Ways to Use Plickers in Your Class

This post features ideas and ways to use Plickers in your class. No matter what subject or grade level you teach, the FREE Plickers app is an educational tool you can use for quick assessment and fun review.

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What are Plickers?

I love using technology in my classroom! Especially when it helps me save time and make learning fun.

Technology shoots up the engagement factor and makes assessing learning a little bit easier.

Which is why I love using Plickers.

Plickers is a FREE app and online service that allows the use of technology without each individual student needing an iPAD or device. All you need is a teacher computer, a way to project your image, and a phone.

How to Get Started with Plickers

Step 1: Set up your free account on Plickers (which is super easy).

Step 2: Plug your students’ names into the system. No one else will see this so their identities are protected.

Step 3: Create lessons in folders that stay in your ‘library’ until you are ready to use them.

Step 4: Print your Plickers (QR Codes FREE from their site) and play!

Setting Up Your Classroom Plickers

Here is a snapshot of my main library page on Plickers. As you can see, I have organized folders for the lessons I’ve uploaded. I also use Plickers for different grade levels.

Here’s the magic of Plickers: the system creates QR codes for each student you assign. These are numbered and track student responses.

I print my Plicker QR Codes on my all-time favorite card stock and laminate those babies with my favorite at home laminator (just in case your school doesn’t have a laminating machine).

As an extra measure of happiness, I hot-glue them on thick popsicle sticks making it easier for students to hold up their Plicker when they answer a question.

WARNING: Laminating your Plickers could cause a glare like the one in the photo below; this has never been a problem for me scanning them with my phone, but some teachers have had problems with it. Just a heads up!

OR you can spray your Plickers with this matte spray. You can get it almost anywhere and it takes away the glare!

How to Organize Your Plickers

Each week, I use my student helper job system here to assign a student to pass out, take up, and keep the Plickers organized.

Then they live in one of my file folders where they fit neatly and are easy to manage.

I type in questions for lessons during my lesson planning and display one question at a time for students to answer.

The app on my phone shows me who answered correctly or incorrectly—but this information isn’t displayed for students to see. (Can I get an amen for quick informal assessment!?!

As you know, I have taught different grade levels over the years (not by choice…it’s a long story that you can read about here). Every grade level or subject area I’ve taught works with Plickers.

Ways to Use Plickers in Your Class

Math:

• Plug in math equations for students to solve (works with addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division-even long division)
  
  

• Add images of geometric shapes and even clocks for geometry and time review
• Ask about math vocabulary words to match with definitions
• You can show pictures of fractions for a quick review or assessment
• Images or equations with money that students need to solve
  
  

Spelling/Phonics/Vocabulary:

• Put up pictures of objects for students to match with its beginning or ending sound
  
  

  

• Use the True/False feature to ask if a word is spelled correctly
  
• Display a word that DOES NOT follow the particular phonics rule you’re learning for that week or unit (the English language is filled with rule-breaker words!) then have students choose the description of WHY that word doesn’t follow the phonics rule
  
  

I am BIG on digging deeper into learning to discover the WHY behind a concept. I don’t just want my students memorizing ‘stuff.’

They need to KNOW the reason behind the spelling rule, phonics lesson, math rule, etc. So I incorporate WHY questions in my Plickers lessons to give my kiddos a chance to think deeper.

Even MORE Ideas for Using Plickers in Your Class

Grammar:

• Ask students to identify the preposition or prepositional phrase in a sentence
• Display a sentence with an underlined word and have students identify its part of speech also use Plickers with my Daily Practice Grammar Strips.

Related Posts: Fun and Easy Ways to Teach Grammar

How I Save Time Grading Student Work with ZipGrade

Reading Comprehension:

• Use it as a faster form of K-W-L by having students answer True/False questions about a story or about its background information
• Review genre details by matching characteristics of each genre you display
• Complete story review by posting multiple choice questions about whole class stories/novels read

Here’s a post with more goodies on reading comprehension in the upper elementary classroom.

Social Studies & Science:

• Learn and review geography by putting up images of landforms for students to match with its correct name
• Practice state capitals , state shapes, and abbreviations
• Learn state abbreviations with multiple choice matching
• Use Plickers to reinforce social studies and science vocabulary

More Innovative Ideas for Using Plickers in Your Class

• I feature facts about my kiddos like their favorite color, food, hobbies, etc. for other students to choose the correct answer. This builds community by showing that getting to know each other is important
• We begin using Plickers right away to learn each other’s names. I post their pictures up and have students match it with the correct name.
• Review class procedures and policies during back to school or after long holiday breaks.

So how do you use Plickers in your classroom? Have any tips or tricks I didn’t mention. Please share them below!

So let’s get better with using Plickers together!