Google Slides has quietly rolled out a fantastic set of building blocks that can dramatically enhance the visual appeal, organization, and interactivity of your presentations. These pre-designed elements for agendas, statistics, lists, and more offer a quick and easy way to structure information and engage your students.
Where to find Google Slides building blocks
1. Find Google Slides building blocks in the new side panel
To access this handy feature, open any Google Slides presentation. On the right side of your screen, you should see the new Google Slides panel. This panel houses a variety of pre-designed elements ready for you to use.
2. Click on the type of block to see all of the available options and styles
Within the "Building blocks" panel, you'll find different categories to choose from, such as Agendas, Phrases, Quotes, Collaboration, and more. Click on any of these categories to expand it and see a range of visually distinct styles and layouts within that type.
3. Click on any block to add it to your slides presentation
Once you've found a building block that you like, simply click on it. The selected block will instantly be inserted onto your current slide. From there, it's fully editable! You can click on the placeholder text and images to replace them with your own content. You can also customize the colors, fonts, and sizes of the elements within the block to match your presentation's theme or highlight specific information.
Types of building blocks
Building Block: Agendas
What they are used for: Helps structure the beginning of a presentation by outlining the topics and activities.
Building Block: Lists
What they are used for: Presents information in a structured format, either with bullet points or numbered steps.
Building Block: Key Statistics
What they are used for: Highlights important numerical data or facts.
Building Block: Quotes
What they are used for: Displays a text excerpt, often attributed to a specific person.
Building Block: Headlines
What they are used for: Creates a prominent title or heading for a section of the slide.
Building Block: People
What they are used for: Introduces individuals, usually with a name, image, and short description.
Building Block: Cards
What they are used for: Displays concise pieces of information, often with titles and brief descriptions, similar to flashcards.
Building Block: Text Callouts
What they are used for: Draws attention to a specific point or piece of text on a slide.
Building Block: Badges
What they are used for: A visual element, often used to signify an achievement or highlight a status.
Building Block: Collaboration
What they are used for: Indicates sections of a presentation that involve group work or shared contributions.
Building Block: Phrases
What they are used for: Provides useful sentence starters or prompts, often to facilitate discussion.
10 classroom activities to try with
Google Slides building blocks
Activity 1: Historical Figure Profiles
Objective: Students will research a historical figure and present their findings using Google Slides, emphasizing key information with building blocks.
Building Blocks: People, Cards, Quotes
Instructions:
1. Each student (or group) selects a historical figure. They research key aspects of this person's life, including:
- Birth and death dates (if applicable)
- Major accomplishments
- Important contributions
- Significant events they were involved in
- A relevant quote (if available
2. Students create a Google Slides presentation with the following elements:
- Title slide with the historical figure's name and an image.
- "People": Introduce the historical figure with their name, a portrait, and a brief description.
- "Card": Present 3-4 key accomplishments or contributions. Each card should have a title and a concise description.
- If a relevant quote is available, use the "Quote" building block to display it. Include the source of the quote.
- "Agenda" : A timeline (which they can create using shapes and lines, or a table) of the key events in the person's life.
Example:
A slide created with "People" and "Cards" building blocks to showcase the profile of Marie Curie. Image was found in on Google through sidebar image search.
Activity 2: Book Review
Objective: Students will review a book they've read, highlighting key elements and their opinion.
Building Blocks Focus: Quote, Cards, List
Instructions:
1. Book Selection: Students choose a book they have read themselves or a class novel.
2. Students create a Google Slides presentation with the following elements:
- Title slide: Book title, author, student name.
- "Quote": A significant quote from the book.
- "Cards": Key characters with descriptions.
- "Cards": Plot summary (beginning, middle, end).
- "List": Reasons why they liked/disliked the book.
Example:
Example of a quote slide for the book The Great Gatsby using a quote block and an image found through the image search inside of Slides.
Activity 3: Create a Travel Brochure
Objective: Students will create a travel brochure for a real or fictional place.
Building Blocks Focus: Headline, Cards, List, Quote
Instructions:
1. Location Selection: Students choose a location.
2. Students create a Google Slides presentation with the following elements:
- "Headline": Destination name.
- "Cards": Highlight attractions, activities, and accommodations.
- "List": Essential travel information.
- "Quote": A testimonial or review.
Example:
Title slide for a travel brochure using an image found in an image search inside of slides and a Headline block.
Activity 4: Analyze a Piece of Literature
Objective: Students will analyze a poem, short story, or excerpt from a novel.
Building Blocks Focus: Quote, Cards, List
Instructions:
1. Text Selection: Students choose a literary piece.
2. Students create a Google Slides presentation with the following elements:
- Title: Title and author.
- "Quote": A significant quote.
- "Cards": Key themes.
- "Cards": Key characters.
- "List": Literary devices used.
Example:
Key themes/quote slide analyzing The Road Note Taken by Robert Frost using an image found in an image search inside of slides as the background. A quote block for the quote and a list block for the key themes.
Activity 5: Compare and Contrast
Objective: Students will compare and contrast two things.
Building Blocks Focus: Cards, List, Headline
Instructions:
1. Topic Selection: Students choose two items to compare.
2. Students create a Google Slides presentation with the following elements:
- "Headline": Topic of comparison.
- "Cards": Key features of each item.
- "List": Similarities.
- "List": Differences.
Example:
A comparison of Dogs and Cats using a headline block and two list blocks.
Activity 6: Design a Product Advertisement
Objective: Students will design an advertisement for a product.
Building Blocks Focus: Headline, Callout, Phrases, Collaboration
Instructions:
1. Product Selection: Students choose a product.
2. Students create a Google Slides presentation with the following elements:
- "Headline": Product name.
- "Callout": Product benefits.
- "Phrases": Catchy slogans.
- "Collaboration": Target audience.
Example:
A product advertisement using an image generated by Google Gemini (prompt: Please generate a fake soda brand). Call outs for product benefits, headline for the catchy slogan and word art for the title.
Activity 7: Create a Timeline
Objective: Students will create a timeline of their own personal history or a family history.
Building Blocks Focus: Agenda, List, Cards
Instructions:
1. History Focus: Students choose a period of time, historical figure, historic event or their own life
2. Students create a Google Slides presentation with the following elements:
- "Headline": "My Timeline" or "Our Family Timeline"
- "Agenda": Key stages or periods.
- "Cards" or "List": Key events and details for each stage.
Example:
Timeline of significant events of the American Revolution using two agenda blocks. Word art used for the heading.
Activity 8: Collaboration on a class badge/logo
Objective: Students will work together on a simple design task using Google Slides and the Collaboration building block.
Building Blocks Focus: Collaboration
Instructions:
1. Design Brief: The teacher presents a simple design brief on the first slide (e.g., "Design a new logo for our class," "Plan the layout of a small garden," "Create a poster for a school event").
2. Group Formation: Divide students into groups.
3. Collaboration Slide: Each group creates a slide and inserts the Collaboration building block, listing their team members.
4. Idea Generation: Groups use their slide to brainstorm initial design ideas, sketching, and color palettes.
5. Collaborative Design: Within each group, students contribute to the design on the slide, adding elements and providing feedback on each other's ideas.
Example:
An example badge using an image generated by Google Gemini (prompt: Please generate a badge for a school). Team members listed with a list block, text callouts used for title and suggestions. Collaboration blocks used for feedback.
Activity 9: Create a Character Profile
Objective: Students will create a character profile for a fictional character.
Building Blocks Focus: People, Cards, Quote
Instructions:
1. Character Selection: Students choose a character.
2. Students create a Google Slides presentation with the following elements:
- Title: Character name.
- "People": Character's appearance and background.
- "Cards": Character's traits.
- "Quote": A significant quote by the character.
Example:
Two card blocks used to highlight character profile and traits of Jay Gatsby from The Great Gatsby.
Activity 10: Explain a Process
Objective: Students will explain a process.
Building Blocks Focus: Headline, List, Diagrams (created with shapes)
Instructions:
1. Process Selection: Students choose a process (photosynthesis, cell division, etc.).
2. Students create a Google Slides presentation with the following elements:
- "Headline": Process name.
- "List" of "Agenda": Steps involved in the process.
- Diagrams (students create using Slides tools) illustrating each step.
Example:
An agenda block used to highlight the steps in the process of problem solving.
More ideas for using Google Slides building blocks in the classroom
I asked Google Gemini for 20 ways to use the new Google Slides building blocks in the classroom. Here is what it came up with...
Structuring Lessons and Information:
- Clear Lesson Agendas: Start every lesson with a visually appealing Agenda building block, outlining the topics and activities for the session.
- Highlighting Key Learning Objectives: Use a Headline or Callout block to prominently display the main learning objectives for the day or unit.
- Presenting Step-by-Step Instructions: Utilize the List building block (both bulleted and numbered) to clearly present sequential instructions for activities or projects.
- Summarizing Key Concepts: Employ Card building blocks to present concise summaries of important concepts or ideas.
- Showcasing Schedules and Timelines: Adapt the List or creatively use multiple Card blocks to visualize schedules or project timelines.
Enhancing Engagement and Visual Appeal:
- Emphasizing Key Statistics: Make data impactful with the Key Statistics building block, highlighting crucial numbers and insights.
- Adding Visual Interest with Callouts: Use Callout blocks to draw attention to specific points, examples, or questions within your slides.
- Incorporating Meaningful Quotes: Start discussions or reinforce learning with impactful Quote building blocks featuring relevant citations.
- Introducing Key Figures: Use the People building block to introduce important historical figures, scientists, or authors with their names and brief descriptions.
- Awarding Digital Recognition: Create engaging digital badges using the Badge building block to acknowledge student achievements or participation.
Fostering Collaboration and Interaction:
- Team Member Introductions: When working on group projects, use the People building block to showcase team members and their roles.
- Highlighting Collaborative Activities: Use the Collaboration building block to clearly indicate group work, discussions, or peer review sessions.
- Sharing Useful Phrases for Discussions: Incorporate the Phrases building block to provide students with sentence starters or prompts for effective discussions.
- Creating Interactive Choice Boards: While not a direct block, you can link Card or Callout blocks to different activities, allowing students to choose their learning path.
- Facilitating Q&A Sessions: Use a Headline or Callout block to clearly mark a dedicated Q&A section in your presentation.
Streamlining Teacher Workflow:
- Creating Quick Graphic Organizers: Adapt List or Card blocks to create simple graphic organizers for brainstorming or note-taking.
- Developing Visual Rubrics: Utilize List or Card blocks to outline assessment criteria in a clear and visual format.
- Designing Engaging Exit Tickets: Use a Card or Callout block with a key question for students to answer before the end of class.
- Building Visually Consistent Templates: Leverage the building blocks to create consistent and professional-looking templates for student presentations.
- Adding Emphasis to Important Announcements: Use Headline or creatively styled Callout blocks for important reminders or announcements.
