Students Create Google Presentations to Study Vocabulary

As part of the Massachusetts' initiative to upgrade our efforts to teach English Language Learners, I am taking the RETELL course. One aspect of the RETELL course I'm profiting from is the focus on vocabulary. I've noticed that the increased, engaging emphasis on vocabulary has lifted the interest and efforts of the entire class.

One simple to replicate activity my student teacher will employ today is the creation of a Google presentation using the Frayer Model.  Each student will complete a slide related to one content word for our upcoming endangered species study. The students will later introduce their slides to the class as the teacher shows the slide show.  The Google presentation will also serve as terrific unit reference when hard copies of each slide are posted on a bulletin board. This is a template you may use for your class by clicking "file," then "make a copy." After that, you click the "share" button on the upper left hand side, and make the site public for your students to edit. Later each student or student partners complete individual slides for specific unit vocabulary.

There are many benefits to this project including the following:

• The project meets multiple CCSS standards.
• The project is an engaging way to use multimedia composition to learn vocabulary.
• The project offers students practice with online presentation, research, dictionary, and image tools.
• The project offers substantial repetition as students work towards a final copy, practice their presentation, and then present to the class.
• The project supports the unit efforts by resulting in a student-created reference vocabulary presentation that can be posted on the class website for easy reference, and posted on a class bulletin board for consult during project work.
• The project builds collaboration and team as students work together to create one presentation and help each other with a similar format activity.
• The project can be used a multiple grade levels and content areas. 

There are so many ways to use Google apps to further students' learning, and this is one way that will help all your students including your English Language Learners.

Note: This presentation demonstrates other strategies used to introduce the unit.