In some parts of the world, the new school year is set to begin. Whether your classroom is virtual or you’ll actually be attending school chances are students will be meeting some or all of their study partners for the first time. As most teachers know, this unavoidable and sometimes awkward moment can easily be transformed into a rich enjoyable learning experience.
Popplet Activity: Getting to Know Your Classmates
(1st Grade and above)
This activity is also the perfect opportunity to introduce students to Popplet: what better way to have students learn about technology than to have them create a visual greeting card all about themselves?
Let learners create popplets about themselves and use them to engage in conversation with their fellow students. Here is how to do it:
Main Learning Objectives
- Learn how to create a popplet
- Practice basic Literacy skills
- Practice social skills
- Ease future group/pair work
Lesson Plan
- Introduce students to Popplet if they haven’t used it before and demonstrate how to create a popple adding text, images, and color. Allow them to practice a little.
- Create and distribute a list of questions for students to answer.
- Have students create a popplet based on the questions. Ask them to add images where appropriate with one compulsory selfie.
- Students then ask their fellow students the questions that they used to create their popplets and comparing popplets. (In the real classroom, be careful to ensure that any Social Distancing Measures are adhered to.)
- When the activity slows and comes to a natural end ask students to return to their seats or to the main screen.
- Invite students one-by-one to describe a fellow student by having their classmates ask them questions. Learners should try and guess which student is being described.
- Demonstrate the sharing features and ask students to add you as a collaborator or send a link to their popplet.
Tips
- Make sure students have plenty of time to experiment with Popplet. Encourage dialogue between students at this stage
- Create a popplet to distribute questions or use Google Docs or whatever technology you would normally use
- Photos may need to be taken outside of the classroom, so give the students a suitable timeframe to create their popplets
- Closely monitor the activity ensuring all students participate as fully as they can whilst being mindful of social distancing if necessary
- Be mindful of the age-group and nature of the group when setting the questions
- Depending on the age-group, you may want to print and display the completed popplets in the classroom.
For more Popplet lesson plans and activities keep checking out this blog. New to Popplet? Try out one free popplet to get started!