Quick Add Record a Lesson

Record a lesson using Quick Add

Summary: Quick Add is the fastest way to document a lesson you have just presented. It lives at the top of every page, so you can record an observation in the moment without navigating away. Click Quick Add, choose the Record Lesson tab, then fill in visibility, date, student(s), the lesson name, its elements, and an assessment level. Add notes if you want, then click Save. The entry appears in your activities feed, where you can edit or delete it.

Who can do this

Any teacher can record a lesson for the children in their classroom. No special role is required.

Step-by-step

1. Open Quick Add. Click the Quick Add button at the top of the page, then select the Record Lesson tab.
2. Set the visibility. This defaults to Shared with parents. See "Understanding visibility" below for exactly what that does, and how to make an entry private.
3. Add a photo (optional). You can attach a photo to the entry. This is optional and can be skipped.
4. Choose the date. The date defaults to today, but you can set any date in the past, present, or future.
5. Select the child or children. Choose a single child, several children for a group lesson, or select all children in the classroom at once.
6. Choose the lesson. Start typing the lesson name (for example, "brown stair") and select it from the list that appears.
7. Review the elements. Once a lesson is selected, its elements appear. Elements are the measurable learning objectives tied to that material. They are selected for you by default, and you can check or uncheck them to reflect exactly what the child worked on.
8. Set the assessment level. Mark where the child is on the assessment scale (for example, presented, working, or mastered). See "Understanding the assessment scale" below.
9. Add notes (optional). You can add a shared note, a private note, or both. See "Shared notes vs. private notes" below.
10. Save. Click Save. The entry is recorded.
11. Confirm in the activities feed. Your new entry appears in the activities feed, showing the lesson, the assessment level, any photo, and your notes. You can edit or delete it from this view.

Understanding visibility

The visibility setting defaults to Shared with parents. This is the part teachers most often misread, so it is worth being precise.

• Shared with parents means the entry is eligible to appear on an activity report, if your school uses the activity report feature. It does not push the entry out to parents in real time. Nothing is sent the moment you save.
• Private means the entry will never be shared with parents. To make an entry private, toggle Shared with parents off. You will see the background shading change from yellow to white, which confirms the entry is now private.

Understanding the assessment scale

The assessment scale records where the child is with the material. The standard levels are:

• Presented — the lesson has been presented to the child.
• Working — the child is practicing and working with the material.
• Mastered — the child has mastered the material.

Your school can customize this assessment scale in the school profile. That is done by an administrator and is covered in a separate article.

Shared notes vs. private notes

When you record a lesson, you can add two kinds of notes, and the difference matters:

• Shared note — shown to parents in the activity report.
• Private note — for your records only. It is never visible to parents at any point.

A few things worth knowing

• The date can be backdated or set in the future, so you can record a lesson after the fact or plan ahead.
• Selecting all children is the quickest way to record a whole-group lesson in one entry.
• Elements are pre-selected for convenience, but unchecking the ones that do not apply gives you a more accurate record of what each child actually worked on.
• Everything you record is editable. If you make a mistake, find the entry in the activities feed and edit or delete it.

Related articles

• Customizing your school's assessment scale
• Activity reports: how and when entries reach parents
• Editing or deleting an entry from the activities feed

Watch the video

Here is a short video covering this topic for additional reference.