Reuse Post for Easy Assignments

Jeff Bradbury is an author, podcaster, public speaker, creator of the TeacherCast Educational Network and father of the world famous #EduTriplets.

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It’s 7:15 AM. You’re already at your desk with your second cup of coffee, clicking through five different Google Classrooms to set up this week’s assignments. Period 1 needs the argument essay assignment. Period 3 needs the same assignment. Your co-taught section needs it with accommodations. And don’t forget the honors section that needs the advanced version.

By the time you’re done recreating the same assignment five times (copying, pasting, reformatting, re-attaching files), it’s 8:30 AM and your first class is walking through the door.

Sound familiar?

Whether you’re a teacher managing multiple sections or an instructional coach supporting teachers across your building, the endless cycle of recreating assignments is one of the biggest time drains in education today.

But there’s a better way.

The Time-Saving Hero: Google Classroom’s “Reuse Post” Feature

Most educators don’t know this feature exists, yet it’s been hiding in plain sight inside Google Classroom for years. The Reuse Post feature lets you copy any assignment, announcement, or material from one Google Classroom to another in less than 30 seconds.

No copying and pasting. No reformatting. No re-uploading files. Just click, select, and reuse.

I currently manage more than 20 Google Classrooms in my middle school, including courses that repeat each semester. This single feature saves me over 10 hours per week.

How to Use the Reuse Post Feature

Step 1: Navigate to Your Destination Classroom

Open the Google Classroom where you want to add the assignment.

Step 2: Click “Classwork” Tab

This is where all your assignments, quizzes, and materials live.

Step 3: Click “+ Create” → “Reuse Post”

You’ll see a dropdown menu with the option to reuse content.

Step 4: Select the Source Classroom

Choose the Google Classroom that contains your original assignment.

Step 5: Choose the Assignment

Browse through your classwork and select the assignment you want to reuse.

Step 6: Enable “Create New Copies”

Critical step: Check the box that says “Create new copies of all attachments.” This ensures each class gets fresh copies of Google Docs, Slides, or other files (so students aren’t all editing the same document).

Step 7: Click “Reuse”

Done. Your assignment is now in your new classroom with all formatting, instructions, rubrics, and attachments intact.

Time invested: 30 seconds instead of 30 minutes.

Real-World Use Case: The Middle School ELA Teacher

Let me show you how this works in practice.

Meet Sarah, a 7th grade ELA teacher.

Sarah teaches five sections of English: three on-level classes, one honors section, and one co-taught inclusion class. Every week, she assigns a reading response that requires students to analyze a text and submit a Google Doc.

Before discovering Reuse Post:

• Created the assignment in Period 1’s Classroom
• Manually copied the instructions
• Pasted into Period 2’s Classroom
• Re-uploaded the rubric (again)
• Re-attached the Google Doc template (again)
• Repeated this process for all five classes
• Total time: 45 minutes

After discovering Reuse Post:

• Created the assignment ONCE in Period 1’s Classroom
• Used “Reuse Post” to copy it to the other four classrooms in seconds
• Made small modifications (due dates, accommodations) as needed
• Total time: 8 minutes

Time saved per week: 37 minutes × 4 assignments = 2.5 hours per week

Over a school year, that’s 90 hours Sarah gets back to actually work with students instead of clicking buttons.

Pro Tip: Create a “Master Template Classroom”

Here’s how to take this strategy to the next level:

Create one Google Classroom that contains ZERO students. This is your Master Template Classroom—a library of your best assignments, organized by unit.

Use clear naming conventions like:

• U1-L1-Introduction to Argument Writing
• U2-L5-Character Analysis Essay
• U3-L2-Poetry Annotation Practice

Whenever you need an assignment, just reuse it from your Master Classroom. And when you finish teaching a unit, take 10 minutes to update your master templates with improvements while they’re fresh in your mind.

Next semester or next year? You’re already set up for success.

Start Saving Time Today

If you manage multiple Google Classrooms, this single feature will transform how you work. Stop recreating assignments from scratch and start reusing the content you’ve already built.

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