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- Using Flipgrid in the Virtual Classroom
April 26, 2021
Using Flipgrid in the Virtual Classroom
7 Ways to use Flipgrid
1) Extra English Practice
If your English language learners are anything like mine, they practice English during English class, but once they leave my classroom, they go back to speaking their native language. Flipgrid prompts are a great way to get them speaking English outside of class.
2) Reading Fluency
Reading fluency exercises can be used with both ABE and ESL students. Simply post the passage you want your learner to practice, then they record themselves reading it. By doing fluency exercises in this way, students are less self-conscious, and you can watch their video more than once to really hear their fluency.
3) Citizenship
Not only do citizenship students need to answer the 100 civics questions, but they also need to be able to speak fluent English with the USCIS officer conducting their interview. Flipgrid allows them to practice both. I created a citizenship civics unit on Flipgrid* in which I took the themes from the 100 civics questions, posted a focus video, and then asked a combination of recall and critical thinking questions that my students needed to give an oral response to in Flipgrid. By listening to their videos, I can check for both understanding of the civics topics and their grasp of spoken English.
* To access this unit, you’ll just need to use your email to sign in.
4) Math Think Aloud
Using the screen-record feature of Flipgrid (aka Shorts), students can talk through how they solved a math problem. Teachers gain valuable insight into the student’s thought process—and most importantly, the ability to understand if a student has mastered the concept or exactly where they went wrong.
5) Question of the Day
Flipgrid has partnered with multiple organizations such as ESL library, Detroit Institute of Arts, News Literacy Project, and Yellowstone National Park in their Discovery tab to create over 35,000 ready-made topics that you can incorporate into your class. There is a topic perfect for every classroom.
6) GridPals
One of Flipgrid’s more unique features is its GridPals. Teachers using Flipgrid can activate their GridPals profile. This allows other Flipgrid teachers the ability to search for them via community and/or subject. Then the two teachers can connect their classes together. Think of modern pen pals exchanging videos instead of letters.
7) Flipgrid Live Events
Recently, Flipgrid has started hosting live events that allow you to “bring your class on a journey to meet with designers, engineers, authors, scientists, humanitarians, and fellow celebrated guests.” I mean seriously, how cool is that?
