Unlock the potential of Google forms and QR codes

Google forms is a game changer for teachers and students who need to collect data in a strategic yet simple manner. 

The ability to create a Google form within minutes and collect real time feedback impresses those who create forms and instantly see the results in spreadsheets, charts and graphs.  However, in my eyes the delivery of that form to an audience can sometimes be poorly managed.

QR codes offer a simple way for students, parents and teachers to access these forms via their mobile device and give your forms greater impact and uptake from your intended audience.

If you have never seen a QR code then check out the video below.  These odd little images allow you to access anything on the web if you scan them with a QR code reader on your phone or tablet.  This video explains how to create your own QR code in a matter of minutes.

Just remember that this is a two step process.  The first is creating a useful form and the second is creating a catchy method of delivering your QR code linking tho the form.

Student Reading log via Forms and QR code

Old School:  So, you are sick and tired of chasing student diaries to see if they have done any reading this week.  Hopefully mum or dad has signed off to say this has occurred. 

Not only does this very little to improve your understanding of where your students are at, it is highly inefficient considering the alternatives available to you now.

New School:  First Create a Google form,  This can be done within a couple of minutes.  When creating it make sure it actually informs you and your students about what they are reading at home and what is challenging them about that text.  Here is an example of what I am talking about.  

Your students might complete this form once per week,  and instantly you have an ongoing digital trail of everything they have read and furthermore you can use this information to provide future learning opportunities based around their answers to these questions.  Simply load up the spreadsheet that is generated from this survey and you will see in seconds who has read and what their insights where about it.  You might use the challenging words as the basis for a future test or study task.

To ensure they can access the form in a simple manner you can create a note that gets stuck on the fridge, or a bookmark which students can access and complete on any mobile device.  An example of these can be seen below. 

Reading homework, formal and informal assessment of reading completed in a snap.  You are only limited by your imagination around this.

Over the next few weeks I am going to share some of my other examples of how QR codes and Google forms work brilliantly together but this is a great starting point.   Give it a shot.

An Alphabet of Proverbs for Teachers and Students

'A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush"...  This statement really doesn't make a great deal of sense to anyone until you give it some serious thought and discussion.  But could you imagine how boring English would be without elements such as proverbs and idioms?

Proverbs and idioms can encourage students to think deeply for meaning when often they simply read because they have to.  They also offer other teaching and learning opportunities such as.

  • Create modern day definitions and examples for these ancient proverbs.
  • Say more with less.  Could a proverb be simplified to make it more effective or does it need further explanation?
  • Visually represent a proverb in a poster for different audience.
  • Retrace the origin and intent for a proverb and see where it fits as a part of oral language and storytelling.

Below is an alphabet of proverbs and idioms.  You might wish to use these with your students to gain a better understanding of the English language and the aspects that keep it interesting.

A    

 

  • After the feast comes the reckoning.
  • All that glitters is not gold.
  • An apple a day keeps the doctor away.
  • The apple doesn't fall far from the tree.
  • Actions speak louder than words.
  • Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

B    

  • Bad news travels fast.
  • Barking dogs seldom bite.
  • Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.
  • Beggars can't be choosers.
  • The best things in life are free.
  • Better a live coward than a dead hero.
  • Better late than never.
  • Better safe than sorry.
  • The bigger they are, the harder they fall.
  • A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.
  • Birds of a feather flock together.
  • Blood is thicker than water.

C    

  • Charity begins at home.
  • Clothes do not make the man.
  • Curiosity killed the cat.

D    

  • Do as I say, not as I do.
  • Don't bite off more than you can chew.
  • Don't bite the hand that feeds you.
  • Don't count your chickens before they're hatched.
  • Don't cry over spilled milk.
  • Don't judge a book by its cover.
  • Don't judge a man until you've walked in his boots.
  • Don't look a gift horse in the mouth.
  • Don't put all your eggs in one basket.
  • Don't put off for tomorrow what you can do today.
  • Don't put the cart before the horse.

F    

  • Familiarity breeds contempt.
  • The first step is always the hardest.
  • A fool and his money are soon parted.
  • Forewarned is forearmed.
  • A friend in need is a friend indeed.
  • A friend who shares is a friend who cares.

G    

  • Good things come in small packages.
  • The grass is always greener on the other side of the fence.

H    

  • Haste makes waste.
  • He who hesitates is lost.
  • He who laughs last, laughs best.
  • Hindsight is better than foresight.

I    

  • If at first you don't succeed, try, try again.
  • If you can't beat them, join them.
  • If you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.
  • Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery.
  • In unity there is strength.
  • It never rains but it pours.
  • It takes two to tango.

L    

  • Leave well enough alone.
  • A leopard cannot change its spots.
  • Lightning never strikes twice in the same place.
  • Look before you leap.
  • Love is blind.
  • Love makes the world go round.

M    

  • Make hay while the sun shines.
  • Man does not live by bread alone.
  • A man is known by the company he keeps.
  • Might makes right.
  • Misery loves company.
  • A miss is as good as a mile.
  • Money does not grow on trees.

N    

  • Necessity is the mother of invention.
  • No news is good news.
  • No pain, no gain.
  • Nothing hurts like the truth.
  • Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

O    

  • Old habits die hard.
  • One good turn deserves another.
  • One man's gravy is another man's poison.
  • One swallow does not a summer make.

P    

  • The pen is mightier than the sword.
  • Possession is nine-tenths of the law.
  • Practice makes perfect.
  • The proof of the pudding is in the eating.

R    

  • The road to hell is paved with good intentions.
  • Rome wasn't built in a day.

S    

  • The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
  • The squeaking wheel gets the oil.
  • Strike while the iron is hot.
  • T    
  • There is no honor among thieves.
  • There's more than one way to skin a cat.
  • There's no fool like an old fool.
  • There's no place like home.
  • Too many chiefs, not enough Indians.
  • Too many cooks spoil the broth.
  • Two heads are better than one.
  • Two's company, but three's a crowd.

V    

  • Variety is the spice of life.

W    

  • The way to a man's heart is through his stomach.
  • When in Rome, do as the Romans do.
  • When the cat's away, the mice play.
  • Where there's smoke, there's fire.

Y    

  • You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.
  • You can't have your cake and eat it too.
  • You can't teach an old dog new tricks.
  • You have to take the good with the bad.
  • You reap what you sow.
  • You're never too old to learn.

Great Charlotte's Web wordsearch and crossword

As part of our large collection of Charlotte's web resources and teaching ideas feel free to download this great word search.  It contains a solution as well.  Enjoy. 

Click here to download the word search, crossword and solutions.


Teaching point of view through Charlotte's Web

This activity will allow students to demonstrate understanding from a character’s point of view (1st person).  There are numerous ways for readers to respond to literature.  This promotes insight into text and allows students to reveal their thinking, feelings, and reactions to the literature they have read.  This activity will also review and practice how to write a friendly letter correctly.

Click here to download the entire lesson plan and resources


Teaching persuasive writing through Charlotte's Web

Persuasive writing is when an author writes to try to convince someone to share their feelings on a topic.  Obviously, Fern wanted to keep Wilbur.  She certainly didn’t want Mr. Arable to kill him.  As students think about reasons that Mr. Arable should keep Wilbur, they will strengthen their opinion as to why Mr. Arable should keep him.

Click here to download the lesson plan and all resources 


Working with quotes from Charlotte's Web

This activity will allow students to think about several key quotes from Charlotte’s Web.  This activity would work great as a pre-reading assessment, since it would allow students to reflect on what the words really reveal about the character BEFORE they truly get to know the characters.  As students think about how spoken language creates personalities, they will gain more insight into the characters that entertain us throughout E. B. White’s book, Charlotte’s Web.

Click here to download the entire lesson plan and resources


Teaching sequencing through 'Charlotte's Web'

This activity will allow students to think about the order of events in Charlotte’s Web.  As students recall, specific actions that were performed by the characters, they are practicing the important reading skill known as sequencing.  Undoubtedly, knowing the order in which events happen is a key skill in reading comprehension. 

Click here to download the entire lesson plan and resources


Constructing a literature response to 'Charlotte's Web'

Independent reading is a necessary real-world skill. In addition, classrooms expect independent readers by the time students reach elementary grades 4th and 5th.  This activity will allow students to develop an understanding of how to respond to literature and how these responses build comprehension skills.  The more students are focused on their reading the more independent they become.  Literature responses improve student focus and can be used as formative assessments for standards related to literature and informational text.

Click here to download the lesson plan and resources