Using Nearpod For Math

One of the most common questions math teachers are asking is “how do you have students show their math work.” There are several different tools that allow students to show their work, but my favorite is Nearpod.

I create activities that provide the avenues for students to show their understanding in many ways. Within the activities in Nearpod students have the opportunity to show their work by writing on screen, typing on screen, taking a photo of hand written work, or by recording a verbal explanation. Although I talk about using Nearpod in the classroom setting, the "self-paced" option allows you to assign Nearpod slides to your students. Students can then perform all of the activities virtually with the same options.

After you read about the benefits of using Nearpod, read on to find out how I use Nearpod to create an engaging math experience. My lessons are all inclusive with do nows, teaching slides, "checking your understanding" slides, collaborative practice, and exit tickets.

Teach With A Variety of Media

One of the many benefits of Nearpod is that it allows you to present with many different types of media. I can integrate photos, videos, written slides, links to other web pages, and even experiences such as virtual field trips. I add memes and GIFs to keep things interesting and to draw kids in. I also use the Nearpod slides as an instructional guide and reminder. For example I will include a slide that says "I need volunteers" as a reminder I want to incorporate a movement-based demonstration with my students.

To use Nearpod for asynchronous learning there is an option to add or record audio to present information about the slides. Rather than draw on screen as I do in live lessons, I can post a video slide to show the skill.

Present Step By Step

I personally use the classroom presenter screen while in the physical class as a way to show videos (since videos are blocked on student computers) and to show students how to solve problems step by step.

I do this by creating a slide that has a problem with a space below the problem so that I can write on the screen. In class I have a bluetooth writing tablet that allows me to be anywhere in the room as I explain and show the steps. It is far easier to write on the screen with a writing table than to use a mouse. This is why my first virtual teaching purchase was a writing tablet to make video lessons. I follow the same process writing on screen when recording asynchronous video lessons.

I create all of my lessons in a Pages document on my iMac. I use Pages because I have a ton of flexibility in design and it is easy to move things around exactly how I like it. I can place examples and guides on the same page in any way that I would like without design restrictions. Google Slides has a lot of the same tools and abilities. I prefer to work with the activities in Nearpod lesson creator over the Google Slides option. I also prefer to use an 8.5 x 11 page setup in Pages which I export to PDF so that I can create notes that I can easily print and post.

Assess With Varied Response Types

Nearpod offers several activity slide options that can be used to create assessments for students, including a fun game students love - Ready To Climb. I use most of the activities regularly to keep things varied and assess my students with the appropriate method.

Draw It Slides For Math

My favorite activity to use is the Draw It activity which offers a variety of ways to complete the activity. Each student receives a copy of the same virtual slide to respond to any number of prompts. One reason I love this activity is because you can use a photo to create the slide and can make the activity anything you can dream up. The possibilities are endless. I create photo backgrounds that have students respond by filling in, explaining, showing work by typing in answers, circling, highlighting, taking photos and so much more. I can also ask multiple questions at once. I sometimes create an open ended question within the Draw It activity for use with they typing tool instead of using the Open-Ended Question activity. I do that so I can add some meaningful format to the question. For example I will ask a question about an expression that has an exponent or division sign. There currently is not a way to type out those math elements in the Open-Ended Activity.

In the example below I ask for two different response types: single word response and a written explanation. Students are tasked to identify the operations that matches the keywords and then state ways they can make a connection to the keywords and operations. The bigger font on the bottom slide is the student response:

Nearpod Draw It Slides

Draw It slides are my go to activity. Read more and see more about how I use Draw It slides for students to show their work in math.

Evaluating Work

Assessments During the Lesson

Almost all of the work in class is done with a partner. I consider all of the activities leading up to the exit ticket to be a part of student learning and treat it as such. I review work as it is being done while circulating - you can also view slides as they are in progress. At the end of the activity time, I scan all of the submitted work to see if any students stand out for needing help. I engage with those students at the start of the next activity or follow up while students are writing notes. I use these assessments as a way to build small groups for the end of class.

Exit Tickets

When all goes as planned students should be prepared to complete the exit ticket independently and accurately. After the exit ticket students continue on to the in-class practice with our online book. I check the exit tickets as they come in and create small group sessions with the students who need it. I can easily form groups based on the needs and mistake types.

The below exit ticket can be answered with typing, writing, or photo, but I encourage my students to type their work. When students type their work they gain valuable practice for showing their understanding by typing their process which prepares them for state testing. In addition, when students type their work it is very organized and easy to review for mistakes. I used student work to model how to check their work for mistakes.

Tip for looking at work during live sessions: review work in the live lesson, not in the reports. I am not a big fan of clicking through activities and individual slides in the reports. I check the work while the lesson is still live or go back to live lessons later to review students' work (When we end class on a Nearpod activity). In the live lesson it is very easy to navigate to the slide you need to review then to see all of the students work. This is especially true for Draw It slides compared to the reports. Once on the Draw It activity I select the first student’s work to review. I quickly check their response. If it is correct I move on to the next slide. If the work is incorrect, I either jot down the name of the student or take a screenshot and paste it into a Google Slide presentation. I minimize the photo so that I can fit multiple on a page. I move through all of the slides until I have reviewed all of them. I then print my group of exit tickets which becomes my roster for small group.

Create a DonorsChoose Project for a Nearpod Subscription