Back to School Introductions

Starting any technology piece can be a headache. Start off using Flipgrid at the beginning of the year by having students introduce themselves in a short video. This can help students make connections and develop a stronger classroom community.

Book Study Guide

At my school, we switch classes for 30 minutes a day for intervention time. I’ve had the advanced readers for the past couple of years so I try to do challenging activities with them. Last year, we read “The Tale of Despereaux” by Kate DiCamillo. Since some kids read much faster than others, I had to have activities ready for them when they finished certain chapters or sections. I created an entire grid on Despereaux and just added culminating questions for each chapter. My students loved this so much more than a worksheet and I loved hearing them explain their thinking.

Lesson Quick Checks

Students are encouraged to be able to explain their thinking in all subject areas. After a lesson, students can answer a question related to the lesson and share their ideas. After students respond, they can view and respond to other students’ answers.

Independent Practice

During reading or math rotations, students can record a video explaining what they did during their independent practice time. If you have centers where students don’t turn in a recording sheet or work in partners, they can explain their work before moving on to a new activity.

Question of the Week

In our reading series, we have a weekly focus question and an overall unit question. At the end of the week, students can respond to the question and add any thoughts that they have about the question.

Book Reviews

It’s hard to tell if students are reading on their own so having students give a video book review can help you check their progress. This can also be used to encourage other students to read certain books in the classroom library.

Feedback

Students can read their writing or record their reading on Flipgrid using the video. They could also show how they solved a math problem. Other students could be required to provide feedback to the student as to how they can improve. This will definitely feed into a growth mindset culture in the classroom.

Lingering Questions

After teaching a lesson, students could record questions that they still have on the topic. This allows other students to respond and answer the question if the teacher is busy. Also, teachers can go on to respond or provide help when there is time.

Professional Development

Flipgrid is perfect for professional development. Participants can leave reflections or further questions on Flipgrid that can be accessed after the professional development is over. Flipgrid can help schools provide follow up to PD topics and share what is working in their classrooms.

If you missed my post from yesterday about how to use Flipgrid, check it out at this link.