If you have not yet explored the Independent Reading Library, take a moment, either in teacher mode or student mode to find some of the current event articles available. This is a great place to assign students an “Article of the Week” or independent reading assignments. More importantly, they can even track their reading with the included Reading Log.
Students can add articles of interest to their texts from the catalog. Once they complete a reading assignment, they can enter it in their reading log which asks them to include the title, genre, and website (if applicable). It also asks them to track the time it took them to read the article (great for goal setting and tracking of a SMART goal). Finally, students can review the article. What a great way for students to share their reading and complete a written review.
The Independent Reading catalog can also be used in conjunction with the Research Project where students can compile their research. Finding articles in the Independent Reading catalog is a great place to start with research. Many are linked directly to outside news sources and students can then grab the URL to add to their research project. Now they are ready to annotate, add notes, and more.
For more on using Actively Learn, check out our past blog posts. If you would like classroom support, please contact your Ed Tech TOSA.
BITS AND PIECES 