Let’s be honest, distance learning in high school English is probably here to stay in some form or another. Even though it’s not always easy or desirable, there IS a way to make distance learning less painful for your high school students. My high school English class is on a hybrid model, so I see some students face to face, some students all remote, and some students are a magical blend of both.
I STRUGGLED the first semester, but I’ve finally found a few ways to make distance learning in high school English more enjoyable and most importantly, engage students in meaningful learning experiences.
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Check out my top 5 favorite ways to rock distance learning in high school English!
Google Forms are your friend
Google forms are truly the holy grail of tech tools. They can be used for self-grading quizzes, virtual escape rooms, ways to collect data, and SO MUCH MORE. Google Forms have truly been a lifesaver when I was searching for ways to streamline distance learning. Now, I do all of my informational text activities with Google Forms.
I provide my students with a list of pre-reading vocabulary to lookup using Vocabulary.com BEFORE they read. I’ll ask a few pre-reading questions to get the discussion going, then I’ll turn them loose on the Google Form! I either place a link to the article for them to click and read, or I write the text directly into the form.
To make your own self-grading Google quiz, simply open a Google Form, click on the gear icon in the top, right corner, then select “quiz.” From there you’ll select “make this quiz.” You can decide if you’d like for a student’s grade to be automatically released to them after completion, or if you would like to manually release a student’s grade after reviewing their work. Then, below each question that you create, you’ll see the option to make an “answer key.”
I cannot tell you how much time this feature has saved me! You can even type in feedback that you would like to be sent automatically to students upon submission. If you’ve not already used Google forms, you can dip your toe in the water with ZERO PREP work by using some of my pre-made reading comprehension forms here!
2. Choice boards will change your life.
One of my absolute favorite ways to encourage students to engage with the work is to give them a choice as to how they demonstrate their understanding. I also love a good choice board activity because it is reusable and can be applied to any text!
I simply open a Google Slide presentation, draw a table by selecting “Insert” then “table.” I prefer a 3 x 3 board, but I’ve also used larger boards for poetry assignments. Next, I’ll fill in each box with a task. Sometimes, I’ll make one column of writing tasks, one of reading tasks, and one of research tasks. Other times, I’ll do a blending of activities to maximize student choice. I’ll link text to the reading material or the video that I want students to watch, then I’ll turn them loose with their choices.
There are multiple different ways to utilize choice boards, but I like to have my students complete one assignment from each column OR achieve tic-tac-toe by completing 3 assignments in a row on the board. I’ve done everything from poetry choice boards to Netflix watching choice boards to practice analyzing literary elements!
Choice boards are fairly simple to make and I’ve found that students really enjoy the freedom of getting to select how they learn, what they learn, or how they demonstrate their understanding.
3. Don’t be afraid to play games!
If you’re looking to rock distance learning in high school English, YOU HAVE TO PLAY these two games that keep my students BEGGING to play another round.
If you’ve not used Quizizz in your classroom, now is the time to start. I’ve found that it’s super simple to use in class, at home, or when you have a combination class. Students log in, in real time, and compete on a leader board by answering questions correctly – and doing it fast! The faster they answer, the more points they’ll receive. They can also earn “power ups” which allow them to obtain lifelines, the ability to “glitch” a friend’s game, etc. My students LOVE competing for that top spot on the leaderboard podium! You can also search for pre-made question sets or make your own.
One of my favorite features is that you aren’t limited to multiple choice questions. You can do polls, open-ended responses, choose teacher-paced or class paced, and even “teleport” questions in from other sets. At the end of the game, you can see the accuracy of the entire class or of an individual student.
When you’re ready to take it up a notch, or you just have a super competitive group, try the new fan/student favorite – Blooket.com! Ya’ll – this game is ADDICTIVE. There are SO MANY different options, too! There are multiple different versions you can play, but one of my students’ personal favorites is when students have to answer questions correctly to earn (pretend) money to stock their (pretend) café. Different customers pop in and place their orders. The more questions you answer, the more food you can buy! You can also do things like sending the health inspector to another student’s shop (which slows down their business) 😅.
Another favorite is the treasure chest version where students answer questions correctly to earn gold. They open chests to get more treasure, or they can choose to steal gold from other classmates.
I played with them one time, and now I cannot stop playing. ALTHOUGH THEY ROB ME EVERY CHANCE THEY GET! I can have one piece of gold, and you can rest assured one of them is taking it. haha! There are so many game choices and you can even choose to assign games for homework. This is the absolute best way to review literary elements and vocabulary words. You wouldn’t believe how my students have grown and retained their knowledge!
4. It’s all about the feels!
- THE BEST THING I’VE DONE ALL YEAR is creating a “Friday Feels” check-in for my students. Every Friday, I create a Google Form that I send out to my students. I ask questions like:
1. Use an emoji to describe your week
- How are you, really? (Simple – yet SO effective)
- What’s the best thing that’s happened this week?
- What’s one goal that you have for next week?
- What questions do you have? Even if it’s in a different class, I will find someone who can help you!
- What can I do to make this course/school day better for you next week?
- What’s your favorite song right now? (I’ll create a spotify playlist with the appropriate songs and play it in class.)
I also take any opportunity I can to sneak in a pic. of Max or Theo!
It is DIFFICULT to create classroom community/relationships in this crazy time of teaching. However, this has been a quick and easy GAME changer for me. I truly love my students and this has been such a fun way for me to get to know them, and for them to know that we, as teachers, really do care.
5. Use what you can to teach your standards!
I used to be the kind of girl who stuck with the book no matter what. However, teaching on a hybrid model has taught me that it’s okay to stray from selected texts – as long as you’re still hitting those power standards. I’m such a huge fan of using current news in my resources, too! I like for my students to be introduced to current events and start to make connections between the real world and the literature that we read.
Some of my favorite ways to teach analytical skills have actually come from things other than texts or novels. Some of my favorites are:
- Allow students to choose a short film to watch to practice literary analysis.
- Use podcasts to teach global issues + have students brainstorm solutions to issues such as human trafficking, world hunger, using child soldiers in combat, etc.
- Use color by vocabulary word/definition to learn how to utilize new words in writing.
P.S. I’m ALWAYS looking for brilliant ideas for teaching both face-to-face and online – especially distance learning in high school English! PLEASE send me any cool recs that you have!
