Teacher Tech blog with Alice Keeler

Paperless Is Not a Pedagogy

Alice Keeler

Magically Create Refrigerator Poetry in Google Slides

Alice Keeler has added fun new features to Seating Chart Slides to allow you to create fun refrigerator poetry in Google Slides. From a list of words in a Google Doc, use the Add-on to magically create refrigerator poetry.

Magically Create Refrigerator Poetry in Google Slides

Magnetic Refrigerator Poetry is when you have a bunch of tiny magnets with words on them. Taking the available words, arrange the magnets into a poem. Kasey Bell has created a digital version of this in Google Drawings. This is awesome, but if you want to create poetry with specific vocabulary words it can take some time to modify the magnets. I have modified Seating Chart Slides to now allow you to create the “magnets” much more quickly.

Download of Google Slides with a refridgerator background

Magnet Feature in Seating Chart Slides by Alice Keeler

I have coded a way to take words or sentences in a Google Doc and magically turn them into Google Slides. Doc to Slides turns each paragraph into an individual slide. In contrast, Seating Chart Slides creates a rectangle with the word or sentence on it. These are all created on the same slide. One use for this obviously is creating seating charts. However, this ability can be used in many ways. One is to create refrigerator poetry in Google Slides.

Create Refrigerator Poetry

Start with a Google Doc with a list of the vocabulary words you want to make available to students. Try this sample Google Doc for an example.

screenshot of show sidebar in seating chart slides under the extensions menu. Gets started with Create Refrigerator Poetry

Create Magnets

From the sidebar, choose the bottom option. Click on “Create Magnets.” This will automatically create a new Google Slides.

sidebar from seating chart slides by Alice Keeler. Bottom button is the option to "Randomize list and create refrigerator magnets." Randomly select a subgroup of paragraphs. Create multiple versions.

Create a copy of sample Google Slides with magnets.

Subset of the Words or Phrases

Each time you hit the “Enter” key in your Google Doc is what determines a new textbox. You can have short phrases or individual words on each line in the Google Doc. Choosing “Create Google Slides” will add a rectangle for ALL the words. The idea for the “Create Magnets” is to have a SUBSET of the words.

Screenshot of popup. how many per slide?? Enter an integer

A pop up will ask you how many words/phrases you want per slide. Choose a number smaller than the total number of lines in the Google Doc. You will also be prompted for how many versions you want to create.

Reuse Google Slides

In the sidebar is the option to paste the link to a Google Slides you already have. This will add fresh slides, with magnets, to the Google Slides you already have.

Image of Refrigerator

Tip: use the View menu and select Theme Builder. Add an image of a refrigerator to the background.

image of 1950's periwinkle blue fridge
Right click on image. Save image as. Use this image as the background on your Google Slides if desired.
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