50 things you can do with google classroom book image

Tour of Google Classroom

Welcome to 50thingsbook.com. This site is created by Alice Keeler and Libbi Miller to provide a look at Google Classroom. Scroll down to review each section of Google Classroom. We have outlined the elements you will find for each part of the Google Classroom platform.

Signing Into Google Classroom

Google Classroom Website

Start with the Google Classroom website: classroom.google.com.

Creating or Joining a Class

Locate the plus icon in the upper right-hand corner after signing up. Teachers can join a class as a student or create a class.

Google Classroom click on the plus icon to join or create a class

Class Tiles

The class tiles page allows the teacher or student to easily switch from one Google Classroom class to another.
Google Classroom class tiles

  1. Join or create a new class.
  2. Menu
  3. Click on class title to enter class.
  4. Upcoming assignments.
  5. Link to class folder in Google Drive.
  6. More options: Rename class or Archive.


The Stream is the main page of each Google Classroom class. All assignments and announcements are displayed there.

Get to know the Stream add assignments

  1. View the Stream.
  2. View list of students.
  3. About tab.
  4. Add a post: Announcement, Assignment, or Question.
  5. List of upcoming assignments.
  6. Show deleted items from the Stream.
  7. Topics list
  8. Change/customize class theme.
  9. Menu.
  10. Assignment drafts.

Student View

student view in google classroom from the Stream

  1. View the Stream.
  2. View list of students.
  3. About tab.
  4. Add a post to the Stream.
  5. List of students uncompleted upcoming assignments.
  6. Menu.
  7. Announcement.
  8. Class comments. Add a comment.
  9. Assignment.
  10. Open button to view full assignment directions and submit work.
  11. Topics.

Students Tab

The Students tab lists the students in the course.

Students Tab Image

  1. Invite students via email.
  2. Select all students.
  3. Select individual students.
  4. Actions:  Email selected student(s).Remove selected student(s). Mute selected student(s) from posting to the class Stream.
    Email Remove Mute
  5. Sort students.
  6. Allow or disallow students to comment or post to the Stream.
    Students Can Post
  7. Obtain class code or reset class code.
  8. Email student.
  9. Invite Guardians.
  10. Email all guardians.
  11. Enable guardian email summaries

About Tab

The About tab lists information about the class.

Google Classroom About Tab

  1. Class teachers are listed on About tab.
  2. Email teacher.
  3. Link to class Google Drive folder.
  4. View class assignments in a calendar view in Google Classroom.
  5. View a Google Classroom calendar that includes the class assignments that have a due date listed.
  6. Add resource materials.
  7. Invite a co-teacher.
  8. Edit the course description.

Creating Posts

Google Classroom allows teachers to easily assign work or create announcements.

Creating POsts Google Classroom Alice Keeler

  1. Plus button in the bottom-right creates a post to the Stream.
  2. Announcement style post. Attachments are view only. Announcements do not push to the calendar.
  3. Create an assignment.
  4. Create a question style assignment.
  5. Reuse a post from the current class, another class, or an archived class.

Assignment elements

  1. Assignment title.
  2. Assignment description. No rich text (no: bold, italics, images, etc…)
  3. Set due date/time.
  4. Attach resources as view only for students.
  5. Attach work for students where every student receives a copy.
  6. Attach any resource from computer.
  7. Attach any resource in Google Drive.
  8. Link to or search for YouTube videos.
  9. Link to websites.
  10. Post to multiple Google Classroom classes.
  11. Assign to selected students.
  12. Delete the post.
  13. Save post as draft.
  14. Assign post to the Stream.
  15. Add a topic to the assignment.


When attaching documents to an assignment there are 3 options for the document settings.

Google Classroom attachments

  1. By default documents are a view only resource.
  2. Collaboration option: Choosing “Students can edit file” allows all students to edit the same document.
  3. ‘Photocopy’ option: Choosing “Make a copy for each student” duplicates the attached template and places a copy for each student in the “My work” section of the assignment page.


blue assign button google classroom arrow

Schedule or save draft of an assignment

  1. Assign a post to the Stream. Posts immediately.
  2. Schedule a post. Set the date and time for the post to appear in the Stream.
  3. Save draft of the post. Continue editing or allow a co-teacher to edit the post before assigning to the Stream.

More Options

On a post in the Stream, there is a more options (3 dots) icon in the upper right.

More Options

  1. More options icon.
  2. Move a post to the top of the Stream.
  3. Edit the post.
    (Note: Assignments can not be edited to allow for “Make a copy for each student.” This must be done before the assignment is assigned.)
  4. Delete the post.
  5. Copy link to the assignment.

Student Assignment Page

When students click on an assignment title in the Stream or click on the OPEN button, they view the assignment page.

Student Assignment Grading Page Google Classroom Alice Keeler

  1. Assignment description.
  2. Teacher attached assignment resources.
  3. Student work attached.
  4. Student work copied by teacher. Student clicks on document title to edit.
  5. Assignment status: Not Done, Submitted, Late, Late Submitted.
  6. Add files to assignment: From Google Drive, Link to a website, File from computer.
    student adds files to Google Drive Alice Keeler
  7. Create Google Docs and attach to the assignment. Students can create and attach Google Docs, Slides, Sheets or Drawings directly in Google Classroom.
    Google Classroom create a Google Doc
  8. Student adds a comment that is visible to classmates in the Stream.
  9. Private comments between student and teacher are listed at the bottom.
  10. Student can add new private comments.
  11. Students turn in work or mark as done if there are not any attachments. When students submit work, ownership of the document is transferred to the teacher.
    Google Classroom mark as done

Google Drive

Google Classroom organizes and works with Google Drive. Google Classroom creates a Classroom folder in each teacher and students Google Drive. Within the Classroom folder in Google Drive is a folder for each class. In the teachers class folder is a folder for each assignment that students have submitted work to.

Google Drive and Google Classroom Alice Keeler

  1. Classroom folder.
  2. Class folder.
  3. Assignment folder.
  4. Student work submitted to a specific assignment.


Google Classroom allows students to submit work. Locate the work from the Google Classroom Stream (or go straight to Google Drive.)

Return Done Not Done

  1. Click on assignment title to link to the assignment grading page.
  2. Number of students who submitted. Click to filter.
  3. Number of students not submitted. Click to filter.
  4. Number of students assignment returned to. Click to filter.

Google Classroom Assignment Grading Screen

  1. Select all students.
  2. Sort students: Status, Last name, First name.
  3. Select all students who have submitted.
  4. Select all students who have not submitted.
  5. Filter tiles: All, Returned, Done, Not Done.
  6. Link to assignment folder in Google Drive.
  7. Student assignment tiles. Click on attachment to launch.
  8. Student assignment tile with no attachment.
  9. Add numerical integer grade.
  10. Edit points possible.
  11. Return student work. Returns editing rights.
  12. Email selected students.
  13. View assignment instructions.
  14. Clear filter to view all student work.
  15. Export student roster, grades, comments. Can be used to import to external gradebook.

Assigning Grades

  1. Select individual students.
  2. Open and review student work.
  3. View conversation with student.
  4. View submission history: Done, Returned, Resubmitted, Late.
    Submission history
  5. Return to student tiles.
  6. Add private feedback.


Click the 3 lines in the upper-left corner of Google Classroom to view the menu.

menu in Google Classroom

  1. Class tiles (Home).
  2. Classroom calendar. All class assignments displayed on one calendar.
  3. List of assignments assigned for all classes.
  4. Class where the user has teacher role.
  5. List of work for students of classes.
  6. Class where the user has student role.
  7. Archived Classes.
  8. Settings: Change profile picture, set email notifications.
    settings notifications


Choosing “Work” under the menu provides a list of assignments. By default work from all classes is displayed. The work list for classes you teach only displays assignments you’ve assigned. The work list for classes you are enrolled in only displays assignments that have been assigned to you.

Work screen

  1. Filter by class.
  2. Work listed is sorted by due date.
  3. Click on assignment title to open that assignment.
  4. Click on number done/not done to view students who have submitted.
  5. More options dots allows to mark the assignment as reviewed, removing it from the “To review” list.
  6. Assignments marked as reviewed are listed under “Reviewed.”

google classroom student work page

  1. Filter by class.
  2. Late work is shown first. Assignments are listed by due date.
  3. Click on assignment title to open the assignment.
  4. Submitted assignments are listed under “Done.”


From the class tiles page, click on the options icon to archive the class.
archive a class in Google Classroom

Reuse assignments from archived classes.
Reuse Post

Tip: Do NOT “Create new copies of all attachments.”
Reuse post

 Send Feedback

In the bottom left-hand corner is an icon to send feedback to the Google Classroom team. They read every piece of feedback and your opinion matters. What do you love about Google Classroom? Please be sure to tell them! Have an idea? Submit one idea at a time. The ideas are tagged and you will receive a notification if your idea is added to Google Classroom.

Google Classroom send feedback