🗑 Amazon-style templates for Google Slides, PowerPoint

😆 Techy learning ideas that are FUN (30% OFF!)

If you like the idea of these templates I’ve been sharing here, you’ll LOVE my book, Tech Like a Pirate (a techy spin-off of Dave Burgess’s book Teach Like a Pirate).

It makes learning something students look forward to … feeling like their favorite apps, videos, games, and other interests.

• Frame learning through the lens of students’ favorite social media (without even using those social media apps)

• Get inspiration from popular games to make learning irresistible

• Make learning visual with memes and fun videos

These ideas just scratch the surface! The core 7 chapters have tons of practical ideas to make techy learning that students love.

🚨 30% OFF SALE 🚨 — Plus, right now (Amazon in the U.S.) the paperback is 30% off, bringing it to an unheard-of $18.98 USD!

Get a copy of Tech Like a Pirate and spark learning excitement.

💡 THE BIG IDEA 💡

🛒 These Amazon templates are PRIMEd for learning fun

You know your students have done some shopping on Amazon — or they’ve watched their parents or siblings do it.

You can get virtually anything on Amazon.

And, if you think about it, it’s a form of communication — by sellers to sell their products AND by buyers to review their experience with the product.

Your students can use Amazon as a way to talk about what they’ve learned …

… and it can be really, really fun.

We created THREE (!) Google Slides that re-create the Amazon shopping experience:

• The Amazon Product Page template

• The Amazon Home Page template

• The Amazon Product Search template

(Also, if you look in the top left corner of these templates, you’ll see they’re not really Amazon templates … they’re Amazin’ templates!)

Like any of our templates in our free DTT templates library, here’s how you use them …

• Find a template.

• Click the “Get the Template” button.

• Make a copy (Google Slides) or download the file (PowerPoint).

• Adjust for your needs.

• Assign to your students in your learning management system (Google Classroom, Canvas, Schoology, Teams, etc.).

Below are some ideas for using them in class.

(🎁 BONUS: I share some copy/paste prompts you can use with an AI assistant like ChatGPT to generate ideas for using these in your particular grade level/content area. The document where you can copy/paste those prompts is at the bottom!)

Amazon Product Page template

DESCRIPTION: The Amazon Product Page template lets your students focus in on an individual item — a historical innovation, a key item from a story they’ve read, an element on the periodic table, etc.

HOW IT WORKS: Students show what they’ve learned by giving the item a title, description, star rating (out of 5), images … and then writing a review from an individual with first-hand knowledge of the product.

AN EXAMPLE:

• Title: The Declaration of Independence.

• Price: $17.76.

• Category: Historical Documents.

• Description: Tired of being ruled by a distant king? This one-of-a-kind document is for you! Crafted by Thomas Jefferson and signed by 56 passionate revolutionaries, this document makes a bold statement: America is free!

• Customer review: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ “Game changer for democracy!” This document changed my life. No more taxes without representation. 10/10 would rebel again.” — George W.

IDEAS FOR USE:

• (ELA) A Symbol from a Novel – Example: The Mockingjay Pin from The Hunger Games

• (ELA) A Character as a Product – Example: The Odyssey's Odysseus as "The Ultimate Adventurer"

• (ELA) A Book as a Product – Example: Charlotte's Web as "The Ultimate Animal Friendship Story"

• (SS) A Leader or Explorer – Example: Marco Polo as “The Original Travel Blogger”

• (SS) A Weapon or Tool from War – Example: The Enigma Machine as "The Secret Code Breaker"

• (SS) A Cultural Artifact – Example: The Rosetta Stone as "The Key to Unlocking Ancient Egyptian Language"

• (SCI) A Body Organ – Example: The Human Heart as "The Ultimate Pumping Machine"

• (SCI) A Simple Machine – Example: The Lever as "Lifting Heavy Objects Since Ancient Times"

• (SCI) A Space Object – Example: The Black Hole as "The Ultimate Vacuum Cleaner of the Universe"

• (MATH) A Mathematical Concept – Example: The Pythagorean Theorem as "The Ultimate Right Triangle Hack"

• (MATH) A Shape – Example: The Circle as "The Most Perfect Shape in the Universe"

• (MATH) A Measurement Unit – Example: The Light-Year as "Measuring Distance Like a Sci-Fi Pro"

Amazon Home Page template

DESCRIPTION: The Amazon Home Page template lets your students choose items that Amazon would display for a person they’re studying. Much like Amazon displays items based on the preferences it’s learned about you, your students would suggest items based on what they’ve learned.

HOW IT WORKS: Students pick a featured product — the best or most representative example. Then they pick product categories that would be a good fit and two example products with 1-2 word descriptions. Students can describe how/why they made all of their choices in text — either on the next page, in a text box on the same page, or even in the speaker notes at the bottom of the file.

AN EXAMPLE:

• Featured Product: The Human Heart

• Short Description: The Ultimate Circulation System

• Category: Blood Flow Essentials

• Products: Oxygen-Rich Blood, Deoxygenated Blood, Capillary Extension Kit

• Category: Maintenance and Repair Tools

• Products: Pacemaker, Defibrillator, EKG Home Monitoring Kit

• Category: Heart Health Supplements

• Products: Omega-3 Fatty Acids, Aspirin, Cholesterol Buster Bundle

IDEAS FOR USE:

• (ELA) A Book Character’s Wishlist – What would Percy Jackson, Matilda, or the Wicked Witch of the West buy?

• (ELA) An Author’s Shopping Cart – What would Shakespeare, J.K. Rowling, or Dr. Seuss need?

• (ELA) A Villain’s Must-Have Items – What would Darth Vader, Voldemort, or the Joker have in their cart?

• (SS) An Ancient Civilization’s Orders – What would an Ancient Egyptian Pharaoh or a Roman Senator buy?

• (SS) A Famous Revolution’s Supply List – What would the American Revolution, Civil Rights Movement, or Industrial Revolution need?

• (SS) An Explorer’s Amazon Page – What would Lewis & Clark or Christopher Columbus buy?

• (SCI) A Scientist’s Recommended Products – What would Galileo, Charles Darwin, or Isaac Newton buy?

• (SCI) A Planet’s Shopping List – What would Mars, Jupiter, or Earth need to buy?

• (SCI) An Endangered Animal’s Wishlist – What does a panda, tiger, or sea turtle need to survive?

• (MATH) A Math Concept’s Shopping List – Example: What would fractions, probability, or algebra need?

• (MATH) A Graphing Calculator’s Wishlist – What accessories or upgrades would a TI-84 order?

• (MATH) A Measurement Unit’s Amazon Recommendations – What would inches, grams, or light-years need?

Amazon Product Search template

DESCRIPTION: The Amazon Product Search template lets students provide a keyword to search for in the search bar at the top — then provide several results based on that keyword.

HOW IT WORKS: Students pick a keyword that they write into the search box. Then, they pick four representative items. They write an item title, a star review, a price, and either a description or a review.

AN EXAMPLE:

• Theme: Writer’s Essentials

• Keyword / Search Term: Best tools for young writers

• Product #1: Magic Story Idea Generator. $19.99. 4.9/5 stars. Description: Struggling with writer’s block? This generator provides 100+ creative prompts every time you need inspiration! Review: “Life changing! I’ve never had trouble coming up with ideas ever since.”

• Product #2: Grammar Guru Pro. $9.99/mo subscription. 4.2/5 stars. Description: Get real-time grammar corrections, sentence substitutions, and even feedback on your tone. Review: Super helpful, but sometimes it corrects things that aren’t wrong.”

IDEAS FOR USE:

• (ELA) A Book Character’s Search History – What would Sherlock Holmes or Anne of Green Gables be searching for?

• (ELA) A Poet’s Toolkit – What would Shakespeare or Maya Angelou need for their craft?

• (ELA) A Villain’s Shopping List – What does a classic antagonist like Count Olaf or Darth Vader need?

• (SS) Survival Gear for Settlers – What would pioneers heading westward buy?

• (SS) Spy Gadgets of the Cold War – What would a secret agent from history need?

• (SS) Tools for Running a Civilization – What would rulers of Ancient Egypt or Rome be searching for?

• (SCI) A Chemist’s Starter Kit – What tools does a young scientist need?

• (SCI) Top Tools for Space Exploration – What would an aspiring astronaut or NASA scientist buy?

• (SCI) Weather Forecasting Tools – What would a meteorologist search for?

• (MATH) "Tricks to Make Algebra Easier" – What tools or books would show up in search results?

• (MATH) Shopping for a Mathlete – What does a competitive math student need?

• (MATH) Best Budgeting Tools – What would someone searching for money management resources find?

💡 ANOTHER IDEA: Use these as instructional aids

If you think students might struggle to fill these in — or if you just want something to make learning new material fun — create one of these yourself as an instructional aid.

🎁 BONUS: AI prompts for customized ideas

I used ChatGPT to help me come up with examples and ideas for use above. I asked it for a full detailed example and lots of ideas for use in a variety of content areas and grade levels.

You can do this, too!

Just open the document below and copy the text out of it.

Then paste it into an AI assistant like ChatGPT, Google Gemini, Microsoft Copilot, or Anthropic Claude.

Customize the details to fit you. Then hit “submit”!

🎯 QUICK TEACHING STRATEGY 🎯

♻️ Use station rotation model to engage students

When we think of stations or centers we often think of young students moving around the room to various activities.

While stations can, and do, work well in lower elementary classrooms, they also have a very important role in upper elementary, middle and high school.

The station rotation model helps vary instruction, keeping students engaged with different tasks at multiple learning stations.

Stations can provide time for practice, preview, review, collaboration, choice work time, and small group or individual teacher time.

Learn more about station rotation — and how you can use it — in our post.

👋 How we can help

There are even more ways I can support you in the important work you do in education:

1. Read one of my six books about meaningful teaching with tech.

2. Take one of our online courses about practical and popular topics in education.

3. Bring me to your school, district or event to speak. I love working with educators!