Step 1: Log in to Wordshark Online

1. Click on the link provided in your email or copy and paste the unique URL into a web browser – Google Chrome is recommended.

1. Enter your email as your username - as shown in the email.

1. Once you have changed your password you need to sign back in immediately.

 Step 2: Follow the step-by-step assistant for your groups and students

1. After selecting the Start Set Up button, a step-by step-assistant guides you through your initial set-up.                               

1. Firstly you will need to check/edit your personal details.
   

1. The next screens will show you any group(s) and students that have already been set up for you by the Administrator. You can ADD to these if you wish. (But to edit them, use the Groups & Users tab once in the program).
   

1. Groups are the basis for managing the program. Groups can be any suitable group such as a work group, class, club etc
   
2. Every teacher and student has to be assigned to a group. A student may be in more than one group, and teachers can share groups.        Teachers only see their own groups plus any they share.
   

1. At any time later, you can add/edit your groups and students under Groups & Users. 

1. Information buttons, and the question mark top right of the main screens provide help.
   

Step 3: Distribute Login Details to Students

1. You will then be given the student login details to print out in a labels format to hand out.

1. You can access these again at any time under Groups & Users/Student Logins including individually saved to clipboard.

1. You may need to help your students to bookmark your unique Wordshark login page - including on their home devices to access the program in future. Alternatively, from the login screen you can create a shortcut – or download one to save to your desktop.

Step 4: Students’ journey  

1. Firstly all students are automatically given a Shark Challenge (adaptive assessment and placement test) - please don’t allow any prompts when they are taking this.

1. They will then be suitably placed in Supershark mode (automatic progression) - but you can change their Supershark unit level any time under Set work/Change Level - Supershark. Take a look at the Wordshark Course (click here), for an overview of Supershark's structured progression.

Step 5: Day to day usage

1. Stick with the default Supershark course for the first two weeks for your students (though you as teacher can access all the alternative courses) 

1. Students are given differing sets of games (with an optional reward game every third game).

1. They are moved through the course sequentially – generally they need 85% or higher accuracy in a spelling game with ‘check’ in the title (a spelling test) to move to the next list.

1. The students should look at their new target words (under My play words) every time they move to a new list.

1. Use a printout of the Wordshark/Supershark course to plan realistic targets for your students to aim for.  Supershark follows the Wordshark course – but with automatic progression built in.

1. Aim to use the program X3 per week.  This could be during lessons, homework and clubs - to fit in with the school’s timetable.

1. Reports are updated overnight so daily progress will show up the following day.

Additional features exist including set work, other courses, own lists to explore once you and your students are up and running.

You may notice some changes from time to time as the program is constantly being improved.