Free Play - Giving Students Access to all Courses

Free Play - Giving Students Access to all Courses

By default, 'Free Play' is switched 'off'

As a teacher, you have access to all the courses. Students, by default do not, but if for any reason you want to allow your students freely to access any course (to ‘dip in’) (in addition to Supershark and/or any work you have set), you will need to grant them this free access to all courses. 

Examples of why you might use Free Play

  1. to prevent a pupil being forced to take a spell check game
  2. for students using Supershark - to give them the option of more practice at specific words before being tested (all the games with 'check' in the title test the student and decide if they should be moved on or not)
  3. to allow the more able spellers free choice when at home once they have completed any set work
  4. to give an extra option during holidays if your students work in Supershark in term time.

How to turn 'on' Free Play 

  1. Go to Groups and Users and select your group of students 'Manage Groups' or individual students 'Manage Students', and turn on the slider for Free Play (all courses). 
  2. Choose the 'Select Courses' option to choose the courses for the students to access.

  • After you have turned this on, a grey Switch button will appear next to the Supershark button on the student’s dashboard.
    1. When your students log in, they have the option to click on the Switch button. From here they can click on Change course if necessary. You would need to give them instructions and practice in where you would like them to focus.


    Add Free Play alongside Supershark and Set Work...

    Supershark + Free Play:   Teachers can add 'Free Play' - access to all courses:  Edit group/student details to have Free Play switched ON

    Supershark + Set Work + Free Play:  Teachers can assign 'Set Work' and select 'Free Play' - access to all courses


    Checking progress

    1. Choose Student progress tab
    2. Set up the dropdowns  (choose All if you want a group report)
    3. Choose the course you wish to report on (For ALL the default course will be 'Wordshark course - Supershark'

    4. Choose the period for the report then 'Run report'
      For more information on student reports see here 
    As the progress reports are based on the spell check games, there will be no records if a pupil does not choose/happen to play a spell check game. In this instance, to check progress you would need to use the 'Game Play' report to see where errors are being made.        




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