Creating an Assignment

Step-by-Step Instructions  

1. From the landing page of your Teacher Dashboard, select the Create button.

2. Image: In step 1 of the assignment creation flow, you will select an image to use. You can filter our image bank by:

• Grade Level: You can select multiple grade bands from PK-2, 1-2, 3-5, 6-8, or 9-12
• Subject Area: You can select 1 or more subjects from ELA, Math, Science, Social Studies, or ELA
• Keyword/Image Search: To narrow further, you can also search by keyword (such as weather, library, culture, etc.). For best results, use a single keyword in your search. For example, search 'Egypt' if you're looking for images related to Ancient Egyptian civilizations.
•  Task Type(s): You can filter by one or more specific task types. 

When you have found the image you are looking for, select it so it is highlighted in blue. Your selected image will also appear in the top right corner of your page. 

Select Next to move to step 2.

3. Instructions: In step 2 of the assignment creation flow, you will select:

• Title: Pick a custom title that will show up on your students' landing page
• Speaking and Writing Prompt: Decide what your students will see for instructions in the assignment. There are several options based on your preferences to type and/or record the prompt:
  • If you write one prompt, it will be the same for speaking and writing
  • If you select the checkbox below the image titled "Create a Separate Writing Prompt", you will have the ability to create a prompt for speaking and a separate prompt for writing
• If you do not wish to create a custom prompt, the assignment will use the default prompt:
  “Talk about the image. When you are ready to speak, tell as much as you can.” (Speaking)
  “Write about the image. When you are ready, write as much as you can.” (Writing)

Select Next when you are ready to continue.

4. Details: In step 3 of the assignment creation flow, you will:

• Assign to Class(es) or Group(s). You can select multiple classes or groups by checking the box next to each class/group name. 
• Select the Date Range of when the assignment will be available to students (must be open at least one day)
• Check if you would like for students to have the ability to go back during the assignment.

• Check if you would like this assignment to be Marked as Practice.

  • Practice assignment submissions are excluded from the overall grading count but remain available in the grading queue under Practice Assignments.

You can confirm all other assignment details in the purple highlighted section. Selecting the Pencil (Edit) Icon will allow you to make changes to these details. 

When you are all finished with step 3 and are ready to send your students the assignment, select Create Assignment.

If a student is rostered in more than one of the classes you selected, they will receive the assignment multiple times. When this happens, you’ll see a Duplicate Student Warning before editing the assignment.

This message ensures you’re aware that:

• The student will have multiple copies of the assignment.

• You will see the student listed multiple times in the submissions view.

Select Confirm if you would like to continue, or select Cancel to adjust your selected classes or use Groups for more targeted assigning.

5. After you have created your assignment, you will be taken back to your Assignments page. From here, you can reference past, current, and upcoming assignments you have scheduled. You can also go back and edit, change the dates, and update details of the assignment here. 

Video Walkthrough 

Assignment FAQs 

• Q: Can I suggest an image to be added to the image bank? 
  • A: Yes! You can suggest an image at any time by going to our Support Page and clicking Suggest an  Image (direct link can be found here). If approved, please allow at least two weeks for the image to be created and added into the image bank. 
• Q: Can a co-teacher or paraprofessional see my assignment?  
  • A: Yes. If a secondary teacher is added to a custom class, they can view and score all assignments in that class. To use the same assignment in another class, they would need to recreate it manually.
• Q: Can I share an assignment with another teacher at my district in the platform?  
  • A: At this time, teachers cannot share an assignment with another teacher in the district directly within the platform.  To use the same assignment in another class, teachers would need to recreate it manually.
• Q: I am looking for some prompt ideas. Do you have any assignments that are already created? 
  • A: Yes! The Teacher Toolbox includes Pathways aligned to different grade levels and content areas. Each Pathway includes a topic/theme, an image, a prompt, and scaffold suggestions. You can also find prompt ideas in our weekly newsletter, The Educator Beacon.
     
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