Harry Wong, coauthor of The First Days of School: How to be an Effective Teacher, writes, “The most important day of a person’s education is the first day of school, not Graduation Day.” And while Mr. Wong most likely spoke of that first big day of kindergarten, students get a gift of a new beginning, a new first day, each and every school year. It is an opportunity to reset, realign, and reimagine the upcoming school experience. Students and teachers must forge new relationships to come together and work toward success through the beginning of the school year activities.

Take a moment to check out these turnkey and fun activities you can employ during the first week of school to build your classroom culture. All the while, you and your schools can become more familiar with the offerings and features of Nearpod.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Back to School icebreakers and first week of school activities with Nearpod

1. Ready, set, and prep for the new school year!

Lesson subject guides

Are you looking to save prep time and boost learning this school year? With ready-to-launch lessons, activities, and videos, these guides can help you remediate key skills, reteach concepts, and even prep for testing time. Find lessons for ELA, math, social studies, and science, all organized by grade level and topic, making it easy to select just what you need.

Whether you’re new to Nearpod, a seasoned Nearpod pro, or even new to the classroom – these guides were curated so you can spend less time searching for resources and more time doing what you love: teaching.

• Download Social Studies Lesson Guide 
• Download Science Lesson Guide
• Download Math Lesson Guide
• Download ELA Lesson Guide

Live and on-demand webinar trainings

In anticipation of the start of a new school year, districts often kick off teachers’ returns with a couple of in-service days. Yet this allotted time is rarely enough to get up to speed on the latest and greatest tools and resources. So teachers often seek out their own professional growth opportunities. 

Consider registering for Nearpod’s one-hour, free live webinars over the next month. From basics to best practices, learn some tricks of the trade for using Nearpod effectively in your classroom. Choose a webinar topic and click on the drop-down menu to see all date/time options! You can also scroll through our calendar to find a time that works for you.

Or, scroll through Nearpod’s live webinar calendar and filter via the monthly, weekly, or daily view to find a topic and time best for you.

2. Get to know each other with digital icebreaker activities

During the first week, most teachers try to establish a sense of classroom culture to build camaraderie, respect, and teamwork — a solid foundation for the rest of the year. Each year, I was eager to get to know my students — firstly, to remember their names, and secondly, to learn those nuanced likes/dislikes, personality traits, and hopes and dreams that make each student an individual learner. It is often a fast and furious meeting, so teachers tend to try to dive deep to get to know their students. Don’t underestimate the value of icebreaker activities for students.

Here is a daily suggestion for the beginning of the school year activities to build classroom community:

• Introduce your students to several of Nearpod’s interactive features while asking them to reveal a bit more about themselves to one another.
  • Back to School Ice Breakers K-5
  • Back to School Ice Breakers 6-12
• In small groups of four, use this activity to guide students to find commonalities and unique traits about one another.
  • Icebreaker: Getting to Know You: K-5 
  • Icebreaker: Unique & Common: 6-12
• Put students into pairs and invite them to use only drawings to tell a story about a recent event or adventure.
  • Icebreaker: Storytelling: K-5
  • Icebreaker: Mystery Event: 6-12
• Invite students to draw two objects that reveal something unique about themselves to another.
  • Icebreaker: Two Things About Me: K-5
  • Icebreaker: Two Objects: 6-12
• Set the tone and help build relationships by having each student reveal more about themselves by sharing fun facts.
  • Template: All About Me: K-5
  • Getting to Know Me: 6-12

Ready for some more? Find an entire library of icebreaker activities that you can filter by grade and subject, all within Nearpod.

3. Use interactive activities to help establish a classroom routine

Children thrive with classroom routines to help them mentally and physically prepare for the tasks. In addition to getting to know one another, try establishing a sense of routine as quickly as possible. A regular and predictable schedule can help students feel safe by lowering anxiety and heightening their sense of agency. With consistency and stability comes a sense of comfort as well as a sense of anticipation. Established routines can help develop constructive habits and allow students to flex their sense of independence and autonomy around their learning pursuits. Skip the pieces of paper and index cards and instead try one of these anticipatory sets, called “bell ringers” or “bellwork” activities, to start each day off well.

• Use a Collaborate Board to kick off the day with a personal touch to explore one of the suggested check-in topics.
• Take a daily social and emotional temperature check to gauge your students’ learning readiness. Plus, it supports their self-awareness and self-regulation skills.
  • Social Emotional Temperature Check: Elementary
  • Social Emotional Temperature Check: Secondary

• Get creative and pose a morning activity or puzzle for students to answer the questions via one of Nearpod’s interactive features. Such a sponge activity will help center students’ attention and start the school day with some critical and creative thinking. Here are some ideas to get started:
  • Matching Pairs
  • Draw It
  • Time to Climb

• Launch into the day with a real-world connection by discussing Current Events or listening to a Week in Rap
  • Current Events lesson folder is updated every month
  • New Week in Rap every week

• Discover a plethora of resources with Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program. This holistic program includes ready-to-teach interactive lessons, videos, and activities for social and emotional learning (SEL), digital citizenship, financial literacy, and college, and career readiness. With this program, you can access premade Brain Breaks to establish throughout the school day that recharge and redirect students’ focus.

4. Introduce new tech tools to students

In addition to familiarizing students with the materials they will need this school year — supply lists, room organization, and classroom resources — you will want to get students up and running with any new tools or programs as quickly as possible. This includes learning how to teach your students to use Nearpod. It is best to immerse them and “learn by doing.” With Nearpod, some of the most engaging features are effective for both teaching techniques and learning strategies. Immerse yourself alongside your students to try out these tools. Even if you’re not an early adopter of technology, you can still model being an eager adopter! Lifelong learning at its best.

• Nearpod Orientation K-2
• Nearpod Orientation 3-5
• Nearpod Orientation 6-12

5. Evaluate students’ prior knowledge

All students have varied levels of prior knowledge, real-world experiences, and quality schooling that they bring with them into the classroom. Each new year brings a classroom full of diverse needs. Find ways to continually evaluate students’ prior knowledge as well as progress through formative assessment techniques. Students love educational games such as Time to Climb!

Consider these interactive activities and assessments:

• Polls 
• Time to Climb 
• Quizzes
• Open-ended Questions
• Drag & Drop
• Draw It
• Fill in the Blanks
• Matching Pairs

Use Nearpod to deliver effective instruction

Teachers know to write their plan books in pencil since the best-laid plans can quickly go awry. Still, it is a good idea to overplan a bit for the first week so that you can be responsive to the classroom full of new students. Options are helpful for the first day of school activities! Mix and match the activities to gauge which engages your students the most. Have a collaborative mindset as you embark on this yearlong journey with your pint-sized partners (or not-so-pint-sized …). Enjoy this exciting time of the school year, and know that you have a community of Nearpod educators ready to support you!

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Darri Stephens

Darri Stephens is a dedicated LX (learning experience) designer, passionate about creating quality content and programs for kids, families, and educators. With MAs in Education from both Harvard and Stanford, and work experience at best-in-class ed tech organizations including Wonder Workshop, Nickelodeon, and Common Sense Education, she is steeped in the design thinking process and committed to agile and iterative project management, which has resulted in multi-award-winning programs and products.

The post Back to school icebreakers and first week of school activities with Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

3 Efficient ways to lesson plan for back to school with Nearpod

1. Revisit and revise previous Nearpod lessons

You’ve already created amazing Nearpod lessons, now is the time to revisit and revise these lesson plans for the new school year! Access your library and choose a lesson to view. Hover over the lesson tile and select “Edit” to update your lesson. From this screen, you can easily reorder or delete slides in your lesson to meet the needs of your learners.

Don’t forget to embed activities and content into your existing lessons to enhance your content! My students love the Virtual Reality, 3D images, Draw It, and Time to Climb activities on Nearpod. When students first experience Nearpod activities, they’re immediately happy to see the lesson on their individual screens and love that they don’t have to strain to see the board at the front of the classroom.

2. Find premade standards-aligned content

As teachers, we put our creative, innovative minds to work on a daily basis to provide our students with the best possible education. That’s just who we are! The existing lessons in Nearpod’s library provide teachers with amazing, premade activities that are sure to fit the needs of your students. To access Nearpod’s lesson library, log in to your account and select “Nearpod Library” on the left of your screen. On the next screen, you’ll be able to filter your search by activity type, content area, and grade level. Watch this tutorial to learn how to search and filter through lessons in the library.

As you look ahead at the standards you’ll address and begin lesson planning, be sure to take advantage of the standards search feature in the Nearpod library. After you’ve added the lesson to your library, you’ll be able to quickly rearrange activities and add content and resources to best fit the needs of your students. You can even adjust the lesson sequencing of your own existing lessons or pre-made Nearpod ones. Don’t forget to take advantage of the growing number of lessons from Nearpod’s dozens of well-known partners, including ABC Mouse, History, Khan Academy, PBS, TED-Ed, and more! Teachers can customize these lessons, too!

3. Launch a quick Nearpod activity

Have you tried launching a Nearpod activity without a lesson? If not, you’ll definitely want to add this to your back-to-school prep list!

From your lesson library, select the “Quick Launch” icon in the top right corner of your screen. Launch an activity timer, Open-Ended Question, or Collaborate Board that your students will join with a code, just as they would join a traditional Nearpod lesson. In addition to Quick Launch options, teachers can also launch a quick activity by selecting “Create” and selecting the “Activity” option from the dropdown menu. Also, don’t forget to use the search feature in the Nearpod library to find an activity to fit the standard you’re teaching. Explore our premade classroom culture-building activities that you can easily embed into your lesson plans.

Start using these tips to lesson plan for back to school

It’s time to get excited for the back-to-school season and lesson preparation that comes with it! By using Nearpod’s existing lessons, Nearpodizing content you’ve already created, and quickly launching fun and effective activities, back-to-school lesson preparation is sure to be a fun experience!

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Bethany Petty

Bethany Petty is a mommy, wife, award-winning Social Studies teacher, Educational Technology professor, blogger, published author, runner, & reader! She loves using educational technology to enhance the learning environment, increase student engagement, & make learning memorable for her students!

The post 3 Efficient ways to lesson plan for back to school with Nearpod appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Nearpod offers a range of engaging activities and content that will keep your students focused, learning, and having fun during the break. Whether you’re teaching in-person, online, or hybrid, these resources can be used in your classroom to support and prevent summer learning loss.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Why is summer learning important?

Summer learning provides students an opportunity to review academic content and ensure that previously learned material is not forgotten. Learning loss, or unfinished learning, continues to be a focus for teachers and administrators as we’re two years out from the pandemic and still assessing the impact it had on students and learning. We know educators are coming off another incredibly challenging year where they’ve had to face burnout and tech fatigue. Summer school helps prevent the summer slide, and we have the resources and tools to make the process for you and your students as seamless as possible.

How can I keep students learning in the summer?

It’s crucial to meet students where they’re at during summer learning. After the challenging past few years, now more than ever, we should be prioritizing student and teacher wellness, so summer break should be a time to unwind and relax. This can be accomplished by using appealing lessons for both you and your students. Set realistic expectations for yourself and your class by creating a mix of lesson plans that are relevant, engaging, and meaningful. It’s crucial to find a balance between creating a learning environment where students can focus on what they’re being taught while also giving them opportunities to enjoy their time off. Implement student-driven engagement summer activities and instruction to create a space where students are looking forward to attending.

Summer learning activities to prevent the summer slide

1. Use vetted and quality lessons for summer school programs or to send home

Nearpod has high quality premade lessons and resources to combat the summer slide in targeted subject areas. There’s also a guide to assist with navigating and launching activities with your students for any learning environment. Keep reading to explore these reliable lessons and engaging features you and your students can enjoy during summer break! Sift through this lesson folder, which includes a collection of core-subject lessons, fun summer learning activities, and videos applicable to meet your classroom needs.

Additionally, we handpicked Nearpod lessons that students can use to practice core topics and strengthen their learning for the following school year. This ready-to-use guide provides a 6-week schedule you can use for your summer learning plans. These lessons and activities are perfect for independent work or live front-of-class teaching. Click to add the Nearpod lesson to your library, then share out with students using the lesson code or through your learning management system (LMS), such as Google Classroom.

2. Target social and emotional learning (SEL), math, and English language arts (ELA)

Subject areas where students tend to struggle the most during the summer months are social emotional learning (SEL), math, and English language arts (ELA). Explore Nearpod’s lesson library by using the search bar and filtering by grade level, subjects, activity types, and standards.

Here are a few summer SEL activities and lessons you can use to address these topics:

• Drawing assessments: Students can practice self-awareness and social emotional skills to identify their emotions by completing a Draw It activity to assess their mood.

• ELA: Nouns & Verbs (K-3): Students will identify whether a word is a noun or a verb by completing a Drag & Drop activity to assess their mood.

• Math: Converting Decimals to Fractions (5-6): Students can learn various math skills to express decimals, such as expanded form and converting decimals to fractions.

3. Create a flexible learning environment to meet students’ needs

You can launch a Nearpod lesson by selecting one of three delivery modes and sharing the Nearpod through a code, link, or LMS. Leverage Nearpod codes to promote student choice and support differentiated learning. For example, use our Virtual Reality Student Paced Code Template! Add student-paced codes, set the expiration date to the end of summer, and share the code with students.

Additionally, there are multiple ways you can launch a Nearpod lesson – all to fit your classroom needs:

• Live Participation: This mode allows you to control the pace of the lesson while students participate and follow on their devices. You can view real-time progress and results as you teach.
• Student-Paced: Share asynchronous lessons with students so they can move through lessons at their own pace, any time, from anywhere. You can view progress in real-time to monitor student understanding.
• Front of Class: Project a video when students aren’t joining from their devices. The premade questions in the Interactive Video can be used as discussion prompts, or you can have students record their answers.

Select the launch mode that suits your instruction and share the code or link with students so they can follow along on their devices or complete it at home as individual work.

4. Incorporate educational games to check for student understanding

When teachers bring gamification into the classroom, they provide students with the opportunity to practice life skills and see them in action from their peers. Summer is the perfect time to use educational games!

Time to Climb is an educational game that teachers and students love! Here’s a breakdown explaining why to include in your summer school ideas:

• How it works: Students compete to see who gets to the top of a mountain first by answering a series of questions both correctly and quickly to increase their own points to become one of the top three winners of the game.
• Build social skills: When playing in a live classroom environment, students of all ages can laugh and enjoy the integrated community-building elements of their summer school and learning experience. 
• Gain insight into student learning: View how students understand concepts in real-time and pause between questions to reflect and address misconceptions quickly.
• Students love it: Students can choose their own Time to Climb characters to play along with. There are also tons of themes to choose from, including a beach theme which is perfect for getting into the summer spirit!

4. Use interactive formative assessment activities

Students should feel inspired to show up and persist for summer school to be effective. Since students are in a summer break mindset, it’s important to weave in exciting learning opportunities and make sure they’re enjoying themselves.

Summer reading programs are a fantastic way to maintain literacy skills, while a well-rounded summer program can include various hands-on activities that make learning fun and effective. Pair reading assignments with these engaging activities to include in your summer instruction:

• Drag & Drop allows students to sort or order images and text sequentially or in groups. Add a background of a diagram or graphic organizer for students to fill in.
• Collaborate Board is an interactive discussion board that allows students to post text and images to a shared class board. It’s a great way to spark class discussion and brainstorming.
• Draw It gives students the opportunity to demonstrate what they’ve learned by having them respond to prompts by drawing and adding text or images on top of a background.

In addition to the above activities, you can use traditional assessment tools, such as Open-Ended Questions, Quizzes, and Polls.

Make summer learning simpler with Nearpod

Summer learning programs can be a daunting process to plan and execute, especially after the past challenging years. National Summer Learning initiatives emphasize the importance of keeping young minds engaged through hands-on activities and interactive lessons. Using tech tools, such as Nearpod, will help reduce the stress of summer planning and give you more time to focus on teaching while impacting student growth.

If you’re looking to create your own Nearpod lesson, here are some quick tips you can use to get started:

• Work with what you got: Use an existing resource, such as a worksheet, video, or Google Slides, and upload directly into  Nearpod. Add activities to boost engagement. For example, upload a PDF image onto a Draw It to have students write, draw, and annotate.
• Keep all links in one place: It can be challenging to organize links for your students if you’re teaching virtually. Using the Google Slides Add-On, you can hyperlink text on your Nearpod slides for students to click through.
• Get real-time insight: Immediately see how students are responding and address misconceptions at the moment to prevent the summer slide by leveraging the power of the Teacher Dashboard, which gives you real-time student insights.
• Transform your presentation: Summer vacation is the perfect opportunity for professional development and preparing student learning for the upcoming school year. Whether presenting to teachers or students, make the experience engaging. Explore 5 ideas for summer teacher professional development.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Carol Chinea

Carol Chinea is a Marketing Associate at Nearpod.

The post Summer learning activities to prevent the summer slide appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

How can summer learning loss be prevented?

When preventing summer learning loss, building an effective summer learning program for both teachers and students is essential. This requires school leaders to provide teachers with a comprehensive instructional platform and an intentional focus on accelerating learning and supporting the whole child. Simply extending instruction into the summer months won’t be enough to recoup learning loss and get students back on track. Teacher burnout and staffing shortages make this summer’s school year a bigger challenge than ever. School leaders must anticipate having summer school teachers working in grades and subject areas outside of normal experience. Summer school teachers might also be less experienced than in previous years or even brand new to the profession.

No matter how you and your fellow educators decide to tackle summer learning for students, know that Nearpod is here to support you through planning, execution, and providing a space for educators to learn from one another. Teachers can make any lesson interactive within one platform that has real-time student insights through interactive lessons, interactive videos, and gamified learning. When exploring how to prevent summer learning loss, Nearpod’s interactive lessons can keep teachers ahead of the curve and ensure you return to school in the fall ready to take on the challenges of the new academic year.

Unlock the full instructional power of Nearpod with the unlimited access, collaboration, integrations, and support your teachers need.

Effective summer strategies to accelerate learning and prevent learning loss

As you and your colleagues are refining plans for summer programming and preparing to welcome students enrolled, here are a few strategies to consider to help drive student success:

1. Get a baseline of student understanding with formative assessments

Utilizing formative assessments tied to state standards at the start of your summer program gives the teacher insight into student comprehension, knowledge, and skill levels, without the intimidation of formal tests. Continued use throughout the program allows students to control their learning path by providing immediate feedback to the student and teacher. In turn, with information on how the student interprets the material, teachers can support the student with targeted and focused instruction.

Nearpod has nine formative assessment tools and interactive activities teachers can use to get real-time insight into student understanding to prevent learning loss over the summer:

• Time to Climb
• Drag and Drop
• Draw It
• Collaborate Board
• Matching Pairs
• Open-ended Questions
• Quiz
• Polls
• Fill-in-the-blanks

2. Engage students with interactive activities, lessons, and videos across core subject areas

Summer school teachers need broad support as they prepare their classes for instruction. Remember, many summer school teachers will be teaching out of the grade level and subject area and are unsure of the academic content they will be responsible for delivering, so it’s essential to equip them with the proper materials.

Data released by NWEA focused on students in grades three through eight and compared their progress in the 2020-2021 school year to similar students from before the pandemic. Education researchers reveal data that indicates students, on average, were between three and six percentile points behind in reading skills and eight to 12 percentile points in math compared to previous years. Younger students struggled more than older students, as remote/hybrid learning proved to be a more significant challenge for young scholars.

Administrators can help teachers accelerate learning by providing access to premade standards-aligned lessons across core content areas through Nearpod. These quality lessons made by content experts are turnkey, interactive, and engaging for students. This is especially important for essential content areas and standards in Math and English Language Arts (ELA), as students are often recommended for intervention based on assessment and test scores for these two content areas.

Prevent the summer slide and use the following lesson guides to teach science, social studies, reading, and math skills to students in middle and elementary school.

3. Support students’ social emotional learning and academic development

In addition to opportunities to accelerate learning and summer learning loss prevention, educators are still supporting students to adjust to the current environment following the social and educational barriers that were in place during and after the pandemic. A vital goal of any effective summer program is to continue addressing those needs and supporting students’ development. Summer school leaders must ensure that social and emotional learning (SEL) is essential to their summer program, as it will benefit both students and teachers.

By incorporating lessons on social emotional learning activities into core instruction, educators help students access their feelings and emotions, develop healthy identities, and build positive relationships while giving them the tools they need to succeed academically. Doing so can be a simple 5-minute activity where students practice self-management by sharing some of their most helpful habits. Using activities where students can self-identify their feelings anonymously to their teacher and engage with their peers will help them navigate their reality. Having brain breaks will also be a vital element in summer programs, as students will need time to disengage from academics and explore other avenues. Working on SEL initiatives is something all teachers can do regardless of their experience level to prevent summer learning loss.

4. Provide opportunities for extracurricular activities and summer enrichment

Students missed out on more than the instructional time during distance and hybrid learning. And as such, summer programming shouldn’t be limited to academics to accelerate learning. Ideally, your district can partner with local organizations and parks and recreation departments to provide students with various opportunities to get outside of the classroom and reconnect with their peers while learning a new hobby or skill. Though if that’s not possible, don’t discount virtual reality (VR) experiences. Providing equitable, virtual reality experiences allows students from all backgrounds to travel the world, try on various careers, and more!

5. Stay organized and prepared with multiple solutions in one streamlined platform

Remember teachers’ challenges and devise innovative solutions to support them and their students during summer break. Maximizing the edtech tools your school and district can access can help, but what’s most important is choosing the right tools to set teachers for success. Nearpod’s mission is to make teaching easier with the interactive tools, resources, and content teachers need, all in one place. Whether you’re experiencing staffing shortages, onboarding new teachers, or simply trying to support your teachers and students, having a core tech toolkit is crucial. It will save teachers time in training and planning and give them more time to do what they do best: teach, connect with students, and help accelerate learning. Teachers can have the ability to create slides, embed interactive assessments, get real-time student insight, and have a library of standard-aligned resources, all in one place.

Unlock the full instructional power of Nearpod with the unlimited access, collaboration, integrations, and support your teachers need.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Effective summer strategies to accelerate learning and prevent learning loss appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

In June, we celebrate Pride Month. The month was chosen to honor the 1969 Stonewall Uprising. While Stonewall was not the beginning of the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, the event is often considered a tipping point that helped raise awareness and galvanize people and groups to the cause. 

For Pride Month and LGBTQ+ History Month, teachers play a pivotal role in fostering inclusive schools where all students feel safe and supported. With a commitment to LGBTQ-inclusive education, educators can help increase representation and create environments where every student can thrive. Below, we’ve curated resources you can use to celebrate LGBTQ+ history in the classroom during Pride Month and all year long.

Pride Month and LGBTQ+ history resources for teachers

Nearpod has curated free resources and Pride Month activities for students to help teachers celebrate Pride Month and LGBTQ+ history in the classroom.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

LGBTQ+ and Pride history lessons

All of these Nearpod lessons can be found in our Pride Month resources lesson folder. We recommend teachers preview these resources, as some of the topics covered may be emotional or sensitive for some students.

Families and identities

• Different Types of Families (Grades K-2): In this lesson adapted from Learning for Justice, students explore how families all over the world have similarities and differences. They discover how diversity can help their communities and ways to celebrate diversity.

• Pronouns and Gender Identity (Grades 4-12): People use pronouns to identify themselves to others. This Nearpod Original Video provides an overview of gender identity and gender-neutral pronouns. Students will consider why it is important to recognize people’s personal pronouns.

• My Aunties: Father Figures (Grades 9-12): In this Windows & Mirrors mini-lesson, students watch a StoryCorps video about Stefan Lynch, who was raised by gay parents in the 1980s during the AIDS epidemic. Students consider how Lynch’s story can serve as a window, a mirror, or both for them. (Sensitive content)

Historical figures

• Marsha P. Johnson lessons (Grades 9-12): This Flocabulary video and the corresponding Nearpod mini-lesson introduce students to the life and activism of gay and trans rights activist Marsha P. Johnson. Students learn about Johnson’s childhood, her life in New York City, and her involvement in the gay rights movement of the 1960s and ’70s. They explore her legacy and the lack of recognition she received while she was still alive.
• In the accompanying Windows & Mirrors mini-lesson on Nearpod, students will watch the video and explore how Johnson’s story serves as a window, a mirror, or both.

• James Baldwin lessons (Grades 9-12): This Flocabulary video and the corresponding Nearpod mini-lesson introduce students to the life and work of American writer James Baldwin. Students explore Baldwin’s frank discussions of racism and discrimination in the United States and abroad and learn how Baldwin’s refusal to pigeonhole his writing, national identity, and sexual orientation made him a true iconoclast.
• In the accompanying Windows & Mirrors mini-lesson on Nearpod, students can watch the video and consider how Baldwin’s story serves as a window, a mirror, or both.  

• Harvey Milk (Grades 9-12): In this Nearpod Original one-minute video, students learn about Harvey Milk. A host describes Milk’s life and work as one of the first out gay public officials in the US, and students consider his lasting legacy.

• An Unsung Hero of the Civil Rights Movement (Grades 9-12): In this video from TED-Ed, students learn about the life of Bayard Rustin, a leader in the Civil Rights Movement, a gay rights activist, and one of Martin Luther King’s closest advisors.

Pride history

• Stonewall Riots (Grades 9-12): In this video from History, students learn how the Stonewall Inn Uprising sparked the beginning of the gay rights movement in America. They also learn how the LGBTQ community came together to protest exploitation and police harassment.  

• The history of the word “gay” (Grades 9-12): In this video from Origin of Everything, students learn about the history of the word “gay,” including the evolving meaning of the word “gay” and how it entered the mainstream vocabulary.  

• The Gay Rights Movement (Grades 9-12): In this video from Origin of Everything, students learn about the history of the word “gay,” including the evolving meaning of the word “gay” and how it entered the mainstream vocabulary.  

LGBTQ+ resources for teachers

Looking for more? Below, we’ve included additional teacher-recommended resources to celebrate Pride and honor LGBTQ identities in the classroom. Be sure to preview these materials to be sure they meet the needs of your learners, and some of the topics may be emotional or sensitive for some students.  

• Learning for Justice’s Best Practices for Serving LGBTQ Students: On this page, you’ll find a range of valuable resources for fostering LGBTQ+ inclusion in schools and classrooms. The free Teacher Resources contains an LGBTQ library of books and films, a list of historical figures, a glossary of terms, and a school checklist. 

• Queer Icons FREE Bulletin Board Set from Visionary Classroom Decor and The Superhero Teacher: The free bullet board setup comes with portraits of queer icons. Each has a QR code, which students can scan to read biographies. 

• Lindz Amer’s LGBTQ+ resources on Teachers Pay Teachers: Lindz is a GLAAD Rising Star and host of the series Queer Kid Stuff. On this page, you’ll find resources for educators, including a social justice songbook, LGBTQ+ vocab posters, and more.

Start teaching with Nearpod

From implementing Pride Month activities to incorporating LGBTQ-inclusive curriculum, there are numerous resources available to help educators champion diversity and celebrate LGBTQ pride month. By equipping themselves with these tools, teachers can better serve LGBTQ youth and ensure that all students feel respected and valued in their classrooms.

The learning doesn’t end in June! You can use any of these resources at any point in the school year. And remember, a more inclusive classroom benefits all learners, creating more room for empathy and understanding and helping all students feel engaged, valued, and heard.

Happy Pride Month!

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for free below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Nearpod Team

Nearpod’s award-winning platform is used by thousands of schools around the globe, transforming classroom engagement.

nearpod.com/

The post Teacher resources for LGBTQ+ and Pride history lessons appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

While the sentiment of the traditional rhyme, “No more pencils, no more books, no more teacher’s dirty looks,” can be traced back to the late 1800s, I’m guessing that kids have been rejoicing about the end of the school year since schooling began!

Yet, it’s not a fault of “dirty looks” from the educators, but rather that this is the time of year that earmarks an opportunity for all to celebrate kids’ accomplishments, milestones, and growth over the past 10 months. What are the ways that you can earmark the occasion with end of year celebrations or activities?

10 End of year celebration ideas and activities for students

While your students may lament the end of one school year, they also eagerly anticipate the advancement to a new grade. So, how best to host an end of year celebration across your school community?

Consider recognizing individuals’ progress as well as the group’s overall progress. How can you revisit the start of the year to underscore the growth at the year’s end? Take some time to reflect back on the start of the year and the expectations and goals you set forth for the class—were those goals met?

Below are 10 ways to celebrate the end of this school year with your students, their families, and the school community.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

1. Reflect on the past school year

Does your school have a yearbook? If not, there are many free digital solutions for you to capture students’ thoughts while compiling reflections and stories from the past school year. Even if your school does have a yearbook, you can create your own fun end of year activities for your class specifically.

Use a Nearpod presentation and Open-Ended Questions to have students write their contributions and post multimedia; they can include everything from images and videos to playlists. Alternatively, engage your students in one of these end of the school year activities to share their favorite memories:

Memory wheel

Use a Memory wheel template so each student can jot down 6-8 poignant memories from the past school year. You could use the Draw It Tool to capture words and illustrations. Students can curate their own list, or you can provide prompts like special events, student activities, new friends, etc.

Skittles end of year writing activity

Give each child a fun-size bag of Skittles to sort by color. Then, ask them to write a specific number of memories or stories based on the color-coded prompts. For a drawing alternative, create a template background with the color-coded prompts and upload it to a Draw It activity. Students then respond by drawing about the memory or story. Compile these stories together to create a digital memory book and share it with students!

End of school year Jenga

Use colored Jenga (or other multi-colored) blocks to play an engaging game of swapping memories. Have kids share a memory related to a color-coded reflection prompt.

3-word summary

Use Nearpod’s Collaborate Board to give each child three descriptive words to summarize this past school year. Ask students to explain their word choice to draw out specific memories. Create columns to make different categories and have students submit their responses using text, images, videos, or GIFs.

2. Have a social emotional learning (SEL) check-in

The end of the school year can be a mix of emotions, which can be confusing for kids and adults alike. Gauge how your students are feeling and any emotions they might have as a result of school winding down. 
Support their self-awareness and self-management skills by checking in on students’ social and emotional wellness with these SEL activities:

• Share Your Mood (Grades K-2, 3-5, and 6-12): In this Collaborate Board activity, students “like” a color based on their feelings and share how they feel. They can comment on posts as well.
• *Words of Encouragement (Grades 2-12): Students practice social awareness, and more specifically empathy, by completing a Collaborate Board activity to encourage one another.
• *Share Your Worries (Grades 2-12): Students practice self-awareness, and more specifically, identifying emotions, by completing an Open-Ended Question activity to share some of their worries with an educator.
• *Thinking Positive (Grades 2-12): Students practice social awareness, and more specifically perspective-taking, by completing a Collaborate activity to identify positive events in their lives.

*This lesson is only available on Nearpod’s 21st Century Readiness Program. This program provides an easy way to integrate SEL practices like positive interactions, gratitude, and reflective moments into daily learning to help create safe, inclusive, and effective classroom environments. Schedule a call to learn more.

3. Pass out end of year awards for students

Everyone likes to be recognized, and your school may already hand out end of year awards for students. But what can you do at the classroom level that is inclusive of everyone, yet takes a personalized approach? Can you riff off of the old-school superlatives idea and laude those traits and skills that are less typically praised? Best laugh … Most inquisitive … Most resourceful … Most creative chops … Try to think of accolades your classroom and school promote beyond the more typical academic and athletic accolades.

Kick off the end of year celebration and make the voting process easy by digitizing it! Use Nearpod’s Open-Ended Questions, Collaborate Board, Polls, or a combination of these activities, to have students submit and vote for their picks for student awards. Teachers can hide voters’ names so that these end of the year activities are done anonymously.

4. Create end of year certificates

Piggybacking on the idea above, if you’re looking for the last day of school activities, use Nearpod to create a template to personalize certificates for each student. Add copy, design elements, and even a class photo. Once printed, customize each with a handwritten note and signature. While it is “just” a piece of paper, I bet you all can remember holding onto a similar piece of recognition of your own as a child!

Download these customizable Nearpod and Flocabulary certificates to celebrate the work everyone has been so resilient with the past school year!

5. Go on an end of year Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trip

While logistically, it may be hard to arrange an end of the year field trip, with Nearpod’s Virtual Reality Field Trips, you and your class can take one last memorable trip together. Use Nearpod to poll your students about which global destination they want to visit. Have them compile a list of questions they can search for answers to while “traveling.” You could even send out digital invitations and encourage the kids to dress for the big last hurrah. Then, share these virtual reality student choice boards for students to continue their “globe-trotting” over the summer break months.

6. Throw a themed party as an end of year celebration

As you look towards the last day of school, brainstorm with your students and parent volunteers to come up with a thematic end of year party. Here are a few clever ideas to help tie together the activities, decorations, and even food choices:

• This Year was a Ball, or Have a Ball This Summer!: Embrace anything round, from beach balls to balloons, for decor. Consider “round” food like a sundae bar with scoops of ice cream. You could also go all out on the beach theme, with decor and activities like Frisbee, limbo stick, cornhole, badminton, or spike ball.
• The Future is Bright!: Order a class set of sunglasses and bring out the neon decorations like glow sticks. Recommend that students come in crazy, bright attire to the party. Kids love these themes!
• That’s a Wrap!: Check with your school on your food policy, but you could choose a burrito bar, a candy bar, or individually wrapped snacks for a bit of a surprise.
• This Year was Poppin’!: Host an afternoon or after-school movie party with a backyard screen and streaming device for an end of the year party. Arrange for popcorn as an extra treat.
• What a Cool Year!: Go with a “stay cool!” theme and bring in ice cream or popsicles. Arrange for end of year class party games like pass-the-water relay races or water balloons/sponge tosses for some friendly summer fun.

7. Host a book party

Wrap up the school year with a book party as an end of year celebration. All ages can benefit from a good read-aloud of a children’s book. Choose one of the following titles to share:

• Oh, The Places You’ll Go by Dr. Seuss
• Letter From Your Teacher: On the Last Day of School by Shannon Olsen 
• When It’s the Last Day of School by Maribeth Boelts
• Our Class is a Family by Shannon Olsen
• Last Day Blues by Julie Danneberg 
• Wherever You Go by Pat Zietlow Miller 
• Thank You, Mr. Falker by Patricia Polacco
• Lizzie and the Last Day of School by Trinka Hakes Noble
• Mrs. Spitzer’s Garden by Edith Pattou

Then check out the following activities to capture your students’ hopes, dreams, and memories. You may also want to encourage your students to bring a book to the party for a book swap. Such recommended titles are a great way to encourage the start of tackling summer reading lists.

8. Say “Thank You”

While the art of letter writing isn’t as prevalent today as it used to be, writing thank-you notes is always a good skill (and habit!) to develop. Use Nearpod to create a presentation of individualized thank-you slides. Have students individually contribute by deciding who within the school community they’d like to acknowledge. The recognition may be for an office staff member, the school nurse, the lunchroom staff, or a classroom aide. Share this compilation schoolwide to encourage a culture of gratitude throughout these end of school year activities.

9. Create summer bucket lists

Summer is a time for students to continue growing in their personal development. Have students create personalized bucket lists about what they’d like to accomplish within the next two months or so. Encourage them to think about how such short-term goals can ladder up to longer-term goals and dreams. For instance, maybe they want to practice their photography skills with the hopes of becoming a journalist one day. Or perhaps they want to improve their volleyball skills with the goal of making the school team next year.

Remind students that strong goals are SMART* goals (*Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time-bound). Capture these summer bucket lists so kids can reflect on their progress at summer’s end. In this Flocabulary video lesson, teachers introduce setting and reaching goals using the SMART acronym. Learn how to combine the power of Nearpod and Flocabulary with these tips.

10. Avoid the summer slide and summer slump

Research shows students can lose some ground over the summer months when it comes to academic achievement. Check out these helpful summer learning activities to prevent the summer slide during summer school. Also, consider sharing these resources with students and their families as ways to keep their minds active during the summer months.

Host an end of year celebration with Nearpod!

Don’t forget to pat yourself on the back, too, for another year of teaching and supporting students. Use the next couple of months to bask in the sun and some self-care so you can recharge and start the next school year off well. Enjoy these next few weeks and find time to have more than one end of the year celebration with your high school, middle school, and elementary students. Congratulations to all!

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Darri Stephens

Darri Stephens is a dedicated LX (learning experience) designer, passionate about creating quality content and programs for kids, families, and educators. With MAs in Education from both Harvard and Stanford, and work experience at best-in-class ed tech organizations including Wonder Workshop, Nickelodeon, and Common Sense Education, she is steeped in the design thinking process and committed to agile and iterative project management, which has resulted in multi-award-winning programs and products.

The post 10 End of year celebration ideas and activities for students appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

In the United States, we will be celebrating Teacher Appreciation Week this year from Monday, May 6 to Friday, May 10. There is still time to plan ahead for some ways to surprise and recognize your child’s teachers. Use these Teacher Appreciation Week ideas and thoughts gifts to show gratitude to your educators!

While teachers deserve a spotlight and standing ovation throughout the entire school year, we at Nearpod and Flocabulary make sure to applaud our dedicated educators each and every year during Teacher Appreciation Week.

What is the origin of Teacher Appreciation Week?

Did you know that it was First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt who, in 1953, convinced the 81st Congress to declare a National Teachers Day? Some say the idea stemmed from a Wisconsin or Arkansas educator who wrote letters to the First Lady asking for this day of celebration.

The teachers are, of course, among the most important people in our nation. Day in and day out they are at work preparing the future citizens of the U.S. … I have always felt that we did not give an honorable enough place in our communities to the teachers. Next to parents they are the most important people in our communities. It is quite impossible to give teachers monetary compensation alone that will repay for their devotion to the job and the love that must go to each and every child. But I think we could compensate a little more adequately the teachers in our communities if we were conscious of their importance.

Eleanor Roosevelt, 1/14/53

It wasn’t until 1980, however, that Congress appointed March 7th as Teacher Day. Five years later, the holiday expanded to a Teacher Appreciation Week, the first full week of May, with the Tuesday of that week earmarked as Teacher Day. To find out whether and how your school recognizes the week, reach out to your school or district leaders. Regardless of the collective effort, there are many ways for your family to give an extra nod of thanks to your child’s teacher this May with a Teacher Appreciation Week gift or message.

What are some U.S. Teacher Appreciation Week deals?

Teacher Appreciation Week seems to be gaining more mainstream traction, with many companies offering special deals, whether they be discounts on products or free meals, during the first full week in May. The National PTA often lists special offers and opportunities on its website. And social media influencers have helped spread the good word through the hashtag #ThankATeacher and on sites like Things I Bought and Liked to shine a spotlight on teachers’ wish lists at certain times of the year.

There are several clever ways to thank a teacher each year. Many of the ideas below are born out of what efforts my school, families, and kids gave as Teacher Appreciation Week gift ideas. Not all of my schools celebrated, but those that did came up with some creative and thoughtful tokens of gratitude that I’d like to share.

10 Unique Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas for Gifts and Celebrating

1. Share public staff shoutouts to show your appreciation

I always say that teachers are the ultimate givers of gold stars, so they in turn appreciate such tokens of recognition. Public displays of thanks not only provide moments of celebration but also create a forum for sharing a variety of touching stories! Work with your school leadership team to decide how and where to showcase such shoutouts. For instance, you could have kids and families use sidewalk chalk to write on the walkways outside each classroom.

Perhaps you can decorate a classroom door (within fire code guidelines, of course). You may want to designate classroom or communal bulletin boards to share SUR-PRAISE by having everyone post a sticky handwritten note with their accolades. If your school creates and shares newsletters through email or using tech tools like Nearpod, add a teacher spotlight section!

2. Work together to coordinate lunches and treats

These gift ideas for Teacher Appreciation Week may take a bit of coordination (go, room parents!), but often schools can take a collaborative approach to thanking teachers. Consider how you might be able to scheme to deliver lunch for a whole grade-level team one day. Then, teachers are encouraged to not only take time out to eat (not always a daily occurrence!) but also enjoy a bit of relaxed downtime with one another. If your school has a staff room, set up a breakfast bar, a dessert spread, or an afternoon charcuterie board to energize all staff with a savory bite or two. Grab a library cart and a takeout container from your local coffee shop and deliver a piping hot cup of caffeine a la carte to each classroom just before school starts. Or drop off a simple care package at the end of the day with some chips, dip, and a favorite beverage to say thanks for a job well done.

3. Take on some daily duties

We know teachers wear many hats throughout the school day. For a Teacher Appreciation Week idea, work with your school’s office manager to find out which roles parents might be able to volunteer for, to help free up your teacher’s time. You might be able to step in for the traffic circle, recess duty, P.E. class, or lunchroom duty. You could volunteer to come in and teach a passion project, whether that be an art lesson, a creative writing activity, or something related to your profession. Sometimes, giving the teacher a bit of time to sit back and catch up on work or simply observe their students’ interactions is more helpful than you’d realize!

4. Collect classroom supplies

On average, classroom teachers spend over $700 a year on classroom resources and materials. Use this week to restock classroom supplies, even if it’s toward the end of the school year. Teachers regularly run out of Clorox wipes, pencils, whiteboard markers, glue sticks, or sticky notes. Plan ahead and ask your teacher for a wish list. The items might be everyday goods like Kleenex, or perhaps they need a piece of equipment you all could chip in for (every year, I yearned for a handheld vacuum!). For any materials or asks that are outside of your classroom’s budget, assist your classroom teacher in submitting a Donors Choose request to help support classroom needs or projects.

5. Curate educator benefits and deals

It is easy to forget that local and national companies offer educators exclusive discounts or freebies all year long. Do a bit of sleuthing and see what advantages you can shortlist for them. Perhaps you can ask some local community stores and restaurants what they can do for your teachers as Teacher Appreciation Week ideas. Most teachers can share an ID card, a school-based email, or an ID.me teacher profile as proof that they are a classroom teacher or member of the school’s staff.

6. Make a donation

Teachers tend to be the giving sort, so speak their love language by making a donation in their name. Maybe you could donate a favorite book with a customized bookplate to the school or local library. You could donate pet supplies to a local shelter for the animal lover. Or perhaps you could volunteer your family’s time to a cause near and dear to their heart like feeding the homeless or cleaning up a community park or beach.

7. Give a gift card

A teacher’s passion does not come from a high salary incentive, so sometimes the small token of a gift card can go a long way. The gift card doesn’t have to be of huge monetary value; a $10 card toward coffee or a bookstore is meaningful. We know teachers rely heavily on the ease of Amazon and Target. Or you might want to get creative—one of my favorites was a gift card to the car wash as thanks for a “sparkling year!”

8. Consider a gift that keeps on giving like subscriptions

Another gift suggestion for Teacher Appreciation Week is to give your teacher a subscription that they can enjoy month over month. It could be a subscription that benefits the whole classroom like Highlights Magazine or the New York Times. It could be a subscription that the teacher might personally enjoy, like a favorite magazine, Audible, or streaming video service. Or it could be an annual membership to Barnes & Noble or Costco, where educators can get exclusive discounts and offers all year long. You could also find a classroom tool that teachers rely on (like Nearpod, wink, wink) and gift them an annual subscription or upgrade their membership to more premium access (like Nearpod Gold or Nearpod Platinum).

9. Remember, pictures say a thousand words!

As Teacher Appreciation Week falls at the end of the school year, it is the perfect time to memorialize the 180+ days in an informal yearbook. You may want to send out an email asking families to contribute photos they may have from the classroom or from school events. You can curate these into a digital slideshow (Smilebox), print them for an old-school photo album, or have them bound into a hardcover book (Mixbook). If you don’t feel like you have enough photos, volunteer to take the teacher’s photos and have them documented into a printed version on their behalf. Also, many online companies offer products that can include notes of gratitude and drawings to create a multimedia scrapbook.

10. And don’t forget, it’s the little things …

While not necessarily a novel idea, one day of the week, my students would bring in a flower or two to create a classroom bouquet. While I silently thanked all the gardens from which many were picked on the way to school, it was fun to see who chose which type of flower, and the result was a long-lasting classroom flower arrangement that brightened my desk.

Similarly, many such Teacher Appreciation Week ideas from students do not take much time or money. Create a coupon template and have each child create a “Good for one ______” coupon for their teachers. They will end up with a printed coupon book chock full of hugs, cleaning, or treats to redeem in the future. And who doesn’t like a video Teacher Appreciation Week message with a shining face sharing some sweet sentiments? It’s often the thought that counts most!

Start using these Teacher Appreciation Week 2024 gift ideas

“Thank you” are two powerful words, and they don’t need to be saved until May or the end of the school year. It is meaningful for us all to recognize just how impactful and important teachers are in a child’s daily life. Think back—I’m sure you can remember your favorite teachers and can probably articulate quite easily why each is so memorable as inspiration for a teacher appreciation gift. Take those five days in May to show just how much your teacher means to your family. As most teachers will say, “Show, don’t tell!” Remember, even the smallest gestures go a long way!

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Darri Stephens

Darri Stephens is a dedicated LX (learning experience) designer, passionate about creating quality content and programs for kids, families, and educators. With MAs in Education from both Harvard and Stanford, and work experience at best-in-class ed tech organizations including Wonder Workshop, Nickelodeon, and Common Sense Education, she is steeped in the design thinking process and committed to agile and iterative project management, which has resulted in multi-award-winning programs and products.

The post 10 Thoughtful Teacher Appreciation Week Ideas and Gifts appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

Every year, the month of May is officially designated Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage (AAPI) Month. May was chosen to commemorate the arrival of the first Japanese immigrants in the United States on May 7, 1843, as well as the completion of the transcontinental railroad by a large Chinese workforce on May 10, 1869. AAPI Month serves as a reminder of the rich tapestry of cultures, histories, and contributions woven into the fabric of American society by individuals of Asian and Pacific Islander descent.

Classroom activities to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month

As racist anti-Asian attacks continue to rise across the US, it is more important than ever to recognize the diverse history of Asians in America and amplify Asian American identities, culture, and achievements. Nearpod has curated free resources to help teachers celebrate AAPI Heritage Month in the classroom. From fostering a deeper understanding of historical contexts to celebrating contemporary achievements, these resources aim to empower educators in amplifying diverse narratives and nurturing inclusivity within their classrooms. Let’s delve into classroom activities curated by Nearpod to honor AAPI Heritage Month and uplift AAPI communities.

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

1. Enter students in the Celebrate Asian/Pacific American Heritage Contest

Learning about and elevating Asian voices and stories is an important step in the fight for racial justice—and research suggests that when students guide their own learning, they become more engaged, create more connections between their schoolwork and the real world, and develop critical thinking skills that help them succeed in school and beyond. Nearpod’s Asian/Pacific American Heritage Contest offers an opportunity to empower students to create their own mini-curriculum.

Students can research any American of Asian or Pacific Island descent who has made an important contribution to history or culture, then write a 150- to 250-word informational script about that person’s life and achievements. One winning script will be turned into a Nearpod Original Video! Find more information, including an announcement video and contest packet with official rules.

Inspire students to enter by introducing them to our 2021 winner: Phoebe Lee. Phoebe and her script were featured in a Nearpod Original Just a Minute video, and she was also invited to attend the filming session virtually. She used her voice to honor Asian American civil rights activist in this lesson about Yuri Kochiyama. She chose Kochiyama as her figure because she wanted to teach others about her courage and inspiring activism. Click here to see all student winners.

2. Introduce diverse viewpoints with Perspective Analysis lessons

In the age of social media and the 24-hour news cycle, it is crucial for students to deepen their critical-thinking skills. Nearpod’s 50+ Perspective Analysis lessons provide opportunities for students to examine their own perspectives, as well as analyze perspectives presented in text, videos, and other media. Use these AAPI Heritage Month ideas below!

In one lesson, students read Ha Jin’s poem “All You Have is a Country,” in which the speaker describes his one-sided longing for China, the country he left behind. After reading, students consider whether the poem is a “mirror,” reflecting some of their own life experience back at them, or a “window,” introducing them to a new experience or perspective.

In another lesson, students watch a video about why the word “Asian” is now preferred to “Oriental.” They map out which ideas and perspectives are centered in the video, which are given only a quick mention, and which are left out entirely. Then they think about why those perspectives were included or ignored. 

Other Perspective Analysis lessons talk about the Chinese Exclusion Act and civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama. You can also create your own version of this lesson structure, selecting the texts, videos, or other media that best fit your classroom needs.

3. Browse all of Nearpod’s Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month lessons

We’ve curated a collection of 20+ premade lessons to help you honor AAPI Heritage Month in your classroom. Teach students about important events in Asian American history, like Japanese internment during World War II and the annexation of Hawaii as the 50th state. Celebrate the lives and achievements of Mabel Lee, Fred Korematsu, and other historical figures. Or take a mini field trip to Guam or Hawaii with Nearpod’s Virtual Reality (VR) Field Trip lessons.

Here are more AAPI Heritage Month activities we recommend exploring:

• Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month: In this holiday lesson, students learn about the origins of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month and how people celebrate it. Students learn about cultural heritage. Explore the K-2 lesson and 3-5 lesson.
• The Dark History of the Overthrow of Hawaii: In this AAPI history video for grades 6-12 from TED-Ed, students learn how Hawaii became a US territory.
• What Led to the Chinese Exclusion Act?: The Chinese Exclusion Act was the first law of its kind. In this video for grades 9-12, students learn how it came to be and why it was unprecedented. They follow a character seeking answers, and reflect on the role of this act in our history.
• Feudalism in Japan: In this 9-12 social studies activity, students will understand facts about the Feudalism in Japan using Nearpod’s interactive quiz game, Time to Climb.

Celebrate AAPI Heritage Month with Nearpod

We’re so excited to see you use these activities in your classroom! Although May is AAPI Heritage Month, it’s important to highlight Asian American and Pacific Islander figures, heritage, and culture year-round. Use these lessons and activities to celebrate in May and during any other time of the school year. And don’t forget to enter Nearpod’s AAPI Heritage Contest!

Foster a love of learning in every student with Nearpod. Teachers can sign up for free below to access and create interactive lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Katie Choi

Katie Choi is a senior curriculum manager at Nearpod.

The post Classroom activities to celebrate Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) Heritage Month appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access quality, standards-aligned lessons and create your own interactive lessons and activities. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

5 Ideas for creating virtual field day activities and games using edtech

1. Kick-off field day with Interactive Videos

Videos are a great tool for any virtual field day. Create an Interactive Video for each event or activity where the rules or instructions are given. These videos can also include demonstrations of how to do field day events. Let’s be honest; most people are visual learners, right? If you aren’t feeling too creative or you don’t have the ability to create your own videos, that’s okay because Nearpod also allows you to embed videos from YouTube. You can make videos interactive on Nearpod by embedding formative assessment activities or questions for students to answer before, after, or during the video as they watch. if you’re teaching an online course, use Interactive Videos to double-check students understand the rules for field day games, report scores and successful completions, or help them follow along!

2. Have students share about their day with Draw It

Using the drawing assessment: Draw It on Nearpod can be fun for students and useful for teachers. Images can be used to help students track their scores or times (if that’s relevant to the activity). The Draw It tool also allows students to upload pictures of themselves completing the activities and can be a fun way to share their day with those who are field day planning.

3. Stay connected with Flip

Nearpod has integrated with Flip, so while students can’t embed videos of themselves playing right into the Nearpod, virtual field day activities, and games can still be collaborative events. Prompts for the Flipgrid can range anywhere from “Tell us about your favorite event” to “Show us your favorite event,” where students can demonstrate an especially successful attempt. Using Flip gives students the opportunity to feel like they are a part of something bigger than their backyard and allows them to see how other students did in the events.

4. Wrap up field day with Polls, Quizzes, and Post-Session Reports

Formative assessment sounds like something that shouldn’t be associated with a virtual field day because it should be a day with less content and more fun! That may be true, but there are still benefits to using these tools. Don’t test students or expect a grade but use them to gauge how successful the day was for your students. Which events did they enjoy? Which were hard to understand? How did they change the field day activities to be more challenging or easier? Share the data you collect with your community via social media with Nearpod’s easy-to-understand graphs. These options also allow you to gain feedback from students, teachers, and parents about what worked, what didn’t work, and if they have any ideas for future virtual field day games.

5. Have students use Student-Paced mode at home

Nearpod gives users the opportunity to have a lesson be used Live or Student-Paced. Parents of your students may work different hours, and not all be available at the same time to complete a synchronous event. Making the virtual field day, Nearpod Student-Paced means that families can access the fun anytime when they can be together. The students won’t feel like they “missed” field day games if there was a specific time or date they had to access it.

Here are a couple more ideas on what to keep in mind when planning a virtual field day:

• Plan events that use household items that most homes would have to avoid students skipping events. You can also suggest a variety of objects to use.
• Set a “Field Day” date but make it flexible for when the student can participate.
• Make a hashtag to share with the community, and it will be one more place where families can share their day.
• It takes a village. Between creating videos, setting up and planning the Nearpod, and monitoring, you will need some backup.
• Participate! You did all this work, and now you’re just going to watch others enjoy it? No way! Families love to see teachers and administrators playing along with them.
• Need ideas for field day games or events? Check out OPEN National Field Day!

Create virtual field day activities with Nearpod

Virtual field day. Although it may seem like an oxymoron, it is completely possible to create and execute. You can do it. Using the tips given above will give you a good starting point. Nearpod has all the tools you need to keep everyone organized and make it a successful day that students will remember forever.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access quality, standards-aligned lessons and create your own interactive lessons and activities. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Brittany Deas

Brittany is an elementary physical education teacher who has become a master at incorporating technology into her classroom. She has used Nearpod since her first year of teaching and is a Nearpod PioNear.

www.brittanydeas.com

The post 5 Ideas for creating virtual field day activities using edtech appeared first on Nearpod Blog.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

How should a new teacher prepare students for standardized testing?

Whether you’re a new teacher or a veteran, “preparation” for these tests ought to be a yearlong event… basically what you do day in and day out — teaching and learning! By focusing on personalizing instruction, you can promote deeper learning. Through formative and summative assessments, you can better understand your students’ learning gaps and intervene as needed for individuals and small groups over time. Leveraging edtech throughout the years helps to familiarize students with computer literacy. And remember to teach to the whole child and address developing social emotional learning (SEL) skills to help set up students for success. So with an optimistic mindset, we suggest the following tips for preparing students for standardized tests.

Why is standardized testing important?

With such a process in mind, teachers must remember that standardized testing should represent culminating assessments designed to assess how well students have been taught to meet or exceed state standards throughout the year. Schools’ adopted curricula and approved programming should bolster teachers’ artistry in bringing grade-level content and skill sets to life each year. While students’ test scores are not meant to be indicators of a child’s intelligence or capacity to learn, we know that these standardized tests scores can impact federal funding and schools’ rankings within a district and across a state. Ergo, there is pressure around standardized test prep.

How to prepare students for state testing: 5 Standardized test prep tips for new teachers

1. Use engaging lessons and activities to review

Have you heard of the phrase “deeper learning”? According to Stanford University’s Linda Darling-Hammond, fusing content knowledge with real-life situations aids in transferring knowledge rather than memorizing it. Students are better equipped to tackle solving complex problems if they can make an authentic connection to how it is relevant to their interests and their world. With deeper learning, Professor Darling-Hammond says that “students tend to learn more deeply, and they tend to perform better, not only on traditional achievement tests but also on assessments of more complex understanding.”

With Nearpod, you can access a library of 22,000+ high-quality lessons, videos, and activities ready to use for teaching. If you’re interested in exploring premade activities you can use with your students for teaching test prep, download this PDF. You can use these resources to engage elementary, middle, and high school students in reviewing their standardized tests.

Test prep reviews

In the Lesson Library, search for standards-aligned lessons and activities within Nearpod using the search filter. You can filter by grade levels, standards, subjects, and activities. Then, consider duplicating the lesson and use the presentation editor to personalize the content and methodology to appeal to your students’ needs and interests. Ask yourself how you can connect the learning to their daily lives.

Here are some staff picks to choose from to use with your test-taking strategies for elementary students and middle school:

• Text Evidence (Grades 3-5): In this ELA test prep activity, students use text evidence to support an appropriate response. They complete a Draw it practice activity and quiz to measure their understanding of the lesson topic.
• Perimeter, Area & Volume (Grades 3-5): In this math test prep activity, students represent and solve problems related to perimeter and/or area and related to volume. They complete a Time to Climb activity and quiz to measure their understanding of the lesson topic.
• Context Clues (Grades 6-8): In this ELA test prep activity, students use context as a clue to the meaning of a word or phrase. They complete a Time to Climb practice activity and a quiz to measure their understanding of the lesson topic.
• Ratios (Grades 6-8): In this Math test prep activity, students use ratio language to describe a ratio relationship between two quantities. They complete a matching pairs practice activity and a quiz to measure their understanding of the lesson topic.

2. Identify any “holes” using real-time student data

Depending on which infographic, article, or research you dive into, there are various assessment types you, as an educator, could and should be using in the classroom for standardized test prep. Consider varying how you evaluate your students’ progress to ensure they have grasped the new content or skills and have a sound base on which to build. How are the skills being scaffolded over time? Suppose you have a good grasp on what the whole group, small groups, and individuals understand. In that case, you can strategize addressing any “holes” or gaps in comprehension through teacher test prep reviews or remediations. One effective active learning strategy to lean on closer to testing time is creating rotation stations to help refresh and solidify foundational and more complex concepts. You can even employ peer-to-peer learning to add variety to your instructional practice.

Nearpod’s interactive activities include several tools for formative assessment. You could use Polls, Drag and Drop, Draw It, Open-Ended Questions, Time to Climb, and more to assess students’ retention of new knowledge and skills in multiple ways. Interested in learning more about Nearpod’s formative assessment activities?

This variety of strategies allows you to appeal to a wide spectrum of learning styles for teacher led differentation, which will help paint a more complete and accurate picture of students’ progress. Assign an assessment activity to your students during class time, and you’ll see their responses and how they answered the questions on your device in real-time. You can also view post-session reports to see students’ data from the lesson. Lean on the real-time data to inform your next instructional steps and individualize students’ learning paths by following up with varied content from Nearpod’s vast lesson library.

3. Use edtech in a targeted way for standardized test prep

As you weave edtech such as Nearpod into your daily instruction, find ways to emphasize computer and digital literacy for standardized test prep. More and more states are offering online standardized testing, and for teachers and students alike, testing via digital devices can cause extra anxiety.

From keyboarding skills to moving the cursor to select, to scrolling to submit, to changing or revising an answer, students must have familiarity and feel comfortable navigating digital assessments. It is quite a balance to formulate responses while spending cognitive energy to utilize digital tools correctly. Give students regular practice for navigating technology and familiarizing themselves with the devices and their own work habits and styles (especially with the added pressure of timed tests).

By implementing Nearpod in your daily instruction leading up to testing, you can encourage your students to think tech-forward and be early adopters of these creative tools. Familiarize them with how technology can speak to their preferred learning style or aid their learning with assisted technologies.

4. Create sample tests for familiarity

More than likely, standardized testing — whether online or paper-based — are quite different from the quizzes and tests you normally give your students. Find ways to pepper in test questions throughout the year in a similar format so that your students become more familiar with the variety of test-taking strategies and how to best answer multiple-choice questions. You may also want to empower your students by understanding the power of elimination. 

Standardized tests by design include above-grade level questions; students are not expected to ace the exams. However, when children encounter a question they do not know the answer to, they can still employ strategic problem-solving skills to think like a test maker or to make an educated guess. Encourage your students to get down to two choices to have a 50%-50% chance of selecting the correct answer based on what prior knowledge they do have.

See the following diagram to create test questions in Nearpod that mimic your state tests. You should be able to access practice tests online from your state’s test provider to understand better the common verbiage, framing, and layout of such questions. There are many types of standardized tests, so make sure the question structure and answer choices align with yours.

5. Practice a positive mindset

Try to help students mitigate their stress around test taking with some positive mindsets. Together, collaborate on some classroom mantras to post around the room. Practice deep breathing or model how to stimulate pressure points to help students find their center in a moment of stress. Do connect with students’ homes to help encourage early bedtimes for extra sleep and nutritious meals and snacks to keep energy high and consistent. Preparing mentally and physically will help students put their best foot forward during standardized testing.

With Nearpod’s social emotional learning (SEL) activities and lessons on test-taking strategies, teachers of all grade levels can help support students socially and emotionally when preparing for high-stakes assessments. Explore Nearpod’s 21st Century Collection, which includes SEL lessons that encourage goal setting, perseverance, and emotional regulation. These SEL skills will help students succeed through testing days and beyond in life!

Start using Nearpod for teaching test prep

We hope you found these standardized test prep tips helpful! While there is no fast track to sail through standardizing testing each year, there are steps you can take all year long to teach test prep to mitigate anxiety around standardized testing. Consider how you can work within your grade level to team teach or remediate before testing begins. Work with school administrators to pump up school spirit during the long test weeks. Remind your students’ families that these tests are not markers of intelligence or indicators of capabilities but rather a measure of how well the school and educators have supported the children throughout the year.

New to Nearpod? Teachers can sign up for a free Nearpod account below to access these resources, interactive activities, and engaging lessons. Administrators can schedule a call with an expert to unlock the full power of Nearpod for schools and districts.

Darri Stephens

Darri Stephens is a dedicated LX (learning experience) designer, passionate about creating quality content and programs for kids, families, and educators. With MAs in Education from both Harvard and Stanford, and work experience at best-in-class ed tech organizations including Wonder Workshop, Nickelodeon, and Common Sense Education, she is steeped in the design thinking process and committed to agile and iterative project management, which has resulted in multi-award-winning programs and products.

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