It has only been in the last couple years I’ve really started using Quizlet both personally and with my students. If you aren’t familiar with the site, it is pretty simple: Quizlet is online flashcards. As a student, I loved flashcards and so as I’ve studied for various tests the last couple years, Quizlet was an irreplaceable tool. As I’ve shared in a previous post, Quizlet was the main way I prepared for the selected response portion of the National Boards Component 1 assessment . Once I’d really used Quizlet for myself, I started using it more for my students. I primarily use Quizlet as a vocabulary study tool for my students. The more access they have to vocabulary the better and the better they know the vocabulary, the more meaningful their communication will be.
How I use Quizlet
As a Spanish teacher I prefer to create sets that have a Spanish word paired to a picture, so students aren’t simply translating to English. The flashcards also include audio provided by Quizlet or you can record your own voice if you upgrade to Quizlet Plus. After you create a set, not only do your students have access to the flashcards, but 6 other ready-to-use activities and games. My personal favorite is Learn, because it gets progressively harder and continues to bring back each term until you get it correct. When my students have independent work time, Quizlet is always an option and it is a great ready-to-use resource if you have a few minutes left of class or students that complete work quickly. My students each have their own Chromebooks, however Quizlet works on any device so they can easily download the App to their phones.
Quizlet Live
My favorite in-class use of Quizlet is Quizlet Live. You simply select the set you want to use, click on Live and then you have a ready-made large group game! Quizlet does all the work for you: students join the game on their devices, are put into groups and then have to correctly answer 12 questions. The first group done wins! Games only take a few minutes so I usually switch up the teams and play multiple times. I recommend giving students time to study the set before playing so they are familiar with it and I always have my students get up to sit with their groups so they have to work together. Lastly, Quizlet Live only uses 12 terms, so sometimes I chunk my sets into multiple smaller sets and play Live with each set so students are guaranteed to see each word.
Quizlet Plus
You can create a Quizlet Teacher account for free or upgrade your account to Quizlet Plus. What I’ve seen as the major benefit to the upgrade is that I can track student progress by pulling up a class and see which activities each student has done. With Quizlet Plus I can also add my own audio or photos when creating a set. With my school moving to distance learning due to Covid-19, I will be relying more on these features in the coming weeks.
You can check out the Quizlets I use with my students here.
