How do I teach an online lesson that keeps students engaged?
How do I teach an online lesson that keeps students engaged?
Resources that fit
Units that work on a screen
Digital and Google Classroom-friendly units you can assign as files or project live; click any cover for the full preview, contents and price.
Computer Science Activities Bundle | Artificial Intelligence, Python Programming, Cybersecurity & Digital Literacy | Middle School Grades 7–10
AI Literacy & Cybersecurity Activities | Artificial Intelligence, Prompt Engineering & Online Safety | Computer Science Bundle | Grades 7–10
Algorithms and Computational Thinking – Computer Science Unit: Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 6–9)
How Artificial Intelligence Works – Computer Science Unit: Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 6–9)
Recommendation Algorithms and Filter Bubbles – Computer Science Unit: Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 6–9)
Step by step
How to run it in a live session
- Open with a task, not a greetingPut a question on screen before you speak, so students arrive working instead of waiting for you.
- Chunk into short blocksTeach for ten minutes, then hand over a task every student has to submit somewhere you can see.
- Give breakout rooms a productSend groups out with a specific artifact to finish and a named reporter, never just to discuss.
- Close with an exit ticketCollect three short answers before students leave so tomorrow starts from what they actually understood.
What's covered
What makes these work remotely
Both formats ship in the same download, so nothing has to be rebuilt for a screen.
- Digital and printable versions
- Editable slides for screen sharing
- Four levels for quiet differentiation
- Answer keys for self-checking
- Lesson plan with timings
Make it work for everyone
Differentiation when you cannot see faces
Online you lose the glance that tells you who is stuck, so differentiation has to be arranged before the lesson starts. Send each student the tier that fits in a private chat message and nobody else knows who got which. Answer keys let confident students self-check while you spend the hour with the group that needs you.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
How long should a live online lesson actually be?
Shorter than the timetable slot. Most teachers get better results from thirty to forty minutes live, with the rest set as independent work students finish in their own time. Attention through a screen collapses faster than in a room, and a lesson that ends early is remembered better than one that overruns.
What do I do about students who keep their cameras off?
Stop treating the camera as the measure of attention and build participation you can see another way. Ask for a typed answer in chat, a reaction, an annotation on the shared slide, a number between one and five. A student who submits every check is engaged, whatever their tile looks like.
Do these resources work in Google Classroom?
Yes, with one step. The files are Microsoft Word and PowerPoint, which you can post to Classroom directly or convert to Docs and Slides in a couple of clicks. There is no app or add-on to install and no video content: you get editable documents, slides and keys to assign however you prefer.
Make your next remote lesson easier
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