Finding Articles
Steps
1. Click “Browse”
2. Click “Articles and Texts”
3. Use drop-down filters to find the article you want
4. Click “Read Article” to be sure your school wifi network allows access
Information
Every Zinc Article is paired with a short, rigorous quiz (3-5 questions), an optional 10-word vocabulary activity, and an optional writing prompt.
Quizzes require students to type in a quick prediction before unlocking the multiple choice answer options.
Students receive immediate feedback on their answers, along with an explanation of why they were correct or incorrect.
Most articles are hosted on other websites. Make sure to click through before assigning to be sure students will be able to access the text.
Tips
Use the “Article Sets” drop-down filter to find SpringBoard Article Sets. Select "2021 SpringBoard Curriculum Support" or “CA/2018 SpringBoard Curriculum Support” if you teach in California.
Use the “Standards” drop-down filter to find articles that have at least one quiz question that maps to that standard.
Assigning Articles
Steps
1. Click “Assign”
2. Choose either “Entire Class” or “Select Student(s)” and begin typing the name of the class or student in the field below. Click the correct option.
3. You can add assignment instructions in the “Type a note” field, but you don’t have to.
4. Select either “In Class Assignment” or “Homework Assignment.” These are only labels and do not affect the assignment itself.
5. Select “Assign Article Vocab Games” and/or “Assign Article Writing Prompt.”
6. If you choose to assign vocabulary games, you will see additional options.
Tracking Article Progress and Scores
Via the Assignments Page
1. Click “My Zinc,” the “Assignments
2. Use the “View Report” button to view student progress and find scores
3. You can also use the notepad icon to edit your note, or the trashcan icon to delete the assignment.
Via the Reports Page
1. Click “My Zinc”, then “Reports”
2. Under “Class Assignments Performance Report,” select the class
3. Then, select “Articles Report”
4. Select the Article Report you’d like to view
5. Use the report to:
View quiz scores
Track vocabulary progress
Grade writing prompts
Finding Vocabulary
Steps
1. Click “Browse”
2. Click “Vocabulary”
3. Use drop-down filters and search field to find vocabulary sets. Select either "2021 SpringBoard" or "CA/2018 SpringBoard" if you teach in California.
4. Preview vocabulary to make sure the words are correct
Information
Each vocabulary word is paired with an image, a definition, a sample sentence, and a synonym.
The games are simple matching or fill-in-the-blank activities.
Students receive points for doing the actions in the games.
The left hand column of vocabulary sets are created by Zinc Learning Labs. The right hand column sets are created by other teachers who use Zinc.
Tips
To find SpringBoard-related vocabulary sets, use the drop-down menu or search for the title of the text.
If you’d like us to add a word to our vocabulary library, use this button to fill out a Google Form. It usually takes one to two weeks to add new words.
Assigning Vocabulary
Steps
Find a set
Click “Assign”
Select your preferred options (either the same for the entire class or student by student)
Assignment Options
Spaced Repetition
Assigns the same vocabulary set to students six times over a minimum two month period.
The wait time between exposures increases from a 24 hour wait between the first and second exposure to a 48 hour wait between the second and third exposure, until between fifth and sixth exposure, students must wait an entire month.
Spaced Repetition is extremely effective for long term memory storage of vocabulary words, but can be challenging to implement.
Forced Restart
If a student makes any mistake during a vocabulary game, they must restart at the beginning.
This is effective at promoting automaticity, but can be frustrating for many students.
Forced Restart is difficult to implement during class time because students will finish at very different times.
Timer
This puts a short timer on each round of the vocabulary game.
This is effective at promoting automaticity, but can be frustrating for many students.
Some IEPs specify that students should not be given timed activities.
Assign with Spanish Supports
This option shows the vocabulary word in English, but the definition, sample sentence, and synonym are all in Spanish.
This is only available for a limited number of vocabulary words.
Look for the ES icon to determine if a set includes Spanish Supports.
Tracking Vocabulary Progress
Via the Assignments Page
1. Click “My Zinc,” the “Assignments
2. Use the “View Report” button to view student progress and find scores
3. You can also use the notepad icon to edit your note, or the trashcan icon to delete the assignment.
Via the Reports Page
1. Click “My Zinc”, then “Reports”
2. Under “Class Assignments Performance Report,” select the class
3. Then, select “Vocabulary Report”
4. Select the Vocabulary Report you’d like to view
5. Use the report to:
Track vocabulary set completion (note: vocabulary activities do not receive scores. Most people grade on completion.)
Keep track of Spaced Repetition progress