play teacher assignment

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How to Play Teacher

Last Updated: March 19, 2023 Approved

wikiHow is a “wiki,” similar to Wikipedia, which means that many of our articles are co-written by multiple authors. To create this article, 79 people, some anonymous, worked to edit and improve it over time. wikiHow marks an article as reader-approved once it receives enough positive feedback. This article has 37 testimonials from our readers, earning it our reader-approved status. This article has been viewed 138,381 times. Learn more...

School's not always the most fun thing in the world, but playing school can be a lot of fun! If you want to set up a school with your friends and be the teacher in charge, you can do it the right way. Learn to set up your school, teach a lesson, and be a good teacher.

Setting Up Your School

• Use folding chairs, if you have them, and set them up in rows. For desks, you can use little stools. You can also just use chairs.
• Pick the front of the classroom and put a big piece of paper on the wall, like the a chalk board. Use markers to write on the paper instead of chalk.

• Principal's office
• Detention room and you might want to add an office
• Lunchroom or cafeteria

• Pencils, pens, or crayons
• Notebooks or paper

• Also, pick a subject! Do you want to teach math? Science? English? Pick a specific subject that will be fun and plan a lesson.

Having School

• Put each student in a separate chair in the classroom. You can assign seats, or let students choose their own. You could even put name tags on each desk, or have the students make them.
• Take your place at the front of the classroom and tell everyone to quiet down, because school is about to start.

• You could even do a fun activity, like having the students "dissect" different stuffed animals and talk about what they find, if you want to have a science class. This could be a fun way to spend school time.

• If you're teaching English class, you could say, "Write about what you did this weekend in a timed writing!" and then have everyone read it out.

• Turn the questions into a game. Ask all your students, "What's 132 minus 17?" and let them figure it out fast. Whoever gets the answer right quickest gets a candy.
• Some teachers like to play bingo to get students involved. That could be a good way to play, as well.

• Ask a math problem, or give them a silly prompt to draw something. Tell all the students that whoever can draw the best brontosaurus gets a gummy worm.

Being a Good Teacher

• Have lots of different roles at your school that you can switch between. Have one person be a student, one person be a teacher, and one person be a principal, or detention person. Take turns between all of them.

• If your mom has a funny old dress that she wouldn't mind you playing with, that could be perfect for a teacher costume. Ask if you can get one at a second-hand store, if you don't have one, for a costume.
• Male teachers should wear ties and glasses. Suspenders if possible.

• If you all have the same teacher, you could always just do an impression of the things that your teacher says.
• Try to learn some big words to use when you're playing teacher, since teachers are always trying to teach. "Well isn't that odiferous?" you could say, when something stinks.

• Or, you could always have your desk really messy, if your teacher has a really messy one. That could be a funny way to make school fun.

• Most of your friends will probably want to goof off in your classroom. That's fine. It's all in good fun. Assign one person to be the detention monitor, and have fun!

Community Q&A

• If they talk during the lesson, give them a warning. Thanks Helpful 19 Not Helpful 4
• Do not forget to get worksheets. Thanks Helpful 20 Not Helpful 2
• If they are good give them a prize. Thanks Helpful 18 Not Helpful 3

Tips from our Readers

• A good silly "punishment" would be something like having them walk around the classroom with a book on their head or having them wear their shirt inside out. Be creative!
• Use a dresser or table for a desk. Make homework and worksheets on a Google Doc and print multiple for your "students."
• You can ask your teacher if they have any extra supplies you can borrow for your "classroom."
• Use Google Slides to make your lessons so that the learning is extra fun!

• Ask their parents first for any allergies before you give out treats. Thanks Helpful 31 Not Helpful 2

You Might Also Like

About This Article

Before playing teacher, set up your school with enough chairs for your students and a big piece of paper to use as the board. Make sure you dress and act the part by borrowing professional-looking clothes and picking a very “teacher-ish” name, like Miss Serious or Mr. Stinkypits. Gather pencils, paper, books, and erasers for the classroom, and choose a subject you want to teach, like math, science, or English. Then, during your lesson have the students take notes or play games like bingo. For some more suggestions, like how to talk like a teacher, scroll down! Did this summary help you? Yes No

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Welcome to playteachers – The home of school role play!

Hands up if you love to playteachers… ask this question to any group of children and loads of hands shoot for the sky. Kids love to pretend play school… especially when they’re the teachers.

What is playteachers?

playteachers is a role play game which gives children ages 4-10 years the opportunity to create their very own mini classroom and pretend play teacher:

• Encourages imaginative play
• Builds confidence
• Develops speaking and listening skills
• Is perfect for a mini teacher-to-be

Pretend play is so much fun with our playteachers packs, which allow imaginations to run wild as kids create their own school using props including a teacher’s register, cut out timetable, wipe away charts and certificates.

Playteachers can be played with friends, family, dolls and teddies or even the pet cat!

The playteachers Range

Playteachers

Play School Trips

Play Lunchtimes

Playteachers Trio Pack

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Play is an important part of children's learning and development. Find articles on how to intentionally connect play and learning, ideas to share with families, and the latest research about learning and play.

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How to Play School

Children love to play school. Whether it be friends, dolls or stuffed animals for students kids will instruct anyone if given the chance. Sometimes they just need a little push to get the game going. The next time your child comes to you saying they are bored perhaps you can help set up a pretend school to spark their imagination. Here are some basic steps to learn how to play school and the benefits of this type of pretend play .

How to Play School: A Step-by-Step Guide

Playing pretend school can be a fun and educational activity for children. Here’s a simple, numbered guide on how to get started:

• Create the Classroom:  Use a table as the teacher’s desk, lay out some chairs or cushions for students. This sets up your basic classroom layout.
• Gather Supplies:  Collect household items that can be used in the pretend school, such as books, pencils, papers, markers, an old calendar, and perhaps a dry-erase board if available.
• Decide on Roles:  Determine who will be the teacher and who will be the students. Remember, it’s always fun to swap roles!
• Plan the Day:  Develop a basic schedule or lesson plan. You could include subjects like reading, art, science experiments, or even recess.
• Dress Up:  If possible, wear costumes that fit your roles. A pair of glasses or a notebook can instantly transform a child into a teacher.
• Teach and Learn:  The “teacher” can read from books, write on the board, conduct a science experiment, or lead a discussion. The “students” listen, participate in activities, and learn.
• Include Breaks:  Make sure to have short breaks for snacks or a quick game to mimic a real school environment.
• Swap Roles:  After some time, consider swapping roles. This allows everyone to experience different perspectives.
• Evaluate:  The teacher can conduct a fun quiz or a quick recap of what was taught. This reinforces learning and makes the play more realistic.
• Clean Up:  At the end of the school day, everyone can help clean up the classroom. This teaches responsibility and teamwork.

Remember, the most important part of pretend school is having fun while learning. There’s no right or wrong way to play school. The idea is to encourage creative thinking, communication skills, and a love for learning in a playful environment.

School and Teacher Pretend Play Packet

Gathering household items for pretend school play.

The best part of pretend school is that you can create an engaging learning environment with everyday items around your home. Here are some household items you can gather to enrich the pretend school experience:

• Books:  Use a variety of books for different subjects. Storybooks, encyclopedias, and even cookbooks can serve as interesting teaching materials.
• Office Supplies:  Staples, paper, pencils, markers, hole punches, tape, and scissors can mimic the tools a teacher uses in a classroom.
• Cardboard Boxes:  These can be used as desks, or they can be creatively transformed into podiums, computers, or even a school bus.
• Chalk or Dry-Erase Board:  This can serve as the main teaching tool for writing lesson plans, drawing, and explaining concepts.
• Old Magazines or Newspapers:  These can be used for art and craft activities or as a resource for reading and comprehension exercises.
• Measuring Tapes or Rulers:  Perfect for math lessons or science experiments involving measurements.
• Old Clothes:  These can be used as costumes. For instance, an oversized shirt can serve as a lab coat for a science class.
• Kitchen Utensils:  These can serve as science apparatus or musical instruments, depending on the pretend class being conducted.
• Snack Boxes or Empty Cans:  These can be used to mimic school lunch or for learning about nutrition.
• Old Calendars:  Great for teaching about days, months, seasons, and important dates.
• Toys or Stuffed Animals:  They can serve as students in a preschool setting or for teaching about animals in a biology class.
• Timer or Clock:  This is useful for teaching time or for setting limits on different activities just like in a real classroom.

Remember, safety is paramount. Always supervise the use of items that could be potential safety hazards, especially with younger children. The key to effective pretend play is creativity and adaptability. Even the most mundane items can be transformed into exciting teaching tools with a bit of imagination.

Animal Care Pretend Play Packet

Ideas to ignite pretend school play.

Learning how to play school becomes a lot more exciting when you have a variety of creative activities to keep it engaging. Here are some ideas to enrich the pretend school experience:

• Create a Classroom Setting:  Arrange a table for the teacher with some paper, pencils, and an alphabet chart. Use pillows or small chairs for student seating.
• Include Office Supplies:  Children love to mimic adults. Items like tape, hole punches, and staplers can make the pretend school feel more like a real classroom.
• Invest in a Dry-Erase Board:  This can be used for writing lesson plans, drawing, or even playing games. It’s a versatile tool that can serve many purposes in pretend play.
• Role Swap:  Encourage kids to switch roles between being a teacher and a student. This will help them understand different perspectives and responsibilities.
• Dress Up:  Provide costumes or props that a teacher might use, such as glasses, a pointer, or a lab coat for a science lesson. Dressing up can make the play feel more realistic and immersive.
• Playtime Equals Learning Time:  Incorporate educational activities such as reading a story, conducting a mini science experiment, or practicing math problems.
• Outdoor Classroom:  If possible, occasionally hold the pretend school in an outdoor setting. This will allow them to appreciate nature and understand the importance of outdoor play in early childhood education.
• Celebrate Important Days:  Acknowledge birthdays, organize pretend summer camps, and even celebrate “graduation day”. These events can add an extra layer of realism to the pretend school.
• Include Break Times:  Simulate real school by having lunch breaks and recess. This could mean having a small snack or doing some physical activity.
• Encourage Creative Thinking:  Allow children to come up with their own rules and lesson plans. This fosters creativity and problem-solving skills.

If you need more pretend play ideas, check out this huge list!

Remember, the goal is not to mirror a real school perfectly but to engage in purposeful play. Children should be encouraged to explore, experiment, and above all, have fun! This pretend play is a stepping stone for them to understand the hard work involved in teaching and learning, all the while developing vital social and cognitive skills.

The Role of Dramatic Play in Child Development

Dramatic play, like pretend school, plays an important role in a child’s development. It’s more than just fun and games; it serves as an easy way to stimulate brain development and foster creative thinking. As children assume different roles, they work hard at understanding and mimicking actions, promoting a sense of feeling important, and increasing their sense of control over the world around them.

By transforming different rooms into a classroom or making full-scale evaluations like play school owners, they exercise their creative and cognitive abilities. This purposeful play not only prepares children for real school, but also strengthens their early learning abilities and supports their physical development.

The Benefits of Pretend School for Young Children

Playing pretend school provides individual attention to young children, promoting social skills, language development, and problem-solving skills. The freedom to experiment within the safe boundaries of pretend play fosters a sense of accomplishment and autonomy, preparing them for their initial years of school and beyond.

Children are often more comfortable practicing skills in this pretend environment. They can mimic their own classroom experiences and try out the responsibilities that older kids or adults have, like creating lesson plans or managing a class. This kind of creative play serves as an excellent rehearsal for their future roles in high school and the larger society.

The Role of Adults in Pretend School Play

Adults, including parents and other family members, play an important role in nurturing this pretend play. They can help by setting up the environment or offering props for different kinds of activities. For instance, a table can serve as the teacher’s desk, complete with papers, pencils, and an alphabet chart. Pillows on the floor or small chairs can form the student seating area. Providing these creative activities and playing along can be a great way to support your child’s development and engage in fun-filled bonding.

Essential Elements for a Pretend School Setup

An ideal pretend school setup might also include an alphabet chart, clean drinking water, and an area for outdoor play. Such playschools, similar to independent schools, should provide a balance of indoor and outdoor activities. Outdoor play is essential for early childhood education and development, as it encourages physical activity and an appreciation for nature.

The Lasting Impact of Pretend School Play

Pretend school play is not just an easy way to keep kids occupied; it plays a crucial role in early childhood education. From recognizing important days like birthdays to role-playing teacher-student interactions, children can benefit immensely from this form of creative play. It prepares them for their future in a real school and equips them with vital skills for life.

Remember, the hard work you put into encouraging your child’s pretend play, such as creating detailed pretend school setups or participating in the games, will pay off in the long run. As a strong advocate of playful learning, you are contributing significantly to your child’s future success.

Growing Play

Learning through play: a teacher's guide

September 30, 2021

Why is learning through play such an important aspect of childhood and education? Find out how you can promote playfulness in your classroom.

Main, P (2021, September 30). Learning through play: a teacher's guide. Retrieved from https://www.structural-learning.com/post/learning-through-play-a-teachers-guide

What is learning through play?

Learning through play is not merely a child's pastime but a profound educational tool that fosters cognitive development and essential skills. It's a dynamic approach that transcends the boundaries of age, offering a positive impact on children from primary schools to secondary settings.

The power of play in building executive functions is more than a theory; it's a scientifically backed method that encourages children to focus on an activity, work through challenges, and engage in a learning process that leads to deeper learning.

In the realm of education, play-based activities are not confined to building bricks or simple games. They are intricate designs that enhance language skills, stimulate creative skills, and provide a platform for children to connect, talk, and build. According to research , incorporating play into the classroom can increase learning outcomes by up to 30%.

Dr. Sarah Miller, a renowned child psychologist, emphasizes, " Play is the language of children . It's not just about fun; it's about exploring, understanding, and growing. The impact on children's cognitive development is profound and lasting."

One compelling example is the integration of play into literacy activities. By weaving playful experiences into reading and writing, educators can create an engaging and interactive environment that resonates with every child. Whether it's a physical activity in a primary setting or a complex problem-solving game in a secondary classroom, the essence remains the same: Play is an indispensable part of the learning journey .

Key Insights and Important Facts:

• Beyond Early Years: Play is beneficial for students of all ages, enhancing cognitive development and essential skills.
• Literacy Integration: Play can be seamlessly incorporated into literacy activities, fostering language skills .
• Scientific Backing: Evidence supports the positive impact of play on learning outcomes and executive functions.
• Universal Application: From primary schools to secondary settings, play has a place in every classroom.
• Holistic Growth: Play offers more than fun; it's a pathway to deeper learning , creativity, and connection.

Why is learning through play so important?

Playing has a major role in a children's early development . Playing is important for young children’s brain development and for their communication skills and language acquisition.

Simple games such as shaking a rattle or peek-a-boo , are much more meaningful than just a way to please the children. They strengthen young children's motor skills , communication and problem-solving skills .

Games of stacking and knocking over blocks help toddlers with science and maths concepts, including counting , balance , shapes and gravity .

Games are also important for preparing children for formal education in early childhood years. For most children, learning through play begins with the carers or parents responding to, playing with or engaging with the child.

What is Meaningful Play?

Schools that provide Montessori education emphasize learning through “ meaningful play .” In the book, " From Play to Practice: Connecting Teachers' Play to Children's Learning, “ meaningful play ,” Marcia L. Nell has described the following five characteristics of meaningful play :

• It enables the child to choose what he/she wants to do;
• It feels enjoyable and fun-filled for the children;
• It allows the child to evolve naturally , rather than providing a script to follow;
• It is led by intrinsic motivation about what the child wishes to do;
• It provides a risk-free environment where children can experiment and use new ideas .

Children are the main participants in meaningful play . For example, instead of passively participating in a lesson, children accept roles along with their peers and follow the self-created rules of play .

It is believed that “ rules ” can be counterintuitive to the concept of free , voluntary play, a scheme of mind rules is one of the additional main characteristics of play . Children may demonstrate mind rules explicitly, create them with collaboration or make a leader, or use an innate sense of what regulates the rules of their playful actions.

Ways to incorporate Learning Through Play

Play or first-hand experience has a major role in children's learning . Play supports , stimulates and motivates children to develop a variety of skills. Children use all of their senses during play, they learn to convey their opinions and emotions, discover their environment, and connect their pre-existing knowledge with new knowledge, skills and abilities . Following are some of the most effective ways to incorporate learning through play in a classroom.

• Play-Based Learning Centers

This is an easy way to include play into a classroom's everyday routine. Whether the collection of boxes on a shelf or traditional play centres (blocks, dramatic play and sand etc.), it is the first step to have the essential resources available to add more play into the class routine. Teachers can add things like blocks , puppets and puzzles in these centres and connect these to classroom learning.

• Manipulatives

Young students learn by doing as they are concrete learners . This makes play a powerful tool ! It is also suggested to use manipulatives to teach new concepts. For example, Letter tiles can be used to teach spelling and toy cars can be used to teach about sounds .

• Taking Learning Outside the Classroom

When teachers take learners outside the classroom , they show great interest in learning. For example: For Science lessons, children can collect seeds, grass, flowers, to learn about their characteristics. Teachers can also take students outside to teach about seasons of the year.

Instead of retelling a story , teachers can act it out to increase students' interest in the lesson. Students show great engagement and love it when they are chosen to be actors . Students can learn concepts such as sentence structure or social problem solving through role-plays or acting it out in the classroom.

• Making Learning an Adventure

Instead of sharing the title of the new topic , teachers can encourage students to visualize through their imagination . For instance, to teach about the life under-water , a classroom can be changed into an ocean! Pictures of underwater plants and animals can be displayed around the classroom and students can pretend to be scuba diving or exploring new things.

Advantages of Play in the Classroom

In a classroom, play can help young learners to learn and grow . The use of educational toys and play can help children learn a variety of skills they will use later in life.

• Effective Communication : When a child is engaged in the play, either alone or with other children, he builds significant listening skills as well as language and speaking skills. Activities such as role-playing and action stories are great for building communication skills in children.
• Social Skills : Playtime helps young learners in learning to work with other children with a mutual goal. Through play, children develop collaborative skills , which is important in building friendships and developing social skills . Games such as 'staring contest' and virtual gaming are important for building social skills.
• Cognitive, Critical Thinking, & Motor Skills : Throughout the play, children are provided with enormous opportunities to try new stuff and see the outcomes of that learning. Simple board games and stacking and building games support cognitive skills building. Games such as ' guess the toy ' or ' food tasting ' develop critical thinking. Games such as playing with sponges and play-dough are good for building motor skills in children.
• Confidence Building: A major advantage of play is confidence building . Children need the confidence to develop their ability to try new things and take risks . Activities such as unstructured outdoor games and climbing up high objects are helpful to build confidence in children.
• Creativity : Creativity occurs when a child’s skill development and critical thinking are combined to develop something new and different. Creativity is developed when children use a familiar object unusually or uniquely, and when children engage in imaginative play.
• Intelligence : When children use all of their senses in learning, they expand their ability to learn. A play-based curriculum enables children to use all of their senses in learning which improves their intelligence .
• Problem-Solving Skills : Learning through play gives a chance to children to ask questions, guess an answer and assess their answer through experiment and error. During play, children are constantly guessing and making choices. This gives them a chance to check those guesses and reveal how to work out a problem. They can stack up some blocks and check how tall their tower can become before falling, or mix different colours of paint to make a new colour.
• Emotional Literacy : Play-based learning greatly enhances children's ability to work with other people, wait for their turn and understand others' emotions . While playing in the sand, or building with blocks, children will learn how to share ideas , talk about their play, share different materials, and understand the emotions of others.

Getting started with Learning through play

To conclude, learning through play is effective because it enables learners to express themselves, ask questions, take creative risks and collaborate with others. Who doesn't know about the famous saying of Maria Montessori about the play: " Play is the work of the child. " In simple words, play helps a child's learning and growth .

However, Montessori also identified that children enjoy the most when play is based upon reality . Children are even happier when they play with real objects that lead to real outcomes . Providing opportunities for children to explore their environment and have a go is an important part of an effective classroom experience. We know that intelligence in children is influenced by the quality of play they engage with in early-years. The block building methodology that we have been researching over the last few years develops interactions between children. This acts as a vehicle for children to develop emotional and social intelligence.

These experiences for children allow groups of learners to practice how things fit together. The first version won't probably be their last version and this is part of the learning cycle. We believe that providing experiences for children that build an understanding of the world around them is a vital part of childhood.

In many classrooms, the pressures of the curriculum force us to deny opportunities for children that would enable them to construct complex schemata. An aspect of children's play is to give them time and space to try things out. We are not limiting this to early years practice either, our mental modelling concept has been utilised in six forms around the United Kingdom. Taking a playful approach gives the learner a more active role in their education. The pupil now takes a critical role in the development of their knowledge, it's not simply 'chalk and talk.'

How does learning through play build knowledge?

As well as playing a central role in the fundamental development of a child's emotional and social well-being, being playful can also enable a child to build abstract knowledge. The block-building activity that we have been promoting in classrooms enables students to construct knowledge meaningfully .

The many benefits that have been cited include the development of both declarative knowledge and procedural knowledge. What we mean by this is, the method can help make a body of knowledge more concrete and accessible. At the same time, this play-based learning approach helps students build the critical thinking skills they need to be successful in education.

Being able to elaborate and expand upon the block structures is an essential part of the learning process. When students are modelling with the blocks they are making academic knowledge meaningful. Depending on the circumstance, these collaborative structured activities can be self-directed or guided by a learning coach.

Should we ever Stop Learning playfully?

The philosophy of never ceasing to learn playfully isn't confined to childhood but extends into adulthood, professional development, and even the corporate world. Here's why we should continue to playfully explore the world as adults, and the potential impact it has on relationships and workplace outcomes :

• Enhances Creative Thinking : Playful learning fosters creative thinking, allowing adults to break free from conventional thought patterns. It encourages innovative solutions in an ever-increasingly complex world.
• Promotes Positive Dispositions : Engaging in play-based learning activities nurtures a positive attitude towards challenges and failures , fostering resilience and adaptability.
• Facilitates Language Acquisition : Playful interaction in a multicultural workplace can enhance language skills and cultural understanding, vital in our globalized society.
• Encourages Executive Functions : Activities like building blocks or Lego , used even in corporate settings, enhance problem-solving and strategic planning abilities.
• Fosters Cooperative Learning : Playful activities in professional development workshops promote teamwork and collaboration, essential for project-based learning .
• Enables Inquiry-Based Learning : Play allows adults to explore new ideas and concepts without the fear of being wrong, encouraging a culture of continuous inquiry and growth .
• Provides First-Hand Experience : Playful exploration offers experiential learning, bridging the gap between theory and practice, vital for skill development in various professions.

According to Dr. Sarah Williams, a researcher at the PEDAL centre , "Playful learning is not a child's prerogative. It's a human necessity that fosters creativity, collaboration, and emotional well-being, transcending age and professional boundaries."

A study shows that incorporating playful activities in the workplace can increase creative output by 27%.

Key Insights and Facts :

• Enhances Creativity : Breaks conventional thinking patterns.
• Builds Resilience : Encourages a positive attitude towards failure.
• Promotes Teamwork : Essential for cooperative and project-based learning .
• Encourages Continuous Growth : Fosters a culture of inquiry and exploration.
• Relevant Statistic : Increases creative output by 27%.

In conclusion, the philosophy of learning playfully is not a transient phase but a lifelong approach that has profound implications on personal growth, professional development, and societal progress. It's not merely a tool for education but a mindset that can transform the way we live, work, and interact in an increasingly complex world.

9 Ways to Weave the Benefits of Play into Your Curriculum

• Integrate Playful Approach in Math : Utilize puzzles and games that require logical thinking. For example, a Sudoku challenge can enhance problem-solving skills for 6-9 years people. According to research , playful math activities can increase mathematical understanding by 24%.
• Literary Play in English : Create story-building activities that allow students to develop characters and plot, fostering creativity in the primary school classroom.
• Outdoor Exploration for Science : Nature walks and scavenger hunts can be a basis for learning about biology and ecology , encouraging active engagement.
• Artistic Expression for Emotional Learning : Encourage painting and sculpting to express feelings and emotions, especially for 3-6 years people, nurturing positive dispositions .
• Historical Role-Playing : Simulate historical events through role-playing, enhancing empathy and understanding of different cultures.
• Technology and Play-Based Learning Approaches : Integrate coding games to teach basic programming, preparing students for future skills in a digital world .
• Physical Education through Games : Incorporate traditional games that require teamwork and strategy, building socio-emotional skills .
• Music and Rhythm for Language Learning : Use songs and rhymes to teach new vocabulary and grammar rules, making language learning experiences more engaging.
• Community Projects for Social Studies : Engage students in community service projects that align with social studies topics, promoting civic responsibility.

Dr. Emily Thompson, an expert in child education, states, "The experience of teachers supporting play in the classroom is not just about fun. It's about connecting, growing, and preparing our children for the future in a way that resonates with their natural curiosity."

Examples and Statistics:

• Math Games : Sudoku, puzzles, and logical games.
• Literary Play : Story-building, character creation.
• Outdoor Exploration : Nature walks, scavenger hunts.
• Technology Integration : Coding games, digital art.
• Community Engagement : Service projects, community involvement .
• Statistical Impact : Playful math activities can increase understanding by 24% ( source ).

These methods are not confined to a specific curriculum or country but are universal approaches that can be adapted and implemented across different educational settings .

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Let`s play: teaching strategies for playful learning, event details.

Play is central to how children learn. Yet incorporating play into a formal school setting can be challenging because the nature of play and the nature of school are often at odds. This course, based on the frameworks developed in PZ’s “Pedagogy of Play” project, (funded by the Lego Foundation) introduces core principles and practices of playful learning and gives you the opportunity to design and try out a playful learning approach in your own context.

Through virtual hands-on activities, illustrations from classroom and online practice, and experimenting with playful learning and teaching tools both online and in-person (when possible), participants will explore ways to bring more playful learning into their contexts. Whether participants are on an organization-based team or virtual team of individuals coming together to learn, the course’s team-based structure provides educators with important opportunities for peer feedback and collaboration. Teams work in small study groups with other teams facilitated by a coach experienced in teaching playful learning approaches.

The course will explore the following key questions: What does learning through play look and feel like? How can a shared understanding of learning through play enhance a learning experience? How can educators create conditions in which playful learning can thrive? Discussion will consider the opportunities and challenges of incorporating play into the classroom and will draw on teacher-researcher practices developed through the Pedagogy of Play research initiative at Project Zero and partnering educators in Denmark and South Africa.

Course Details

• The course is designed for team-based learning, with educators individually engaging in the material and trying out ideas in their classrooms and also working as part of a team to share and reflect on their experiences in classrooms with the ideas and concepts and complete team assignments.
• Individual educators who register for the course on their own will be placed on a team of 3-4 other educators who have also registered for the course as individuals.
• Educators who are signing up with other colleagues, sign up as a team and work individually and together in the course.
• During each of the 4 sessions, educators should anticipate spending 2.5-3 hrs on the course including a required 75 - 90 mins team meeting. Non-team meeting time will involve brief readings, preparation for the meeting, completing 1 individual and 1 team assignment per session and posting to the course site, and reviewing/responding to other teams of teachers learning in the same online study group.
• Participants are supported by facilitators experienced in pedagogy of play concepts and ideas and using these in their teaching. Facilitators respond to assignments and questions and support the overall team learning throughout each session. The course instructors work with facilitators to support the learning of all teams and, after each session, provide a reflection to clarify overall concepts and ideas and support teams as they push their learning further. (5) Participants who complete the course will receive certification of 12 hours of professional development hours.

Course Designers & Instructors

Co-Designer & Instructor: Jen Ryan

Jennifer Oxman Ryan is a senior project manager and researcher on Project Zero’s Pedagogy of Play (PoP) initiative. Funded by the LEGO Foundation, PoP is engaged in playful participatory research methods to investigate playful learning and what it means to embrace play as a core resource for how children learn in school. Jennifer has been with Project Zero since 2006, having worked previously on Agency by Design , the Good Play project , and Qualities of Quality: Excellence in Arts Education and How to Achieve It . Her current research interests include play, arts and maker-centered education, school/community partnerships, and professional learning communities. Jennifer co-designed and co-instructed PZ-HGSE’s online course, Teaching and Learning in the Maker-Centered Classroom, exploring the promises, practices, and pedagogies of maker-centered learning. She has published in various venues, and her recent book Maker-Centered Learning: Empowering Young People to Shape their Worlds was published by Jossey-Bass in 2016. 

Co-Designer: Ben Mardell

Ben Mardell is the project director of the Pedagogy of Play, a collaboration with the LEGO Foundation and the International School of Billund, exploring how play can have a central part in children’s learning in school. Ben has been associated with Project Zero since 1999, initially as a researcher on the Making Learning Visible (MLV) project and helped co-author Making Learning Visible: Children as Individual and Group Learners and Making Teaching Visible: Documentation of Individual and Group Learning as Professional Development . After continuing his work as a preschool and kindergarten teacher, Ben returned as a researcher on MLV and co-authored Visible Learners: Promoting Reggio-Inspired Approaches in All Schools . Ben publications include From Basketball to the Beatles: In Search of Compelling Early Childhood Curriculum and Children at the Center: Transforming Early Childhood Education in the Boston Public Schools . When not at PZ, Ben enjoys playing with his family and participating in triathlons.

What past participants are saying:

“The course’s indicators of play gave me a fresh perspective on my teaching and will inform my educational practice.”  

“Taking the course really heightened my awareness of the power of play in learning; building empathy, cultivating the imagination, and using laughter and creativity to fuel connection.”  

“As we began to pilot principles from the course, we saw the joy of learning come to life. I was able to see so many skills I had been helping my students develop, and many more I didn't even know they had.”  

Online Course Schedule

Orientation and course site introduction for the mini courses is available no later than two days prior to the course launch.

• All participants will receive email invitations to the course site three days prior to the course start. The required review of the course policies assignment is available during the “Getting Ready” self-guided orientation to the site.
• Remember, if you joined the course as an individual and not as a member of an already formed team, you will be placed on a virtual team and will be sent an email introducing you to your virtual team members no later than 4 days prior to the course launch.
• We strongly recommend all teams schedule their weekly, required 60- 90 minute team meetings prior to the start of the course. Usually scheduling team meetings toward the end of each week is most helpful so all members have time to complete assignments in advance of the meeting.
• Week 1: Opens Monday, April 15
• Week 2: Opens Monday, April 22
• Week 3: Opens Monday, April 29
• Week 4: Opens Monday, May 6
• Course Closes: Sunday, May 12

Who Should Participate

• Teachers, Teacher Leaders, and School Administrators and Leaders
• Museum Educators and educators working in informal learning environments
• Facilitators of Pre-K to Adult Learning

Required Course Textbook

This course does not have a required textbook.

Tuition, Discounts, and Scholarships

• For In-Depth Courses (6 sessions, 13 weeks) , tuition is $615 per person registering as a member of a team, and $695 per person registering as an individual who will be placed (by Project Zero) on a virtual team.
• For Mini Courses (4 sessions, 4 weeks) , tuition is $295 per person registering as a member of a team, and $375 per person registering as an individual who will be placed (by Project Zero) on a virtual team.

Scholarships

Scholarships are available for educators from qualifying organizations. For online courses (in-depth and mini courses) scholarships will cover approximately 70% of the tuition. Eligibility guidelines and the application link are below. Scholarship applications must be submitted and accepted prior to registration for the course. If you would like to apply for a scholarship, please do NOT register for the online course until you have completed the scholarship application and have been approved for scholarship. Those who register for the online course prior to applying for a scholarship will become ineligible for the scholarship. Please note: scholarships are limited and are assessed and awarded on a first come, first serve basis.

Eligibility guidelines : With generous support from the Saul Zaentz Charitable Foundation and many individual donations honoring Project Zero’s 50th anniversary in 2017, Project Zero is able to offer a limited number of professional learning scholarships to support a range of schools, districts, and organizations as well as a diverse group of educators. These scholarships aim to support teams of educators and individual educators working in under-resourced contexts and/or with historically marginalized students.

• In the United States, public school educators working in schools with a free and reduced lunch rate of 25% or more OR educators working primarily with students who attend these schools.
• Outside of the United States, educators whose schools or organizations serve 25% or more students whose families meet the country-defined standard for low-income.

To apply for a scholarship use the Scholarship Application link at the top of this page.

Registration

Confirmation and Payment

Registration confirmations are sent automatically from the registration software. Please keep these emails as they include your receipt of payment for documentation as well as your confirmation number should you need to access your registration in the future.

Payments are accepted via credit card or invoice for payment by check or wire transfer. Confirmation of registration does not confirm full payment if participants selected to pay other than by a credit card. All required paperwork and payments must be completed (or evidence provided of payments in process) by the registration deadline. For participants whose required paperwork and/or payments are not finalized at the registration deadline, they will be removed from the course roster and placed on a wait list.

Deadline for Registration

For Let’s Play starting Monday, April 15, 2024, the deadline for registration is Sunday, April 7, 2024 at 11:59 pm Boston time.

Please note: Space is limited. The courses may fill prior to the registration deadline.

Refund Request and Participant Substitution Deadlines

Requests for refunds and participant substitutions for the Let's Play course starting April 15, 2024 must be submitted by Monday, April 1, 2024 at 11:59 pm Boston time.

To request a refund, submit a participant substitution, or to ask questions, please email [email protected] .

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• How to Teach Using Role-Playing

Role-playing exercises can be hard work for the instructor, both in preparation and in execution, but the work tends to pay off in terms of student motivation and accomplishment. As with any big project, it's best to take it one step at a time:

Define Objectives

Choose context & roles, introducing the exercise, student preparation/research, the role-play, concluding discussion.

The details of what you need to do depend entirely on why you want to include role-playing exercises in your course.

• What topics do you want the exercise to cover?
• How much time do you and your class have to work on it?
• What do you expect of your students: research, reports, presentations?
• Do you want the students role-playing separately or together?
• Do you want to include a challenge or conflict element?

In order to prepare for the exercise:

• For problems and settings with lots of detail, have a look at examples in the Starting Point Case Study Module. The module itself contains more information about using cases to teach.
• If the characters(s) used in the exercise are people, define his or her goals and what happens if the character does not achieve them.
• You should work out each characters' background information on the problem or, better yet, directions on how to collect it through research. If possible, prepare maps and data for your students to interpret as part of their background information rather than the conclusions upon which they would ordinarily base their decisions (especially if the characters are scientists).

Engage the students in the scenario by describing the setting and the problem.

• Provide them with the information you have already prepared about their character(s): the goals and background information. It needs to be clear to the student how committed a character is to his/her goals and why.
• Determine how many of your students have done role-playing before and explain how it will work for this exercise.
• Outline your expectations of them as you would for any assignment and stress what you expect them to learn in this lesson.
• If there is an inquiry element, suggest a general strategy for research/problem solving.

Even if there is no advance research assigned, students will need a few moments to look over their characters and get into their roles for the exercise. There may also be additional questions:

• Why they are doing this in character? Why did you decide to make this a role-playing exercise?
• Students may have reservations about the character that they have been assigned or about their motives. It is good for the instructor to find out about these before the actual role-play. It can be very difficult for a student to begin researching an issue from a perspective very different from their own because even apparently objective data tends to be reinterpreted as support for pre-existing world-views.
• The Sierra Club Homepage ( more info )
• Worldwatch Institute Homepage ( This site may be offline. )
• Natural Resources Defense Council Homepage ( This site may be offline. )
• Similar websites representing the very common viewpoint of the worker, property owner, or industrialist whose future may be in conflict with environmental interests are hard to find. One site, Debate Central , has constructed arguments for characters promoting property rights and wary of government intervention. Their topic coverage is still limited, however. A poorer alternative is to send students to the websites of companies involved in an issue to read their PR material.
• Often, the best resource for understanding people is other people. Model UN encourages participants to call the embassy of the country they are to represent for advice. The same can be done with the PR divisions of mining firms and unions, environmental and taxpayer protection groups, etc.
• If there is an inquiry component ( i.e. student-led research), the students may need help coming up with a research plan and finding resources.

Depending on the assignment, students could be writing papers or participating in a Model-UN-style summit. For a presentation or interaction, props can liven up the event, but are not worth a lot of effort as they are usually not important to the educational goals of the project.

• Potential Challenges with Interactive Exercises

Like any inquiry-based exercise, role-playing needs to be followed by a debriefing for the students to define what they have learned and to reinforce it. This can be handled in reflective essays, or a concluding paragraph at the end of an individual written assignment, or in a class discussion. The instructor can take this opportunity to ask the students if they learned the lessons defined before the role-play began.

Generally, grades are given for written projects associated with the role-play, but presentations and even involvement in interactive exercises can be graded. Special considerations for grading in role-playing exercises include:

• Playing in-character
• Working to further the character's goals
• Making statements that reflect the character's perspective
• In an interactive exercise, being constructive and courteous
• For many assignments, being able to step back and look at the character's situation and statements from the student's own perspective or from another character's perspective.

Further Recommendations

• How to Use Individual Role-Playing Projects
• How to Use Interactive Role-Playing Exercises

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Classroom Management , Teaching Tips & Tricks , Truth for Teachers Collective   |   Nov 9, 2022

24 classroom games to make student learning FUN

By Amy Stohs

Looking for new ways to review learning, discuss questions, formatively assess, and be more playful with learning?

Here are 24 different games and structures you can use that will infuse laughter and joy into your classroom. No matter the age of students or context you teach, there should be something here for you!

But first — let’s talk about student impact, and the direct benefit for your students (and you!) when games are incorporated into learning.

Why play games?

1. it prevents burnout..

It seems that the general public is waking up to the fact that teachers are burned out. Some of the systems that could be changed in order to support teachers (many of which are described in this 2021 NEA article on teacher burnout ) are being doubled down vs. released. When testing and data seem to rule over the day-to-day life of a teacher, we need to remember what power we do have to create the classroom we want.

For me, this is one where I’m enjoying moments with my class and reminding myself why I wanted to be a teacher. I love it when kids are laughing and learning. One of the best ways to beat burnout is to a) recognize what is within our realm of influence and focus on that and b) consider what gives us energy and do more of that. For me, that’s a lot of art, creativity, and games.

2. It meets the need for students to have fun and to belong.

In a previous article on student behavior , I discussed how the philosophy of Responsive Classroom asks you as the teacher to consider how we prioritize the needs of safety, belonging, and fun. We want all students to feel safe, like they belong, and have fun! These are needed in the classroom, not just nice-to-have. There are many things we can’t control in the classroom but there are several things still under our control.

When leading a whole class game, students can bond as a classroom community. You create a shared experience for them. These joyful moments create memories for students that also help them attach positive emotions to their learning which helps the learning stick. The games below tend not to be competitive in a “you’re out” kind of way. There are some restrictions on time which I find creates urgency and enthusiasm, but generally these are not games that will result in a heartbroken loser.

3. It reinforces academic concepts through retrieval practice.

When we think about games in the classroom, I think teachers often think about board games, card games, partner games for math, small group games that can be used as a station, indoor recess games, and so on. Below I am sharing only whole class games that enforce academic learning although some could be done with just a small group .

These games enforce academic learning because they are a method of formative assessment that is not a paper quiz. Quizzing is helpful for students because they need to learn to recall certain information and strengthen pathways in their brains in order to thoroughly learn the material. This strengthening of pathways is done through recalling information (even just attempting to recall information) which is called retrieval practice.

You can get a more thorough understanding of retrieval practice from this Cult of Pedagogy article/podcast here . These games and structures are flexible and can be done many times in many different ways without getting old. If you haven’t been exposed as much to the benefits of retrieval practice and how the brain learns, there’s so much interesting research out there especially from The Learning Scientists .

Ready to learn some game idea? I’ve organized them into three categories below:

• Any K-12 grade level/subject area
• Best for elementary (grades K-5)
• Best for secondary (grades 6-12)

I encourage you to check out ALL of the ideas here so you can make a final call as to which games best fit your context. I think these are fairly flexible structures and could be adapted to meet various age groups, but I wanted to provide examples for age groups that I knew had been successful.

Get a free PDF, printable copy of this post

Games that are adaptable to any grade or subject, 1. act it out / show me.

Preparation: List of words or phrases for students to act out.

How to play: The teacher calls out “Show Me…” and then the word such as “Show Me a Triangle,” “Show Me the letter R,” or “Show Me something that starts with /b/ (sound)”. You can have students act out a situation with the phrase “Act out…” This could sound like, “Act out the way [character] felt at the beginning of the story,” “Act out adding 2+3,” “Act out helping a classmate.” These are quick call outs by the teacher.

Examples: When reading a poem about leaves falling and twirling, students can act out the visualization of the leaves. When reading about a character that feels frustrated, they can show that expression on their face. This can also be a mini-project such as modeling cold fronts, warm fronts, occluded fronts, and stationary fronts in weather where different people have labels like “rain”, “cloud,” “cold air,” and “warm air.” These simulations can really help learning stick.

Variation: A favorite purchase of mine for the classroom (that luckily was bought by my school with some STEM money) was Exploragons . Magformers are another favorite which stays together in shapes much better than many other magnet shapes I’ve tried. All of those are somewhat expensive, but they are super cool for Geometry. These are fantastic for showing specific shapes to partners.

I handed these out to my students and had them show me “right, isoscles triangle” or “2 similar squares” or “a right trapezoid.” You can be really specific with Exploragons in building shapes, and I think I would have been over the moon in high school geometry if I’d had these at my fingertips. They also come with protractors so you can specify “a scalene triangle with one angle at 120 degrees”.

2. Simon Says

Preparation: In order to play this as an academic game, you need to come up with a set of movements that correlate to the vocabulary words you teach. While this may seem like a primary activity, it can work well with older students.

How to Play: Students move to the motion when you say “Simon Says” (or you can use your teacher name “Ms. Stohs Says”) and do not move when you don’t say the magic words.

Examples: My favorite version of this was an idea I got from a colleague that I elaborated on over time. I actually called it “Sun Says” and it was for astronomy. I was the sun, but later I chose students as the leader. The directions were all specific to our astronomy unit: rotate was spinning around yourself, revolve was walking in a little circle, rotate and revolve was doing both, day was facing me, night was facing away, tilt was showing me the tilted earth, etc.

I also taught them seasons, so I had them tilt their body and show how the northern hemisphere was in summer if it was tilted towards me or if it was fall or spring if they were flat towards me but still tilted. I also added in sunrise and sunset. A teacher in a professional development class of mine did this for architecture terms related to his tech ed class (tension, balance, facade, etc.). He found that he could refer to the movements to help students learn the terms after the game and it helped the terms stick.

3. Flip It with Whiteboards

Preparation: Students need individual whiteboards and dry-erase markers. You can have them work as partners if you want them to talk it out with someone, but I like this as a formative assessment tool.

How to Play: I call out a math problem, a word students will mark up within our phonics program, a vocabulary word attached to an image (polygon, quadrilateral), and then students flip their board to me and show me their answer. I do this with mental math, phonics work for words, and drawing for things that can be visualized (triangle, acute angle, something alive, something that weighs more than a pound, a closed figure, etc.).

I like to keep it quick and simple so that students can quickly show their work, get feedback, and move on to the next one. I just give students a thumbs up if they’re good or I’ll spin my finger in a circle to say “try again.” I keep this to a quick activity so I don’t run out of things to say and start pausing too long or let the kids get tired of it.

Examples: Open-ended prompts work well for this too (an ordinal number, a president, a word with a blend, a word that rhymes with play, a rational number, etc.).

Variation: Back-to-Back Game

Instead of students facing their board to me, students stand back to back with a partner. I can give a definition for a vocabulary word, a number sentence, or something else with a definitive, short answer, and then students flip their whiteboards to face one another on my count as opposed to flipping it to me. This is a great way for them to check their work with a partner. I can then provide the correct response just in case, and they turn back to back again.

4. Charades

Preparation: Select vocabulary words, people you’re studying, characters from books, geometric shapes, and symbols, shapes of letters, etc. You’ll need to put these on slips of paper preferably and into a container or bowl of some kind.

How to Play: An individual student selects a paper and tries to act out that word or phrase. I like to allow them to request a friend to help them act it out since this can create a  little bit of buy-in. You may also allow them to share which unit of study or book or general topic this word came from before they start acting. Then, other students can call out guesses or raise their hand to make guesses.

Examples: If you have a 5-minute buffer, someone can act out an idea, people can guess, then we can move on to the next activity. It can be a great time filler and break since charades can feel quite long if you play for more than a few rounds.

5. Beach Ball Questions

Preparation: You will need some kind of large ball to toss around. Beach balls are great for this because they won’t cause injury to people or stuff if they get tossed too roughly. You will also need to consider a topic to review with students.

How to Play: Students pass the ball around in a circle and when you get the ball you say something related to the category: “List words that have to do with geography”, or “List number sentences that add up to 10”, or “List synonyms for good”. It can help to establish a pattern of the ball for students by saying names and tossing the ball around randomly.

Just start with yourself and say “Good morning/afternoon _____” then pass it to them. They do the same for another student until the ball makes it back to you. Then, have students point to the person they threw it to. That’s what they need to remember. The second time try to recreate the same pattern with only names. This way you can make sure that everyone gets the ball once, everyone is included, and the ball gets passed more efficiently.

You can repeat the pattern with an introduction of names, a sharing of their favorite candy or tv show, etc. This is great for building community, and then it can be used to share academic information.

Examples: Have students share one thing they learned that day as a closing, list one thing out of a category that you’re learning about (elements from the periodic table, Civil Rights icons and leaders, compound words, etc.). If you keep the categories broad enough, it will allow lots of students to share before you need a new category and it will also serve as an assessment tool for you.

Variation: Students can also share 2 things so that the person they toss to needs to match it. For instance, I could start by saying ½. The person I toss it to needs to state an equivalent fraction. They might say 2/4. Then, they can switch to 2/10. The person who receives it after them can say 20/100. Then, they’ll pick a new number ⅓.

A teacher I know did this by matching WWII leaders and countries. I say “Germany” then the person I toss it to needs to say “Hitler.” Then, they can say the name of another country such as the United States. Allow students to have a lifeline if needed to reduce pressure. If you prompt kids to raise their hand if they have an idea, then the person holding the ball can toss it to anyone with their hand up.

6. Concentric Circles

Preparation: Prepare a set of questions for students or a set of images you can project for students to discuss. These can be as quick as would you rather questions for fun (or would you rather math prompts ) or it can take a little longer with a thinking routine such as See, Think, Wonder or a number sense routine prompt such as WODB or Same but Different .

How to Play: The way to get this set up is to split the class into 2. If there is an odd number, you can participate. Once everyone is assigned 1 or 2 have 1s stand in a circle facing outward. Then, have all 2s go stand in front of a 1. If kids purposely go to their friends, it does not matter because they will move anyway. Choose if you will always have students go to the right or left. As long as you stick to one direction, you can alternate whether the inner or outer circle moves.

I like to change it up, so I might start with inner circle moving 1 to the right then outer circle moving 2 to the right then inner circle 2 to the right and close with outer circle moving 3 to the right. This keeps them guessing who they will talk to and forces a lot of connections that might not otherwise happen.

Examples: Students could also hold quiz questions they ask one another, share book recommendations, their highlights of the day, or goals for tomorrow.

7. Speed Dating/Line Dance

Preparation: Similar to concentric circles, this is best done with short prompts. Prepare a set of prompts either on cards students will hold or ones you will project on a screen. If your classroom makes it difficult to have everyone fit in one long line, you could do this activity in a hallway or outdoors which could be fun.

How to Play: The setup for this is to create 2 groups. Have group A line up in the largest span of space you have. This also works in a hallway. Then, have group B find a person to stand across from. Pick one line to stay and one line to move. If line A is moving, the farthest person at the end will walk all the way back to the beginning as everyone else slides down one person. It’s easiest to keep one line in order to maintain the places where partners should stand. The very first person or two might need a little guidance from you but otherwise, even young children can catch on quickly.

Examples: Because students could end up talking with anyone in the class, I find it’s best to keep the questions opinion-focused so that it lowers some stress, especially at the beginning of the year. The opinions might be content focused as well such as, “Do you think [this character] is being helpful or are they more annoying?” You might also select literal comprehension questions such as “What is the setting of the novel?”

Variation: You can use a Kahoot! quiz without the computers and allow them to chat about the answers until the timer is up. This could be fun as a practice quiz.

8. Museum Statues or Tableaus

Preparation: Consider a scene or character or famous figure you’re studying that you can use as inspiration for a statue. Using a famous painting or sculpture might help for guidance. Splitting up a book into specific moments of conflict may also be helpful. You may want to gather some props to add a bit to the scene; maybe see a theater teacher to borrow a few things!

How to Play: Split the class into groups for this activity. You can give each group a scene from a book, a painting to recreate, an idea to represent, etc. Then, allow students to create a statue or tableau. One way to do this is to have one student be the statue. Other students in the group can give guidance as to how the statue should look, can use props provided to add depth to the scene, and work as a team to help the one “statue” be the best model they can be.

Another way to do this is to give each group a scene to create together. This is a tableau where the group creates a whole visual scene together. Usually, with tableaus all of the parts are touching so each person has a hand on another person to connect the group together. This requires a certain amount of trust in the classroom community; it looks really cool when it comes together!

Variation: Depending on class size, you could have the entire class or half of the class try to create a tableau within a time restraint. You can give them 30 seconds or 1 minute to work together to create a scene that shows “hope” or “fear” or a scene that’s been discussed in class. This doesn’t have to be an ideal scene; it’s a fun way to be playful and experiment with how you view a situation or feeling.

Games best for elementary grades

(Scroll down for secondary games)

9. Stand Up/Sit Down (This or That)

Preparation: There are so many ways to use standing vs. sitting, so this is a go-to game for me. I can use this game on the spot without prep to fill time or give a movement break. Assign one type of response to standing and one type of response to sitting. You also can pull out one response for standing and then anything else that doesn’t fit that is for sitting. You just need to decide your two categories.

How to Play: Studying two different people? Stand up if the fact is about George Washington. Sit down if it is about Abraham Lincoln. Studying different sounds for phonological awareness? Stand up if the word has a blend. Sit down if it doesn’t. Stand up if it’s a short e sound. Sit down if it’s any other vowel. Studying even and odd numbers? Evens stand and odds sit.

Examples: Sometimes I will do more complicated, planned versions of this. For instance, I compared metric vs. customary units in this slideshow for my sixth graders . I also compared customary units of measurement with my second graders in this slideshow . You can use these as a template and make a copy of these slides and just swap out the comparisons for whatever you wanted. You can change the comparison or question more easily each time with slideshows like these since the left vs. right determines the standing or sitting not the content itself. If you’re worried about students memorizing a pattern, just switch the order of the slides around by dragging them.

10. Musical Chairs

Preparation: First, you need some kind of music. Then, you need a list of discussion questions or prompts for students. You also can prepare physical pieces for students to use that require interaction but are not actually questions (3-digit numbers, words, etc.)

How to play: Students should understand that every time you stop the music, they need to find a partner. I do this as a greeting for morning meetings with the 2nd grade often, and kids love it. If students have a card, they also need to use that card when you stop the music.

Examples: You could give students cards with 3-digit numbers. When the music stops, they compare their card with the person closest to them and decide whose is larger. You can hand out base words and suffixes. Then, their job is to try to make a real word out of the cards they have with their partner or small group of 3 if you’re worried about them finding the right pair.

Another option is to give everyone numbers or expressions. If every kid has a 2-digit number they are holding onto, then they can add or subtract their number with the number of their partner. In these cases, students keep their cards and the quizzing is more synchronized.

Variation: You can plan ahead to differentiate which number or word is for different students. For example, a student can have the number 10 or 20 and still participate confidently each time, but if a student has 83, that might be more difficult for them as they meet up with partners. It will create different challenges for different students.

11. Human Calculator

Preparation: You will need to decide the range of numbers for play. Are you working on 0-10, 0-100, adding, subtracting, fractions? You will want to decide if you will state just a number or fraction or if you will require students to do a computation problem to play.

How to play: Students treat the low floor to standing up tall as a scale. You can also have students literally calculate numbers. I suggest keeping lower numbers towards the floor and higher numbers towards the ceiling. If adding numbers up to 50 where 0 is at the ground and 50 is standing tall, say, “Show me 10. Show me 45. Show me 30.”

Examples: You can give students chances to respond on a 1-10 scale for a variety of things (how much they understand, how much more time they need, how strongly they agree or disagree with a statement). You can call out “15 divided by 5” and then students show you what 3 would look like. You can use this to practice fractions such as “Show me ½” or “Show me “1/10”. The responses of students will really show you who is able to do this number sense activity independently and fluently.

Variation: Play Human Protractor if you teach angles. Students can move their bodies to show you a 90-degree angle or use their arms to create angles. You can use vocabulary such as “acute” or give specific degrees (60).

12. Pictionary or Building in Partners

Preparation: If your students cannot yet read fluently, be sure you’re using picture support and words you know they could decode, or maybe skip this one. You’ll need to decide if students will be using some kind of math manipulative, building blocks, play-doh, whiteboards to draw, or different coloring utensils and paper. You can also decide if students will have different options available, but I would avoid giving too many choices since this is a timed, whole-class activity.

How to Play: You as the teacher will SHOW a vocabulary word, a famous leader you’re studying, a geometric shape, criteria, etc. I suggest having students sit with one student in a chair facing you at the front and one student facing away from you towards their partner. This way you should see the faces of half of your class and the other students are facing away from you. If you require a group of 3, I’d have 2 guessers facing away from you. The person facing you will be drawing or creating clues. The person facing away from you will be guessing.

Get the attention of all of the people who are clue-givers (you can encourage others to cover their eyes to reinforce they shouldn’t peek) and show them a word or image that they need to draw or create. Only show it for a few seconds and then let them get started. You can decide if you’ll want to time them for 1 or 2 minutes. Another strategy is to have both partners raise their hands when they “got it” and then you’ll know the progress of the whole class. If someone is stuck, you can ring a bell or use an attention-getter to reveal the answer and move on.

Variation:  Instead of having students draw or build, you can play this like Taboo. That’s great if you have older elementary students. You can put the word that students are trying to get a classmate to guess, they have to use words to describe it to a friend until they understand the concept, but they can’t use ____word to describe it.

This whole activity would not even have to be a timed competitive game. Have students choose a word to represent in a sculpture, then they can share with their table group/someone nearby. Aluminum foil is also cheap and great for building.

13. Four Corners

Preparation: Choose a category that you will use for formative assessment. The questions should have 4 answer choices. These can be the same 4 choices each time where students have to sort options between them or you can change the 4 answer choices. If you have a quiz already prepared that has 4 answer choices, that can be used too. Assign one corner of the room to be A, one to be B, one to be C, and one to be D.

How to Play: The game works where students move to the corner of the room that represents the best answer choice. I prefer to play this game without “outs” but you could make it more competitive by allowing a group in a wrong corner to get cut. This game is also great for the ‘Which One Doesn’t Belong?’ number sense routine which does not have a “correct answer” so that lowers the pressure of movement a bit.  

Examples: Here is a template you can use in google slides which allows students to visually see which corner is associated with which answer. The top left on the slide is the front left of the classroom. Once you have a template, you can just swap out the content.

14. Guess the Object

Preparation: Gather items in an opaque bag such as:

• Recess Equipment such as soccer ball, frisbee, jump rope, basketball
• Toys such as legos, stuffed animals, Barbie dolls, Matchbox cars
• rectangular prism: tissue box, eraser, notebook, DVD case
• cylinder: chap stick, water bottle, candle jar, marker

How to Play: Put all the objects in a pillowcase or other bag. You as the teacher can reach in and describe an object. Have students guess the object or geometrical shape based on your clues. You also can have students take turns describing the object which is great for oral language development and word choice skills.

Examples: This can be a great opportunity to describe something mathematically using inches, number of faces, etc. Students can also guess the category you’ve used if you don’t say that at the start.

Variation: This can lead to a fun activity of writing Who Am I? poems. Students write out the descriptions as lines of a poem, and the last line of the poem reveals “I am…”

15. Make 11 (or any number)

Preparation: Select a number no more than twice the number of students.

How to Play: All students can choose to make a fist (represents 0), or hold out one finger (represents 1) or hold out two fingers (represents 2). You start with hands behind backs. On the count of 3, everyone reveals their hand. You go around the circle and add up all the numbers. 0 + 2 + 1+ 0 + 1 …The goal is to make 11 (or whatever number you have set). You keep trying as a class to make the number.

Examples: You can change the number and/or allow students to use up to 5 fingers. This just makes counting around take a little longer.

16. Alphabet Game

Preparation: This game can be done without preparation.

How to Play: Establish a pattern of moving around a circle or across desk rows. Choose a letter of the alphabet to start with and have students share a word that starts with that letter. The words continue in order of the alphabet.

Examples: You can allow the words to be anything at all or you can encourage a category such as food or more specifically, fruit, depending on your students.

1  – Apple

2  – Banana

3  – Cherry

4  – Donut

5  – Egg

Variation: Give a scenario to 2-4 people who will act out in front of others. For this, you’ll need to prepare a scenario idea that students would be familiar with. Each person in the group only says 1 line. Each line starts with the consecutive letter in the alphabet. You can start with A or any letter.

After you cycle through all people once, it goes back to the first person. This would embed some fun storytelling and is so enjoyable as an audience member, too! For example, the scenario could be going on a camping trip. If you start with Y, it could go:

1 – You always forget to pack socks.

2 – Zzzz. There are too many mosquitos already!

3 – And I only brought one pair of shoes.

1 – Boy, I’d go for some air conditioning.

2 – Can’t we just buy socks?

And so on back to Y.

You could also have students do only 6 back and forth conversations and not run through the whole alphabet depending on the age and maturity of students.

Games best for secondary grades

17. yes, no, i.

Preparation: You will need to pick a topic of study to discuss. A good idea might be to have a few ideas on hand or present the topic as a question for discussion. I know a high school teacher who taught a business class and had students discuss a few famous, modern businessmen: Elon Musk, Steve Jobs, Jeff Bezos.

These people solicited some opinions so they could keep the conversation going. As students got better, she also required them to use certain vocabulary they’d learned in class so they could earn extra credit points. You can decide if you’d like to create some kind of system. Whatever topic you choose, make sure it’s something they can talk about.

How to Play: The goal of this game is to have a conversation about a topic you’re studying without using the words yes, no, or I. Students stand in 2 lines to start. The 2 people at the front of the line start off a conversation. If someone says yes, no, or I, they move to the end of the line and their line moves up one person. One classmate may talk to a few people before they too make a mistake.

Examples: It will likely help to use a silly example to start out to teach how to play the game.

A: How are you doing?

B: It’s okay. The weather could be better.

A: It rained all week, didn’t it?

B: Yes, it did.

Person B said yes. Typically if someone says “yeah” or “nah” instead of yes or no, I still would count it as against the rules. It often happens that right off the bat someone starts with “I” and then they just send themselves to the back. If everyone has a lighthearted mood about it, it’s really fun and encourages acceptance of mistakes.

18. Questions

Preparation: This is really similar to the previous game, Yes, No, I. You will need to prepare a topic for discussion. You might ask students to think about their opinions of characters in a play you’re reading together or an event in history you’ve been studying.

How to Play: In this scenario, students can ONLY speak in questions.

Examples: Students stand in 2 lines to start. The 2 people at the front of the line start off a conversation. If someone makes a statement instead of a question, they move to the end of the line and their line moves up one person. One classmate may talk to a few people before they too make a mistake.

For example:

A: Where are you going?

B: Why do you need to know?

A: Why can’t you tell me?

B: Do you even know what my job is?

A: Are you a spy?

B: Why would I tell you if I was?

If someone cannot keep up the questions and pauses for longer than 2-3 seconds or makes a statement instead of a question, they’re out and the next person in line takes their spot. Here’s an example of a group doing this as an improv performance .

Variation: Give students some key words or phrases that you’re hoping they try to use throughout the game that relate to your content area. These can be collected as points.

19. Quiz Quiz Trade

Preparation: Each student has a “quiz” question. These can be open-ended discussion questions or questions with correct answers that might be listed on the back. You could prepare these questions yourself; you can even pull them from a quiz you’ve created in the past as a practice test.

One of my favorite homework assignments or entry tickets is to write a question on one side of an index card and put the answer on the back. I can quickly check through the cards at the start of class or as they are creating them, and then we get to play with them!

How to Play: Students hold their question card and mill around the classroom. Then they find a partner, take turns quizzing one another, then trade their cards. When they’re finished, they find another person who wrapped up with their partner and quiz them. After both people take turns quizzing and being quizzed, they trade and move on again. Students might end up seeing the same question a couple of times, but if all of the questions are unique, this does not happen much.

Examples: The questions the first time you play can all be get-to-know-you questions such as “Do you have a pet at home?” “What’s the best streaming service?” “What’s a movie you’ve seen in the last month?” Then, the questions can be true/false, multiple choice, short answer math calculations, really almost anything.

20. Freeze Tag

Preparation: Typically, 2 people play this game together at a time while everyone else watches and waits to jump in. What’s nice about this game is that it is entertaining for an observer. Those 2 people act out something together. It can be helpful to give a scenario to start.

You may introduce this game with low-stakes, non-academic scenarios: eating dinner, playing hide and go seek, at prom, lost in the woods. Then, you can move into scenarios that are scenes from a book you’re reading, historical events, etc.

How to Play: 2 people just talk and act as if they were in that scene. The teacher (or another person in the group if you choose) can call out “Freeze!” Then, someone will go in and swap with another person. Often, this is done by “tagging” a person in their pose, but I would suggest saying the person’s name you’re swapping with.

Once someone is swapped out, they have to change the way that scene is perceived. For instance, if the people were sitting down and pretending to eat a burger at dinner. A person could freeze, swap in, and turn that “eating a burger” into playing a harmonica.

Variation: A thinking routine that works well embedded in this game is Claim, Support, Question. For example, the leader/teacher can call out “Freeze” for 1 person (or 2 people) acting out a movement. Ask students what their “Claim” is for that movement then ask for explanations to justify that thinking. For example, if I’m standing with my legs spread out and my arms to my side, possible claims could be that I’m doing warrior pose in yoga, going surfing, riding my skateboard, ice skating, etc.

Then, you can ask questions that would clarify the pose. “Are you in the water?” “Are you working out?” After that, someone can take the same position then start acting it out and transition it to another scene. I used this to introduce the thinking routine in the realm of persuasive papers. My point was that each claim you make in persuasive papers must be supported with explanations and research. Every claim can be interpreted multiple ways, and people can make different claims based off of the same evidence. It’s important that you as a writer support your claims with more details or else your argument could be misinterpreted.

21. Line up

Preparation: First, you need to prepare some cards for students that have a clear order or sequence. These could be math number sentences to solve, events of WWII, practice measurements, plot points from a story, the steps in the water cycle, etc.

You can create duplicates of the same sets of cards or you can do different cards for different groups. Make sure that your groups are the same number of people and divide up the cards accordingly. When you go to play in class, have students set up their chairs in lines. It’s best if desks are a little out of the way so that students can walk around and in between chairs.

How to Play: Assign students to groups and assign those groups to a row of chairs. You will pass out cards to each student face down making sure that each group is already in their correct row. Also make sure you have established the front chair is the smallest number or first event, etc.

When you give the cue, each person can look at their card and get themselves in the correct order. Once a group has everyone sitting down in the correct order, they win! The competition for this game can get fierce quickly but it is great for allowing students to quickly assess their card and compare it to others. If they can do this quickly working together, they have really mastered that skill or content.

Examples: You can do this with ordering numbers such as -50, 5, ½, -201, -1, 0, 3, 3 ¼. The variety of numbers will really force students to talk it out with each other.

Variation: Instead of students actually moving themselves with their card, you can have students merely arrange cards on a desk or on the floor. The downside to this is that one person can more easily take over and determine the sequence for the whole group.

22. Continuous Sums

Preparation: Use a set of index cards on which you’ve written numbers, playing cards (remove face cards), fraction strips, or decimal cards. Give each student one card face down. Establish an order for sharing numbers such as around in a circle or down the line of desks in a classroom.

How to Play: One at a time, students will flip over their card and say their number. When the next student reveals their card, they add the two values.

Examples: For example, if the second student’s card reads 3/4, they should announce that the total is 1 1/4. The third student reveals a card (ex. 1/8), adds the value to the running total, and announces the new total (1 3/8). The deck continues around the circle until it is exhausted. Students can use a “lifeline” by asking a friend. To make this easier, you can use whole numbers and/or minimal variety in denominators (only 1/2s and wholes). You can use integers where you’ll flip back and forth across 0 or any other numbers.

23. Punch It!

Preparation: You’ll need plastic cups, tissue paper, and rubber bands. You’ll also need to prepare questions or problems to solve. Hide a problem on a piece of paper inside a plastic cup. Cover the plastic cup with tissue paper and hold it in place with a rubber band. You can set this up like jeopardy where each row or column has a theme and each cup has different levels of points, or you can just let lay the cups out on a table.

How to Play: Once the cups and paper are lined up in a grid, students can walk up one at a time, punch through the tissue paper, and get the question. If they get the question right, their team gets points. If they don’t, they could ask a team member for help and get partial credit. Students can be in teams this way without actually communicating; they can just rack up points as a group.

24. Heads Up

Preparation: Have a stack of index cards or a similar size on which you’ve written concepts, vocabulary, famous people, etc. You could also have students write down information but you’d need to be careful of repeats. This is just like the app/game, Heads Up, by Ellen. You can watch a video of her playing if you’re unfamiliar. I did this as an icebreaker at a professional development where the cards were celebrities. You can put almost anything on these cards: People, events, dates, vocabulary words.

How to Play: Have students be in groups of 4-5. One student holds the stack of cards in front of their forehead. The other students try to get the student with the cards to guess as many as they can correctly in 1 minute. The guesser can “pass” if they’re stuck. After 1 minute, the stack passes to the next person in the group. The group that has the largest correct stack at the end wins the round.

Examples: I used the math vocabulary word wall sheets for our state test which has pictures as well as words and printed them 4 to a page on cardstock to use.

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Using Playlists to Differentiate Instruction

September 4, 2016

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Listen to my interview with Tracy Enos or read the transcript here .

In our never-ending quest to find better ways to differentiate and personalize instruction for students, we have plenty of options. I covered a lot of the basics in my Differentiation Starter Kit . Then last year we learned how math teacher Natalie McCutchen manages a self-paced classroom . And for ESL students, there are the Can-Do Descriptors .

Now, Rhode Island teacher Tracy Enos shares her system for customizing instruction to meet the needs of every student. She calls it a  playlist , an individualized digital assignment chart that students work through at their own pace.

How Playlists Work

First, consider what we usually do: When planning a typical unit of instruction, teachers map out a series of lessons to deliver, assignments for students to complete, and some kind of final assessment at the end. They might share this plan with students, but then the execution is done by the teacher: The teacher delivers the lessons, tells students when to do the assignments, and guides students toward the final assessment.

With playlists, the responsibility for executing the learning plan shifts: Students are given the unit plan, including access to all the lessons (in text or video form), ahead of time. With the learning plan in hand, students work through the lessons and assignments at their own pace. And because each student has her own digital copy of the playlist (delivered through a system like Google Classroom), the teacher can customize the list to meet each student’s needs.

“A playlist is basically like a road map,” Enos explains. “I started using them in my classroom when I looked at my room full of 26 students and I saw the variety in their abilities. I knew I needed something different so that I could meet the needs of each one of those kids. Instead of just saying, ‘OK, everybody, we’re going to work on this lesson today,’ I needed to individualize it so that different kids are working on things that they needed.”

The term playlist, by the way, was coined by one of Enos’ colleagues, math teacher Jason Appel .

Sample Playlists

Here are screenshots of three sample playlists from Enos’s class. If you click on each one, you’ll be taken to the full version to view in Google Docs. Although these examples come from a language arts class, Enos feels strongly that the playlist concept could be used in any content area.

Argument Writing Playlist

The first playlist is for a unit on argument writing. What you see here is just the first few tasks; there are 19 on the full playlist.

In the first column, Enos simply names the task. The second column provides specific instructions for the task. The third column is set up for students to record any notes they have about the task, and the fourth is where students record the date they completed the task.

Although much of the playlist will be exactly the same for each student, especially for the first few tasks, individual tasks can be customized to meet individual needs. Because the playlist is stored in digital form, the teacher can go into each student’s playlist at any time and make adjustments as needed.

In addition to adjusting certain tasks, Enos also builds space in each playlist for purely individualized tasks. If we look further down her playlist, we see that tasks #14 and #15 have been left open for individualized focus revision activities, to be determined after the student has written her draft:

Enos does place occasional hard deadlines into her playlists; item 13 above has a date assigned to it. Although students are allowed to complete the work before the deadline, having this task pinned to a specific date helps prevent students from getting too far off track from each other.

Parts of Speech Playlist

This next one is from a unit designed to review the parts of speech. Notice that some of the tasks are quite simple and quick: Students just need to log on to a certain platform, create an account, or join an online group. This makes the playlist a practical tool as well as a good instructional vehicle: One place to keep learning tasks AND the kinds of housekeeping items that accompany most units. And breaking units into smaller tasks gives students a feeling of accomplishment as they move through each item.

To see the full version of this playlist, click the image below:

Again, the “Directions” column allows for maximum flexibility. The teacher can add tech tips, reminders, or any other information that might help student complete the task more smoothly. And if this is done in digital form, the teacher can easily add tips, links, or other comments at any time, making the playlist a living document.

Book Club Playlist

The final example is a playlist created for a unit on dystopian fiction, in which students participated in book clubs.

Notice that the playlist also includes checkpoints, where students must touch base with their teacher before moving on. These can be built in at any point for any reason, such as making sure students have completed key housekeeping tasks (like in the example above) or having the teacher review a draft for quality.

Many of the tasks in the playlist will ultimately result in the student submitting work through Google Classroom, or they might require a paper submission in a class that hasn’t gone quite so digital. In fact, the whole system could be done on paper—one look at how student learning is managed in a Montessori classroom and you’ll see how that can work. What’s key is that students work through the list on their own, which frees the teacher up to spend more time working one-on-one with students.

Managing Student Pace

If students are truly working at their own pace, wouldn’t that mean some are way ahead, even finished with a unit, while others drag way behind? Setting a few hard deadlines (as shown in the argument writing playlist) can help keep the pacing from spiraling too far out of whack, but if our goal is true individualization, then we shouldn’t want everyone to be too closely aligned.

This can be managed on a day-to-day basis. Students who are taking longer to master key tasks will likely get more one-on-one assistance from the teacher or be placed in groups to help them. Those who finish the required material quickly can be given enrichment tasks that take the learning to more advanced levels.

Homework also takes on a different role in a class that uses playlists: Because students work through the playlists on their own, they decide whether they get homework or not. If a student is moving through a playlist quickly, they may not have a need to spend extra time on the work at home. Conversely, if a student finds he needs extra help in class, he may decide to catch up on a few videos at home.

Learn More and Share Your Experiences

For a more in-depth exploration of playlists, listen to my podcast interview with Tracy Enos using the player above or by listening on iTunes or Stitcher (for Android). If you have questions, ask them in the comments below and I’ll have Tracy come over and answer them. And if you have used a system that’s similar to playlists, please share your experiences in the comments so we can all learn together.♦

What to Read Next

Categories: Instruction , Podcast , Technology

Tags: differentiation , gifted education , teaching with tech

117 Comments

I really like this idea, but I am curious about a couple of things: I use Google Classroom for everything, along with Interactive Notebooks (real notebooks, not digital because not all of my students have access to the Internet outside of class), do you do any kind of lecture or introduction of the objectives or key concepts your students will be learning as they work their way through these playlists prior to them starting the tasks? If so, how long before you assign them the playlist, and how much time do you give students to complete the playlists?

HI Angela! I too use Google Classroom and Google docs. The introductory information varies depending on the topic/ unit. I do generally give the students an overview of the process at the start. The important concepts may also be sprinkled in as they progress through the unit/playlist when it is appropriate. It’s important that the students understand their role and responsibility in the process, as well as the goal of the unit. This introduction does not have to be long though. I would let the kids jump in pretty quickly and then touch base on an individual level once students are working at their own pace. Individual conferences are very productive. The specific time-frame of the playlists depends on the purpose. A writing unit may take 2-3 weeks, introductory material for a novel maybe 3-4 days, the book club playlist took about 4 weeks. The beauty of the playlist is that it can vary based on your students and their needs. They can all be modified as needed. I do like to have some deadlines as they progress, or at least suggested milestones they should hit by certain times. The flexibility and organic nature of the playlist is what really excited me! Seamless differentiation!

Hi– I’m using this (awesome) playlist idea with my AP Lit students for the first time. I’m wondering if someone can help me. I sent the playlist to them via Google Classroom– it’s a google doc and every student got a copy. One of the things that I thought was cool about the playlist idea was that I could differentiate and update the playlist for students, but I can’t seem to be able to do that. I tried to add a link for ALL students, but it won’t update on their document. Is there a way to do this?

HI Elizabeth! I’m so excited that you’re trying the playlists out! I think I understand your question, but please correct me if I’m wrong. I also send mine (in a google doc) out via Google Classroom, making sure every student has his/her own copy. This should create their own document that you share ownership with. Once a student opens the doc you should be able to go in and change/ comment/ view anything on the doc. It’s great for individual modifications. When you have shared the assignment, though, you can’t change their individual doc without going into them all and updating it (which would be a pain). If I want to add / change anything for an entire class of students I will just tell the class to update their own docs. Maybe you can just add the link in classroom as an announcement and then the kids can access it there or paste it into their doc? Please let me know if that helps. 🙂

I think I’m missing something. After creating the document in Google Docs, I realize I can post it on google classroom, but how do I enable students to get their own copy? Aren’t the playlists meant to be individualized based on variables for each student (due dates, reading level, etc)?

What am I not understanding?

Hi Jim! My name is Holly and I work for Cult of Pedagogy. There’s a way to share Google Docs by “forcing” recipients (students) to copy the document into their own Drive. This article will tell you how to do it!

You can’t edit and change a google doc once it’s posted to classroom mas a copy for each student. You can only alter the doc and have it show up altered if the student can either only view it or if all of the students can edit the one doc (which means their edits would also change your copy). To get around this, you would have to post a separate copy (that you made in your drive) for each student or group and post them all. Only then could you alter their document but that’s a lot of work. I only do it for groups because I am only posting like 8 documents per class period rather than an individual doc for my 100+ kids.

You can add an extension to Google Drive called “Slip in Slide”. 🙂

Hi! This is unrelated to the playlist post, but I was curious as to how you use the interactive notebooks?

I’m interested in trying the playlist concept with my art classes. When students work on projects there are many concepts they are trying to learn and breaking them into a playlist sounds more fun for them. Keeping them engaged and allowing them time to explore on their own is a great idea. Thanks for sharing how you set it up.

Hi, thanks for the resource sharing . I’m really appreciate. thank you

Love playlist, I use playlist weekly

I love this idea and plan to give it a go this school year. Even after doing this for over 30 years, I love learning new techniques and strategies. Your blog is so helpful, and I love you!

Angela, you just made my day. Thank you!!

That’s awesome!! So happy to hear that! 🙂

I cannot wait to try this! I have just started teaching College Prep American Lit (11th grade) and would love to see any other Playlists you or others have to offer! Can you refer me to a list/blog/etc. where I may find sample units that I can borrow from? Thank you so much in advance! :o)

Hi Angie! So happy to hear that!! 11th grade is fantastic. Here is a folder of the playlists/ hyperdocs I’ve created. https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8ugzwm6fnRLV0txQ0VnTDJmN2s Also, here’s a collaborative padlet with hyperdocs that people have added or that I’ve collected. Feel free to add to or borrow anything! We love to share!! https://padlet.com/tenos/r236mb0wceb2

Let me know if you ever have questions or want to bounce ideas around.

Thanks so much for these resources. Do you have a way for us to access the Skills Lab videos you used and the quizzes/documents you mention throughout? In particular, I am interested in Commonly Confused Words and Parts of Speech. Also, is there a requirement to how many of the activities the students have to complete? I have a lot of freshmen who think they “know grammar” but still struggle to implement concepts, and I could see them just skipping over most options.

Same, Angela. (-8=

I just wish I’d found this fantastic resource at the beginning of the summer rather than right after school started. I’ve shared this article with my PLC and plan to implement it ASAP.

That’s fantastic, Niki! I only started working with playlists last year myself! Anytime is a great time to jump in 🙂 Please let me know if I can help with anything or bounce ideas around! 🙂 Enjoy the year and Stay in touch! Tracy

I love this idea! How long does it take to create a play list? It looks like you put a lot of time into making these. Do you have any tips to help make the process of creating a play list less daunting?

HI Shari! Setting up the initial playlists do take time, but it’s really time invested at the start of the unit, instead of as you go. You would be putting the resources and activities together anyway, this way it’s just at the start. Once the playlist is in place and the students are on the journey, you get to work with the kids. I do give myself, say, a full Saturday morning at least (with a good-size cup of coffee!) to finalize a playlist. 🙂 The first tip I would suggest is to keep the format and tools relatively the same for the different units. The continuity helps you in the planning process and helps the kids become familiar with the process as well. Also, it’s super easy to get overwhelmed with tools and options, try to limit them to your favorites. The tools that are the most flexible always capture my heart. The second tip I would offer would be to start small or transform a unit that you already have building blocks for. That way you’re not starting at zero. The third tip I have would be to find your tribe! 🙂 Find people who are teaching similar topics and maybe do it together 🙂 Share ideas, resources, docs! Pick and choose what works best for you, but don’t be afraid to ask for help! Using others to bounce ideas around always helps me out. Remember, though, once you have a playlist done (and it goes well), you only have to tweak it or change parts for next time. Let me know if you have any more questions! Oh, and sign me up for your tribe! 🙂 Tracy

This idea reminds me a great deal of webquests, which my students and I have had great success with in the past. Having the point-by-point checklist would definitely make certain that kids are hitting every point they need to, and it would make “collecting” and grading a cinch because everything would be kept in one digital platform. (I also champion GoogleClassroom.) Thank you so much for sharing the concept of playlists on a unit-level! Why not make it easy for students to catch up if they miss school, and to give the students the directions to arrive at the desired destination? I think I’ll try developing one for “Beowulf” (just imagine that’s italicized) in October, and we’ll see how it goes! Brilliant share, Tracy Enos. ^ ^

PS – I’ve found so many helpful and uplifting posts on your site, Jenn. Keep up the fantastic work! It’s making a difference.

That’s fantastic, Melissa!! Making it easier for students who miss class is so spot on! It’s as if they have a Miss Enos or Mrs Mabus right in their pocket when they need you 🙂 Putting students in the driver’s seat! 🙂 I’d love to hear how your Beowulf playlist goes! Keep in touch!

I really enjoyed the podcast and thank you for sharing the example documents on the website. I teach 9-12 Ceramics classes and picked up new ideas to try in my classroom. I am moving towards a more choice based art class and the concept of playlists fits in perfectly. It reminded me that I need to guide students, perhaps more than I sometimes think, towards independently making choices in both the content and process of their art making.

Ceramics! I love it! The format is so organic and flexible! It’s easy to feel overwhelmed with new ideas or methods, but we just need to find what works best for us and our kids and dive in! 🙂

This is a great idea. I cannot wait to put it into action!

Do you think this is something that is feasible for rosters that include 130 students?

I’m waiting for the day when Google Classroom will allow you to assign different assignments to different groups of students!

Wow! 130 students in a class?! That is a lot to manage, but with google docs for communication, I bet it could be done! I would certainly rely heavily on groups and curate resources that the students find helpful and can refer back to often. Blending would help you have more face-to-face time with your students though.

Well, I have 4 classes with 25-35 students per class. I was thinking about it today, and I was wondering if I could make playlists for various groups of students, email them attachments that would force them to make copies in Docs, and then when they are finished, they can upload/attach the finished playlist to Google Classroom (or any work they complete).

For instance, I have seven newcomer students from Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico (non-English speaking at the moment). They aren’t in one class, but they are spread out through four periods. If I created an email list for those students and emailed them their playlists…maybe that could work? I’m just not sure if I’m setting myself up for a hassle! I foresee having at minimum five groups.

Thank you, Tracy!

Also…I just realized that the same playlist you’ve created is given to ALL of your students! LOL I do something very similar already, but I guess the term being thrown around these days is “hyperdoc”. However, I much prefer the term playlist.

Sorry for all of the comments/questions. As I was listening to the podcast, it just clicked–hey! I actually do this. ;o) Thanks again! You’re playlist idea just confirms that I’m on the right path!

HI Chandra! I love your comments and questions!! I prefer to share the same general playlists (even if some activities are left blank at the start) and then differentiate them as we go if needed. It helps me stay organized to have them all in one place instead of students sharing different playlists with me. I can still go in and change activities, add resources, and eliminate tasks as the kids need them. Much of the differentiation also comes in allowing choice within the activities and control over pace. For the kids who are totally new to English, why not create their own google classroom? Even if they are in different actual classes, that might be a great way to keep their playlists together. I’d love to hear more about what you do! We’re all explorers together 🙂 Keep in touch!

How often are you checking in on the student? What about those students who are not doing the tasks?

Check-in varies by student. I have built in spots within the playlists for scheduled check-ins, but I’m constantly mingling and touching base all throughout the class (and after school thanks to technology). As far as the students who are not on task, it is very similar to any activity 🙂 I try to engage them with the activity, try to relate an assignment to something they are passionate about, use collaboration, and offer choice. Although students are working at their own pace, we do have some deadlines that they have to meet. I teach 8th grade and I think it’s important for the kids to learn how to manage their time wisely. Have a great day! Tracy

Hi Tracy, Thanks very much for the reply. I am thinking of this to do with my G 11/ G 12 Psychology classes. I use google drive every day which include my notes and embedded in those notes are videos etc. I want to try this but start small – with psychology it is such a content base course that i’ll really have to be creative with learning activities so the students can meet those objectives. Have you done any playlists that involve content based course? I listened to the podcast and it sounds alot like independent learning which is what i’m trying to incorporate into all of my classes. Any suggestions would greatly appreciated. Thanks for your time, Cheers, Todd

Hi Todd! I’m not entirely sure what you mean by content classes vs. noncontent classes, but in addition to my English classes, my sister has also used playlists all year for her high school math classes. I would just think about all the standards and content points you’re addressing and lay them out on a roadmap. Since the playlists take advantage of technology, the variety of activities are great. I suggest trying edpuzzle for delivering content notes/ lecture, padlet, Voxer, or Today’s Meet for backchannel discussion. Diigo for research. All the google tools for lots of activities 🙂 Goformative for formative assessment along the way! Recap is also a fun way to have students respond to questions. The possibilities are endless 🙂 Focus on the student’s experience as they learn the content in their journey. I would also give them lots of time to work together and allow them some control over pace, space, product, or process, if possible. I’d love to chat with you further about options! Have a great day! Tracy

Thanks alot Tracie – I guess what i mean by content is that in IB psychology students essentially need to know the content and display their learning through essay style question/answers. I try to incorporate hands on activities in my lessons as much as possible – but i struggle with generating ideas within a playlist that would help them deepen their understanding as well as strengthening their writing skills. I guess what i’m trying to say is doing meaningful activities/exercises etc that will benefit them come assessment time. That’s something I’ll have to spend more time thinking about. How do you assess for understanding if students are doing different activities? Thanks again for the feedback!

HI Todd! The content could be the same for the kids. Maybe you could just individualize how they can show mastery of the subject. There are so many ways students can show learning. Teach Thought had a great post on this http://www.teachthought.com/pedagogy/assessment/60-things-students-can-create-to-demonstrate-what-they-know/ Letting the kids respond and show mastery in a way that they choose is a powerful way to give them control over their learning. In addition, they could also be working on the same lessons in the playlists, but have some control over pacing… some may need more time, some may be quicker, but they can decide when they feel comfortable with the material and are ready for the assessment. Or maybe they decide that they need more practice time. My sister, the Math teacher, used common assessments for her units even though her kids were at vastly differing levels. Perhaps vary activities by grouping– Letting kids work alone or with a partner. Or (if appropriate) you could have some students read an article, some listen to a podcast on a subject, some watch a video, or some get a face-to-face lesson from you. It could all be on the same/ similar topics, but just varied in terms of delivery. Individualizing can still be done with common material. My Anne Frank intro playlist basically covered four learning stations. Each group was able to focus on what interested them the most as a whole. This is a fantastic conversation! I’m enjoying it! 🙂 Thanks!

Hi Tracie, Thanks again for the info. I feel like i’m taking away more than i am giving haha. This is definitely some helpful suggestions. I feel class time feels very rushed – like there is so much to do before the bell etc – i think the playlist could help slow things a bit and allow students to take time with their learning – i guess that’s why this makes this way of learning appealing to me. I’m going to give this a try and see how the students respond – i think if i can get the checking for understanding down – i’ll have the proverbial grip on this. Thanks again, Cheers

I like this idea of playlists a lot! I was wondering if Tracy might be able to share a math example. I teach math and would like to “see” what a playlist might look like in that curricular area.

Hi Gretchen! Sure thing! My sister used playlists for the entire year last year and she teaches math. Here is an example playlist : https://docs.google.com/document/d/1tGLAibpzd4uMgZAWKzsGMg7J5tpm6ZgBg7jDV0M46x4/edit?usp=sharing She found it so helpful to meet the diverse needs of her kids. She even had one student work on a totally separate class while in her Algebra class because he transferred in late and there was no room. Let me know if you have any specific questions and I’ll pass them on to her 🙂

If you’re interested, here is a list of tech tools that my sister likes to use in her math classroom. It’s sometimes tricky to think of ways to utilize the power of tech in Math classes, so she made this super helpful doc to share ideas. https://drive.google.com/open?id=1yPFa9VFlyktH07m3PpNqiIHL3Cu44iW6Abpr01Ihyz0

How do you make the chart? Do you create it in Google Pages and then link to the classroom. I would love to learn how to put it together. I teach Gifted in elementary and this may be great for projects!

Hi April! I use google docs to create the playlists. Then I distribute them in Google Classroom. Google classroom then creates a playlist for each student that I have access to see and change anytime. The technology out there makes it so much easier for us! It really is a fun time to be a teacher 🙂 Playlists would be great for projects! 🙂 Tracy

Hello, I am a student in a math secondary education program and I find this to be a very interesting way to differentiate the classroom for students. I also appreciated the math example you posted above in the comments because it gives me an idea of what this could look in a math classroom. My only concern is with managing the pace of students who get ahead. You mention assigning enrichment tasks, but what if these students are not motivated to complete those. That is, what if a student rushes through what is “required” and then decides to stop working, potentially even becoming a distraction to others? Do you have any tips on how to approach a situation like that in a positive manner? I would love to hear your thoughts/ideas! Thank you!

Hi John! I’m Tracy’s sister (the math teacher :-)). I let students work at their own pace through the whole unit. So we didn’t have kids waiting to move on when the other kids were still working. I did have a special group who could work on some extra credit work at the end of each section, but I kept it invitation only (so of course kids were interested!). The kids did a great job overall and stayed on task the whole unit! I also had on going study strategies and khan academy missions that students could work on if they were ahead of others. But it was always their choice.

I wonder about simplifying this playlist, and having students complete work based on pre-test scores. There could be preparatory work, required work, and extension work. Teachers can prioritize essential learning, and then guide students towards what they need based on their pre-test. This way, each student would get the same play list, but would personalize that play list for themselves.

HI Rebecca! I”m curious about what playlist you are specifically referencing you here, but you’ve hit the nail on the head for most of them! Individualizing the playlists for student need is exactly what I’m aiming for. It’s the beauty of technology that makes it all so seamless!

I’m making an assumption here that many of you doing this are in a 1:1 environment. Is this possible without technology? Our resources are limited in that regard.

Hi Melanie! You might be interested in reading my post about the Montessori classroom . The teacher I profiled has all students working on their own lists of assignments and tasks; she just does it all with papers and folders.

HI Melanie,

Yes, I am in a 1:1 environment, but, typically, if you were working on a writing assignment you are able to get some computer lab time or even a cart. The playlists could be used then. Also, you wouldn’t necessarily need all students to be working on computers all of the time. You could strategically order assignments to vary between hard copies and digital work. The technology really comes in handy for quick formative assessment, but it’s not a requirement! You may also want to check out Jen’s post about blended stations. Station rotation may be a good choice for your kids!

How do track this much differentiation in an SIS/LMS gradebook? With a few differences I can see no problem from an admin point of view. A lot of differences would result in a LOT of EXEMPTS in the gradebook. Curious!!

Hi Tracy, I love what I can see of your playlist ideas…I think I would like to incorporate them…but it looks Work intensive…Any chance I can see what happens when the students click on the links? I think you must have to invite me? (or is that all private)? I do have a google ac’t. Did you first set up in docs or classroom? Thanks so much for sharing…It looks exciting and independent…Love!

HI Sharon! Sorry, but I just saw this. I’m happy to share everything. It is a lot of work up front, but a great investment. What specifically were you looking for? It is set up on a google doc and I push it out with Classroom. Feel free to email me [email protected]

Hi! I am teaching Algebra 2 next year and wanted to introduce playlists to my lessons. I need a little help on navigating how to do so. How would you suggest to use them for math class?

Hi Elizabeth! My sister, Heather, was the first teacher in our district to use playlists and she taught high school math. She’d love to help you out. Here is an example of one of her playlists: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1m-NTlvYHakg3lEWkaiIJFl5DOaCaK8JcNM6McesAiSg/edit?usp=sharing Feel free to email her at [email protected] .

This sounds wonderful, but I am having trouble finding references for teachers who use Playlists and HyperDocs with younger students – 1st and 2nd grade. Have any lower elementary teachers used them, and if so, would you be willing to share a sample Playlist or HyperDoc?

Hi, Osa. I’m a Customer Experience Manager with CoP and we recommend heading over to Hyperdocs.co . Click on Teachers Give Teachers, a collection of shared Hyperdocs, where you can do a search by subject area. This may give you a place to start.

I would definitely check out Teachers Give Teachers like Debbie suggested. My sister taught Elementary Guidance last year the kids loved hyperdocs. They would open one up and say, “Oh, I love this game!” 🙂 Here are a few from her 3rd grade class https://docs.google.com/document/d/1uztIO-VNmt_ay6EQlUiZeVndPnXblgBi_ftAbey9Ct0/edit?usp=sharing and https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Nywh4U6kiVSa91WEzMAMxisYH_eR1Mq9j5KfVd0WQkM/edit?usp=sharing

Feel free to reach out to her directly at [email protected]

I was wondering which podcast did you use in the parts of speech playlist and what did your forms and formative links looks like? I am very excited about this whole idea and plan to use it with the high school freshman in my classes. My goal for the year is to build stronger writers.

I’ve been trying playlists this year, but only had time to develop a couple. Sadly, with four preps last year, I didn’t have a lot of time for development. I’ve been working on building more for next year (thank goodness for summer) and came here looking to see if there was a database for shared playlists. I just started checking out the HyperDocs website and it seems great. I bought the Teacher’s Guide to Tech and think that will make a nice pairing with the HyperDocs shared on that website, just like the sample playlists shared here. I can see what other people are using and get more info about those and things like them from the Teacher’s Guide. Are there any other places teachers have shared playlists?

I keep forgetting to comment on Itunes. I’m going to go there right now. I’ve learned so much from this podcast and website. Some of my colleagues may be sick of hearing me go on and on about CoP all of the time. Thank you so much for helping me to be a better teacher!

They are definitely time intensive, but so worth it! Sharing and implementing little by little helps. The Teachers Give Teachers site is a great resource, but, unfortunately, I don’t know of many more sites like that. Maybe we should start one 🙂 I will share my playlist/hyperdoc folder with you https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B8ugzwm6fnRLV0txQ0VnTDJmN2s

I also recently created a padlet to curate specifically ELA hyperdocs https://padlet.com/tenos/r236mb0wceb2 .

I’m so glad you bought the Teachers Guide to Tech. What an incredible resource!! There is a wonderful 2ndaryela Facebook group out there that you might want to check out. We share a lot there.

It’s all about finding your dream team and inspiring each other. Feel free to reach out to me anytime! Keep creating and sharing 🙂 Tracy 🙂

Thanks for your reply. I appreciate your suggestions and will check them out! Maybe you could share a folder on the about page where we could add copies of the playlists we make. If everyone could add to the folder, people could keep it organized and monitor as volunteers and it wouldn’t be too much extra work on your end 🙂

After doing so much research and development of lessons this summer, I am thinking that I would like to present this idea at our Washington State Social Studies conference. Is it okay with you if I use the term “Playlist”? I will, of course, cite you and this podcast in my presentation.

Absolutely! Have fun!! Let me know if you have any questions 🙂

Niki – I’d love to connect with you! I teach WA state social studies and am hoping to get into blended learning/playlists.

I absolutely LOVE this idea! I have worked in various roles at my school (primarily tutorial director& after-school RTI T2&3). This upcoming fall I am beginning my first year of teaching and am over the moon. I’m excited to apply what I’ve learned in this post (and so many other posts on this incredible site). I’m curious how often you use playlists to differentiate? Is this something you do with every unit or just a few times a year? If you do use it the full year, how do you ‘spice it up’ so the students feel bogged down by routine? Thanks so much!

Hey, Jessica! I’m a Customer Experience Manager with Cult of Pedagogy. Great question! Tracy talks about how often she uses playlists and why, near the end of the podcast episode, in a section called Should You Use Playlists All The Time? Hope this helps.

Hi there- this is indeed an interesting idea and I can see how it would be completely tailored to students needs and allow them to take ownership for their learning. The only point of concern for me is that I am a jig believer in social learning. And I am not seeing an authentic model for collaborative learning while using this model. But I can see the potential for using it here and there depending on what we are inquiring into. Am wondering how you view or if you could expand on how this could be played out in a way that promots social learning?

Collaborative working is wonderful! Most Middle Schoolers love it! Collaboration can certainly be a part of the playlist experience. There are lots of opportunities for kids to work together. If they are on the same step, as part of a revision activity, discussion, or to work together on an artifact to show learning. It really just depends on your objectives. The playlists/ hyperdocs are very flexible and can absolutely include collaboration. There are also many ways to collaborate. I find that when students are engaged in an assignment, I can break up groups by need/interest and really devote time to face-face instruction and student collaboration to great effect. As a side note, I do not do all of my teaching with playlists/ hyperdocs. There are very important lessons/ texts that we do whole class. Playlists are just one of the tools we use.

To add one more point about collaboration, my sister, who I reference in the interview, used this method with her 9th-grade Algebra students. Her students worked in groups every single day as they worked on their playlists. They always had people they could bounce ideas off of, collaborate, or ask questions around them as they worked.

Also, if you look at the example playlists, some are specifically designed for group collaboration– The Anne Frank Stations and Dystopian Book Clubs.

I am so happy to have stumbled upon this post. I will try playlists starting next week. I have read all the notes from podcasts as well as the comments and have a question: when students complete formative asseessments are you worried about honesty in their completion? What if they work with someone to complete it? Are those grades based on accuracy or completion?

I saw in one of the playlists that you have them come get the quiz from you. How do you ensure they are honestly answering questions? I am thinking about having a section in my room where students sit if they are quizzing so I can keep an eye on them. But if I’m working with students it will be hard to monitor. Maybe I will just do a day where they all have to be ready for a quiz..??

Any ideas from anyone will be appreciated 😊

I just got access to technology for my students to use in class (chromebooks). However, we don’t have Google classroom or any other school-based online assignment/class system. Any recommendations for other systems for assigning and managing playlists?

Hi Kate! I’m Holly, a Customer Experience Manager. I’m so excited for you and your students! I have no doubt it’s daunting right now, but there are certainly options.

Edmodo , Chalkup , or Schoology might work really well for your class.

However, by using your own Google account, you can set up Google Classroom yourself for free if that’s the direction you’d like to go! HERE is a video to get you started.

If this is too much too fast and you’re ready to get your students doing playlists immediately, go back to that paragraph just above the heading “Managing Student Pace.” It suggests a paper version of sorts that could get the ball rolling!

Lastly, because your class is now tech-ready, you may want to check out Jenn’s Teacher’s Guide to Tech . There’s a discount going right now for the 2017 guide, but the 2018 guide will be out in a few months!

I hope this helps!

Hi there!!! I am looking for a new way to do a book chat using dystopian literature. I love your playlist!!! Several of the documents on the playlist need permission to view. I have asked for permission, and hope you will grant this to me *fingers crossed* Thanks for an awesome resource!

HI Tiffany! That’s great! Our dystopian themed book clubs are a huge hit with my 8th graders. Please send me an email to request the documents and we can chat. [email protected] .

I love all of your playlist, but especially the argumentative essay playlist. How are you so familiar with the different types of software or technology? I have heard of many of the ones you used. Are they all free? How can I see the Google forms in the playlist? I really would like to incorporate them in my lesson plans. Do you have one for informative writing?

Hi Natassia! Thank you for your kind word! I’m by no means an expert in ed tech, but I am an explorer! I play around with various tools to learn about them. I also surround myself with other passionate educators who are constantly working to get better and better. We connect in “real-life”, on voxer, twitter, and in facebooks groups. I highly suggest finding a team of people who inspire you and share ideas. No one can do it alone 🙂 The vast majority of the tools are free. The only tool I pay for is Actively Learn, but they have a great free version. Generally, I have my favorites and I try to use them as much as possible. I love a flexible tool that can fill multiple needs. It makes it easier for the kids. My biggies are Padlet, Actively Learn, GoFormative, Edpuzzle, and anything Google. With those tools you can do so much! If you’re trying to learn, I’d start with these to start and branch out little by little. Jen has an amazing resource called teachers guide to tech– Check it out! I’d be happy to share the forms in the playlists. Just shoot me an email at [email protected] to let me know what ones specifically. At this point, I do not have a playlist for informative writing. I don’t use playlists for everything because I still think there is value in whole class instruction also. I also like to shake things up and keep it varied. It helps my 8th graders to change it up depending on our goals. Let me know if you have any other questions! Tracy

How do you accomplish playlists without access to computers everyday, or even every month?

Hi! Thank you for sharing this. I am wondering if it is possible to do this in a small group and with only twenty minutes? Thank you for any help with this question.

Kaylan, I don’t see why not. You can take this model and adjust it to suit your needs. It’s possible that your playlist won’t be as extensive as the samples in the post, but the intent is the same: planning lessons (differentiated as needed) that students can work on at their own pace, with periodic check-ins. I’d give it a try. Start small, maybe focusing on a particular skill or process, planning a few days worth of lessons. See what works and what doesn’t and go from there.

This is a very modern, cool version of what Montessori does. Students have goals they all need to reach, but at their pace that in 1st thru 6th grade students partner with the teacher to monitor and record progress.

I have dabbled with Hyperdocs last year, but feel like I was really almost making a Playlist. I’m having a hard time finding much of a difference between the two – could you explain? Thanks so much!

Hi Stephanie,

Playlists and hyperdocs are really the same thing and came out around the same time, but now hyperdocs seem to be the more preferred term at this point. The only thing that may be different is that the authors of The Hyperdoc Handbook proposed a set of guidelines or best practices that tend to kind of raise the bar for what makes a good hyperdoc. Otherwise, they serve the same purpose and there’s not much difference.

Hello, Any chance there are Playlist samples for elementary math?

I’d check out Hyperdocs.co or scroll through the comments — Tracy shared a few links to a few math playlists that her sister created. Although they are for older kids, you can get an idea of how a math playlist might look and then adjust to your grade level.

Hi there! I teach 3rd grade and I’m wondering if you think I could implement this in my classroom. All of my students have their own personal computers in my classroom and we use google classroom. I love this differentiation strategy and I love coming to Cult of Pedagogy for new ideas! Thanks!

Thanks, Jessica! Yes…I’d definitely give this a try and see what happens! You may want to start with a small mini-unit; for example, as part of a narrative writing unit, you could create a self-paced playlist just around capitalization. Since playlists are a variation of the hyperdoc , you may want to check out that post as well. Have fun!

love and excited to implement the playlist in my class

I’ve created a Google Website for my courses this year (High School Science) after switching from previously posting everything in Google Classroom. My students have provided me with the feedback that most of them prefer the website format because it is very similar to the playlist examples you’ve provided in that topics, resources, instructions, due dates, and relevant standards are grouped together so that they may easily work at their own pace.

Using Blended Learning Approach in teaching is useful and beneficial to students. The only problem si the availability of internet connection in the school.

Having an internet connection does make things easier for sure, but if you haven’t already, check out When Your School is Short on Tech . There are several work-around suggestions in the post that you might find helpful.

Thanks, this is really great!

Blended learning approach is very effective and the result really help the students to be a globally competitve 🙂

Blended Learning Approach can be both beneficial to students and teachers as long as planned and utilized correctly and efficiently.

I love this idea of a play list. I might also add a column where students can add songs for an actual playlist to represent each stage of their work.

This will work with my honors classes, but last year I tried something similar with my lower level students, and they just shut down when they see several tasks to complete, no matter how easy the task. Has anyone else found a way to keep them moving in the right direction.

I’ve done different kinds of versions of this idea, but wonder if anyone has ideas of how to do it in Canvas and Microsoft 365 instead of Google Drive? Getting everyone a document and getting it shared is not as easy as through Google Classroom. Any great workaround ideas?

I haven’t had a chance to use either platforms, but I was able to find this Canvas guide that might be helpful. In the meantime, hopefully others will see this and be able to jump in. Thanks!

I am a 6th grade ELA teacher and I feel overwhelmed that I have to grade everything. I have students complete multiple weekly projects and the grading gets out of hand! How have you planned both playlists and more traditional assignments so that you grade an appropriate amount of process (practice) and product (summative assessment)?

Hey Tracy, this has been a struggle for many teachers so know that you are not alone. Jenn wrote an e-booklet to address this topic called “20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half.” To access this resource, simply scroll to the bottom of any post and click the link in the grayed out box to subscribe to Jenn’s mailing list. Some other places to look for answers are Jenn’s posts, How Accurate Are Your Grades? (see suggestion #6), Self-Paced Learning: How One Teacher Does It (see section on providing students with answer keys), and Could You Teach Without Grades? I hope these help!

Has anyone used this at a Kagan, standards based school with special education/inclusive classes?

Looking for ways to implement in a 3rd grade ELA class. Any ideas or directions. I did make a hyperdoc but I do not feel it is self-paced or differentiated enough.

HI Cassandra, I started out with playlist for a writing workshop because I thought it lended itself the best for individualization and it fit our needs. In fact, I’m getting ready to start an argument unit right now. I would suggest laying out a variety of activities that you want them to accomplish- a nice mix of information, practice, choice, etc. It’s also helpful to build in check-in points and easy formative assessment aspects.

The details really depend on what you want your students to accomplish. I would try to differentiate by giving them a choice about reflecting, responding, and showing their learning. If you are like many at this time and are having to teach via distance learning, I would suggest shorter assignments probably. It seems like now is a time to simplify and not add too many new tools to learn. It’s so hard to not have the kids in front of us. The personal connection and conversation is my favorite part about blended learning. 🙁

Feel free to email me and we can chat further about any specific goals you’re thinking about. My email is [email protected] .

Be well, Tracy

I am really intrigued by this idea of playlists, especially in these uncertain times. Do you have any resources or can you direct me to them for high school biology playlists? Thanks!

Hi Danielle! I’m glad you found the post helpful! 🙂 While I don’t have any biology playlists, I can recommend some flexible tools that will certainly work for any subject. I love having a favorite set of tech tools that I can rely on so I don’t overwhelm my kids with too many. I would suggest checking out EdPuzzle, GoFormative, Quizizz, Padlet, and the Google Tools. Actively Learn is also great for reading articles. I use these tools the most and am sure you could use them for bio as well.

I would also suggest checking out the hyperdoc website (hyperdocs are similar to playlists) for some bio specific ideas. There are lots of ideas here. https://hyperdocs.co/find

You may also want to look for a group on facebook to find other bio teachers. I would suggest searching biology hyperdocs and see what you come across. Finding teachers who teach similar topics is awesome! 🙂

Thank you for a new idea!

Thank you so much for all the useful information, this will help me with my language class as well 🙂

Thank you very much for this valuable information.

Thank you so much

Hi! Really great resource. WE just started out using these at my school last month and it has been amazing. It would be great if you could share links to some resources for elementary and High school students. It would help us check our work against others. Well done! You are all so amazing!

Olu, if you scroll through the comments on this post, you’ll find that several other educators have shared some great examples for different grade levels! In addition, Tracy shared this Padlet , which is a collection of ideas contributed from other teachers. You may also be interested in this recent guest post by Dr. Catlin Tucker and this 2017 post about hyperdocs. I hope this helps!

I love the playlist idea and would like to try it with 7th grade ELA. I have kind of dabbled here and there with the concept in other forms, but find I really fall down in the area of the individual conference, which I intuitively know is critical to this approach. Our district has used writing workshops with elementary students, but the 7th graders are in the high school with 40-minute periods, so I have struggled to really wrap my mind around how to really DO the work of being the guide on the side and letting students have more autonomy. I also find that my students come to me with very low ability to stay on task for independent work. Do you have any resources that helped you improve your conferencing or management skills along the way?

Hi Shannon,

Teachers like myself often find small group instruction is a good balance between teacher-directed and student-led activities during a lesson. Students are able to support each other and work together while teachers also get to check in and provide targeted instruction in the moment. Since your students are slightly older, you might enjoy the recent blog post, Personalizing Instruction with Seminars as well as Flash Feedback: How to Provide More Meaningful Feedback in Less Time , which can help you make the most of your time with each group.

This post and this one may also be of interest. I hope this helps – let us know if you have any further questions!

The play list video on the reading is really informative it informs teachers how to set up and create stations in classroom, as teacher I feel we should have the type meeting more often!!

Glad you found it helpful, Fritz!

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Prior to explaining the assignment, I post directions, a formatting guide , and a rubric on Google Classroom to reference.  See below the directions that I post on Google Classroom for the students:

Playwriting Assignment:

• For the next three weeks, we will each write a 10-15 page/minute play, due Mon. Nov. 18.  However, if you plan to enter the Young Playwright Competition, it must be completed by Fri. Nov. 15.  I’ve attached a formatting guide which outlines the style you should incorporate.
• You must include an historical element (a person, place, thing, or event that is historically significant). in your play. It does not have to be the focus of the play unless you want it to be. It can be a minor element.
• Before submitting your play, you need 2 editors who will leave notes (minimum of two comments EACH) by making comments on your script in Google Docs (Share your play with them in order for them to edit/make comments).
• Finally, submit your completed play by attaching it and clicking submit/turn in.
• Write your play based on the number of students we have in class, assuming that one person will run lights and another will run sound. Everyone else would be a character.
• Play pitching will begin Nov. 25. as a separate grade. If you wish, we will add your play to the ballot to vote on whose play we will perform after everyone has pitched.

Playwright Website

Once the plays are submitted, I require students to create a website which they will use to pitch their play.  We take three to five days to create the website using Google Sites.  (Check back later for an article on how to have students create a no cost website as a playwright promoting their plays).  

Pitches must include the title, a brief summary, an explanation of characters (number of male/female roles and how it is suitable for our class), the time/length of the play, and why it would be a good play for our class to perform.  Their pitch must also sound believable (They should sound excited about their play.).  If they truly don’t want their play performed, they are able to tell me after their pitch, and it will not appear on the voting ballot.

In Conclusion

You might also like my article

Play Plass: Performance Selection for Students.

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I didn’t realize that it took a while to do all of this. This sounds like fair voting! Also, it’s cool how you create a film about it? Do you guys have them on youtube to watch or something?

No, although I help the students produce them, the films are ultimately the property of the students who create them. If they choose to upload them on their own, they can, but I don’t personally upload them myself.

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Texas substitute teacher fired after student puppet show depicts mass shooting

A puppet murder or death scene from a shakespearian play it’s not clear, but a teacher is out of a job..

By Sarah Bahari

5:18 PM on Apr 23, 2024 CDT

A Texas substitute teacher was fired after reportedly asking students to perform a puppet show depicting a mass shooting.

In a statement published to its website, the Hays Consolidated Independent School District said the teacher was suspended and removed from campus April 19 after students at Johnson High School expressed concerns about the in-class assignment.

Related: ‘Worse than COVID’: 41% fewer Texas students completed FAFSA this year

Details of the assignment still remain hazy, however.

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Students said the theater arts teacher assigned a puppet show in which at least one puppet was murdered, the district said. One group of students told administrators their puppet show involved a mass shooting, but it is not clear if that was the specific assignment or a scene created to meet the parameters of the assignment.

“Either way, assigning or allowing this type of performance, if proved to have occurred, would be disturbing and unacceptable conduct for an educator in Hays CISD,” the district said. “The school and the district apologize to the students and their parents for any distress this has caused and pledges to ensure that it does not happen again.”

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Even after district officials met with the teacher Monday, they said they are still unable to nail down details of the assignment. Hays CISD said it does not know whether the assignment called for the murder of a puppet or a death scene from a Shakespearian play.

The district said the unnamed teacher, hired in January, did not have nefarious intentions but will no longer be invited to work in the district.

Johnson High School is in Buda, about 20 miles south of Austin.

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Sarah Bahari , Staff writer . Sarah Bahari is a trending news reporter. She previously worked as a writer for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where she covered a bit of everything.

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Texas substitute teacher suspended over 'disturbing' class assignment

by STEPHANIE BECERRA | KEYE Staff

HAYS COUNTY, Texas (KEYE) — A Texas substitute theater arts teacher is under investigation and was suspended Friday over concerns about a class assignment.

Hays CISD says the sub reportedly assigned Johnson High School students to perform a puppet show in which one of the puppets had to be murdered. They added that one group of students said the performance would have involved a mass shooting.

Hays CISD apologized to the students and parents and called the teacher's conduct "disturbing and unacceptable."

The teacher was hired by Hays CISD in January 2024.

An investigation remains underway and it's still unclear if that was the specific assignment.