The Easel Activities tool allows educators to create custom, interactive digital activities by adapting select existing resources accessed within TpT School Access or using their own original materials.
You can customize your activity, assign it to students, review their submissions, and provide feedback to your students instantly.
Here’s how it works: Discover > Prepare > Assign > Review
1. Discover
There are 3 ways to get started with creating an Easel Activity:
1) Search and discover resources that are compatible with Easel using the "Easel Activities" filter on the home and search pages.
- If a Teacher-Author has already prepared an Easel Activity for the resource, you'll see an
label in search results. - If a resource is enabled for Easel Activities, but doesn't include a pre-prepared activity, you'll see a
label in search results.
Then, access the resource using a resource license (unless it’s a free resource) and click the “Open Digital Activity” button to create your activity:
If you choose to "Open in Viewer" you can also create an Easel Activity by clicking "Open in Easel" in the toolbar at the top of the viewer:
2) Upload a file - You're able to upload a PDF resource that you own or have the right to use on TpT School Access. From your Easel Activities page, click "Create" and then "Upload a File" to import a PDF file to the tool that you can customize using the available tools.
Learn more about uploading a file here.
3) Start with a blank activity - Start from scratch and create your own activity to share with students. Go to your Easel Activities and click the "Create" button at the top of the page. Selecting the "Blank Activity" option will give you a blank page you can use to create an activity.
Learn more about creating your own activities here.
2. Prepare
Get creative! You can reorder and remove pages (e.g. an answer key), use the pen and highlighting tools, add text, answer boxes, moveable shapes, and more.
See more about available tools and some tips and tricks here.
To delete any customizations you’ve made, click “Delete” in the toolbar, and then click the customization you wish to delete (or drag the “Delete” icon around to quickly delete multiple customizations). Alternatively, you can first click a customization and then press the “Delete” key on your keyboard.
When you’re done creating your activity, click the “Preview” tab at the top of the page to see what your activity will look like for students. This view shows what students will see on their device, including the tools that will be available to them.
3. Assign to Students
To assign your activity to your students, click the “Assign & Review” tab at the top of the page. When you click “Assign,” you'll have two options for assigning the activity to your students:
- You can assign to your students via Google Classroom by clicking on the green Google Classroom button and entering the appropriate details.
- Copy the link to share with your students directly via other ways. Students will need to use a Google email account in order to complete the activity.
Tip: If you want to group student responses by class, then you can create separate access codes or links for each class. Each classroom will have a unique URL, specific to the class code.
Note that this tool requires students to sign in using a Google email account in order to complete the activity.
Students will then be able to see the Easel Activity assignment link. When students click that link, they’ll be able to complete the activity on a laptop or tablet. Once a student is done, they will click “Turn In” at the top of the page to submit their completed work.
4. Review
To review student submissions, click on your name at the top of the page when you’re logged into your TpT School Access account to open the dropdown menu. Then, click “Easel by TpT.”
You’ll then be able to select which Easel Activities you want to review your student submissions on. Please note that:
- You can only review student submissions through the Easel Activities experience on TpT School Access, not via Google Classroom.
- You will receive a notification email at the end of each day if you have any new student responses to review. You'll receive a notification for each Easel Activity you've assigned.
Add feedback directly to student work using the Text tool and the Pen tool (to draw lines). When you’re done, click the “Return” button to send the work back to students. Please then let your students know that you have returned their work to them with feedback, as they will not get a notification.
Tip: You can also use the “Return” button to return work to students if they accidentally submit work too early.
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What's Next?
- To learn more about Easel Activities, check out this FREE interactive tutorial resource, watch this step-by-step video, or check out this Getting Started Guide!
- Ready to get started? Search for resources you can use as Easel Activities.
Have additional questions? Contact us. We’re happy to help!