ThinkCentral Teacher Outline

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  • www.k-6.thinkcentral.com (link on NACS website)
    • Guides and tutorials (PDF file)
      • Shows information on powerpoint tutorials to add classes etc.
      • Can save to H drive to refer back to later
      • Click on "Home page"
        • PDF that can be saved to H drive and printed for each student
          • Can access username and password from class roster
          • Same username and password as everything else at school EXCEPT Pearson
    • o Accounts
      • Make sure all k-5 boxes are checked for access to other grade level info
      • If you only want grade level, uncheck all other boxes
      • Update my products
        • Shows all materials paid for and available
        • Make sure all boxes are checked for access to everything
        • Also shows ISBN for reordering purposes
    • o Resources
      • Click reading, grade level, and ALL for language (NOT just English)
      • Can also search for specific information under "resources-search"
        • Grade level, and resource drop down menu
      • Can search for books in certain levels
        • Resources tab, search, readers online
        • Can search from books from all levels or genres, types, etc.
        • Make sure it's opening in acrobat reader, not an internet window
      • Teacher gateway
        • Click on arrow next to unit to go lesson by lesson
        • Green S icon sends resource to "Resource basket" to make available always
        • "I" icon just gives information about resource
        • Resources tab
          • Blue square with person inside= student materials
            • Students able to access materials on their page
        • Leveled Readers (be patient!)
          • Resources-readers-Journeys leveled readers
          • Sound may not work yet
          • Pops up with colored icons for each leveled readers
          • Open with acrobat reader, not internet window
          • Can save leveled books to desktop or H drive and can print
          • Can also save page with leveled readers to open in file
            • Can add sticky notes and resave to have come up later
        • Focus Wall
          • Resources-all resources-focus wall
          • Shows focus wall for each lesson
        • Student Book
          • Resources- all resources-student book (with blue box and person)
          • Opens up link for either book 1 or book 2
          • Click on Contents to see all lessons and information
          • Can click on sound icon for sound
          • Red ribbon bookmarks page to come back to another day
            • Click on gray ribbon in upper right corner of each page
            • If ribbon in upper right is red, it is saved as a bookmark
          • Page View
            • On left side of screen, change to 2-page view to go move left to right
            • Can make text larger in 1-page view, NOT 2-page
          • Notes
            • Can click and highlight words or parts of words and highlight in different colors
            • Can also click on words and add notes, then save for later (double click)
            • Click off to delete or click on highlighting to delete
        • Lessons tab under teacher gateway (along top)
          • Destination Reading
            • Click unit, lesson, at very bottom under "Student Resources"
            • Brings up games/activities for information in lesson
        • Write in Reader
          • All resources-intervention-write in reader
          • Brown book=contents
          • Can be 1 or 2 page view
          • Used for 6-18 months below but still using on-level skills and strategies
          • Turtle at bottom of page slows audio down or speaks at normal pace
          • Icon with page & sound symbol turns highlighter on and off while reading
          • Can change level of write-in reader
            • Go all the way out and change grade level at resources page, then click on teacher gateway again
        • Focus wall
          • All resources-teaching aides-customizable focus walls
          • Can customize focus wall posters
        • Audio Hub
          • All resources-video & audio-journeys audio hub
          • Click on student book, then story title
          • Brings up audio with no pictures/book
            • Can listen while following along in own book
        • Grammar Snap Videos
          • Above audio hub
          • Select grade level, click on desired lesson/topic
        • Write Smart
          • All resources-interactive content-write smart
          • Interactive graphic organizers
            • Can print all types of organizers
          • Interactive student models
            • Can explore different types of writing and the different parts (organization, voice, sentence fluency, etc)
            • Can show as examples
              • Each example has a strong and weak model of the writing type
              • Can compare the two models and click on introduction, etc to show differences
            • Can show different levels of writing but would need to go in each grade level to show differences
              • Ex: can go into grade 5 to show example but would need to go back into 3rd grade to show grade level example
      • Classes & Students
        • Class- manage
        • Click on bubble next to name and click on "edit class…"
          • Make sure all boxes are checked then click "assign students…"
            • Can filter students by grade to cut down on number of students available.
            • Near top of page as drop down menu
            • Must click on EACH student and click "Add>"
            • Once all students have been moved to right side "class roster", can click done
        • To find Class Roster
          • Click on bubble next to name and click on "View Class Roster"
          • Will show usernames and passwords for each student to access Journeys online information
                • Unit, Benchmark, and Weekly tests can be taken online
                  • Assignments
                    • Add a Test
                      • Assignments-add a test (in menu)
                        • Select subject (reading), grade level, and resource then "find"
                        • Select box of desired test, then assign
                        • Give assignment name and directions
                        • Use drop down menu to select class
                        • Give dates for test to be available
                          • Might want to give larger window for test to be available in case of make-ups
                          • Can allow assessment to be open 24 hrs or can designate specific times to be open each day.
                        • DON'T have to assign password
                        • Sections & Questions
                          • Click on "Select Questions"
                          • Can see and select questions for test
                            • EX: can uncheck all but vocabulary to just give vocabulary test
                        • Click on Save
                        • Next screen shows info about test created
                        • Once test has been completed, can view report
                          • Go back to summary of test, click on Results & Prescriptions to see quickly who mastered and who did not.