Content Glow Up with Jamboard – Part 1

Surely you have noticed that students are a lot more apt to do something when it looks “fun.” Honestly, our students lose their attention and motivation when they see a PowerPoint from 2004 or a worksheet from 1999. How can we make our content more appealing and engaging? With technology, there are multiple ways to turn a basic worksheet into something more visually appealing. One specific tool is Google Jamboard. Throughout this blog series, we will show you how to take your basic multiple choice, matching, and written questions and make them into exciting, engaging Jamboards. Feel free to check out our explanations, videos, and free templates! This is just the beginning of our Content Glow Up Series!

Multiple-Choice, Matching, & True-False Question Glow Up 

1. Drag and Drops

There are so many easy ways to create drag and drop assignments on Google Jamboard! You can simply have students drag and drop to match (like this basic example— PS this was one of my first Jamboards if you can’t tell), or you can find more creative ways like the ones we have worked to create for you.  Plus, we know standardized tests now utilize drag-and-drop questions for assessments, so why not practice them often!? Here are a few fun examples we created for our students.

  • Thumbs Up-Thumbs Down: This Jamboard template takes your typical true and false questions and makes it into a more interactive drag-and-drop activity. The instructions are simple: if the piece of information is true, drag the thumbs up to it; if it is false, drag the thumbs down. This can be used for math facts, comprehension questions, etc.

 

Jamboard screenshot - thumbs up/thumbs down

Get the template here
Click here to view a video on using this Jamboard

  • Gummy Bear Facts: Take a look at how Lauren Poole took a standard and created a drag-and-drop activity for her students to practice identifying types of sentences! Click here to see her example.

Jamboard Gummy Bear Facts screenshot

2. Color Classification

For this assignment, students color code the given examples to show their understanding and ability to identify figurative language. You could use this idea for any multiple choice or matching activity you have! This video (click here) will walk you through how to create your own assignment using our template.

Jamboard Color Classification example

Example 1- Figurative Language
Example 2- Parts of Speech
Get the template here

3. Laser Polls:

With laser polls, students use the laser pointer tool within Jamboard to vote or respond, without ever actually editing the Jamboard content. This is a great way to do quick checks for understanding without having a lot of students editing a Jam simultaneously, and students love seeing their multi-colored lasers having a little “dance party” on their screens. Teachers can do simple, whole group, anonymous checks for understanding within seconds. Laser polls are a great fit for Four Corners, This or Thats, Would You Rathers?, True or False, selecting a multiple choice option, voting on the strongest piece of evidence, and more. Lauren goes over laser polls and how to use them with Four Corners in this video.

Click here to make a copy of the Four Corners template

Stay tuned for our next Content Glow Up Blog. We will address open-ended questions and text evidence.

Keep up with Lauren’s tips by following her on TikTok.

Contributor

  • Lauren Poole is an 8th grade Language Arts teacher with a Master's in Instructional Design. I love using technology to make my content more effective, engaging, and accessible. I live in Newburgh, Indiana with my husband, Thomas, and our two young kids, Piper and Howie, that keep us entertained and exhausted. The ways to my heart are coffee, donuts, traveling, make-up, comedy, and true crime. Emily Opell currently teaches English 9 at Castle High School in Newburgh, Indiana. Over the last nine years, she has taught English/language arts to students in grades 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10. In addition to teaching, Emily coaches tennis and enjoys spending time with her family, including her four-year-old son Vincent.

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