Students access to Newsela Writing assignments
Each time you create a new assignment in Newsela Writing and assign it to a class, it will be waiting for your students within their Newsela Writing accounts.
To access Newsela Writing directly students will:
Log into their Newsela account on app.newsela.com
Click the waffle at the top left corner of their screen
Select 'Writing'
Once within their Newsela Writing account, students will see the assignment on their main page.
Alternatively, students can also access Newsela Writing assignments by clicking on the assignment link that you shared with them. You can share the link however you prefer, such as via your learning management system (Canvas, Google Classroom, Schoology, etc.) or email.
When students click on the assignment link they will be asked to log in to Newsela first. If they are already logged in to their Newsela accounts, they will get redirected straight to the specific assignment within Newsela Writing.
Students: Taking assignments
Once students are logged in they can immediately start writing and receiving feedback.
The textual feedback that students receive when they ask Luna (the space person) for feedback is delivered as streaming text. As soon as the feedback is available via the OpenAI API, we start streaming the answer.
Students can use the 'Submit' button to submit their work for teacher review. When work is submitted the student can no longer edit the work. Teachers can re-open the work for students to continue editing and re-submit.
Styling menu
Students can use the styling menu located at the top of the page:
The Newsela Writing checklist
The Newsela Writing checklist reviews the types of sentences students need to include for a given assignment and determines which ones are present or missing. Newsela Writing can help students create each type of sentence by offering tips, examples, and explanations. As students write they can request feedback from Newsela Writing and when they do, they’ll see sentences highlighted with labels, helping them understand their progress. The Newsela Writing checklist is not available when assigning Narrative writing.
See the Understanding Newsela Writing’s Labeling article to learn more!
Rubric meters
Rubric meters help students track their progress to meet the goals of the selected rubric. Example meters with corresponding rubric sections may include "Reasoning and support" or "Organization."
Can students view the rubric?
Yes. Students can locate the Rubric's title at the top left corner of the assignment and click it to view. The rubric will open in a new tab.
Can students view older versions of their writing?
Yes! Using the Version History tab, students can view older versions of their writing assignment and even restore them!
Can students use Newsela Writing without their teacher?
Currently, students must have a Newsela Writing assignment created by their teacher to use the program.We are interested in learning more about how we might best support independent student writing outside of teacher-created assignments. If you have examples of how you would use this feature with your students, we’d love to hear them! Please submit a request !
I included a Newsela article in my assignment, what will be the reading level displayed for the students?
When creating the assignment teachers can select whether to lock the reading level to a specific level - in which case all students will receive the article at that same level without a way to adjust it. Or, teachers can select to leave the reading level unlocked - in which case each student will receive the article at his own Newsela recommended reading level by default, and will have the option to further change the reading level to any of the other options available.