My district, like many others across the world, is offering families choice in how they receive instruction this fall. Families can choose face to face or distance instruction. At first thought, this task seems like teachers will have to create twice the activities – some for students to complete in person, and others for those students that will need to complete everything digitally. BUT on second thought, we can work smarter, not harder! Here are a few ideas (links to snag a copy of all templates below) for HYBRID activities using google slides that can be completed by students digitally or printed and completed with a pen or pencil.

To create these activities, I started by opening a new Google Slides document. Then, I went to File, Page Setup, and clicked on the drop down and changed it to custom. Then, I changed the dimensions to be 8.5 by 11 inches – the same as a piece of paper. This is helpful because when you are finished you can print this and it will fill your entire paper.

Setting up your slides to be the same size as a piece of paper is also helpful because it gives you some extra “dead space” around the edges of the slide that you can use for instructions or answers that your students completing the work digitally can drag in. Note that anything you put in that extra grey space around the outside edge of the slide WON’T print. In the Mystery Match-up Template (below), there are drag and drop answers in the dead space for students who are completing the assignment digitally, but you can easily copy and paste those same answers into another slide and print them for students who are completing the assignment face-to-face, without a computer, or just wanting a paper and pencil task by cutting and gluing.

Grab a copy of the Mystery Match Up Template Here!

After I created this template, I thought of a couple even simpler ones that are easy to incorporate for any subject or content area. We all ask students high level thinking questions and need them to answer in complete sentences… so I bring you… the Complete Sentence Showdown!

Grab your own copy of the Complete Sentence Showdown Template Here!

And how about those match activities where we have students draw a line from one item to another to match up answers? Students can EASILY do this digitally OR with a pencil when printed on paper. Instructions included for both methods (digital instructions show students how to draw in the arrow on the computer) in the Arrow to Answer Template.

Grab your own copy of the Arrow to Answer Template HERE!

I’ve saved my favorite idea for last… have you seen the Floor is Lava on Netflix, yet? If you haven’t – just stop reading this and go watch it! It is intense competition and hilarious all at once! I guarantee your students will have seen it (and even played it during quarantine). How about THIS Hybrid template that can be used by students digitally or paper/pencil which allows them to map out their path to “Floor is Lava” victory and then complete the corresponding questions to the furniture they chose! So silly and so fun!!! Check it out:

Grab your own copy of The Floor Is Lava Template Here!

I would love to know what kinds of hybrid templates you create as you work smarter not harder at serving both your in person and distance learning students!

Just in case you missed the links before, here are the links to the templates I shared in this post all in one place:

The Floor is Lava Template

Mystery Match-Up Template

Complete Sentence Show Down Template

Arrow to Answer Template