The Educator's Lifeline

 While it's true Google Forms has been around a while, it's only been in the past few years I've had the chance to teach myself how it works. For those of you still using paper and pencil for assessments, you are in for a treat! Google Forms will save you so much time. Really! And: it's surprisingly easy to use. There are so many ways you can use Google Forms to save time in your classroom. Did you know Google Forms supports the following question types?  Multiple Choice: Ask a question and let students choose the best answer out of several provided. In Google Forms, more than one answer choice can be correct. Short Answer: Students will type their brief answer in the blank. Should be no longer than a few words. Paragraph: Same as Short Answer, but allows students to type a lot more. Good for essay questions. Checkboxes: Similar to Multiple Choice, but allows students to select more than one. Use this for those "Choose all that apply" questions. Drop-down:...

 I still remember the year I taught fourth grade. There was a lot to learn, as this was also my first year teaching. I spent most of the year in a daze, constantly thinking about creating lesson plans, homework assignments, grading assessments and of course, managing behavior issues. Every year teaching is challenging, but the first year is definitely a trial by fire! 🔥 By the time February rolled around, I was beginning to feel a little bit better, like I was just starting to figure it all out. I'd formed solid relationships with my students and their families. I knew where I wanted my lessons to go, was staying on top of grading, and I was even starting to hit my stride with managing behaviors (at least somewhat). Printable, instantly-available valentines would have been a lifesaver for overwhelmed first-year-teacher me. But on the evening before Valentine's Day that year, I realized that not only did I not have any Valentines ready for my own two elementary-aged kids, I als...