Adventures in Hybrid Activities

March 2021 –

Here we are – almost one year later. Some of you are just going back to school in person and some of you, like me, have been managing some form of in-person learning since August. And if you’re in the same boat I am, you have been fighting the seemingly endless and up-mountain (because hill is not enough) battle of hybrid learning. At my school, students have been given the choice to be in-person or virtual learners and teachers are teaching both at the same time. Remote students log into Zoom and attend class and do the same (or modified) activities as the in-person learners. SOMOS Flex has been a life saver curriculum wise for this time of environment. I have implemented digital notebooks, Garbanzo, EdPuzzle, and so many adaptions to activities we used to be able to easily do in-person.

Today we took on the adventure of Running Dictation in my Spanish 3/4 class. Yes, my combined Spanish 3/4 class of combined in-person/remote learners. Do you want to pull your hair out? ‘Cause that’s pretty much the start to my Monday every week. LOL. I love them dearly and it’s controlled chaos every Monday/Wednesday from 9:05-10:30 in my classroom. I first learned about Running Dictation at a conference with the amazing Sarah Breckley many moons ago. Yet, I’ve never been one to embrace the full-on chaos-lending activities. I again have seen Running Dictation in many SOMOS units by Martina Bex throughout the curriculum. Yet, still no bravery.

So how did I get here? The unit that we’re in now didn’t have many options for the story I wanted to do… but running dictation was one. So I read many things people have tried to make this activity virtual. I decided that I wanted to use Jamboard because it’s one of my favorite things ever, plus it’s really easy for students to collaborate on. (You could just as easily use Google Slides).

Here was my set up:

1 – I printed my running dictation signs (these are 8-10 sentences you pull from the story) and taped them up around my classroom & the hallway outside my classroom

2 – I created a Jamboard template and set it to auto-copy for students on Google Classroom

3 – I explained the activity & roles (also written on the Jamboard) to my in-person & remote students

4 – I had my in-person students join my Zoom meeting so they could all go into a break-out room

5 – I had 1 in-person learner per group (they’re reading and saying the signs) & 2 virtual learners per group (they’re typing the sentence and drawing the pictures)

6 – I let them have it! It took about 45 minutes (thank-you technology issues… the internet is rarely my friend) to finish the pictures and then re-order the frames.

This is what a completed frame from my students looks like:

Click here for a copy of a Jamboard template you could use (this is not the same one pictured to respect Martina’s work!) If you had a template, you could easily type up 8 sentences and print them out for a quick/ready-to-go activity for any story or reading you do!

Remember, I love to see your students working! If you try Running Dictation via Jamboard, let me know! Tag me on Insta (@profezulita) or Facebook (Profe Zulita)!