💡 To learn more about NoRedInk's benefits for English Learners, check out this article: How NoRedInk supports English Learners.

NoRedInk is a powerful tool to help your English learners develop English grammar skills and become more confident writers! Teachers have found the following strategies useful for getting the most out of the program and meeting their learners' needs.

Help students access NoRedInk with language supports

NoRedInk offers several scaffolds that can lower language barriers for English learners to confidently complete assignments. Text-to-Speech and simple English definitions for words students don't know are available for all users. Two translation supports—single-word translation and translation of question directions—can be toggled on by teachers for individual students. Learn more about these language scaffolds in this overview article.

Identify learners' needs with diagnostics

NoRedInk offers simple ways to provide your English learners (ELs) with explicit instruction and targeted practice on essential language skills.

We recommend you start by assigning a Planning Diagnostic to determine which skills your students need to practice. Planning Diagnostics help you gather data on student performance across various topics.

- You can choose from our pre-made diagnostics in the Planning Diagnostic library.
- You can also create custom diagnostics tailored to your specific classroom needs.

💡 You can use the grade level filter in the drop-down menu to select topics appropriate for your students' proficiency levels.

After identifying your students' areas of improvement, you can plan which Units to teach throughout the year. You can learn about planning and creating a Unit here!

Use standards alignments to target skills your students need

Leverage our Standards & Tests library to find activities that are most relevant for English learners. NoRedInk offers both state standards and several English learner proficiency standards.

Access your Assignment Library by selecting Browse and Assign at the top of your dashboard.
Select the Standards & Tests section and check out your state standards and any English learner standards that are relevant to your state: WIDA, Texas ELPS, Arizona ELPS, and California EL standards.
You can then explore topics by recommended grade level.

💡 NoRedInk also offers English learner proficiency test alignments on the Standards & Tests page, with sample writing items from real exams for students to practice with.

It can also be helpful to start with more basic skills for English learners. When assigning Practice topics from Skill Building Modules, you can use the organization of those modules to build a helpful scope and sequence for English learners:

Use tutorials to provide students with explicit instruction on a new concept.
First, assign Scaffolding Practice to give students practice in foundational skills.
Next, assign Core Practice to build on those foundational skills and master the objective of the module.
When students are ready, have them apply the skill to more complex assignments, like writing.

Here are some Skill-Building Modules that may be especially helpful for English learners:

💡 If you select a specific activity in the Assignment Library, such as Practice, Quiz, or a Diagnostic, you will also have the option to filter topics to assign by recommended grade level!

Pre-teach and re-teach concepts

NoRedInk is most effective when paired with teacher-led instruction:

Pre-teach concepts: Before students begin working on NoRedInk, provide direct instruction on the relevant language points.
Review key rules: Even if students are familiar with the concepts, a quick review will reinforce understanding.
Assess prerequisite knowledge: Consider whether students need to understand specific grammatical terms or concepts before starting a module or topic (e.g., students should know what nouns are before working on adjectives).
Identify key vocabulary: Skim through NoRedInk's built-in lessons to see if there's any vocabulary or concepts you may need to pre-teach.

Help students consolidate their knowledge by revisiting topics they practiced earlier in the course. Even if students have already mastered a topic, you can assign a Refresher Quiz to give them some extra practice and make sure they're still confident with the material.

Model answering questions for the class

Before students start their individual Practice, we recommend going through a few questions as a whole class to make sure students understand both the instructions and the question interface! This will help students feel more confident using the site and stop them from getting stuck because they don't know how to answer the questions. You can select the eye icon to preview the topic.

You can learn more about pre-teaching and showing students lessons in this article!

Look for topics with tutorials

In addition to lessons, some NoRedInk topics have interactive tutorials. These tutorials break concepts down into smaller steps and also include one or two practice questions to help students check their understanding before they start practicing. For these reasons, tutorials are a great tool for ELs. If you see a footsteps icon next to a topic, there is an interactive tutorial included!

View tutorial icon highlighted.png

When you assign Practice on a topic with an interactive tutorial, students will automatically see this tutorial before they begin practicing. If students want to view the tutorial again while they're practicing, they can select the question mark icon next to the directions.

View tutorial icon during a Practice assignment.png

💡 Want to see a full list of NoRedInk topics that have interactive tutorials? Check out this article!

Offer low-stakes writing assignments

Quick Writes are engaging and low-stakes prompts that can help English learners build fluency and writing confidence. Once students have a foundation, you can increase the complexity of assignments; try Guided Short Response next, and eventually build up to Guided Essays.

Differentiate assignments to meet English learners' needs

Keep in mind that English learners typically face higher demands than their peers on any given task, especially those that are complex. When creating assignments for ELs, consider scaffolds or approaches that will make the work feel manageable and help students feel successful.

Make the lessons for the topic accessible to students

To give your English learners some extra support, let them refer to the lessons while they're practicing. You could project the lessons on your board, print them out for students, or even get students to take pictures of them on their phones!

Students can also access lessons by clicking "Learn" at the top of the page. More information on how students can practice independently is available here: How do I practice topics on my own?

Assign short assignments

Try not to assign too many different topics at once; an assignment with a large number of topics can easily become overwhelming! Instead, let your English learners focus on mastering just one or two topics at a time.

If you teach an inclusion class or mixed-ability ELs, you can differentiate assignments to ensure that all students are working on the material that will help them most. For more information on how to create work for individual students or the whole class, check out this article!

Set time limits for Practice

Because NoRedInk Practice requires students to keep going until they answer enough questions correctly, some students may spend longer on a topic than others.

If you're worried about students spending too long on Practice, give them a time limit.

Tell them to practice for a certain number of minutes and then stop.
They can always come back later and start from where they left off; their progress will be saved automatically!

Try using NoRedInk as part of your classroom routine. 10-15 minutes of focused practice a few times a week can go a long way.

Encourage peer teaching

Let your students work together on NoRedInk so they can learn from each other!

If you teach an inclusion class, proficient English speakers can help students whose level of English is lower.
Your more advanced students can reinforce their knowledge by explaining concepts to their peers, and your ELs will get the extra support they need.

You can also encourage English learners to help each other! Once ELs have mastered a topic, they can share the strategies that worked for them. You can explore some of our strategies for using NoRedInk in the classroom here.

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Strategies for using NoRedInk with English Learners