Make a Manipulative with Google Drawings

PRIMARY OBJECTIVE

Make a manipulative or interactive with Google Drawings

MODULE DIRECTIONS

Watch the tutorials in the "Videos" section to learn the various skills needed to create activities for students with Google Drawings.
Explore the resources in the "Articles" section to get some inspiration for how you can use Google Drawings in the classroom.
Follow the directions in the "Make and Take" section to complete this module.

VIDEOS

Note: The toolbar has been redesigned in Drawings, but the icon locations and menu items are the same.

Tour of Google Drawings

See how to create a Google Drawing file and get a quick overview of the interface.

Set Your Page Size

Before you start designing on your canvas, set the page dimensions to save yourself time later.

Insert & Format Text and Objects

In this video I will walk you through how to create a venn diagram by adding shapes and text. You will learn about various options for adding text, formatting inserted items, and arranging and grouping those items on your page. Click HERE to view 30 Google Drawings Graphic Organizer Templates.

Create Drag & Drop Activities

See how to quickly create a drag and drop or labeling activity in Drawings. You'll also learn:

How to insert, resize, crop, and recolor images
How to arrange, order and group items on your canvas
How to insert and format lines
Tricks for saving space
A hack to insert a video into a Drawings file (it's not in the Insert menu)

Design Posters & Infographics

Learn how to create amazing posters, flyers, and infographics in Google Drawings. You'll get a look at how to add and customize diagrams and charts.

Create Interactive Diagrams

This video will show you how to add linked hotpots, both visible and invisible, to images and diagrams inserted into Google Drawings. By creating these hotspots you can turn maps, diagrams, and pictures into interactive activities for students to explore or show them how to create their own.

Sharing Options for Activities Created in Google Drawings

Learn about various options for downloading, printing and sharing as well as a new link hack for you to try!

ARTICLES

Read or browse through these resources to help you generate some ideas for using Drawings with your students.

The Google Drawings Manifesto for Teachers - Read this article for ideas on how to use Google Drawings with students. Free templates are included.
Creates Memes with Google Drawings - Everyone loves memes! They've taken over the internet. Meme activities are a great way to let students show understanding and have fun at the same time. If you really want a laugh, let your students meme you!
Google Drawings Templates by Subject - Browse the list and save some templates that may be useful to you.
Background Removal Activities - With remove.bg you can remove the background from any image to isolate a person and create a transparent image that you can insert into a Google Drawing over another image. This is great for creating comic strips, posters, etc. It also allows students to insert themselves into a historical event or a famous location. Pair that with adding call outs and you can create some fun,creative activities for students.

MAKE AND TAKE

Now it’s time to apply what you learned to create an activity to use with students.

Click the button below to access the module performance task. Click the USE TEMPLATE button in the top right. This will create a copy of the assignment in your Google Drive.

Performance Task