Create and Assign a Custom Lesson

Custom Lessons allow you to combine ThinkCERCA's framework for teaching critical thinking and expressing arguments with readings and writing prompts of your own creation.

How to Create a Custom Lesson

From the Classes page:

1. Navigate to the Classes page to see a list of all your classes.
2. Click on one of your classes.
3. Under the “Bookmarks & More” area of your class Planner, you will see a prompt to “Create a custom lesson.”  
4. Click this link to start lesson creation.
   

From the Library:

1. Go to the "ThinkCERCA" Tab.
2. You will find a "Custom Lessons" row.
3. Click on the + icon to start the lesson creation.
   

Once you are in the Creation form:

1. Enter the title of your custom lesson.
2. Enter the key question of your lesson.
3. Select a rubric for the appropriate grade level.
4. Copy your selected reading and paste it into the “Lesson Reading” section. Make sure to document the author of the reading.
5. Once you have completed these fields, select “Submit” to create your Custom Lesson.

How to Assign a Custom Lesson

From the Classes page:

1. Navigate to the Class Planner page by clicking on a Class from the Classes page.
2. Beneath the “Bookmarks & More” label you will see any Custom Lessons you have already created.
3. Select the “View” button.
   

From the Library:

1. Go to the "ThinkCERCA" Tab.
2. You will find a "Custom Lessons" row.
3. Click on any of the created custom lesson tiles to open the detail view.

Once you are on the lesson detail page:

1. You will be taken to the Lesson Detail page of the Custom Lesson.  Select “Assign Lesson” and follow the prompts to assign the lesson to any class or group of students.
2. Once you are on the lesson detail page you can click “Assign” and follow the steps to assign any lesson.

Note: The student view of Custom Lesson text is similar to that of Writing Lessons, except that the process is three steps: Engage with the Text, Build an Argument, and Create a CERCA.