Assignments & Resources

Lesson Description

In this lesson you will learn how to post assignments and resources. You will also be introduced to different types of basic assignments.

Key Vocabulary

Resource/ Materials - Content that you want students to have access to but will not be grading.

Assignment Template - The template that you make so that the students have a starting point for their assignment.

Individual Digital Assignment - Assignments that students can access and edit individually.

Collaborative Assignment - Assignments that can be accessed and edited by a group of students.

Non-Digital Assignment- Any assignment that doesn't require a computer.

Web Based Assignment - Assignment that requires a website other than apps on the G Suites.

Get Started with Assignments

The core of Google Classroom is the ability to create and review assignments in one place. It doesn't matter if it's an assignment in G Suites, or if it's in the textbook, if it is an individual or collaborative assignment, either graded or just practice, Classroom will manage it all. The only thing that matters is that you start using this resource. As of the posting of this lesson, there is no district requirement for how many assignments you post on Google Classroom. For some teachers, it might be enough for them post 1 or 2 assignments a semester, while other teachers will need to use Google Classroom everyday. I hope that after reading through this resource proves less intimidating.

Resources/ Materials

Every teacher has resources for his or her class. It doesn't matter if it is a syllabus, study guide, or just reference materials, your students need access to these documents. Now in a perfect world, students would save every piece of paper you give them until the end of the year. We know that doesn't happen. Even your best students are going to lose things or leave them at home, and it will probably happen on the day they need it most. By posting resources into your Classroom, students will always have access to very important documents.

Here are the steps to add resources to your Classroom:

In your Google Classroom, click on the Classwork tab at the top of the page.
Click Create.
Click Material.
Give the resource a specific title so that students can easily find resources later.
Add a description to further clarify what the resource is and what it is meant for.
Choose the topic that best fits your resource. If you don't have a topic that fits, create a General Resource topic.
Attach the resource with the Paper Clip (file uploaded from your computer), Drive (for files in Google Drive), YouTube (for YouTube videos), or as a link.
Click Post.

Creating an Assignment Template

For many assignments you need to create an Assignment Template. This would be the same as creating a master worksheet you plan on copying and giving to students.

Steps for creating an assignment template (individual):

1. Open drive.google.com with your district account.

2. Open the folder for your assignment for the corresponding class/ subject. If you do not have one, it is highly recommended that you create one. You can do this by clicking + New , then folder, and name the folder something like "Master Assignments."

2. Click on the + New button on the top left.

3. Choose Doc, Slide, Sheet, etc. (this will depend on the type of assignment).

4. Format the assignment. This could include instructions, questions students need to answer, or actual formatting for the assignment.

5. Make sure all changes have been saved and close the assignment.

Collaborative assignments have a few more steps:

6. Right click (2 finger click on Chromebook) on the assignment template and click "Make A Copy."

7. Right click (2 finger click on Chromebook) on the copied assignment, click rename, and name it accordingly.

8. Repeat this process until each group has a template.

Once you have created your template(s) you can close Google Drive.

Individual Digital Assignments

For many assignments you will want students to work on their own. The first step in creating an individual digital assignment is to create a template for the assignment (see Creating an Assignment Template above). Once you have your template, you are ready to create an Individual Digital Assignment.

Steps to Create an Individual Digital Assignment:

In your Google Classroom, click on the Classwork tab at the top of the page.
Click Create.
Click Assignment.
Give the assignment a specific title so that it will be easy to review later. Example: World War I Research Paper
Give students some kind of instructions for the assignment. This section doesn't have to be detailed, but it should not be left blank.
Change how many points you want students to earn for this assignment, if needed.
Set a due date if applicable.
Choose or create a topic for your assignment. Not every assignment needs its own topic. Topics could be a unit or chapter title, or a project to which the assignment aligns.
Click on the Google Drive icon, and choose your assignment template.
Change the sharing settings from "Students can view file," to "Make a copy for each student."
Click Assign, or use the pull down to schedule the assignment for a future date. You can also save a draft, if you are not finished with the assignment.

Collaborative Assignments

Group work can be great, however, many teachers and students are afraid of it because some students will take credit for other students' work. With Classroom, it is easy to assign collaborative assignments that allow you to see exactly what each student contributed. There are more steps to set up this kind of assignment, but it is worth it. The first thing you will need to do is create a template for the assignment (see Creating an Assignment Template above).

Steps for Creating Collaborative Assignments:

In your Google Classroom, click on the Classwork tab at the top of the page.
Click Create.
Click Assignment.
Click on the down arrow next to "All Students."
Click the checkbox next to "All Students." This should take away all checks next to students in your class.
Click on the check boxes for students you want to work together.
Give the assignment a specific title so that it will be easy to review later. Example: Differential Equations Presentation Group 1.
Give students some kind of instructions for the assignment. This section doesn't have to be detailed, but it should not be left blank.
Change how many points you want students to earn for this assignment, if needed.
Set a due date if applicable.
Choose or create a topic for your assignment. Not every assignment needs its own topic. Topics could be a unit or chapter title, or a project with which the assignment is aligned.
Click on the Google Drive icon, and choose your assignment template for the group of students you chose.
Change the Sharing settings from "Students can view file," to "Students can edit file."
Click Assign, or use the pull down arrow to schedule the assignment for a future date. You can also save a draft, if you are not finished with the assignment.

Quizzes

Being able to quickly assess your students is a critical task for any teacher. By creating self-grading quizzes with Google Forms, teachers can give many different types of assessments. Best of all, many of the assessments are self-grading and give students instant feedback. Creating Quizzes in Google Forms takes a little longer than some of the other assignments you might create in Classroom, but the ease of use for students and the self-grading features make it worth the time. For this lesson, you will learn how to make a basic multiple choice quiz, but in future classes/training you will learn how to do even more with quizzes. The instructions for making a quiz will be broken into two parts. Part 1 is making the quiz, and Part 2 will be assigning the quiz.

Part 1: Making a Quiz:

Open Google Drive with your district account.
Open the folder for your assignment folder for the corresponding class/ subject. If you do not have one, it is highly recommended that you create one. You can do this by clicking + New, then folder, and name the folder something like "Master Assignments."
Click on the + New button on the top left.
Move your mouse to "More" and another drop-down menu will appear.
Click "Google Forms."
When your new form opens, make sure to give it a specific name where it says Untitled Form. There are 2 places where it says this, but once you have filled it out in one place, all you have to do is click the other "Untitled Form" and it will copy your title for you.
Give the form a description. This can explain what is covered in your quiz or this can be a place to provide specific instructions.
Click where it says "Untitled Question," and type out your first question. NOTE: Multiple Choice is the question type by default, but this would be the time when you would change the question type for another type of question, if desired.
Click where it says "Option 1," and type your first answer choice.
Click where it says "Add Option" to add another choice. Keep repeating this process until you have entered all of your answer choices for that question.
Click on the slider next to required if you want you want the question to be required. If this is turned on, students will not be able to submit until they have answered the question.
Click on the + symbol to add another question.
Repeat the steps above until you have typed out all of your question and answer choices.
Change to quiz.
Quiz Settings.
Answer Key.
Feedback.

Part 2: Assigning a Quiz:

In your Google Classroom, click on the Classwork tab at the top of the page.
Click Create.
Click Assignment.
Give the assignment a specific title so that it will be easy to review later. Example: World War I Research Paper.
Give students some kind of instructions for the assignment. This section doesn't have to be detailed, but it should not be left blank.
Change how many points you want students to earn for this assignment, if needed.
Set a due date if applicable.
Choose or create a topic for your assignment. Not every assignment needs its own topic. Topics could be a unit or chapter title, or a project with which the assignment is aligned.
Click on the Google Drive icon, and choose your quiz.
Click Assign, or use the pull-down to schedule the assignment for a future date, or you can save the draft if you are not finished with the assignment.

Web-Based Assignments

The Internet is full of wonderful resources and activities for students. Every teacher should take advantage of educational websites whenever possible. Google Classroom makes it easy to share links and post assignments for students. Something that makes this kind of assignment even better is that many websites can easily be integrated into Google Classroom. Detailed training will be given in other lessons on how to do this, but if you want to experiment on your own read this article.

Steps for Creating a Web-Based Assignment:

In your Google Classroom, click on the Classwork tab at the top of the page.
Click Create.
Click Assignment.
Give the assignment a specific title so that it will be easy to review later. Example: Tom Sawyer, Chapter 1.
Give students some kind of instructions for the assignment.
Change how many points you want students to earn for this assignment, if needed.
Set a due date, if applicable.
Choose or create a topic for your assignment. Not every assignment needs its own topic. Topics could be a unit or chapter title, or a project with which the assignment is aligned.
Use a new tab in your browser to go to the website you want students to use.
Copy the entire URL (web address).
Go back the tab in your browser with Google Classroom.
Click on the Link icon.
Paste the URL for website you want students to use.
Click Assign, or use the pull down arrow to schedule the assignment for a future date, or save a draft if you are not finished with the assignment.

Non-Digital Assignments

Once students get use to checking Google Classroom, you might want to post all of your assignments including the non-digital assignments. This is worth doing for three reasons. The first reason is that it helps keep students informed. Once you create a non-digital assignment, students will see it listed in the classwork tab, and if you add a due date, they can see it in their calendar. The second reason is that it is a great way to keep parents informed about assignments on which students should be working. PowerSchool is great for letting parents know how their child did on an assignment; however, unless teachers post upcoming assignments with instructions, by the time parents see the grade, it is too late to help. Finally, posting non-digital assignments means you don't have to send individual students assignments when inevitable circumstances arise. A student is sick and is going to be out for a few days, no problem: Check Google Classroom. A student is sent to in-school suspension, no problem: Check Google Classroom. A student services teacher needs to know what a student is doing in your class, no problem: Check Google Classroom. It really is worth the time to post non-digital assignments.

Steps for Creating a Non-Digital Assignment:

In your Google Classroom, click on the Classwork tab at the top of the page.
Click Create.
Click Assignment.
Give the assignment a specific title so that it will be easy to review later. Example: Read Chapter 1 in the textbook.
Give students some kind of instructions for the assignment. Be Specific For Non-digital Assignments!
Change how many points you want students to earn for this assignment, if needed.
Set a due date, if applicable.
Choose or create a topic for your assignment. Not every assignment needs its own topic. Topics could be a unit or chapter title, or a project with which the assignment is aligned.
Click Assign, or use the pull-down to schedule the assignment for a future date, or save the draft if you are not finished with the assignment.

Questions in Google Classroom

Have you ever had to skip a class discussion that was going great due to time constraints or because it was getting too far off the content you had to cover? Google Classroom gives you an option to post additional, critical thinking questions to students. It could be a simple multiple choice question, or it can be a short answer response. No matter which one you choose, it gives students a chance to voice their opinions and share their thoughts.

Steps for Posting Questions to Google Classroom:

In your Google Classroom, click on the Classwork tab at the top of the page.
Click Create.
Click Question.
Type the question to which you want students to respond.
Give students any additional instructions they might need to answer the question.
Change points, if applicable.
Set due date.
Set topic.
Choose Multiple Choice or Short Answer, depending on the question.
Choose whether or not students can respond to each other.
Choose whether or not students can edit their response.
Add an attachment, if needed.
Click Ask, or use the pull-down to schedule the question for a future date, or save a draft if you are not finished with the assignment.

Differentiating Instruction

Teachers want to meet the needs of their students. In the traditional classroom this can be difficult. Trying to keep up with who is doing which version of an assignment, who has more time for an assignment, who needs an assignment read aloud, and how to accommodate students without singling them out in front of the class can all prove quite daunting in addition to covering content across the class. With Google Classroom, you can manage differentiated assignments and provide accommodations with very little effort. There will be a detailed training for differentiation in another lesson, but for now, here are a few simple things to try. Note: These are general suggestions. Follow the accommodations and modifications for students with special needs according to Student Services documentation.

Some Ways to Differentiate Assignments in Google Classroom:

Assign work to students who get extra time separately from your other students and give them a different due date or response time.
Adjust the points so assignments weigh more or less depending on the student.
Adjust the assignment to meet modifications or accommodations. For example, you might give students a quiz with 7 questions instead of 10, record yourself reading an assignment and attach it as a audio file, add guiding questions in an assignment template to scaffold student performance.
Add a Student Services teacher as a co-teacher in your Google Classroom so that they can help monitor and support your students with special needs.

In The Next Lesson:

Learn how Google Classroom makes it easier to grade digital assignments and give students feed back.

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