Engaging ELA Activities With Google Docs

Purpose & objective

The purpose of this session is to show how Google Docs can be used in language arts for creative student learning activities. Each activity uses tools already included in Google Docs, so no additional extensions or add-ons are needed. The activities focus on ways to help students improve their reading comprehension, summarization skills, writing skills, creativity, and expression beyond just text.

The activities explored will include:

1) Google Doc "Black Out"
Description: In this activity we use the highlighter tool to black out any text that is not critical, leaving behind just the main ideas, to improve reading comprehension. We also explore using this process to create "Black Out" poetry from existing content.

2) Emoji Learning Activities
Description: In this activity we use special characters to insert emojis to summarize stories, write creatively, and explore character emotions.

3) Choose Your Own Adventure Stories
Description: In this activity we use headings and hyperlinks to create interactive stories in Google Docs, for creative, non-linear storytelling.

4) Pre-writing with Embedded Graphic Organizers
Description: In this activity we use the option to embed Google Drawings into a Doc to add interactive graphic organizers for students to use to prepare their ideas before writing.

5) Have Students Write Better by Writing Less
Description: In this activity we use the word count tool to write within a character limit or word limit, to develop summarization skills.

Outline

This session will be entirely hands-on as participants engage in each of the Google Docs activities. The time will be divided as follows:

1) Google Docs overview - 5 minutes
2) Google Doc "Black Out" - 20 minutes
3) Emoji Learning Activities - 15 minutes
4) Choose Your Own Adventure Stories - 20 minutes
5) Pre-writing with Embedded Graphic Organizers - 15 minutes
6) Have Students Write Better by Writing Less - 15 minutes

Details and resources for each of these activities can be accessed at: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1IdnRvozUHByB4nl9yZoHbT_kBa8bcmcxilr6upN6tAc/edit

Supporting research

The benefits of using technology to engage students in literacy activities are well supported by research. The website Reading Rockets includes an article (at http://www.readingrockets.org/article/literacy-instruction-digital-and-media-technologies) addressing many of these benefits with cited research and practical examples. Example effects include improvements in comprehension, motivation, writing competency, and critical thinking.

Additionally the website TeachThought includes an article (at https://www.teachthought.com/literacy/use-text-reduction-strategy-improve-reading-comprehension/) that explores the benefits of text-reduction strategy to improve reading comprehension and summarization skills. This article was the motivation for the "Black Out" activities I developed with Google Docs.