Learn how to navigate the basics of Actively Learn, an interactive e-reading platform that promotes deeper engagement and critical thinking as they read for both class assignments and for their own independent needs.
3. Set up your
account
Distinguish yourself as
a teacher and input
your school’s
information to
connect with teachers
and students.
You can also sign up
using accounts you
already use, such as
Google, Clever, Edmodo,
and Office 365 to make
account managing more
convenient
4. o Create a new class and invite students via email
o Students can create their own Actively Learn profiles and
enter your class via the unique class code
o Now it’s time to add content for your class to read!
CreateA
Class
5. oAdd material to your
classes by selecting
sources from the catalog
oBegin by setting filters by
genre, subject, reading
level, page count, or
choose a bundled set
oScroll through titles to find
reliably-sourced texts that
best fit your curriculum
Navigate theCatalog
Wow, Actively Learn has so
many different kinds of
sources to choose from!
6. Catalog
Features
o Click on the picture of the
document to open a short
information page.
o This includes the author,
page count, introduction,
shortcuts to related texts,
and any “featured
assignment” included in the
document.
o Featured Assignments
come with questions and
annotations to help students
meet CommonCore
standards.
o Choose to either preview the
document or select it to be
saved into your workspace.
Actively Learn
also gives you
links to
suggested
documents
that other
teachers have
paired while
teaching
7. o Once you decide to add a text, click SELECT to add it to
yourWorkspace.
o After adding a text, you can either keep searching for
additional sources or go to your workspace to further
customize and sort your new material
Add aText to
Your
Workspace
8. Select ADD CONTENT to search the catalog, import
your own content, and create quizzes
ASSIGN texts in your workspace to specific classes
Select COLLABORATE to send resources to
colleagues, co-author comments and questions with
colleagues, or add documents to your school’s library
Add LABELS to texts for better organization of lesson
ideas and coursework within your overallWorkspace
Do MORE with these texts, such as duplicating,
editing introductory material, overviewing copyright
licenses, and merging assignments
Also search your Workspace for specific
documents, or sort your content by title,
author, or label
Workspace Features
9. o View class roster
o Create, manage, and individualize assignments
o Lock documents to prevent students from reading texts ahead
of the class
o View grades for the whole class and for individuals
o Monitor class activity, such as time spent reading and questions
answered (paid plans only)
o Assess student proficiency and vocabulary within assigned
readings (paid plans only)
Navigate theClass
Dashboard
11. oOpen the document to view
Common Core-aligned
annotations and questions
created by Actively Learn
educators.
oYou can choose to download
a version of the text that is
completely blank, or edit the
pre-set layers to your needs.
GettingStartedStudent directions, questions, and the text are located
in the main screen space, but a significant amount of
space is left in the margins to make room for student
annotations, teacher comments, and student-centered
discussions
12. Exit the document
Edit text settings for digital reading comfort
Get notifications about new student actions
Quickly access notes and questions, or print the document
Jump to
notations within
the text
Manage questions within the text:
Check how each question addresses Common Core
standards
Mark questions for grading purposes
Filter and sort responses by student
Revise student answers and provide feedback in
real time
On paid plans, you can have access to
in-depth student reports to help with
assessment
QUICKTOOLS WITHIN
THE DOCUMENT
13. Add pre-reading questions to help prep students for a
deeper level of engagement and critical thinking within
the text…
… And ask questions that break the
text into chunks for deeper analysis
and assessment.
You can also pose
questions to provoke
thought in the margins as
annotations
AskingQuestions
14. Ask short answer, multiple
choice, and poll-styled
questions Encourage student
collaboration and
discussion within the
question sections.
15. Highlight any segment of text to create a color-
coded note for modeling annotation skills and
prompt discussion among classmates
Students can highlight text to flag material they
don’t understand, have it read to them, and even
have it translated, in addition to taking notes.
Annotating theText
16. Color code notes based on
your ideas using themes
like Main Ideas, Author’s
Purpose, Evaluate
Argument, and My
Thoughts to scaffold good
annotation and thinking
critically while reading
Teachers and students can also
participate in student-led
discussions by replying to
comments.
Add media such asYouTube videos and slideshows to
comments and annotations for more background
17. Congratulations, you now
have the skills to help
foster a better student
reading experience on
Actively Learn!
Actively Learn has many features that you can now explore on
your own to create the experience that is best for your
students and classroom. Enjoy!