Around the U.S., teachers are gearing up for back to school--gathering ideas, planning lessons, and getting their classrooms ready for learning.

Google tools can help you kick off the school year, get organized, and have some fun.

So I thought now was a great time to share a few back to school activities with my favorite Google tools.

No matter what grade level or subject area you teach, there are always a few ways that Google tools can help you and your students save time and get creative.

Below are a variety of ideas to help get to know your students, build relationships, do some goal setting, create, and play some games.

Be sure to share your favorite ways to use G Suite for back to school in the comments below this post!

Here are six ideas for going Back to School with G Suite.

Student Interest Survey with Google Forms

One of the most important things teachers can do during the first few weeks of school is to build relationships with their students. We want to know what they like, what they don't like, where they struggle, and their learning style.

There are lots of ways to get to know your students, but Google Forms is a great way to gather some basic information and keep it organized in a spreadsheet.

The answers to some of these types of questions may not be something students are comfortable sharing with the entire class, so a Google Form is a great way to give students a safe space to share.

Depending on what age you teach, these questions will vary. Below are some ideas to get you started.

• What do you want me to call you in class? (preferred first name)
• What is your favorite color?
• What is your favorite food?
• What are you passionate about?
• If you could learn anything at school, what would you choose to learn?
• Do you like to be recognized for your accomplishments in front of the class?
• What characteristics do you like in a teacher?
• Is there anything that you struggle with in class?
• What do you do if you don't know how to answer a question or problem?
• How do you learn best?
• What do you want me to know or understand about you?
• Do you prefer to work in groups or on your own?
• Do you like to read aloud?
• What are your favorite books?
• Do you enjoy reading?

Vision Boards with Google Slides

The beginning of the school year or semester is the perfect time to build a growth mindset and set some goals with students.

Visualization is one of the most powerful exercises for the mind and for reaching your goals.

A vision board is a collection of images and words that represent the things you want in life–the things you want to do, the things you want to learn, the things you want to be.

Vision boards also support Dynamic Learning and the ISTE Standards for Students! This is just one small way we can empower l