Lumio teacher guide

Instructional ideas

Engage your class by creating an inviting home page that builds connection with students or sparks interest in the subjects you’ll focus on.

• In the My Library tab, click Edit Class.

• Rename your class

  You can change the name that appears at the top of the My Library tab when students join your class in Lumio.

  • When studying a novel, capture students' attention by naming the class after an important character, such as the protagonist or antagonist.

  • To build relationships, name the class after a student to honor their birthday.

  • Introduce a unit of study by naming the class after a related person, place, or topic. Students can try to guess what they’ll be studying.

• Add a class banner

  Personalize your students’ experience by changing the class banner (the background that appears behind the name).

  • Change the class banner according to the unit of study.

  • Build relationships by using a student's artwork as the banner.

Ways to join a class

Signing In: There are a number of advantages to having students sign in to Lumio with their Google or Microsoft school account IDs:

• Increase accountability. When students sign in, their full student name appears on activities.

• Enhance accessibility. When students sign in during class, they can finish assignments after class by using the student share link.

• Promote collaboration. After you assign students to a Group Workspace activity during class, they can sign in later to continue working on group projects virtually.

Joining as a Guest:This option bypasses account sign in and enables students to join using only the class ID that appears in the class banner of the My Library tab.

• Quick access. Requires only the class ID for students to connect.

• Shared devices. Students can work in groups or teams on a single device. When they sign in, they enter the team name.

• Ideal for multiple students sharing a device

• Perfect for practice. Students can access the lesson only while you are delivering it.

Sharing devices: Lumio works with any student device that has an internet connection, such as a phone, laptop, Chromebook, or tablet. If there are fewer devices than students in your classroom, you can be creative!

• Use one device per table or small group (groups can join as a guest using a team name).

• Have partners share a device.

• Create a station or center rotation where students can join a table to work on a specific task and then move to the next table when it’s time

Instructional ideas

Engage your students by combining existing PowerPoint, PDF, SMART Notebook, Lumio, and Google files and adding interactive activities.

• Add an interactive activity or an assessment to an imported file.

• Upload a copy of a historical document or speech. Add an assessment and ask students to summarize the document using the short-answer question type. Add more questions based on the document.

Enhance your lesson by converting static pages to interactive individual Handouts or Group Workspace activities.

• Add a page that contains an image connected to your lesson and turn it into a Group Workspace. Have students share things they notice, questions they have, and predictions. Add a Shout It Out! activity and ask students to share their thoughts or conclusions.

• Import a file with a perplexing math problem and turn it into a Group Workspace. Have student groups work to solve the problem in different ways and present their solutions.

Extend learning beyond teacher-led instruction.

• Have students present their work from a file they’ve created and add Shout it Out! and Group Workspace activities at appropriate points to build in audience participation.

Instructional ideas

Engage students by adding scholarly and culturally responsive videos and introduce them to experiences or ideas that they haven’t encountered before.

• Insert a video that will encourage curiosity. Pause the video at a point that will cause students to wonder. Encourage students to ask questions and make predictions.

• Add a video to encourage empathy and understanding about different backgrounds and perspectives.

Enhance your lesson by adding related SMART activities alongside the video.

• Add a blank page for students to share connections after watching the video.

• Add a Shout it Out! activity where students can identify connections to the video’s main idea.

• Add a KWLQ Chart from the ready-made activities. Have students share what they know and wonder about a topic before watching. After the video, have students add what they have learned and the questions they still have.

Extend learning by making the whole lesson available outside of class to reinforce concepts for a flipped classroom.

• Add a video about an upcoming lesson topic, then add a blank page and convert it to a Handout. Students can record questions about the video in the Handout. Use their questions to start the next class.

• Create a Flip Out activity with a series of questions or problems. Have students respond to or solve a few of the questions or problems after watching the YouTube video.

NOTE: If the video site is blocked on student devices, students won’t be able to watch videos.

Instructional ideas

Engage your students with a catchy title page and image to set the stage for your lesson.

• Choose a template to add a nice visual element to your lesson.

• Use rhyming words or a joke to grab student attention.

• Create a math bell ringer activity using the equation editor.

Enhance our lesson with a thought-provoking question or quote, and have students respond in a Handout or Group Workspace activity.

• In a Group Workspace activity, assign students to groups to respond from different perspectives using different pen colors (for example, past and present-day perspectives).

• Find inspiring quotations and have students respond with their connecting ideas, questions, and real-world parallels.

• Use the equation editor to connect your symbolic and graphical representation in a problem-solving game.

Extend learning by stating objectives and converting a page to a Group Workspace or Handout where students can share what they know before coming to class.

• Have students upload a picture to create a metaphor and explain their thinking.

• Have students record home interviews seeking other’s knowledge on the topic.

Instructional ideas

Engage your class by using a graphic organizer background as Handout or Group Workspace activities. Capture students’ ideas, show student thinking, and create artifacts of meaningful discussions.

• Create graphs to organize data and have students evaluate the information in a Group Workspace or Handout.

• Brainstorm ideas, questions, lists, examples, and non-examples. Move ideas and organize them using graphic organizers.

Enhance your lessons by adding ready-made manipulatives as Handouts or Group Workspaces so students can practice on their own.

• Use the coins manipulative for practicing money. Model three ways to create 25 cents for your students and then have them practice on their own.

• Add the Making Words manipulative as a Handout or Group Workspace. Provide a word family, like “-at” and ask students to practice building new words.

Extend learning by having students use graphic organizers or manipulatives outside of class to show their thinking.

• Add audio to your slide to give directions. Have your students pause the audio, complete a step, and then continue.

• Empower students to collaborate beyond the classroom. Continue group work in a Group Workspace activity by sharing a student share link. To save their work, students will need to sign in to the lesson each time they access it.

Instructional ideas

Engage your students with formative assessments. Use the Response assessment to get instant data, and meet with students to give them personal and immediate feedback.

• Create a poll or survey to set the stage for a great Socratic Dialogue or debate with students. Use polls and surveys to get to know your students and build relationships.

Enhance your lesson by using data from the Response assessment to guide instruction (review, skip ahead, grouping, and so on).

• Create a two-question pretest using the short answer question type so students cannot guess. Analyze the data. Did students miss both? Need intervention. Did they get both right? Ready for a challenge. One right, one wrong? Ready for instruction.

• With the click of a button, you can export the student data from the assessment as an Excel spreadsheet.

  TIP: When students connect to the activity, have them enter their last names or sign in with Microsoft or Google so the spreadsheet matches your gradebook.

Extend learning by providing differentiated tasks based on the results of a Response assessment.

• Teachers can give a pretest that allows students to test out of material they’ve mastered and work on a project or a leveled-up assignment.

• Add differentiated game-based activities and a choice board using Flip Out or Label Reveal for extension tasks. Students will complete certain tasks based on assessment results.

Instructional ideas

Engage your class using Lumio’s game-based activities to get students interacting with your lesson.

• Spark curiosity or introduce vocabulary using the Fill In the Blanks activity, which works well with a quotation, poem, or definition. Students organize the words and reflect on possible meanings. Discuss.

• Practice and review: use Match ’Em Up for vocabulary or math practice, or try Game Show for a fun review.

• Use formative assessments to check for understanding. Monster Quiz gives instant feedback. The class can review and dispel misconceptions at the end.

  See Game-based Learning Toolkit for more ideas.

Enhance your lessons by using game-based activities to deepen understanding of concepts and demonstrate applied higher-order thinking skills.

• Reinforce learning with Super Sort. Have students sort examples and non-examples of concepts. Evaluate student progress in the activity dashboard to guide future instruction.

• Rank Order is a great tool for students to explain their thinking by ranking concepts from most to least important or most influential to least. When creating the activity, select Do not check to create open-ended answer possibilities.

Extend learning by creating a pretest followed by two or three levels of activities and an extension task. Change the lesson to student pacing so students can continue learning at their own pace. Add an extension choice board.

• Give students choice in assignments:

  Flip Out: Give students a variety of learning experiences and let them choose which they would like to do.

  Label Reveal: Assign differentiated tasks for parts of an image.

Instructional ideas

Engage your class using ready-made activities to help students demonstrate their understanding and frame their thinking.

• Insert a KWLQ Chart for students to collectively share things they know, wonder about, and have learned alongside questions they still have.

Enhance your lesson by adding ready-made Handouts so students can respond on individual devices. These activities focus on activating prior knowledge or enabling students to question and reflect.

• Insert the 3-2-1 Handout as an exit ticket. Have students fill it out with text and images.

Extend and differentiate learning by assessing which activity students need or letting them choose.

• Provide differentiated Handout templates for students based on the results of a formative assessment.

• Let students choose: Add three ready-made activity Handouts and have students choose one to complete.

  TIP: If you share a student access link, students can complete the Handout in or outside of class.

Instructional ideas

Engage your students by adding recorded instruction and guided learning to a page.

• Record yourself reading text out loud to support early readers, special needs students, and ESL learners.

• Direct students to look for key concepts or new vocabulary.

• Build stronger connections by adding personalized teacher guidance to lessons.

• Add verbal objectives to lessons to provide clear guidance on learning goals.

Enhance lessons by using instructional audio to add guidance and questions.

• Ask probing questions for students to consider.

• Provide guided instructions and have students use the pause button as they work through learning tasks.

• Help students make connections to previous lessons and to real-life applications.

Extend learning by using instructional audio to provide differentiation and support.

• Add challenge tasks or alternative assignments in audio.

• Provide extra support or background information for students who need extra guidance.

• Ask students to look for real-world connections before sending students on virtual field trips with connected links.

Instructional ideas

Engage students using audio to support all learners.

• Record pronunciation and definitions for key vocabulary terms.

• Attach audio to written instructions to support emerging readers.

• Use recorded audio for students to practice speaking with correct pronunciation, enunciation, and intonation.

Enhance lessons to create a learner-centered environment by allowing students to attach audio to pages and objects.

• Ask students to record themselves reading text out loud to practice fluency.

• Students record their responses to questions posed by the teacher or explanations of their thinking.

• Provide audio feedback to students to support learning.

Extend student learning with opportunities for demonstrating understanding.

• Students attach audio to a page to make inferences, synthesize, and connect learning for real-world application.

• Provide student choice to use audio to demonstrate their learning.

• Students use audio to provide constructive peer feedback to revise learning.

Instructional ideas

Engage students by sending existing pages to individual devices so they can write, draw, and interact with the lesson.

• Encourage students to learn actively by keeping attention focused on the page you’ve converted to a Handout. Have students use the pen tool to highlight important information, circle key words, draw arrows to connect similar information, and write notes in margins.

Enhance your lesson using Student pacing and Handouts so students can refer to other pages as they create on the Handout page, demonstrating their understanding.

• Put an image on a page and convert the page to a Handout. Have students create a word gallery or graffiti board of ideas that spark a dialog. Discuss and share.

Extend learning by having students respond to open-ended Handout tasks where they can demonstrate understanding outside of class with ongoing input from the teacher.

• Convert multiple pages to a Handout to create a learning menu of tiered assignments. Add links to videos, activities, reading passages, and more for even greater engagement.

Instructional ideas

Engage students by adding a shared space for students to collaborate and demonstrate understanding in groups or as a class.

• Choose a ready-made graphic organizer, such as a Venn diagram, and convert it to a Whole-Class Whiteboard. Work as a class to compare and contrast a topic.

• Convert a blank page to a Group Workspace so small groups of students can collaborate on a mind map or sketch note of their learning.

Enhance your lesson by having students create in-depth presentations.

• Have teams of students work with different parts of a novel or article. Each team reads a section and creates a page that covers the important information.

• Add a Group Workspace where students work in teams to create a digital poster of their learning. Include a small rubric at the bottom to give feedback throughout the process.

Extend learning by having students work collaboratively to respond to open-ended tasks. Students can demonstrate understanding using images and text in Group Workspaces or a Whole-Class Whiteboard with ongoing feedback from the teacher.

• Add a homework help page to your lesson and convert it to a Whole-Class Whiteboard. Have students use this space outside of class to ask peers for help with homework and assignments.

• Use a Group Workspace as a place for students to create tweets for historical figures or characters.

Instructional ideas

Engage students by having them explore the Desmos graphing calculator and draw connections.

• Add sliders to an equation so students can take charge of their own learning. Students can share their connections in a Handout.

• Give students a real-world example and have them experiment with the table and graph settings to come up with a solution.

Enhance your lesson by giving students hands-on exploration and the ability to share their connections with the class.

• Students can explore the inverse relationship between functions. Using a Shout It Out! activity, they can explain their thinking about the range and domain of their functions.

• Students can explore quadratics in the real world. Embed a picture on the graph, such as the Gateway Arch, and have the students use sliders to figure out what the values of the function would be.

Extend learning by having students formulate the questions and real-world applications.

• Have students collect real-world data and find a regression equation for that data. Pair the task with a Group Workspace so students can interpret their findings with the help of small group collaboration.

• Have students write a function to model a real-world problem, then use that function to make conjectures.

• After students explore in Desmos, extend learning by adding a Individual Handout activity with multiple representations, including equations or expressions made with the equation editor.

Instructional ideas

Engage students with interactive math and science simulations embedded within your Lumio lesson

• Use a simulation to show how a concept works.

• Invite students to interact and practice applying knowledge.

Enhance your lesson through student exploration and class discussions.

• Students can manipulate a PhET simulation then use a Shout It Out! activity as a feedback loop where students can ask questions or share their findings.

• Introduce a concept by taking a screenshot of the simulation and putting it in a Label Reveal activity. Add labels that explain the parameters, settings, or other indicators to promote student understanding.

Extend learning by having students formulate the data, questions, or real-world applications.

• Add a PhET simulation to your lesson and pair it with a Group Workspace activity where students collect, evaluate, and interpret the data, manipulations, and reflect on their findings from the simulation. Students can also insert a screenshot of their simulation and draw conclusions among their peers. Make sure to set lesson pacing to Student Pacing so students have full control to switch between the simulation and their workspace.

• Convert Lumio’s ready-made Scientific Method graphic organizer into a Handout activity where students can insert a screenshot of the simulation and complete the activity.

  Tip: You can edit the text labels in the graphic organizer. Unlock the label by tapping the lock icon, selecting Unlock, and typing in the label.

Instructional ideas

Engage students using Teacher pacing to guide them through the lesson. Switch to Student pacing when it’s time for students to apply what they’ve learned.

• Design your lesson to include a series of activities that students can use to test their knowledge after you’ve taught a new concept. Switch to student pacing when you arrive at the activity pages, then move around the classroom to assist individual students as they explore the activities at their own pace.

  TIP: If you start a Monster Quiz, Team Quiz, or Shout It Out!, all students will be brought into the activity. All other activities can be played individually.

Enhance your lesson by organizing activities so students can self-select an activity that matches their level of understanding.

• Have your activities follow the pattern of Review, Practice, and Extend. For example: Super Sort or Match ’Em Up for review, a Handout activity for practice, and a choice board for extension.

Extend learning by adding spontaneous discussions and checks for understanding. Switch freely between Teacher and Student pacing to create flexible grouping and learning experiences.

• During a discussion, switch between Student and Teacher pacing to direct attention.

• Add instant Shout It Out! activities to document discussion points.

• Create a Group Workspace where students can respond and draw conclusions at the end of the discussion.

Instructional ideas

Engage students by adding a blank whiteboard page to a lesson for brainstorming or gathering ideas.

• Add a Whole-class Whiteboard for group brainstorming.

• Create an instant Shout it Out! activity for students to share opinions on the lesson’s topic.

Enhance your lesson by turning a blank page into a Handout or Whole-Class Whiteboard activity for students to demonstrate their understanding of a topic.

• Turn a blank page into a Handout for students to showcase their understanding of a lesson by creating a mind map.

• Add a quotation or question to a blank page and then convert the page to a Whole-Class Whiteboard activity to start a digital discussion board.

Extend learning with opportunities for students to model their learning.

• Add a blank whiteboard page and ask a student to model a concept for their peers.

• Use a Desmos activity to model relationships between functions.

Instructional ideas

Engage students with a space where they can instantly contribute ideas and questions to a lesson. This will help capture teachable moments and check for student understanding.

• Have students use a Shout It Out! activity to share vocabulary connected to the lesson.

• Have students use a Shout It Out! activity to provide examples connected to a lesson’s main idea. For example, they can share the first line of the book they’re reading when you’re discussing story starters.

Enhance your lesson by having students contribute images to a Shout It Out! to share metaphors that explain their thinking. Tap an image to enlarge it, and have students categorize responses.

• Have students share one-word summaries or connections and sort them into meaningful categories.

• Students use images to capture the main idea or share how different perspectives see a scenario.

Extend learning by using a Shout It Out! activity to turn a controversial or confusing part of the lesson into an authentic student-led discussion, structuring debate while giving every student a voice.

• Ask students to share key ideas, quotes, or questions for classroom discussion.

• Have students capture main ideas of discussion in real time for collaborative note taking.

Instructional ideas

Engage students in reading activities by enabling Immersive Reader for your lesson.

• Encourage student self-efficacy by including written instructions on each page. Students can use Immersive Reader to listen to the directions as many times as needed.

Enhance your lesson by having students use the Immersive Reader to improve their reading proficiency.

• Enable native language translations for English Language Learners to support deeper reading comprehension. Using Immersive Reader, the English words can be shown alongside other languages by selecting a language to translate into under Reading Preferences.

• Introduce new vocabulary with related pictures for each word. When the Immersive Reader is on, students select one of the new words and have it read out to them. Create a Handout activity for the new vocabulary and ask students to search and add additional images to help reinforce the new vocabulary.

Extend learning to higher level concepts and vocabulary.

• Insert text to explain a new concept. When students access the lesson independently, they can use Immersive Reader to understand your explanation.

Instructional ideas

Engage your colleagues by sharing lessons with them using a teacher resource link.

• Import a file and add a few activities, then share with your team.

• Create a lesson aligned to your Scope and Sequence and share it with a teacher at another school in your district.

Enhance your teaching by organizing lessons by standards. You can refer to the collection and adapt lessons as needed.

• Add lessons you’ve created or shared to Lumio to a shared lesson plan, spreadsheet, or folder that colleagues can access.

Extend learning beyond your classroom. Share a Lumio lesson on social media. Align it with high-impact teaching practices and relevant educational conversations.

• Create a resource or lesson aligned to an educational topic you’re passionate about and share it on social media using #GoLumio.

• Based on professional reading that you have done, build a tool or lesson in Lumio and share it on social media using #GoLumio.

Instructional ideas

Engage your students by sharing review material, notes, and activities for students to refer to at their own pace.

• Create and share activities for students to use for practicing and reviewing after class.

• Import a file that includes information students can refer to for homework or to review before a test.

Enhance your lesson and make it self-paced and differentiated by adding activities and Handouts for students to continue to reference and work through outside of class.

• Add manipulatives (made with the infinite cloner option in the drop-down menu in Editing mode) to your lesson so students can practice skills at home (especially good for tactile students).

• Add choice boards in Flip-Out and Label Reveal so students can respond to reading or reflect on what they’ve learned.

Extend learning by sharing student-centered projects with real-world applications in a flipped classroom setting so students can work independently and collaboratively.

• Make digital notes available outside of class.

• Use a blank Whole-Class Whiteboard activity as a homework help desk where students help each other with questions about assignments.

Instructional ideas

Engage the colleagues you work closely with by collaborating in a shared library.

• Add members as editors or viewers.

• Share common resources to save time and support instructional consistency.

• Create folders for each standard or unit. Encourage shared library editors to add lessons or resources for each standard or unit to applicable folders.

• Share instructional resources and lesson plans with colleagues to support student transfer of knowledge and skills from one setting to another.

Enhance your lesson resources by co-editing with colleagues your shared library by organizing lessons using folders.

• Create folders for each standard or unit. Encourage shared library editors to add lessons or resources for each standard or unit to applicable folders.

• Add folders for instructional strategies, Social Emotional Learning activities, substitute plans, and more.

• Leverage one another’s expertise and experiences by co-editing lessons in your Shared Library.

• Collaboratively create lesson resources to amplify best practices, creating consistency across classrooms and content areas/grade levels.

• Enhance accessibility by co-editing lesson resources in your Shared Library to provide appropriate services to students with various needs.

Extend your learning by creating a shared library to collaborate with educators outside of your school or district.

• Connect with like-minded educators through Lumio’s communities.

• Create shared libraries to share resources around content areas, standards, instructional strategies, and more.