Ms. May uses TeacherMade to create assignments to help prepare her students for the ACT.

Help prepare your students for the ACT with TeacherMade's interactive assignments

Every year in April, many juniors across Minnesota take the ACT test. It's a big deal! Teachers create remote lessons for grades 9, 10, and 12 because those students stay home on that important day for my 11th grade English students. 

The school pays for the test so that all juniors, regardless of taking any additional tests, will have at least one ACT score. So much goes into planning for that day. Teachers attend required training; student accommodations are considered; granola bars, mints, and water are purchased; and student desks are rearranged. I always feel that no matter how well thought out the testing logistics are, if students are not prepared, they are walking into a situation where they have a slim chance of success. In the last two years, TeacherMade has been essential in helping me prepare my students for the ACT test.

TeacherMade helps classrooms go digital to help students prepare for the ACT

All students at my school have a school-assigned Chromebook. But, it's up to teachers to decide how they want to use technology. Some prefer paper and pencil, some prefer digital, and some use a blend of both. Prior to the pandemic, I used mostly paper and pencil, but now I try to put everything online. It streamlines my lessons and keeps my assignments and grades transparent for students and their parents. Since most of my lessons are digital, using TeacherMade for ACT prep works perfectly.

Convert ACT practice resources into digital, interactive activities

Like many schools, our school has ACT practice resources that teachers can use in the classroom. Before TeacherMade, I would make copies of ACT practice passages for my students. The students would complete the assignment in class, we would correct it, and then discuss the answers together. It was not bad, but not all students were engaged. Some students tried their best and paid attention when the answers were discussed. They were genuinely curious to see how they did. Other students didn't care much and bubbled in any random answers. When the answers were discussed, they didn't care to see what they got wrong and why.

Digitize your practice exercises with TeacherMade

With TeacherMade, I was able to digitalize the practice exercises. After uploading the passages into TeacherMade, I used the Multiple Choice tool to create answer boxes for each question. When I assigned the practice, I chose the option that allows students to see their score — not the answer, just the score — on individual items when they submit the work. 

Provide instant student feedback with TeacherMade's auto-grading feature

In class, we typically do two rounds per practice passage. In the first round, I time the students to have a better sense of pacing. When time is up, the students submit their work. The students can see which ones they got wrong but aren't given the correct answers. Then as a class, we discuss the items that most students got wrong. If it's a silly mistake, we talk about it and try to be more aware of that test pattern on a future test. 

Help your students become more engaged in ACT prep

After the class discussion, I return and reset the assignment for the students. They get a second chance to redo the ones that they got wrong. Again, the students know which ones they got wrong but not the correct answers. With TeacherMade, my students became more engaged in the ACT prep exercises. From observing them and listening to their conversations, I noticed that they were proud of a good score or determined to improve a low score. TeacherMade makes ACT prep fun by gamifying the practice exercises.

Motivate your students to get better scores by offering instant feedback once they have submitted their assignment

I also use this same approach to other assignments, such as grammar, in general, or reading passages. Knowing which questions they got wrong forces students to slow down, reflect on their thought processes, and avoid careless mistakes and distractions. Students are motivated by seeing an instant score and more green boxes instead of red ones. (The red boxes mean they got the answers wrong, of course.) Students are naturally competitive, and using TeacherMade allows me to tap into their sense of competition.

TeacherMade lets you give instant feedback to your students

But it's not just students who benefit from my use of TeacherMade on ACT prep. One benefit is I don't have to correct all those practice exercises, which would take me a day or so to get back to the students. TeacherMade allows students to know their scores when they are most interested in knowing, which is seconds after submitting. Of course, I could have the students exchange papers, and I call out answers, but that does take a bit of time and doesn't have the same effect as when students can see their scores instantly upon submitting.

Learn which questions are challenging to your students with TeacherMade's auto-grading feature

The best and probably most important benefit is that auto-grading allows me to see which type of questions my students struggle with. For example, if I see that most students are incorrectly answering the questions about misplaced and dangling modifiers, I can prepare a quick lesson to address it or go into a more in-depth explanation. It's rewarding for my students and me to see them improve after a quick refresher about certain types of question patterns or tricky grammar rules. TeacherMade has certainly turned what could have been a dull lesson into a fun and engaging activity.

TeacherMade helps students prepare for the ACT through interactive, digital practice tests and assignments. The auto-grading feature gives students instant feedback.