Rubrics in Google Classroom - Beta Access

Google Classroom has rolled out a Rubric Beta.  This feature will allow you to create and save custom rubrics for Assignments in Google Classroom.
You can add criteria, levels, and scoring to rubrics and share them with students.
When a teacher adds a rubric to an assignment, students can reference the rubric as they work.  After grading, students can see their assignment feedback on the rubric.

If you would like to try this beta program, sign up here!

Needs some new ideas for student engagement?

The Top 3 from the LMC & IT this week 9/9/19: 

1. Do your Google slides need a little spring in their step? A little spicing up? Try these Slides templates that may be "new to you".

1. Slides Carnival
2. SlidesGo
3. Slidesmania 

2. A Response Choice Board: Do you feel like your students may need more choice in how they are responding to your learning targets? Maybe they needed to engage with the content as creators rather than consumers? Here is an idea from Sue Henry (teacher in Ohio) who used this model at the end of a unit to increase student engagement. Just make a copy for your drive and change the content to fit your needs.

3. What's going on in this graph? Do your students have the skills to read what a graph is trying to tell us? Each month, the New York Times shares a graph without the title and captions. You can access this free monthly activity to give your students as they work to understand, evaluate and draw conclusions about what they see. There are then opportunities for discussions with students from around the country as well. A template is available for driving a discussion about what students observe, wonder and how they would headline the graph. Click here for that template (thanks goes to Alice Keeler for the template).

Organize your Google Classroom

The Top 3 from the LMC & IT this week 9/1/19: 

Is your Google Classroom a HOT MESS?  Here are some ways to spark joy in your Google Classroom.
Here are a few tips to help you organize your Google Classroom....

1. Topics:  Topics are like headings for your Assignments, Questions, and Materials.  Add a topic with the "Create" button on the classwork page.  You can create as many topics as you want (and subtopics!) You can click and drag things on your classwork page under any topic.
• First step is to pick an organizational structure that works best for you..  Think of your classwork page like a digital filing cabinet filled with folders.  Topics are what you would put on the Tabs. Sort by week, unit, category, or topic(or a combination)
2. Add Emoji's to your assignments.  Add an Emoji to your Assignments, Announcements.  This gives the students a quick way to identify each post at a glance,  
• Install Emoji Keyboard extension in your Chrome Browser. Add an Emoji that fits your post!
3. Consistency is key!  Find a method of abbreviating, organizing your Google Classroom and keep it consistent.  If you abbreviate Ch or Chapter - keep it that way for everything you post.  This is help students navigate Google Classroom more efficiently.