Just as you pack up your physical classroom at the end of the year, it is recommended that teachers “wrap up” their Google Classrooms before the next school year. The suggestions below may make your Google experience more visually pleasing (such as by archiving classes or removing Calendars) for future use. They also may help organize both teacher and student work (keeping the Drive Classroom folder, returning student work, creating an examples folder). Please keep in mind that the suggestions for “Wrapping up” a Google Classroom have been split into two categories; at a minimum it is suggested that all teachers practice the highly recommended suggestions.
- Return all student work: When students turn in Google assignments, they temporarily give the teacher ownership of these documents. Returning the work gives students back ownership (and more importantly editing rights) so that they can use these documents in the future.
- Archive your class(es): Archiving your class removes that class tile from your main Classes page as well as those for all enrolled in the class
- Do not delete your Classroom folder in Google Drive: This file houses all the data from your classroom; this folder can be moved into another folder
- Hide or delete class calendars: If you use Google Calendar, you may wish to hide (uncheck) or delete past calendars since every Classroom will automatically create a new class calendar. You can delete them, but if you hide the calendar then you would be able to reference it for pacing in the future.
- Make a sample assignments folder: In Drive, make copies of any sample assignments you wish to keep and perhaps reference later. It is recommended to ask the student prior for their permission and then make a copy of the assignment removing the student’s identifying information (in case you lose access or if the student deletes the original).
- Remove students/co-teachers: Remove students/co-teachers from your Classroom. This removes their access to your posts and assignments. Removing them also removes your sharing rights to student assignments and work. If you intend to save examples of student work, you should do that before removing any students.
Return all Student Work
When students complete an assignment, they will select “Turn in” and then ownership is temporarily given to the teacher. This means that the student cannot edit the work or make changes (unless they unsubmit the work).
If you are using the grades feature in Classroom (that allows you to assign a grade to an assignment) you may already know that students cannot see their grade until you return their work. Since Classroom grades do not currently link with our district gradebook, this may not be a feature you are choosing to use in Classroom. Whether or not you choose to display the grade in Classroom, you should return all work (and therefore document ownership) to the students.
To return student work:
- Open the assignment in Classroom. This will have to be done for each assignment individually. It is good practice to return work as you grade it.
- Make sure the work listed under the “Turned In” has been given feedback or graded (if necessary). Only work listed under “Turned in” is able to be returned. Otherwise the student never gave you temporary ownership and therefore do not have to return it to them.
- Check the student names that you wish to return work. You can do this individually or you can choose the entire category of “Turned in”.
- Click the “Return” button in the upper left to return the work to the students. When you return the work, there will be an option for you to return work with a message to all the students in the batch of work you are returning. This is optional and will not affect any comments you have left privately for the student on the assignment.
Archive your Class(es)
Archiving the class removes the class from view on the main Classroom landing page (ie Classes) for all of the Classroom participants (teachers and students.). As a teacher, you are still able to access the posts, assignments, and student work* attached to that class. Students and teachers can access an archived class by opening the triple stack lines (“pancakes”) in the upper left and scroll to the bottom to “Archived Classes.”
*While still enrolled, anyone can access the Classroom under archived classes. If a student or teacher were unenrolled then they would lose access to the classroom materials and the teacher would also lose access to student work (that may be intended as examples in the future.)
To archive a class:
- Open the Classes page (the main landing page when you open Classroom.)
- Click the triple dots in the upper right of the classroom tile.
- Choose “Archive Class.” The class will be removed from the main page but still accessible as mentioned above.
Do not delete the Classroom folder in Google Drive
When you create a Classroom for the first time, it automatically creates a folder titled “Classroom” in your Google Drive. In this folder there will be subfolders that are automatically created each time you make a new class and add assignments. This is where you can find assignment links to student work even when you are not in the Google Classroom application.
As tempting as it may be to remove this main folder once a Classroom is completed it is not recommended. You can move the folder to another location (again, preferably not Trash) or take things out of these files but otherwise it is recommended to leave it alone since it is very difficult to get back once removed.
Hide or delete Class Calendars
If you are a user of Google Calendar, you may have noticed that another calendar for your class was added when you created a Classroom. Once you are done with that Classroom, you may not need the calendar and have the option of deleting it or hiding it. Hiding it may be a better option if you want to use it as a pacing guide in the future.
To hide a Calendar:
- Open Google Calendar
- In the left menu, find the calendar you want to hide.
- Uncheck the box to the left of the calendar name (to still see it in your list) or click the three dots to the right of the calendar name, and choose “ Hide from List” to remove it from your list. You will still be able to search for events on this calendar if it is hidden.
To remove a Calendar:
- Open Google Calendar
- In the left menu, find the calendar you wish to remove and click the triple dots to the right of the name.
- Choose “Settings and Sharing”
- Scroll down until you see the option to delete the calendar.
Make a sample assignments folder:
When giving an assignment, it’s often helpful to have an example or two of exceptional student work. Digital assignments are no exception. It is advised to make a copy of a student’s work in case the student removes or changes the file later. In your copy you can also remove any identifying information to maintain student privacy.
To make a copy of a Google File:
- Choose and open the file you would like to copy
- Select the File menu and choose “Make a Copy”
Removing students and/or co-teachers completely revokes their access to your classroom including assignments, resources, etc. This also means that you will not have access to their assignments. If you choose to remove a co-teacher this will also remove their ability to “Reuse post” in their classrooms. This is something to consider during the year if students change classes or teachers as it will remove your Classroom from their main Classes page. It is worth noting that once a student is removed, Classroom removes everything, including saved grades, in case you need to pass those on to a colleague.
To remove a student:
- Open the specific Google Classroom
- Go to the People Tab
- Check the name of the student you wish to remove
- Click the “Action” button and choose “Remove”