5 Activities to Make Your Zoom Classes Interactive and Engaging.

The switch from the face-to-face classroom to the digital classroom has been a huge transition for teachers across the world. Teachers have been learning, adapting, and working tirelessly to add to their digital learning toolbox in order to educate students virtually. It is a testament to the passion and drive of teachers everywhere that they continue to strive for the best education possible for their students.

Let’s face it, lesson planning is not what draws educators to the field. However, with a few key online learning tools, engaging and interactive lessons can be prepared in no time! Check out these five resources below that you can add to your online teaching arsenal.

1. Padlet

Padlet is a FREE digital resource where students interact with each other for online discussions, projects, etc. Students can also use Padlet to practice the 4 skills— listening, reading, writing, and speaking.

2. JeopardyLabs

JeopardyLabs is a free resource to help you create your own jeopardy game. This is another great way to get your students engaged and practicing what they know; it can be used for revision purposes or in-class activities.

3. Hangman

Hangman. All you need for Hangman is the whiteboard function on Zoom! Hangman is a great way to engage students from the beginning of the lesson by having them guess the theme of the day. It also provides alphabet and body part review.

4. Five Second Guess

Five Second Guess is best played in groups or individually using the theme of your class. For example, if your theme is fruit, you can show pictures of an apple, an orange, and a banana, and the students will then have 5 seconds to guess the names. If they are unable to answer or if they answer incorrectly, they do not get the points. You can make this activity more challenging by letting your students think of questions for each other.

5. Scattergories

Scattergories gets your students thinking, and it can inspire some healthy competition in the virtual classroom. In this game, students are given a category and a letter and must find as many words as possible that start with the letter and fall under the category. For example, if the letter is “P” and the category is cities around the world, students have to think of as many names of cities that begin with the letter “P” as possible. This game is easily adjustable for all levels! 

Teaching is an art and an adventure all in one. It is so much fun to experiment with different activities and resources. In the words of Gail Godwin, “Teaching is ¼ preparation and ¾ theatre.” 

Have fun with your activities, and let us know your favorites!