Mark Text with Booksnaps

Booksnaps are absolutely one my favorite activities to help students interact with text. Booksnaps was invented years ago by my friend Tara Martin. Originally, Booksnaps were done with Snapchat, but as time went on, teachers have adapted it so it can be done with Google Slides, PowerPoint and Seesaw. In a nutshell, Booksnaps empowers students to read curated text, identify evidence or theme, and justify their conclusions. 

Hanging with Tara at Tech Rodeo 2020

The beauty of Booksnaps is how they can be adapted to any grade level and or subject. When I do Booksnaps, I always start with a title slide that shows the students the topic. This can be used for both synchronous and asynchronous work.  

Booksnaps are set up by adding an image of text to a slide and adding a task for students to accomplish based on their reading of the text. Below are some screenshots of some Booksnaps I have used this semester in my 11th grade US History class. 

On this version of Booksnaps, I instructed students to identify "argument". They had to underline evidence of the argument. 

On this slide, students were instructed to underline/circle evidence and add an emoji in the empty box that represents the feelings of those they are reading about. 

Below is how I set up a "generic" Booksnaps slide. The large area is where I paste an image of text. To the side is where I enter instructions, tasks and more. Part of the tasks can be to paste in images and emojis that support what students identify when they read. 

Here is a sample of the setup of a Booksnaps slide. An image of text was pasted in and, on the right, two tasks were entered in for students to complete using that text. On this example, students are tasked with underlining evidence in red. They also will paste a picture that represents the feeling of those they are reading about.

For underlining or circling, I teach students to use the Line tool. Next to the line tool, there is a little arrow that provides a dropdown menu. From the menu, I have students select the Scribble tool. This allows them to underline and circle. Their circles and lines may be a bit crooked at first, but over time, they get better with the tool using a mouse or trackpad.

After drawing a circle or line, they use the Line weight tool to make the line thicker. This will make it easier for teachers to see when evaluating student work.

The Line color tool allows you to change the color of any line or circle you draw. Underlining and circling different aspects, themes, types of evidence, etc. in different colors is a great strategy for students to demonstrate understanding. 

Here is a sample of a completed Booksnap. Evidence was underlined and an emoji the represented a feeling was pasted. 

Booksnaps are extremely versatile. If you are familiar with Hyperdocs, you can apply many of the design elements from there to Booksnaps. They have been one of my go-to activities for years when teaching any subject. If you are looking a new way to get kids engaged in reading and analyzing text, give Booksnaps a shot. How might you use Booksnaps? If you have some cool ideas, please share with me. 

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My book, The Complete EdTech Coach: An Organic Approach to Digital Learning, co-authored with my wife Katherine Goyette is now available on Amazon. Click here to purchase. It is published by Dave Burgess Publishing. Be sure to follow the hashtag #OrganicEdTech and #CVTechTalk for updates.