I learned long ago that worksheets don't work. Circling the noun and underlining the verb 50 times is redundant, ineffective and superfluous....did I say redundant? However, not all worksheets are created equal. I have a few favorites that make kids think, synthesize and make some serious connections. I still want to use them...without the guilt.
For example, each Christmas season my students and I read O'Henry's classic short story, "The Gift of the Magi". The vocabulary is challenging, the sentence structure is complex and it has a rich theme perfect for this time of year. A couple of the activities (substitute worksheet here) I do with the story require students to identify the different types of figurative langauge and the theme.
They really are great activities...really! However, this year I wanted to "tech up" my Christmas lesson but I really still wanted to do those *whisper* worksheets.
I'm very unorganized when it comes to keeping up with paper so I couldn't find my laminated copies of the short story and worksheets - no worries - I had the digital copy and Google Classroom! So I posted the PDF of the story and the figurative language questions on Google Classroom with an audio version of the story for anyone absent the day I taught the story.
Here's the doc I posted and they turned in on Google Classroom. I know it's a worksheet but I saved 240 copies by not copying the story and the worksheets. They didn't' lose them, I didn't have to store them and my absent kids have access to them.
Now, that's all very well...and boring. I know - it's not flashy - but honestly day to day school is reading and answering questions. We do it a lot. By using Google Classroom I solved a lot of problems - my own and my students'.
The second activity asks students to determine the theme of the story and two pieces of text evidence to support the theme... I know- very "Common Core". I Googlefied this worksheet as well and then had students use graphic design app Canva.com to desing a Christmas card from the main characters in the story with the theme inside. It was fun and creative - AND it was based on a worksheet.
Here's one of their Christmas cards - from the Dillinghams to you ...with love.
So, yes... a digital worksheet is still a worksheet unless you make it meaningful.
