One of my most popular questions is from teachers doing distance learning who want to know how to give a distance learning lesson before assigning my Google Classroom Distance Learning activities.
However, it is super easy to create a lesson to go with your Google Classroom activities. Creating a distance learning lesson allows you to align all your content exactly to the standards that you want to teach.
My favorite ways to give a distance learning lesson is by using a mixture of digital whiteboards and videos – while using screen recordings so that kids feel a connection with their teacher and you can do the thing you love to do: TEACH!
Once you get the hang of it, it’s super easy! You can start making your lesson using a digital whiteboard, record your screen as you do it, then add the video to your Google Classroom. For an extra engaging lesson, add in a video from YouTube or BrainPop as well!
I have a YouTube video below that shows how to create the perfect distance learning lesson – you can watch that, then read the rest of the post for additional information on each website!
How do I show students the distance learning lessons?
Google Classroom is my favorite foundation for online learning with a distance learning lesson.
Why? Google Classroom serves as the central hub for your students. Not only can they grab their assignment from there, but they can watch the recorded videos before completing their activities.
You can attach PDFs, videos, and even recorded lessons!
I have a variety of blog posts on Google Classroom that you may find helpful:
Digital whiteboards are a great way to pretend you are at school with your own whiteboard for your distance learning lesson.
This is the PERFECT way to teach a math lesson (for example, a lesson on mixed numbers and improper fractions), or give students background knowledge on a science topic that they might not be so familiar with.
Below you can find two digital whiteboards that will work great to make your lessons!
JamBoard
This is like a digital whiteboard created by Google. You can draw straight on the whiteboard, while recording it on Screencastify or QuickTime to record your lesson.
Ziteboard is free for up to 3 boards. This means that you’ll have to delete your lessons to keep reusing the boards. For a one time payment of $5, you can get as many boards as you want!
Great, we have our digital whiteboards for our distance learning lesson! Now what? Well, we want student to see what we are doing. For this, we need to be able to record our screens.
What does this mean? Basically, we are creating a video (with sound!) of what our screen is showing. This means that you can draw and write on your digital whiteboard, while talking and teaching students. All of this is recorded – it’s like a video recording of what students would see in the classroom!
Quicktime
If you have a Mac, use Quicktime to do screen recordings for your distance learning lesson. It will record sound and everything on your screen. Then you just save, and upload onto Google Classroom!
Screencastify
You can record your screen to add lesson videos, including microphone and webcam if you want your face on the screen.
Screencastify is FREE if your videos are 5 minutes or less, or it’s only $29 for the entire year. All educators are eligble for the $29 plan. Schools can also purchase this for you – ask your principals!
Videos are a great way to grab a students’ attention for a distance learning lesson, while giving them information on a topic. Below are two of my FAVORITE videos websites.
BrainPop
Usually, BrainPop requires a subscription. However, they are here to help with school closures and your distance learning lessons!
BrainPop is by far my favorite teaching video website. They have videos for EVERYTHING – and the videos are all five minutes or less. Similarly, these videos pack so much material and content into each video, it’s very well done.
BrainPop has videos for social studies, math, science, reading, writing, and health. If you have not signed up yet … please do! Again, it’s free!
Vooks or Epic
Next up to create a distance learning lesson is Vooks! Vooks is a website that reads books aloud to students.
This website is a FANTASTIC way to practice those essential reading skills using a product like my Google Classroom Reading bundle, where students use graphic organizers to work on reading strategies like main idea, compare and contrast, and author’s purpose.
Students can pick a book of their choice, or you could assign the specific book that you want students to read.
Lastly, is one of your favorite distance learning lesson resources missing? Please email me at Kelly@GlitterinThird.com – I would love to check it out and add it to the list to help educators around the world!
Hey there, I’m Kelly! I I love helping teachers save time with technology and resources so they have more hours in the day to spend with family and friends. Take a look around to find new ideas that you can implement in your classroom today!
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