Productivity [ELA]

Google Classroom for ELA

Follow the instructions from your teacher to enroll into your virtual ELA classroom space.

Join your Advisory class if you haven't already.

Google Gmail

Gmail account is one of the main ways you will communicate digitally with your teachers and classmates.

You should check your Gmail account at least once per day.

You can personalize your emails by adding a message signature and also by adding a photo to your Gmail profile

Open Google Chrome and open your GMail account

Follow these instructions to add an identifying image, and set an email signature.

Click on the cog icon
Select 'See All Settings'
Under the 'General' tab, scroll down to the 'My Picture' and 'Signature' sections
To change you picture, click on your Google Chrome profile picture/icon (top-right corner of the Chrome window) and select 'Manage your Google account'. Hover over your profile picture and click to edit
Type your email signature into the signature box. Your signature should be:

First & Last Name
Grade 6(A, B or C) student
Singapore American School

Scroll to the bottom of the page and click 'Save changes'

Want to add the school logo to your email signature. Copy and paste one of the school logos from the right

What makes a good email message?

Write a meaningful subject line. The reader should have a good idea about what the message is about before they open it.
Keep the message focused.
Avoid adding attachments if possible.
Identify yourself clearly.
Be kind. Show respect.
Proofread before you send.
Don't assume privacy.
Distinguish between formal and informal situations. Use language and style appropriate to to the person(s) you are writing to.

Show your learning #1

Write a short email to your advisory teacher.

Title it 'Boot Camp - Productivity [ELA]'

In the body of your email you should:

introduce yourself
share two or three things you have learnt today about improving productivity
share one thing that you are really looking forward to having your 1:1 laptop

Address your message to your advisor and send.

Google Apps

Google Apps allows you to create a variety of different document types. What type of documents do each Google App create?

Docs
Slides
Sheets
Drawing
Sites
Forms

Now you try:

In your Drive, create a folder called 'Boot Camp'
In this folder, create a doc, spreadsheet, presentation and drawing and see what you can do in each of them.
Add a new font in a Google document (maybe a cool, scary Halloween font!)
Use "Insert Image" and add an image you have permission to use to a Google Doc or Presentation.
Share a Google Doc with someone in the class. Both work on it simultaneously.

Pick something useful that you want to share with others. It can be something that isn't on the list above. In small groups take turns sharing a Google App tip or trick.

Watch this video to learn how to search for copyright free images (ones you can use without permission or citation)

Bookmark Management

Creating a website bookmark is easy. You can either:

click on the little star icon in the address bar, or
use the keyboard shortcut Command + D

But soon you'll have so many bookmarks that you still won't be able to quickly find what you need to open or access. A little bit of thought, time and effort can rescue you from bookmark chaos!

Watch the video to learn how you can edit and organize your bookmarks to create an awesomely productive bookmark bar that will be the envy of all your friends (and teachers!).

At your table group, compare your Chrome bookmark bar with others

Similar to you? Different?
Do you have any old bookmarks you don't want anymore? Delete them!

Modify your bookmark organization as needed.

Show your learning #2

Take a screenshot of your Chrome bookmark bar. Use either command + shift + 4 or command + shift + 5
Rename your screenshot file to 'My Bookmark Bar' (Can't find it? It should be on your desktop)
Open your Google Classroom Advisory class. Find the assignment 'Boot Camp - Bookmark Management [ELA]' and open it.
Submit your image file 'My Bookmark Bar'.

IMPORTANT - Make sure you click 'Turn In' and then also confirm by clicking 'Turn In' again.

Keyboarding

Throughout MS you will do a lot of writing. In the digital world, and especially with your new 1:1 laptop, writing means 'typing'. How quickly and accurately you can type is going to be one of the factors that influences how well you can get your ideas down and your assignments completed. If you aren't already, you need to have a goal of being a proficient keyboarder!

If you are typing above 40 words per minute, with an accuracy of 95% or better, you are doing great!

Show your learning #3

How good are your typing skills?

Open a new browser tab and go to www.typingtest.com.
Set the typing test to 2 minutes and the test to 'Medium Text'.
Take the test.
Take a screenshot of your test results (Command + Shift + 4) and rename the screenshot file as "Typing Test - your name".
Open Google Classroom and click into your Advisory class
Open the assignment called 'Boot Camp - Typing Test [ELA]'
Submit your typing test screenshot. Click Add > File and drag the image file into the box and click Upload. Turn-In.

IMPORTANT - Make sure you click 'Turn In' and then also confirm by clicking 'Turn In' again.

Need to improve your typing skills?

Open a new browser tab and go to www.typingclub.com (or click the Typing Club icon on this page).

Bookmark the site. You'll want to come back here regularly.

Click the 'Log-in' button. Use the 'Sign-in with Google' button to create a new account (or log in to an existing account if you have one using your SAS Gmail account).

Want a little bit of typing competition?

Create an account in NitroType and 'race' with other people. There are no typing lessons here but it is fun to test yourself against others!

Earn your Keyboarding badge

The month of October will be our first 'Month of Typing'.

All students who are able to complete a supervised test at 40+ words per minute with an accuracy of 95% or higher will earn their badge sticker. We will have another 'Month of Typing' in January.

Make sure you select SAS_FindMe' printer to print

You do not have to collect the print job. The print request will expire in 24 hours if not collected.

Check the printer icon in your doc when you hit print. Does the job disappear? If it says "hold for authentication" then you have put in your password incorrectly and you need to remove it and try again.

ELA Skills-Building Resources

Your ELA teachers will guide you through the initial login and account setup to get you up and running with these online learning and skill-building resources.

You will use these ELA websites throughout the middle school, both at school and at home.

Having 'one-click' access to these sites would be really handy.