Google Mini Series Part 2: Organizing Google Classroom
Google Classroom is amazing! Seriously, I love it. It wasn’t always this way though. Integrating it into my math classroom was seriously challenging, but it was so worth it! I’m going to share with you some ways I organize Google Classroom in my Math class.
Setting up Google Classroom in your Math classroom could be challenging. There are so many ways to organize the platform, and really it all depends on personal preference and what you’re using it for.
How to Organize
There is a way to add a topic to your Google Classroom page. To add a topic on Google Classroom, you’re going to click over to the “Classwork” tab, click “Create” and then “Add Topic.” Thats it! From here, you can create topics to help you keep your Google Classroom page organized for your math class! Here are a few ways to organize the “topics” for your math classroom!
1: By Chapter
Last year and this year, I organized Google Classroom by Chapter. The problem I ran into was that I use Google Classroom primarily for Center Time and I would have to tell them which chapter to go to for the activity I wanted them to complete. This is slightly confusing especially since I want to differentiate and have students completing activities for different chapters depending on their level and what they need.
2: Type of Activity
Another way to organize Google Classroom for Math Class is type of activity. I have several types of activities that I want students to complete. There are drag and drop activities, pixel art, math tasks, etc. Basically, if you find that you have five or six different types activities and you have those same type of activities for each skill – create a “Topic” for each activity type. Whether you want students to do math sorts on Google Slides, Pixel Art on Google Sheets, they will be able to choose the activity they want to do when working on the skills you assign them.
3: Date/Week
Organizing by date is super efficient and if you have the time to set it up for the year you’re golden! You can create a topic for the top of the page that is called, “This Week,” or the date you want them to complete it. My suggestion is to create topics that encompass a weeks worth of work to make your life easier! This will help students prioritize what they have to do each week.
4: Major Topics
In fifth grade the major topics are Place Value & Operations with Whole Numbers, Decimals, Fractions and Measurement & Geometry. You can organize by these major topics so that you can assign base on an individual or class need.
5: Classwork/Homework
Another way you could organize your Google Classroom for Math (or any subject) is by classwork and homework. This directs students to know what assignments are counting for on their grade.
6: Part of the Lesson
Depending on where you are teaching, you may have a certain structure that your school follows. For me, I have Center Time, Problem of the Day, Model, Guided, Independent Practice and Math Journal. You can have each part of the lesson as a topic on Google Classroom. Students will know exactly where to be depending on the part of the lesson.
7: Mix It Up!
Next year, I plan to have several topics that mix all of these up. Again, I use Google Classroom for center time so I want to make sure students know exactly where to go when they’re completing their center time activity. Here are the topics I’m going to have:
- Must Do
- May Do
- Whole Number Operations, Place Value & Numerical Expressions
- Fractions
- Decimals
- Measurement, Data & Geometry
Right now, I have my Google Classroom organized by Chapter, but next year I am definitely going to mix it up and have the major works of the grade and a to do list for students. Each year I use Google Classroom I tweak it. Isn’t that what teaching is all about? Flexibility!
I hope this helps you keep yourself organized with Google Classroom! Email me or message me on IG if you have any questions!
Enjoy!
alexandra
