Canvas Discussion Boards

I was able to utilize Canvas discussion board assignments in 6th, 7th and 8th grades to facilitate class-wide discussion, since this year we were all over the place both in and out of my classroom. The Canvas discussion boards allowed me to post a short prompt that my students could ponder and respond to and even respond to other classmates as well, while I could also jump in at the same time and push the discussions further. In 7th grade, I was able to use a discussion board within Canvas when we were talking about "Automation Within Factories". In 6th grade, we talk about recycling and natural resources, so I was able to create a whole discussion board around that as well. I like to take the approach where I post 1-2 topic related videos to get my students thinking and get the inquiry process started, and then I have them respond to a brief prompt that I post as well. It's really interesting some of the responses and perspectives that my students come up with!