By now, you’ve probably heard of the magical powers of Google Slides! They are collaborative and simple presentation slides that put PowerPoint to shame. And the best part? You can use Google Slides for way more than classroom presentations. In fact, I want to share five Google Slide ideas that you will wish you thought of sooner.

Online Stations

Tired of all the prep that comes with preparing stations? Try out digital stations.

To set up my digital stations, I typically have one slide for each activity. The slide deck typically has between six and eight slides, and I aim to have each slide take about 10 minutes to complete.

For example, my Thermal Energy and Heat activities have six activities total. In one station, they look at a density image and answer critical thinking questions. In another station, they get a description of an object and must calculate the density.

You can check out all of my digital science stations here!

Digital Interactive Notebooks

Say goodbye to the composition notebook and hello to the digital world! This Google Slide idea will eliminate the cutting, gluing, and wasting time that comes with notebooks.

They can add these slides to a growing Google Slide deck to create one big notebook. Or, they can have a notebook for each unit. Either way, I’ve found students can refer to their notes much easier when they are digital due to search features!

Want ready-to-go digital guided science notes? I have notes ready for properties of the Sun, Thermal Energy, Plate Tectonics, Marine Science Lessons and way more.  Check them all out here. 

 

If you’re looking for tips on how to set up an interactive science notebook, find all my best tips here!

 

Independent Activities and Homework

Get rid of stacks of paper to grade (or the age old, “My dog ate my homework!”) with this Google Slide idea. All you have to do is assign the activity, and you are done!

By using Google Slides for your activities, you can better monitor students’ activity, quickly check to see what assignments have been completed, and simplify grading. It also makes providing feedback to students a breeze.

Collaborative Activities

Not all my Google Slide ideas are 1:1. Afterall, it is a presentation application! You can make Google Slide activities interactive by projecting them and working through it as a class. 

This can be a part of your mini-lesson as you are gradually releasing students to work alone, or you can team students up and play a game where they answer questions on the slides.

I often use the same activities from my digital science stations for these collaborative activities.

Enrichment

One of my favorite Google Slides ideas is using it as enrichment or for students who complete assignments early. In the past, I would be scrambling to come up with something for students to do if they finished early, but now I have digital slides ready just for these students.

When I am putting together a unit for my students, I always have an extra Google Slide deck or two that I put in a folder called enrichment. If students have extra time, I direct them there. Sometimes the assignment is a digital science station and other times I’ll include a digital science lab for the unit. You can also review past content! 

 

 

Love these Google Slides ideas, but don’t want to create your own activities?

I have everything from digital labs, guided notes, and digital stations already made for you! I’ve created resources for various units, from Earth Science to Matter to the Scientific Method. Plus, all of the digital resources also come with a print version (for when technology just isn’t your friend!).

Want a sample of these engaging activities? Check out my FREE Variables Google Slides and Print Activities by signing up below!