Searching for a enjoyable, interactive option to align math follow along with your curriculum? Prodigy is a free, partaking and curriculum-aligned math platform for college students in grades 1–8 that adapts to every pupil’s studying wants, providing customized follow that helps reinforce key ideas in an thrilling approach. First grade instructor Kellie Barragan says it’s a recreation changer in her classroom. “My college students completely love Prodigy. They’re motivated, excited, and don’t even notice they’re studying!”
Whether or not you’re utilizing it throughout middle time, as additional follow at dwelling, or for check prep, Prodigy retains college students engaged whereas reinforcing expertise they should succeed. Right here’s why Prodigy is our newest Instructor Decide and why Kellie believes it’s essential instrument for any classroom.
What grades and topics do you assume Prodigy works greatest for?
I feel Prodigy is nice for youngsters round 6 years outdated as much as center faculty age, perhaps as much as age 12 or so. I imagine Prodigy works properly for each math and language arts as a result of it’s so partaking. College students really feel like they’re enjoying a online game—one they’d select to play on their very own, even outdoors of college.
Inform us about the way you used Prodigy in your classroom.
First, I assign all college students the diagnostic placement evaluation. Then, I permit Prodigy to adapt to the person wants of every pupil based mostly on their areas of progress. I’ve studying facilities 3 times every week. Throughout middle time, college students all the time have one rotation the place they play Prodigy for 10 to fifteen minutes. We even have “expertise time” on Thursdays, the place college students can play quite a lot of tutorial video games for about 25 to half-hour. Prodigy is among the choices, and it’s a highly regarded selection!
I ship dwelling login data with my college students and arrange their Intelligent accounts to allow them to entry and play Prodigy at dwelling for additional follow. Over faculty breaks, I encourage my college students and their households to proceed utilizing Prodigy for studying. I ship reminder messages about this useful resource. Lastly, if I discover a ability that college students want additional follow with, I assign that particular ability (e.g., place worth) as a problem or task.
I haven’t performed it but, however I plan to make use of the “Fast Quiz” characteristic the day earlier than a math check. It might be a enjoyable and interesting option to evaluation our content material.
How simple was Prodigy to make use of and implement in your classroom?
Prodigy was so simple to implement in my classroom. I simply added it into my Intelligent account, imported my class checklist from Google Classroom, assigned the diagnostic evaluation, and we had been able to go. It in all probability took lower than 5 minutes to arrange. Then, I simply needed to present my college students what the Prodigy icon seemed like for them to search out it in Intelligent, and that was it!
Does this product align with any particular requirements or curriculum pointers that you realize of?
In my classroom, we use Prodigy for math follow, and I’ve seen my college students have interaction with video games that align with most of the requirements I educate. It covers 1st grade Frequent Core requirements, together with operations and algebraic considering, the place college students resolve issues with addition and subtraction, and understanding place worth for including and subtracting. Prodigy additionally helps measurement and knowledge requirements like measuring lengths, telling time, and deciphering knowledge. These are just some of the requirements I’ve noticed it addressing at school.
How did your college students react to Prodigy?
The primary day I launched Prodigy in my classroom, it took college students a few minute to determine they liked it. I heard exclamations like, “I like this one!” and “Can we play this once more tomorrow?!” That afternoon, after college students went dwelling, I obtained a number of dad or mum messages asking how their little one might entry the mathematics recreation with “the orange P” icon to play at dwelling. As quickly as I knowledgeable households that Prodigy had been added to our Intelligent account, I seen the variety of right solutions on my instructor web page improve.
What makes Prodigy particular or distinctive in comparison with different math assets you’ve used?
I used to be completely floored by how a lot my college students loved Prodigy from the very minute they started to make use of this recreation. Prodigy is a time-saving, standards-aligned educational instrument that engages college students with gamified studying they beg to play. As a instructor who has a number of expertise in instructing youngsters of a main age, I perceive how vital play-based studying could be for pupil success. Anytime I can “trick” youngsters into studying, I’m all for it!
What had been the highest two options you favored most about Prodigy?
I like how Prodigy mechanically differentiates instruction for every pupil based mostly on their efficiency on the diagnostic evaluation. This ensures that concentrate on areas are addressed and gives additional follow to spice up college students’ scores and efficiency. I additionally respect the sturdy reporting options, which assist me perceive each particular person and class-level efficiency. These stories permit me to customise lesson plans for each whole-group and small-group math instruction.
Take a look at Kellie’s video evaluation:
Instructor Picks is a sponsored program obtainable from We Are Academics. All opinions shared within the evaluation are trustworthy and based mostly on the instructor’s direct expertise. To study extra about our pointers and evaluation course of, click on right here.
