How to Add an Interactive Simulation to Google Classroom

Want to add an interactive simulation to Google Classroom so students can run the experiment from the stream or an assignment? Classroom does not accept embed codes, so the trick is to post the right link. This guide shows you how to do that with Simulic: create one link per class, post it with one click, attach a few questions so you can see what students found without giving them accounts, and use present mode when you teach the lesson live. Everything here works on Chromebooks, phones and laptops.

Why Classroom uses a link instead of an embed code

Google Classroom posts are not web pages you can edit. You can attach files, Drive items, videos and links, but you cannot paste HTML, so iframe embed codes have nowhere to go. That is not a real loss. A Simulic play link (simulic.com/p/…) opens the simulation full screen, which is exactly what you want on a Chromebook or a phone. Students click the attachment, the simulation opens in a new tab, and they come back to Classroom when they are done.

If you also teach on a platform that does take embed codes, such as Canvas or Moodle, the guide to embedding a simulation in your LMS covers those.

What you need

• A free Simulic teacher account. Students do not need one, and they do not need to sign in to anything other than Classroom.
• Teacher access to the Google Classroom class.
• A simulation. This guide uses the simple pendulum, but any library simulation or one you made yourself works the same way.

Step 1: Create one link per class

A share link pins the simulation, its starting values and a language. Make a separate link for each class section. Each link then keeps its own play count and its own answers, and you can switch off Period 2's link without affecting Period 5.

1. Open the simulation page and click Share.
2. On the Simulation tab, set the starting values. For the pendulum, a length of 1.0 m on Earth with no friction is a good start. The current settings are pinned to every new link.
3. Go to the Share Links tab. Under New link, type a name such as "Physics · Period 2", choose the Language, and click Create link.
4. For the next class, click Duplicate on that link card and rename the copy. A duplicate keeps the language, settings and question set, but starts with no answers.

Step 2: Post the link to Classroom

You have two ways to do it. Both put the same play link in front of students.

Option A: the Google Classroom button

1. In the link card, under Share with your class, click Google Classroom.
2. Google opens its own share window. Sign in with your school account if asked, pick the class, and choose whether to post the link as material, an assignment or another kind of post.
3. Add your instructions and a due date if it is an assignment, then post it.

The share window belongs to Google, so its options can change. At the time of writing it lets you pick the class and the type of post.

Option B: paste the play link

1. In the link card, click Copy link.
2. In Classroom, open the class and create material or an assignment as usual.
3. Add a link attachment and paste the play link.
4. Write the instructions in the description and post it.

Option B is handy when you are already inside Classroom building a unit, or when you want the link in a topic with other resources.

Whichever option you use, write the task in the post itself. "Open the simulation, time 10 swings for three different lengths, then answer the questions under the simulation" is far more useful than "Pendulum sim".

Try what your students will see

This is the pendulum simulation your students would open from the post. Set the length to 1.0 m and time ten full swings with the stopwatch: you should get about 20 s, so the period is about 2.0 s. Shorten the string to 0.25 m and the period halves to about 1.0 s. Change the mass and the period does not move, which surprises most students. For a follow-up practical, post Measuring g with a simple pendulum the same way.

Collect answers without student accounts

A Classroom assignment collects whatever students turn in, but it cannot see what they did inside the simulation. A question set on the Simulic link fills that gap. The questions appear under the simulation, students type a nickname and answer, and you get a results table per class.

1. On the Share page, open the Questions tab and create a question set.
2. Add up to 5 questions plus instructions for students. Choose short text, multiple choice (2–5 options) or number.
3. If you want students to predict first, add up to 3 prediction questions. The simulation stays locked until each student commits a prediction.
4. Back on the Share Links tab, pick the set for each class link under Question set. Several links can use the same set; answers stay separate per class.

Here is a set that works for the pendulum:

• Prediction (multiple choice): "If you make the string four times longer, the period will… halve / stay the same / double / become four times longer." Correct: double.
• Number: "Set the length to 1.0 m. Time 10 swings and divide by 10. What is the period?" Answer 2.0 s, tolerance ± 0.1.
• Number: "Now set the length to 0.25 m. What is the period?" Answer 1.0 s, tolerance ± 0.1.
• Multiple choice: "Doubling the mass of the bob makes the period… shorter / the same / longer." Correct: the same.
• Short text: "Write a rule that links the length of the pendulum to its period."

Add an explanation to the number questions and allow a retry, so a student who forgot to divide by 10 gets a second chance. For more on the predict-first pattern, see Predict–Observe–Explain with simulations; for using results to adjust the next lesson, see simulations for formative assessment.

Tell students to type their first name or a nickname you can recognize. Never ask for full names or emails. To read results, click View answers on the link card, or Download CSV to sort and grade in a spreadsheet. Simulic does not sync with the Classroom gradebook, so enter any marks there yourself.

The free plan collects 100 student answers a month across all your links; Pro removes the limit (see pricing). Answers are deleted after 12 months, so download the CSV if you need a record.

Teach the lesson live with present mode

For a whole-class demo, click Present on the link card. The simulation opens on your projector in present mode. Click Show QR code and students scan it to open the same link on their own devices, which is often faster than waiting for everyone to find the Classroom post. Restart runs the simulation again from the start, and Fullscreen hides everything else on your screen.

A pattern that works well: present the pendulum, ask the prediction question aloud, let students answer on their devices, then run the experiment on the big screen. Afterwards, the Classroom post stays up for anyone who was absent.

Troubleshooting

Students see "This link is no longer available"

The link is turned off. On the Share page, find the class's link card and click Turn on link.

Students see a password prompt or "This link has expired"

Those are Pro link options. Give students the password, or change the last day in Options on the link card.

Answers from two classes are mixed together

Both classes are using the same link. Duplicate the link, rename it, and post the new one to the second class. New answers will then land on the right card.

The simulation will not load on school Chromebooks

A web filter may be blocking simulic.com. Ask your IT team to allow it. Meanwhile, use present mode so the class can still follow on the projector.

FAQ

Can I embed a simulation directly in a Google Classroom post?

No. Classroom does not accept embed codes. Post the play link as material or in an assignment; it opens the simulation full screen on any device.

Do students need a Simulic account?

No. They click the link in Classroom and the simulation runs. If you attached questions, they type a nickname to answer.

Do student answers go to the Classroom gradebook?

No. You see the answers on the Share page and can download a CSV, then record marks in Classroom yourself.

Should I use one link for all my classes?

Use one link per class. Each link keeps its own answers and play count, and several links can share one question set.

Can I use the same link in Microsoft Teams too?

Yes. The Share page has a Microsoft Teams button, and the same play link works anywhere you can post a URL.