In This Article:
Part 1: 👋 Welcome! Best Practices for a Successful Training
To get the most out of your live onboarding, we highly recommend a few things:
💻 Use Individual Computers: Try to have your own computer or laptop. This lets you actively engage with the content and practice hands-on.
Camera On! (Please!): We highly recommend turning your camera on. It fosters a real sense of connection, helps trainers see your reactions, and makes the whole experience more personal and inclusive.
Engage & Interact: This isn't a lecture! Actively participate in discussions, polls, and breakout sessions. It's the best way to learn.
Seek Clarification: If something is unclear, please ask! Trainers are there to help you.
Reflect & Apply: Think about how you can apply what you're learning to your specific classroom.
Part 2: 🔑 Joining Your Course (For Manually Rostered Teachers)
If your school does not use Clever or ClassLink, your very first step is to join your school's main course.
Get Your Code: You must get a Course Access Code (or subscription code) from your ChalkTalk Account Manager or by emailing support@chalktalk.com.
Join the Course: Once you have the code, log in.
Method A (Pop-Up): On the pop-up screen, select "Create or Join Course" and enter your code.
Method B (Nav Bar): If you closed the pop-up, just click the "Join Section or Create Course" tab on your main navigation bar and enter the code there.
Next Steps: Once your code is accepted, you can start creating your own class sections!
Part 3: 🧭 The ChalkTalk Training Guide (An Overview)
What is ChalkTalk? ChalkTalk is the only software that converts K12 curricula (like SAT, ACT, and Illustrative Math) into daily lesson plans that adapt to your school schedule. Every lesson plan comes with teaching materials for you and personalized practice for your students.
How do teachers use ChalkTalk?
Introduce students to the program.
Administer the first practice (diagnostic) test.
Analyze the skill level report to set goals.
Choose and teach lessons based on data.
Administer a second diagnostic to analyze growth.
Part 4: 👟 Your First Three Days: A Step-by-Step Plan
Here is a simple plan for your first three days using ChalkTalk. (Image placeholder for "The First Three Days")
Day 1: Ensure that all students have access and are able to log in successfully. We recommend using this day to go through an introduction lesson to familiarize students with ChalkTalk and highlight the importance of the platform.
Day 2: Administer the 1st practice test.
Day 3: Review the results, set goals, and teach your first lesson!
Part 5: 📚 Understanding Your Lesson Materials
The diversity of materials gives you 2-3 days of content for every single skill, empowering you to choose what works best for your class.
Lesson Notes (Primary Material): This is the most important resource! It's where you'll find your openers, lead discussions, and walk through examples with the whole class.
Group Activity (Primary Material - formerly known as Lesson Practice): Students answer questions individually first, then work as a group to choose a collective answer. It’s a fantastic tool for collaboration.
Worksheets (Primary & Intervention): Each lesson has two printable PDF worksheets for small group or independent work.
Adaptive Practice (Independent): This online, 5-question activity is individualized for each student’s skill level. Students will never receive the same questions twice.
Study Hall Mini-Lesson (Independent): Most lessons include a 2-6 minute closed-captioned video that covers the topic.
Teaching a Math Lesson ("I do")
Teaching an ELA Lesson ("I do")
Group Activity ("We do") - The video below explains how to go through the "Lesson Practice," which is now named "Group Activity."
Part 6: 📊 How to Choose Lessons & Use Reports
How do you know what to teach? You have two main tools.
1. The Skill Level Report Navigate to your Dashboard and click on Practice Details. This report is your command center. It's created after the diagnostic test and updates automatically as students complete Adaptive Practice. Use it to identify skill levels for the whole class, small groups, or individual students.
📹 Reviewing student practice ("You do") - ELA
📹 Reviewing student practice ("You do") - Math
2. The Scope and Sequence: You can find the Scope and Sequence in the Teacher Training tab to learn the average number of SAT/ACT questions per skill, helping you prioritize high-impact lessons.
Part 7: 💻 Your Self-Paced Walkthrough (On-Demand Training)
Prefer to learn on your own time? We've got you covered!
We have a full, self-paced video course that covers every tab in ChalkTalk and what it represents. To find it:
Log into your ChalkTalk account.
Head to the Teacher Training tab (the icon at the bottom of the left-hand menu).
Watch the video to navigate to the course titled "Self-Paced Walkthrough of the Full ChalkTalk App".
Have questions? Contact us here