, I really try to leverage digital tools in my classroom. No, the kids are not on technology all day, but I really try to think about how can I use technology to make my lesson planning and materials even easier. One tool that I love to use in my classroom is Seesaw. I use Seesaw K through Five to help students share what they're doing by taking videos, pictures, recording their voice and drawing what they are working on. This is also another great platform because I can share digital engineering design notebooks with them for each of the challenges and we will go through and work on those throughout the week. 


04:54

Another alternative, or one I might use sometimes as well, is Google Classroom which has a lot of similarities as Seesaw, but I feel like Seesaw in the STEM space can do a lot more since it has picture and video capabilities within the same platform. Another platform I also love to use when it comes to research is epic books. This is also a another free for teachers tool. I love using this because I can create collections with my students, share it with them digitally, and use it for each grade level. If you are going to use epic books with your students, create one class account and name all of the students in the epic books class with a number. So then you only have one class code to worry about. A lot of the classroom teachers have started using epic books as well, which is amazing. I don't use their class code. I just have students use my class code. It's a good skill for them to learn how to toggle between two different classes anyway. So that's my little hack if you want to try to use epic books in your classroom. 


06:02

Another boundary that I like to set in my classroom that has really helped with the transitions throughout the day is that the end of each class, I actually close my door. This is also partially a safety thing as well. I might need to go to the restroom in those couple minutes of time in between classes, so closing my door just ensures that I don't have students running into my room when I'm not there. There are lots of different materials that they can get into.  That way, if a class comes early, I still have that time to set up any last minute materials, change out what is on my screen and be ready to go as well. Sometimes you might also be speaking with another student for behavior, so just having your door closed can be really helpful. 


06:48

In episode one, we talked about things that you should work on when you're a STEM teacher. One of the main things we talked about was systems and routines. One of those routines is where do you want students to line up at the end of class. Now based on the layout of my building, what works with my classroom is I have kind of like a dead hallway right outside my door. I used to have students line up in my classroom against the shelves near the classroom door. However, this became a problem because when students needed to put their supplies and work away, the students who were all cleaned up were in the way so it just created a lot of chaos in traffic. 


07:25

Instead, I have students line up right outside my door in this dead hallway. There aren't any other classrooms right there, but they line up in this hallway, and they are ready to go for their teacher. They can be ready for the hallway, especially when I have an overlap of class, then the class who I just finished with is in the hallway and the new class can come right in. So this has really helped with the transitions, especially when teachers are early or late picking up the kids are in the hallway and they're ready to go. Really think about these time management hacks and different types of boundaries that you can set for yourself so that when you don't have students, you can really be productive in those pockets of time and not have to stress throughout the day because the bulk of your work is done. You have all these little tips and tricks to help you be productive. 


08:48

The second biggest thing to help you with the transitions in your classroom are your systems and routines. You are going to hear me talk about systems and routines all of the time because these are the backbone of my productivity in and outside of the classroom. I wouldn't say I'm the most clean person and if you know me, you know me. I am fairly organized when it comes to physical products and also digital things. This helps me do all the things as much as possible. The same is true in your classroom. 


10:09

In episode five, we talked about Makerspace organization. So even the way that you set up materials that are presented in your classroom can help prevent you from scrambling for projects. Once I have my Makerspace set up, I don't really touch it ever again. The only thing I have to do with my Makerspace is restock supplies when I receive them. So it is set up for the whole year. I can even pull out drawers for specific projects with specific things that kids might need. But this has really helped with those transition times where I'm not scrambling in my cabinets looking for specific things. I have everything out ready to go labeled with pictures and words. So being prepared even before the unit even happens, like a Makerspace, is extremely helpful along those same lines when you're thinking about planning your lessons. Yes, a Makerspace has a lot of materials, but think about your lessons going forward. How can you use the least amount of materials as possible? It eases up on your cleanup time with students and the amount of time you need to explain things for kids. Kids can be productive when they have to be creative with constraints, which is a really great challenge for them to learn. 


11:26

I like to give kids this example: when I bought my townhome years ago, I didn't have unlimited money or unlimited supplies to make it beautiful. I had to be creative with what I got. So that's a great lesson to teach kids. And again, it will really help with transition time. 


11:47

Also with those transitions, think about those routines in your classroom that will stay the same all year long. I have a lot of different units that I like to teach kids, which is the whole point of STEM: to expose them to lots of different areas of what STEM can be in their world. However, those routines that stay the same are how the kids enter my classroom and sit on the floor, how they go sit at their seats, how they gather supplies, and where supplies go at the end of class, and, of course, lining up. I keep these things the same throughout the year so we can be productive. The kids know what to expect in a general sense, and the only thing that is new that they have to worry about is the awesome lesson that they're going to attack. 


12:33

Finally, to help with the transitions in your classroom is how you can have students be responsible and independent within that time with you. You don't necessarily have to do classroom jobs. I know a lot of STEM teachers try implementing this in their room, which I think is amazing. For me that hasn't been super successful. I might have kids help me with specific projects for the time being, but as a whole, I really want students to be responsible within our space and create opportunities for them to be independent and have ownership over their work. So here are some ways that I like to do that. 


13:08

One big thing is to really keep my goals for my lesson at one or two things I want students to attain. It can get overwhelming in STEM very quickly and you will want to throw a lot at the kids. When you're throwing a lot at them, it's hard for them to manage what they really need to focus on. So when I have students at the beginning of class, we have our short mini lesson. I will show them the one or two things I really want them to focus on, review really quickly what we did the day before, if it's applicable, and then I'll go into our lesson and ask any questions. So keep that mini lesson really short. 


13:47

We can have future episodes about how I like to structure my STEM lesson and how I teach that. But for now, when you're thinking about how you are focusing your kids, and those transitions, have one to two goals in mind for that lesson. Also, for that student independence and responsibility, you want to have specific rules for specific materials. We've talked about this in past episodes as well. Again, a lot of these relate to each other. But if you have those specific things you want students to do when they're using materials like robots, for example, this is going to help students know how to use that tool successfully, and how to use it the right way so that other students in the future can use it and things aren't getting broken. 


14:32

Also think about things that students might be able to bring from the outside into your classroom to help with those transitions and the independence. My classroom, before it got remodeled, used to be a computer lab and there were a lot of desktop computers lining the classroom. Now I've told you before I was so lucky that when I got this job being a K through five STEM teacher, I was gifted a brand new classroom and a brand new job at the same time. I didn't have any computers left in my room once it was converted to a classroom. A way that I've been able to problem solve this, and it's actually worked really well with that independence, is students in second through fifth grade actually bring their devices from their classroom when they have STEM. We might use them, we might not, but it's really great to have kids bring those in, because they are used to logging into them. They know where their usernames and passwords are in their classroom. It subconsciously helps students connect that this same device that is used in STEM is the same one used in their classroom. These skills can actually transfer back and forth. STEM isn't really an isolated subject. It might feel that way, since they are going to a different location to learn the skills. This has just been a great little hack as well. 


15:47

Another thing that I like to do with the younger kids, and also the older ones, too, depending on what the project is, is I have a cart of iPads that I can use. You can use Kindles for the same thing. But I have a cart of iPads that I like to use when using Seesaw and specific apps that are related to maybe LEGO education or different coding apps or even robots. This has made logging in a lot easier when I use the iPads for Seesaw. With seesaw, you could use a QR code to quickly log in. This has also helped with that independence. If you can, try to use some tools that classroom teachers might be using because students might be familiar with those things back in their regular classroom. They can apply the skills in a new way. 


16:34

When I send my engineering design notebooks for the older kids, I like to share them in the form of Google slides through Seesaw. That way, students are still practicing their Google skills, but they're using it within the STEM space and they might actually learn something new that they can use back in their regular classroom. So really trying to make those connections within their other learning opportunities in your classroom can be so beneficial and really help with that transition time. This way you're not always reteaching something new. 


17:04

These transitions in your classroom are definitely going to take time as you figure out your students and how you like the flow of your classroom. These three major tips definitely are going to help set you up for success. If you are diligent with them, and really making them work for you, you are going to have even more time than you can ever imagine. 


17:27

So as a recap, here are those three big things that we talked about to help you with those classroom transitions: First, is time management and boundaries as a teacher. Next, is setting up those systems and routines. And third, find ways to build student independence and responsibility. Thank you so much again for listening to this episode. I can't wait to chat with you soon.

 

how-to-manage-transitions-in-the-classroom

how-to-manage-transitions-in-the-classroom

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

STEM Teacher Behavior Management Strategies [ep.8 ]

STEM Teacher Behavior Management Strategies [ep. 8]

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

Check out the full episode on STEM Teacher Behavior Management Strategies:  

Watch the video version of the episode here on YouTube:

 

Episode Summary

As STEM teachers, we teach multiple classes daily, meaning we see, on average, 100 plus kids. In addition to incorporating STEM activities daily, we must also have behavior management strategies.

What are some of the best behavior management strategies for a STEM teacher?

In today's episode, I'll be sharing my top three STEM teacher behavior management strategies.

Whether you are a STEM teacher, classroom teacher, or library specialist, this episode will provide you with three behavior management strategies to implement with your students.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

  • My top three STEM behavior management strategies
      • Build relationships with the kids, their parents, and their teachers
      • Establish the class rules and goals
      • Create rules for specific materials
  • Examples of how I implement these strategies in my classroom

Resources Mentioned:

Episode Transcript: 

00:00

In my first year teaching STEM, I was the most nervous about behavior management. As a former classroom teacher of about 25 kids, I was now going to be teaching six different classes a day, which averaged to about 150 kids. That was a huge change. However, through my years in elementary STEM, I have found what works best with behavior management. Yes, you are a specialist teacher, but this is still extremely important, especially when you see that many kids in one day. In today's episode, I will share my top STEM teacher behavior management strategies. 


01:10

Before stepping into the STEM space, I was a classroom teacher for six years. Behavior management was a huge asset of mine and something really important to me. I knew that if I had a strong climate and culture in my classroom, including a strong system, routines, and behavior management strategies, the kids and I could do anything all year long. It came down to setting up those structures at the beginning of the year and being consistent throughout. 


01:41

That is the same for your role as a STEM teacher. However, just because you are in this special space doesn't mean you can put behavior management aside. In fact, if you are coming from the classroom, you know how important this is. You don't want to be sitting in your classroom as a teacher and get a phone call from specials that someone in your class isn't doing what they're supposed to do. 


02:05

As a specialist teacher, you shouldn't be doing that. Instead, you should be communicating with the classroom teachers. It's your role to have control of the classroom while still creating a meaningful and engaging experience for your students. Here are my three top tips for getting started in your classroom. You will find what works best with your management style and the kids you teach. If you are consistent and have these routines, you will have a more successful time with all of the future lessons you teach. 

 

02:41

First, you need to build those relationships with the kids. It doesn't matter where you teach; relationships are the biggest thing that you need to focus on. This is reiterated in the book, The Innovators Mindset by George C.  This is an excellent book. I highly recommend you read it or listen to the audio version like I did. In the book, he emphasizes building those relationships. I completely agree. That's probably the main reason why you got into teaching anyway. When it comes down to it, build those relationships with the kids. Now it is a bit different since you're not a homeroom teacher per se. There are a lot of creative ways that you can do this. Now, it is pretty cool when you are a specialist teacher, and you see the kids yearly because you see growth in the kids. You have that special bond that a classroom teacher might not have unless they live with their kids. So the first thing is to engage with the kids. When you have those other outside duties, whether it's door duty, bus duty, or crosswalk, engage with those kids and get to know them. You probably will see the same kids at the same time of the day. So really build those relationships outside of your STEM space. That is a great way to interact with many kids at once. 


04:04

Another big thing when you're ready to work up to that is after school clubs. I've always been obsessed with school clubs also as a classroom teacher. This was another great way to build relationships with kids and work on passions that they enjoy and passions I like. So we had a common interest. Having after school clubs is an awesome way to engage with kids, try new things and do things that are engaging but not always academic. Now we will be talking about after school clubs and future episodes, but just keep in mind that after school clubs are a great way to engage with kids. 


04:42

Another fun way that I like to build relationships with my students in my classroom is the STEM style. In Episode Four, STEM survival camp, I mentioned STEM style. It is a quick thing I do when kids have a shirt representing science, technology, engineering, or Math. I'll take a quick picture and put it on my digital picture frame. It feeds through all the pictures that I have ever taken. It's fun when kids see their past selves from a few years ago or their friends in another class. Then, they must guess how their shirt connects with science, technology, engineering, and math. It's so cute because when the kids have STEM, they also start wearing the shirts. I have some of these shirts too. It's a great talking point and gets them to think about STEM differently. 


05:31

Reaching out to parents can look a lot different in the specials role, but it still is important that my teammates and I, the other specialists and teachers, reach out to parents. We have a collaborative team newsletter. We do a simple set of Google Slides and share the link in our school newsletter and on a different platform.  Each slide is a different month of the year. We explain what we did throughout the month and have our contact information. This is a great way for us to work together as a team and be reflective on our work. Also, parents will know we do some things in STEM that are fun, but we have challenging and exciting things that we're working on. 


06:16

Another way that I like to communicate with parents and also the students in my class is Seesaw. I could do a whole episode about Seesaw. I am literally obsessed. If you haven't checked it out, go check out Seesaw connect 2022, where I talk about STEM survival camp and the engineering design process completely free. You can also watch it whenever you want in my monthly membership. I love using Seesaw because students can take pictures, and videos, record audio of their work, and comment on one another's work. Of course, I can comment, but parents connected to their child's account can also see these amazing things happening in our classroom and communicate. I've had a lot of parents chat with me on there and write comments about how excited their kid was to talk about their work. Seeing a picture of it, they understand what their kid is trying to explain. 


07:09

As I said, STEM has some cool materials. Sometimes it's hard for kids to explain what they did in STEM. Having those visuals is awesome. I do use Seesaw K through five. It is free for teachers, and your school could buy Seesaw for schools. I highly recommend this tool because it is so interactive. You can accomplish a lot within this platform, and that two-way communication allows you to build those relationships. 


08:18

As you continue to build those relationships, you want to have a standard set of class rules for your STEM space. This is something that you're going to want to keep the same for K through Five and keep them very simple. In episode seven, I shared with you some back to school STEM activities, and one of those is having a game review puzzle where kids are putting the pieces together of your classroom rules. So make sure to check out that episode if you haven't listened. Have those main classroom rules that all the kids are used to when they come into your space and keep them simple. I have my main four rules that students in the class have to follow as a whole class. 


09:40

At my school, we do something called Tiger paws, where classes can earn a paw for great behavior from teachers, including specialist teachers. I have my four main rules as things that, as a whole class, they do have to accomplish to earn their tiger paws. You can check all of these out in the show notes for this episode, but the four main things that I ensure the class has accomplished are: Did we finish today's work? Did we work together and try our best? Did we stay on task? Were we very respectful of everyone's work? We go over these at the end of each day, and if it's a yes, for all of those, they get their class Tiger paw. If it's a no, we will discuss why. 


10:23

The kids will explain, or I will explain why it's a no and what we can do better next time. I remind them that tomorrow is a new day. You can keep track of these tiger paws or class incentives if you want to. Maybe they can earn a certain amount to do a class party. I've considered this idea, but I honestly don't have enough time with the limited time I have with kids. If this is interesting to you, then definitely try it. I know other teachers have done this, and it's been successful in their rooms. 


10:51

When you teach all the kids in the whole school, you will have to modify some things for specific classes. As a former classroom teacher, you know that some classes vibe together, and some don't. So you might need to have specific rules for specific classes. You might even need to adjust things that go along with the classroom and your management style. Some teachers are strict and don't allow collaboration in their classroom, and some are open-ended. Adjust to what the kids might be used to and communicate with those classroom teachers. If you can chat with them quickly before or at the end of class, you can see if there are any specific needs that you need to focus on for the day and academic goals that you can help support. 


11:44

Some classes might even have a class incentive they're trying to work on. When I was a classroom teacher, I sent my kids a grading sheet, so however they did in specials, the specials teacher could write that down on our sheets. If they got an excellent, we got a class marble. This is where they could write down students who did an excellent job and students who needed additional support. If the classroom teachers don't have this, you could start this in your classroom to help bridge the communication gap. Also, if things aren't working, ask that classroom teacher what you can do to help support the class. They might have a certain call to action that you can use with the kids.  


12:27

Finally, for your last behavior management tip, you want to have specific rules for specific materials. You have the class rules we discussed, which don't change. These rules are the same no matter what you teach, but then you have specific materials you will use throughout the year. This is what you want to change up. This can also mean specific areas in your classroom, what grade levels can use them, and specific materials and which grade levels can use them. 


12:57

One example of different rules for materials in my classroom is the tables and chairs that students can sit at and how they know where they're going to be sitting. When all classes enter my room, they come to that shared meeting area we talked about in episode one after that little mini lesson. So if I want them sitting at the tables, I have different rules for my K-One and my second through fifth-grade students. For K-One, I have six different colored cubes that match the colors I have on my six different tables. There are about the same amount of cubes of each color. So there are four yellows, orange, green, and so on. 


13:37

When I'm ready for the kids to go to their tables, I'll randomly (randomly to them. In my head, I know exactly who I'm giving the cubes to), provide them with a cube, and they have to find the matching color on their table. Now, if you're wondering how I put the colors on the table, it isn't anything fancy. It is a page protector with a sheet of construction paper on the inside. On the flip side of that paper, I have about four sticky notes with numbers written on them mixed up. Now the numbers are one through 27. I think I had one through 32 last year. A third-grade class had 32 kids in each class, but I have one through 32 written on sticky notes, one number per sticky note. Those are mixed up on the tables within that page protector. 


14:25

For my second through fifth-grade students, when I'm ready for them to go to their tables, they find their classroom number and sit at that spot. Then I can move kids based on who needs to be moved or whatever assistance they might need. This has worked well in my classroom. There's less fighting, and they know where to sit. Of course, they might work on the floor or do other things for different projects, but sometimes I might need them at a specific spot for a specific reason. 


14:50

I also have specific rules for specific materials in my classroom. For example, when we're using robots, we will go over the rules and procedures for how to use them. We review a certain type of robot and how to handle it properly. We have those classroom rules we want to review when using those specific materials. So when I'm using Dash, we will go over how to hold Dash the robot, turn it on, connect to the app, and work within our roles. All of those things are super important when we're working with specific materials. For my hot glue guns, I will only use hot glue guns with second through fifth grade, depending on how they're doing with projects. Again, we will review those specific rules when using that tool in our classroom. 


15:33

So as a recap, here are the three major points when building your behavior management strategies in your STEM space. Again, this is so important, and you want to take the time to get this set up properly in your classroom so you can do awesome projects all year. First, of course, is to build those relationships. Next is to set up those class rules and goals. Third is to have rules for specific materials. You can check out the links to show notes, the transcript for this video, and the video version of this podcast. You can find that using this link: Naomi meredith.com/episode8. Thank you so much for joining me today, and I can't wait to talk to you in the next episode.

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

teacher-behavior-management-strategies

Related Episodes/Blog Posts:

Connect with Naomi Meredith:

More About your host, Naomi Meredith

Naomi Meredith is a former classroom teacher turned current K-5 STEM teacher and coach. Her role not only includes teaching over 500 students in her school, but also leading professional development and co-teaching with teachers to help them integrate STEM & Technology.

With over a decade of experience along with a M.Ed. in STEM Leadership and STEM certificate, she helps teachers navigate the best practices, strategies and tools out there.

She truly believes that any teacher out there can learn how to use STEM & Technology in their classrooms effectively. She can’t wait to connect with you and be your guide!

More About The Elementary STEM Coach Podcast

Are you tired of scrolling online for your next great STEM lesson? Do you feel like there is no time to plan, research and test meaningful STEM lessons, so you throw together a hands-on activity and hope that it works? What systems and routines should you set in place to help students be creative, critically think, and collaborate? 

The Elementary STEM Coach is a podcast for K-5 STEM teachers, classroom teachers, GT specialists, and homeschool parents looking for actionable STEM solutions. Each week, Naomi Meredith will share tools, resources and lesson ideas that are actionable in your classroom and create highly engaging experiences with your students. You’ll learn systems and routines that will create control in the chaos and that will keep you organized all year long. 

Your mindless scrolling days are over! Your new STEM-best friend is now here in your ear buds!

how-to-make-a-text-box

How to Make a Textbox in Google Slides

How to Make a Textbox in Google Slides

Wondering how to make a text box? There are a lot of ways to be creative when adding words with the text box tool in Google Slides and Drawings. Easily create a text box, change its color and style in this video tutorial.

Want to share this video with students but YouTube is blocked at your school? Click here to find the same {free} video in my store and you can get the downloadable version of this video that you can share with your kids.

 

How to Make a Textbox in Google Slides | Need help?

As you become more comfortable with Google Slide creation, you’ll discover all the tricks within the platform.

Still need more help? Stop spending hours on YouTube finding the perfect video to answer your questions. Let me sit with you and guide you through the ins and outs of Google Slides.

In less than 3 hours, you can be a Google Slides master while creating assignments your students will love. Click here to join me in my easy-to-navigate course, How to Use Google Slides for Digital Interactive Assignments. 

See you there!

how-to-make-a-text-box

Resources mentioned in this post:

Other Blog Posts You Might Enjoy:

how-to-make-a-text-box

What questions do you have about using Google Slides to create? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ or send me an email, contactnaomimeredith(at)gmail.com, and I would love to chat with you!

 

how-to-add-a-timer-to-google-slides

How to Add a Timer to Google Slides

How to Add a Timer to Google Slides

how-to-add-a-timer-to-google-slidesLearn how to add a timer to Google Slides with this video tutorial. This tech tip can can help students manage time in your classroom. In just a few clicks, classroom productivity can be enhanced.

How to Insert a Timer to Google Slides Video

When picking the video timer to add to the slides, double check the timer sound first. There have been many occasions when I've had a timer that's made the worst sound. Sometimes it's even sounded like the fire alarm going off!

Google Tools Scavenger Hunts

Interested in growing your students' Google Tools capabilities? These scavenger hunts are a great way to have students find and apply common digital literacy skills. 

You and your students will get to enjoy [for each digital tool]:

  • Prompting for student learning and reflection
  • A pre-reflection sheet to rate comfortability with the technology tool
  • Organized places to write and take notes about the technology tool before using it

 

Student-led scavenger hunt tasks to learn basic functions in an authentic experience

  • 12 Google Drive
  • 8 Google Docs
  • 18 Google Slides
  • 18 Google Forms
  • Post-reflection sheet for students to write excitements, frustrations, and wonderings

Animated and full-color, Google Slide presentation to teach students…

  • What Google Drive, Docs, Slides & Forms are
  • The difference between the Google App and another similar tech tool
  • Where to access each Google Tool
  • Prompting and directions for student-led scavenger hunt

BONUS!

  • All slides & worksheets are 100% editable
  • A Black & White animated version of the mini-lesson is also included for ink-saving printing
  • Colorful anchor chart showing what Google Tools are like in real life

how-to-add-a-timer-to-google-slides

Other Blog Posts You Might Enjoy:

 

What other Google tools tricks do you love? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

 

downloading-google-slides

How to Download Google Slides

How to Download Google Slides

download-google-slides

There are times when you just need to download your creations from Google Slides. In my video tutorial, I will show you how to do exactly that!

I actually do most of my product and worksheet creations with Google Slides since the text boxes and images are easier to manipulate as opposed to Google Docs. Try it; your life will be changed!

 

It’s helpful to know different ways to download Google Slides just in case you need them for other mediums that aren’t online.

Different formats you can download are: 

  • Microsoft Powerpoint (.pptx)
  • ODP Document (.odp)
  • PDF Document (.pdf)
  • Plain Text (.txt)
  • JPEG Image (.jpg, current slide)
  • PNG Image (.png, current slide)
  • Scalable Vector Image Graphics (.svg, current slide)

I use this method of downloading images when I am creating backgrounds for assignments. I typically assign my classroom assignments in Google Classroom. Need help with Google Classroom basics? Click here for a FREE 3 part video training series that I created just for you. 

downloading-google-slides 

When do you use this downloading option to help your productivity? Feel free to direct message me on Instagram, @naomimeredith_ and I would love to chat with you!

 

Want more resources to support Technology & STEM all year long? Grab this FREE downloadable guide that I’ve put together for you!