One of my main goals, with this blog, is to share various activities I use within my own classroom. As teachers, we are constantly trying to find new and engaging activities to use within our own classrooms. Mainly we do it for the kids, but let's be honest, sometimes you need to change it up for your own sanity purposes.
Last year, I started creating "paper versions" of break out activities. They were fun, they were exciting... but geesh, they were really time consuming to create. I found an article on the wonderful interweb that showed how Google Forms can be used for break out activities. Let me tell you, that moment was life-altering. I started creating a variety of break out activities in Google Forms, both math and science related. My students liked them, I like them... it was a success!
What Does a Google Forms Break Out Look Like?
Here is how it looks on the teacher/editor screen:
You are able to access each section of the break out on one continuous screen. You can make edits, add sections + have the ability to send the break out to another individual and/or groups of students.
The response validation option for a question is THE MOST IMPORTANT part of a break out activity. In this section, you will determine which response the students must enter in order to move on to the next question. Don't forget to put a reminder in the comment section. I usually say, "Sorry, try again" or "Double check your spelling." If you are wanting a numeric answer, you will want to select 'number' and 'equal to.' If you are wanting a written response, you will want to select 'text' and 'contains.'
I typically create a paper version of the questions for my students to have in front of them. Maybe I am a little old school, but I personally like a tangible sheet in front of me when I am working on various tasks. This is sample of what the question sheets look like...
Are these paper copies required? Absolutely not, you do whatever is easier for you!
How Can I Share a Google Form with Students?
Now, once you have created and/or purchased a break out activity... it's time to send it to your students. As I mentioned previously, you will want to use the 'send' function seen in the top, right corner of your screen. Once you select this tab, you will be given a couple options: send as an email, send as a link or send as an imbedded HTML. Since I use Google Classroom, my go-to option is to post a link in my classroom stream for all students to access. Simply copy the link (I would recommend a shortened URL) and paste it in Google Classroom and you are ready to go!
Digital break outs are fun, engaging and require very minimal prep work. If you are unsure about creating your own and just want to view what it might look like, head over to my TpT store and download one of the free versions. You can access them here:
If you have questions or comments relating to break out activities, please share below! :)
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