Before joining Crick, I was a primary school teacher for 8 years. If there's one thing I learned, it’s that no two schools approach guided reading in quite the same way.

I’ve delivered 20-minute daily sessions, squeezed in group work during assembly time, and taught hour-long weekly lessons. Then I’d move year groups and find everything had changed again. Sometimes reading was part of phonics, sometimes embedded in English, and other times taught as a discrete lesson.

Now, when I'm planning training at Crick, I often come across resources and ideas that I know would have been invaluable in those guided reading sessions. So, I thought I’d share some of them with you. I'll also share some practical ways that Clicker can support guided reading across different year groups, topics and learner needs.

Listening to and discussing a wide range of texts

LearningGrids, our bank of ready-made resources, includes nearly 800 Clicker Books. With fiction and non-fiction texts spanning different curriculum areas, these speech-supported books help pupils access material beyond their independent reading level.

You could use these books as a whole class teaching tool. Start by introducing and sharing the book on your interactive whiteboard, reading the text all together. Pupils can then revisit the book independently. They can either read it themselves or use the built-in speech support to listen along, reinforcing understanding and building confidence.

Our books are available at a range of levels, making them a useful tool for adaptive teaching.

• Read a Book: These books offer a large section of text on each page
  
  
• Read in Steps: These books offer several separated sentences per page, each with its own speaker button
  
  
• Read It Yourself: These books offer one or two sentences per page

These different book types enable pupils to access the same content as their peers, but at their reading level.

Clicker Books are a great way to familiarise pupils with traditional tales and myths and legends. You can explore the Story Corner section of LearningGrids to discover the range of stories we have available.

You can adapt all our resources to meet different reading levels or to link with the topic you are covering. For more information on how to edit or create your own Clicker Book, see our tutorial videos.

Sequencing and retelling

Once you’ve introduced a text, the next step might be to encourage pupils to sequence the story and retell it in their own words, thinking carefully about key features, characteristics and vocabulary.

Retelling a whole story can be quite a challenge, especially if pupils have only heard it once or twice. Having the right level of support in place can make a real difference.

Tell the Story Talk Sets support pupils with picture prompts to help them recall the key events. They can then record themselves retelling each part, breaking the story down into manageable chunks.

This not only gives the pupil a safe and supportive space to practise retelling but also provides a useful way to capture evidence of their understanding. The recordings can even be revisited later as a scaffold when pupils move on to their own written work.

Tell the Story Talk Sets aren’t limited to storytelling either. They can be used to support any sequence of events, such as instructions for baking a cake or explaining the life cycle of a plant.

Clicker Boards are a great resource for supporting pupils with sequencing events. The Story Steps resources, for example, work in a similar way to a story mountain activity. Pupils are given the beginning and ending and then complete the remaining sections with pictures or text to highlight the key events and summarise the story.

You can also print these resources, making it easy to provide pupils with a physical copy to draw on or annotate with key vocabulary. It’s a ready-made template that can slot straight into your lesson, saving valuable preparation time while still offering meaningful learning opportunities.

In some Clicker Boards, pupils are given the key events from the story and are challenged to organise them into the correct order. This simple activity is a great way to check understanding of sequencing and narrative structure.

Voice Notes can also be added to a Clicker Board, giving pupils the opportunity to expand on their ideas or record full sentences alongside their sequencing work.

These activities work well as a whole-class task too! You could invite pupils to the front of the classroom to rearrange images on the interactive whiteboard, encouraging discussion and collaborative thinking as they justify their choices.

Rhymes and poems

When studying poetry, it can sometimes become a little repetitive asking pupils to recite the same poem over and over again until they know it by heart.

To make this more interactive, you could use a Listen and Say Talk Set. For example, in the Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star resource, pupils select the image to hear the poem and can then record themselves reciting it. They can listen back to the poem as many times as needed and re-record until they are happy with it.  

For Early Years classrooms, this works particularly well as part of continuous provision, allowing pupils to listen independently as many times as they need to before recording their own version. You can easily create your own Talk Sets, tailoring them to the specific poem or rhyme you are focusing on.

A Clicker Board can support a pupil’s recognition of recurring language in stories and poetry. For instance, in a sequencing board, pupils can match each line of the poem to the corresponding image. Once they’ve ordered the poem correctly, they can add Voice Notes to practise and record their recitation. This helps to reinforce both memory and fluency.

Word meanings

Let’s imagine you’ve read a text, maybe using a Clicker Book, and you’ve spent time picking out the key vocabulary.

The next step might be for pupils to define those words to deepen their understanding in a traditional 'dictionary lesson'… one I used to dread! Pupils would spend ages locating a word, only to then copy out a definition without really processing what it meant.

Those definitions might end up written in books or displayed on a Working Wall - never to be revisited during the rest of the sequence of lessons.

This is where Connect Sets and Word Banks really come into their own. These writing grids provide the scaffolding pupils need to engage more meaningfully with vocabulary.

For example, in this Charlotte’s Web Definitions Connect Set, pupils can select a word from one grid and then match it to the definition.

In the following grid, pupils are prompted to use that word in a sentence, helping to secure their understanding by applying it in context. The grid contains all the key words and phrases needed, reducing cognitive overload and supporting success.

Word Banks are another useful tool, with the relevant vocabulary organised across tabs. Pupils can write their own definitions, drawing on the Word Bank to support spelling and word choice as needed. These can be used across both fiction and non-fiction texts, making them a flexible addition to your guided reading toolkit. 

Clicker Boards are a great way to keep these definition lessons interactive! Pupils could match the word to the definition and then use Voice Notes to record a sentence using that word. Bringing a more active, engaging approach to what can otherwise be quite a static task.

If you’d like to create or adapt these resources for your own texts, we have tutorial videos on our website.

Understanding the books they read

Clicker Boards can be a great way to explore what pupils already know, from their own experiences or from what they have read, and how this can help them understand the text. You could insert an image from the book and pupils could create a mind map of key vocabulary or ideas, linking them to their own experiences.

A similar approach could be used when making predictions or discussing the significance of the title and events. The Book Cover Detective Clicker Board includes useful prompts to get pupils thinking carefully about what the title might suggest and what could happen in the story. You can easily adapt this resource to suit your class, simplifying it where needed for younger learners.

When developing inference skills, using what is being said and done, the Character- Outside and Inside Clicker Board provides a clear structure for exploring characterisation. Pupils can gather ideas about a character’s 'outside' (appearance, clothing, voice and behaviour) and 'inside' (likes, dislikes, personality and secrets), helping them to build and justify their inferences with evidence.

I remember doing this activity on flipchart paper, drawing a character outline and trying to capture ideas as quickly as possible! More often than not, I’d end up rewriting it all at the end of the day so it was clear enough for the Working Wall. With this resource, the template is ready to go, and pupils can contribute ideas either as a class or independently using the tabs. They can even add Voice Notes to explain how a character is feeling or to justify their interpretations. You could then print the completed board so learners have a copy in their books to refer back to in future writing.

I also really like the Before and After Clicker Boards. They prompt pupils to use what they already know about a text and what has already happened to predict what might happen next. It’s a simple but effective way to encourage discussion and support creative thinking, while keeping the focus firmly on evidence from the text.

Explain clearly their understanding

Many learners can talk confidently about what they’ve understood and explain what a text is about. The part they find tricky is getting those ideas down on paper, particularly when answering comprehension questions.

I remember that, for some year groups, simply writing the questions could take up a large chunk of the lesson. To save time, I’d provide numbered questions for pupils to stick into their books. Unfortunately, this often led to frustrating one-word responses!

This is where Connect Sets are incredibly useful. These writing grids help pupils to structure their answers and encourage them to write in full sentences. Learners can enter the question and then complete the answer using the provided options. The grids include all of the words and phrases they need while still allowing for choice. This gives you a clear insight into how well they've understood the text.

Answering and asking questions

Pupils can often find it challenging to ask purposeful questions about a text. Without support, their questions can sometimes be quite simple and don’t always deepen their understanding.

To support this, you could use the Using Question Words Clicker Board. This board prompts learners to generate a wider range of questions and explore different question types. Insert an image into the middle cell and then pupils can create and record questions about it, using a different question word each time to broaden their thinking.

A Talk About Talk Set also works brilliantly as a hot-seating activity. The picture provides a clear stimulus, giving pupils a starting point as they generate their questions.

With the option to include up to six recordings, pupils could create a range of question types, including a who, what, where, when and why question. Alternatively, one pupil could record a question, with their partner responding by recording an answer, creating a more interactive and collaborative task.

If you’d like to adapt these resources, you can find step-by-step guidance in our tutorial videos.

Summarising

From my own experience, summarising is something many pupils find particularly challenging. Picking out the key events or the most important information from a text can be tricky.

This Chapter Summary Word Bank is a helpful tool to support this skill. It provides a range of useful sentence starters within a single grid. The sentence starters guide pupils on what to include and how to structure their responses. As the prompts are intentionally generic, this resource can be applied to almost any text. So, it's a versatile addition to your guided reading lessons.

Book review

You’ve reached the end of the book! Now, it’s time to reflect on what you’ve read. This was always an area I found challenging in the classroom. I’d spend time creating a template to help pupils fill in all of the necessary information. But once it came time for them to complete the task they would only fill in the bare minimum. Because I’d tried to make it look engaging, presentation would often suffer too!

The Book Review Clicker Board offers a ready-made structure for pupils to organise their ideas. They can type in their reviews or use Voice Notes to give a verbal review. This makes it accessible for a range of learners. Before the lesson, you might choose to add your own Voice Notes with instructions or include prompts and key questions.

For a more structured approach, you could use one of our writing frames. These resources provide sentence starters to help learners include relevant detail and develop their ideas more fully.

My First Book Review is a lovely resource to help younger learners share their thoughts in a simple, accessible way.

For a more comprehensive writing frame, you could use the Book Review Frame. The tabbed Word Bank scaffolds paragraphs introducing the text, summarising the plot and characters, and encouraging pupils to share a personal response.

Rounding up

Guided reading can look very different from one classroom to the next. But whatever the structure, the goal remains the same. We want to help pupils engage deeply with texts and develop the skills they need to become confident, independent readers.

What I’ve always found is that it’s not the activity itself that makes the biggest difference, but the level of support and engagement we build around it. That’s where Clicker can really come into its own. Whether it’s providing scaffolds for vocabulary, supporting learners to sequence and retell, encouraging richer questioning, or helping them translate their understanding into writing, these tools make it easier to meet a wide range of needs within your classroom.

They also offer something just as important - variety. By mixing listening, speaking, reading, and writing activities, you can keep guided reading sessions purposeful and engaging. At the same time, you can reduce some of the workload that comes with creating resources from scratch.

Ultimately, Clicker isn’t about replacing what you already do well - it’s about enhancing it. Giving pupils the right level of support at the right time can help them to access texts more confidently, express their ideas more clearly, and develop a real enjoyment of reading. And if it saves you a bit of time along the way too, that’s always a bonus!

Want to know more about how Clicker can support guided reading lessons and reading in general? You might find these resources useful:

• Clicker and Phonics
  
  
• The science of reading and Clicker’s decodable books
  
  
• Early reading support with Clicker

For personalised advice on using Clicker with your learners, book a customer care meeting at any point during your subscription.

If you're a DocsPlus subscriber, you’re probably already using DocsPlus in lessons to help struggling students tackle writing tasks across the secondary curriculum.

If your students qualify for additional access arrangements in exams, they can also use DocsPlus in their assessments!

We have recently created some new video resources to support and guide teaching staff and students when using DocsPlus in an exam.

These videos will provide you with a better understanding of how to set up and use DocsPlus in exams, answer frequently asked questions, and support students using the software in an exam setting.

DocsPlus for exam access webinar

We recently ran a webinar which looked at the features of DocsPlus that can be used in exams in place of a human reader and a human scribe. We also explored how to adjust the exam settings to meet students’ specific needs.

Throughout the webinar, Max, a member of the Technical Support team, answered commonly asked questions including top tips for saving and printing during an exam and suggestions for set up.

You can watch a recording of the webinar here:

DocsPlus for students video: Exam Mode

If students are using DocsPlus as their normal way of working, it might be strange for them to suddenly not be able to access certain features. We want students to feel as comfortable as possible when using DocsPlus in their exams, which is already a stressful situation. So, the aim of these DocsPlus for students videos is to show them exactly what to expect in Exam Mode:

Quick answers to common questions

We often get questions from schools who are using Chromebooks and the DocsPlus App in exams. In this video, we guide you through how to use the DocsPlus App in Exam Mode and answer common Chromebook specific questions:

If you want to learn more about how DocsPlus can support students in exams, you might find these resources useful:

• Our exam access page
  
  
• How DocsPlus can support SENCos with the new JCQ updates
  
  
• How DocsPlus helps students tackle revision and exam stress
  
  
• Embedding technology as students’ normal way of working
  
  
• Using DocsPlus as a computer reader: Essential exam setup tips

Additionally, you can book an exam support meeting if you would like to discuss how you can ensure your DocsPlus setup is exam ready.

Imagine the scene: Your school has just purchased a Flexi-subscription for Clicker or DocsPlus, and you cannot wait to start using it.

You’ve already got a good idea of which learners you’ll be using the software with, you’re aware of some great benefits, and you’re excited to dive in and get started.

So, what’s the next step?

As the training specialist at Crick Software, I’m here to share everything schools should know about their training options. I'll also share a few top tips to help make sure your sessions really hit the mark!

Here are my top tips on:  

1. Deciding which training option will best suit your needs
   
   
2. When to book your training
   
   
3. How to run your training sessions successfully
   
   
4. Frequently asked questions about our included training

Training options

If you have a Flexi-subscription, in addition to all the resources available in our Clicker and DocsPlus LearningHubs, you have access to unlimited* online training sessions with our experts.

I understand how difficult it can be to find time for training, especially when school calendars are often full already.

There also never seems to be a good time for staff to take on new information. Coming from the classroom myself, I know that at the end of a school day, the last thing I wanted to do was go to a training session when I had a pile of books to mark.

That’s why we have created different training options that you can pick from to work around the time you have available and the needs of your staff.

Here's a breakdown of the training options you can choose from throughout your subscription: 

90-minute session

This longer session, great for an INSET Day or Twilight session, provides staff with the time to gain the confidence and skills needed to use the software effectively. These sessions include plenty of hands-on time, giving you the chance to explore the software in depth, ask questions, and gain practical knowledge you can apply right away.

Whether you're just getting started or looking to deepen your expertise, this training is designed to be engaging, flexible, and impactful.

One-hour session

This training offers a clear and engaging introduction to the software’s key features. It's perfect for helping you feel confident and ready to get started.

Whether you're launching the software for the first time or introducing Clicker or DocsPlus to new staff members, it’s a supportive way to build familiarity and momentum from day one.

If you are more familiar with the software, this session could be used to focus in more depth on any key features which are relevant to the needs of your learners.

Bite-sized training

Our bite-sized training sessions are available in 15, 20, 30, or 45-minute formats and are designed to fit your schedule while delivering maximum impact. Each session focuses on one or two key features, helping you to quickly understand how to start using them effectively in your school.

Perfect for staff meetings or as quick refreshers, these sessions make it easy to build confidence and momentum, one step at a time.

This training can also be booked for smaller groups of staff who have a particular feature that is relevant to their year group or key stage.

Online course

On-demand training is also available to help you familiarise yourself with the software at your own pace. Any member of staff can register for the online course.  Staff can complete the modules in the order they choose, at a time that suits them. They will then receive a certificate for each module they complete.

If you're unsure which training option would suit you best, the training team would be more than happy to help. Just let them know what you hope to achieve with the session, and they'll suggest the most effective option.

It’s also a great opportunity to walk through the session content together and make sure we’re covering the most relevant features and building on what your staff already know.

When to book training

You can book training at any point in your three-year subscription. 

I’d recommend booking a training session near the start of your subscription. This helps to introduce the software to staff and get them up and running effectively.

You can then schedule further training sessions for times that work best for your school. This might be to focus on specific features for select staff, refresh staff knowledge, introduce new staff to the software or to focus in more depth on areas relevant to your students’ needs.

How to run your training

We understand that every school is different. So, we design our training sessions to be as flexible as you need them to be. 

You can run sessions for your entire school or begin with a small group of key staff - whatever works best for your setting. 

Staff attend as one group in the same room, in smaller groups, or participate individually on their own devices.  

Frequently asked questions

Will the training be recorded?

All training sessions will be recorded, and your trainer will send the recording to you via email following the training. You can then share this recording with the staff who attended so they can refresh their knowledge and follow along if needed. It can also be shared with new staff or staff who were unable to attend on the day. You can download the recording to keep on your school’s system.

Do staff need devices on the day?

This depends on the session! If you have requested hands-on time, staff will need to bring devices with them so they can explore the software.

Make sure your staff bring along the relevant devices. It's super handy for them to get stuck in and practise using the software during the hands-on part of the session.

How does the training take place?

The training included with your subscription is online and run live by one of our expert trainers.

We use Microsoft Teams. Once you’ve booked your session, you’ll get an email with a link to join on the day - easy as that!

What if I need to talk to someone about the training or have other questions?

If you would like to discuss your training with our team to plan content or ask questions, please book a customer care meeting with our training team here.

Here are some other resources that you might find useful:

• The ‘Get Started’ pages on our website for Clicker and DocsPlus have some great resources and top tips for implementing the software, including an action plan.

• The pre-training checklists are handy to share with the person responsible for IT in your school. This ensures you get the most out of your training sessions: Clicker and DocsPlus.

• For DocsPlus customers, we recommend that your Exams Officer, or the staff member in charge of exams, attends an exam support meeting before the training. This gives them an opportunity to ask any questions and discuss practical solutions for common challenges.

*Click these links to review the fair use policy for included training: Clicker, DocsPlus.

What is SRSD?

We received an email from a customer asking for any recommendations of how people are using Clicker with SRSD (Self-Regulated Strategy Development).

This strategy is a systematic instructional approach for genre-based writing. Its aim is to improve writing and encourage learners to become resilient and independent.

Clicker is designed to raise writing independence and confidence, so we knew it would be great to use with this strategy.

Here are some ideas on how and when Clicker can be used through the six stages:

1. Develop background knowledge
   
   
2. Discuss it 
   
   
3. Model it 
   
   
4. Memorise it 
   
   
5. Support it 
   
   
6. Independent performance 

Using Clicker to support the SRSD approach

Develop background knowledge

In this first stage, the teacher helps pupils build up the background knowledge and skills needed for the writing strategy they are being taught. This may include teaching key vocabulary, text structures or genre-specific features.

To gather prior knowledge, a Clicker Board is a useful tool. You could mind map or gather and organise the information and key vocabulary the pupils already know on an interactive whiteboard as a whole class or the pupils could independently create their own boards.

By saving this resource and returning to it throughout the process, pupils can add and record their developing background knowledge like a working wall.

Talk Sets can also be used to assess prior knowledge, with pupils verbally recording what they already know and understand. This Talk Set could be used at the end of the lesson or sequence of lessons to record their new understanding of this taught background knowledge. A Listen and Say Talk Set is perfect to explicitly teach key vocabulary.

To develop their knowledge, you could use a Clicker Book. These speech-supported on-screen books will enable you to introduce new vocabulary and learning with picture support. It will also put the vocabulary into context, so pupils have a clear understand of the meaning of each new piece of vocabulary. By creating or editing one of our Clicker Books from LearningGrids, you can tailor the subject matter and comprehension level.

When teaching the genre-specific features, you might use a Clicker Book to read stories in that genre, such as a fable. Pupils can then identify and pick out the features needed in that genre.

Finally, to support language acquisition skills and practise retrieval skills, a Matching Set could be used. Pupils can practise matching words to their meaning which could be a picture, words or sounds.

Discuss it

In this stage of SRSD, the teacher and pupils discuss the writing strategy and why it is needed and how it will help.

This stage involves goal setting which will improve their writing skills over time and improve their independence.

Clicker can support this stage of SRSD with Clicker Boards. Clicker Boards are great for collating their ideas and organising how they are going to achieve these goals.  By adding Voice Notes to the Clicker Board, pupils can explain why they have set that goal and how they are going to achieve it.

Model it

As the teacher models the writing strategy, they verbally explain by thinking aloud. They verbalise how to plan, organise, write, and revise a piece of writing using the strategy.

When planning, teachers can model using a Clicker Board. In LearningGrids, the Creative Writing and Non-fiction Writing Frames & Planners section has some great pre-made resources. These templates support the structure and organisation of the text type and ensures pupils are including the necessary taught features.

When writing, the Support Tools in Clicker’s Word processor can be modelled. By using Voice Notes, the teacher can model planning their sentences orally before writing.

When writing into the document, the Speech Feedback will read each sentence back. It is important that the teacher thinks aloud here about checking their sentences as they move through their piece, checking they are meeting the purpose of their writing.

The use of the Spell Check Tool and Predictor could be modelled to support their independent writing as well as to edit their work.

By modelling the use of a writing grid, teachers can promote independent working. Writing grids could be used to support the structuring of writing as well as vocabulary prompts.

Memorise it

Pupils work on memorising the steps of the writing strategy and this helps them recall the strategy independently.

Clicker Boards can be used as graphic organisers and checklists to support pupils when remembering the steps. They can also be used for Mnemonics and by changing the colours of the board, the shape of cells and adding pictures, pupils can make boards which they can visualise.

Talk Sets might also be useful here. Pupils can repeat, practise and verbalise the strategy to help them memorise it. A Tell the Story Talk Set could be used to support the retelling of their story or idea. You can edit all of our resources so you might take a pre-made Talk Set and add in the images from the pupils' own story!

Support it

In this stage, pupils begin to apply the writing strategy with support from their teacher and peers.

Writing grids, which can be used alongside Clicker’s Support Tools, support pupils writing by offering them words and phrases.

Emerging writers build sentences word-by-word, while Word Banks provide scaffolding to support developing writers. This stage is crucial for building confidence and proficiency with the strategy, so our writing grids are perfect for guiding and supporting pupils as they practise.

Independent performance

In the final stage, pupils apply the writing strategy independently across different writing tasks. They can use the Clicker resources throughout their writing, choosing independently or as prompted by their teacher.

If you're interested in using Clicker and SRSD to boost independence and resilience, book a customer care meeting to talk to one of our Customer Experience team.

I recently had a customer care meeting with a Scottish school who are taking part in the National Improving Writing Programme. In this programme, learners have a short writing session of 15 minutes for writing and 5 minutes to check their work.

They weren’t sure how Clicker fits into shorter lessons, as there isn’t much time to set Clicker up.

Clicker still offers fantastic writing support in short writing lessons - so here are my top tips for using Clicker when time is limited:

1. Organise the technology
2. Use Clicker Boards to get ideas down quickly
3. Edit work using the intelligent Word Processor
4. Review pupils' writing instantly with Analytics

Organise the technology

Reduce set-up time

If time is of the essence, you don’t want to spend the first part of the lesson handing out devices for the pupils to use.

• Plan Clicker lessons for the start of the day and set out the devices before your class arrive (like you would their books).
  
  
• If writing lessons are after break or lunch, select ‘Clicker Champions’ to hand out the devices before they head off to play. These pupils could also provide support to their peers when opening the software.

We’ve all planned a lesson which involves using IT and then when you go to collect the devices you need, another year group is also using them! If your school shares devices across year groups:

• Set up a timetable so it is clear which year groups need devices in their lessons. You can use Clicker across the curriculum, so the timetable can cover the whole school day.
  
  
• You can print out Clicker resources so if you can’t access a device, pupils can use the physical copy. Sentence Sets make brilliant cut-and-stick activities, and Word Banks work well at the bottom of the pupil's page for easy reference when adding key vocabulary.

Distribute the resources electronically

Within your classroom, you may have learners of varying abilities who will need different Clicker resources. In short writing sessions, you don’t have time to go around each group and make sure they are using the correct resource.

• Airdrop resources from an iPad. You can use the AirDrop feature of your iPad to wirelessly exchange files with another iPad or Mac.
  
  
• Guide pupils to LearningGrids to open the resource they need. This could be verbally as a whole class or instructions on the board.
  
  
• Set up a sharing system between devices so learners can access their folder and the resources they need.

Familiarise pupils with Clicker

If learners aren’t confident using the software, it could take them a while to start using Clicker. When pupils are proficient using Clicker, they can become successful independent learners.

Take time in computing lessons to teach pupils how to use Clicker:

• Open the software
  
  
• Go into LearningGrids and find a resource
  
  
• Save a Document
  
  
• Navigate to their folder to find files and resources
  

Promote the use of Clicker in interventions so pupils have a chance to use the software in a small group.

• Encourage pupils to read a Clicker Book when reading for pleasure.
  
  
• Set up a ‘Clicker Club’ at lunchtime to support writing enjoyment as well as building proficiency with the software.

Use Clicker Boards to get ideas down quickly

Clicker Boards are an easy-to-use mind mapping tool. When it comes to short writing sessions, a Clicker Board can be invaluable for modelling and delivering your teacher input.

As a class, you can collate ideas on a Clicker Board. Rather than frantically writing on flip chart paper, you can create your own or use one of our pre-made Clicker Boards to organise key vocabulary, thoughts or ideas. This whole-class activity promotes lots of effective discussion ahead of pupils tackling the writing process independently.

Once you have finished your board, you can save the resource which pupils could then open on their device or you could print the Clicker Board, so learners have a physical copy.

My favourite thing about a Clicker Board is that you can turn it into a Word Bank! For teachers, this means you don’t have to spend time after the lesson taking key vocabulary and writing your own vocabulary list, Clicker does it for you! Again, you can then save the Word Bank, and pupils can use it in their writing. This also means if pupils create their own Clicker Boards, they can create a Word Bank to support the transition from the planning stage to writing stage!

I would recommend going into LearningGrids to see our range of pre-made Clicker Boards. The Writing Frames and Planners section in LearningGrids is brilliant for a range of cross-curricular writing genres and hopefully saves you time when creating resources.

Edit work using the intelligent Word Processor

When editing a piece of text in a short writing session, the supportive Word Processor is a great way to model how to edit or up-level writing.

• The speech feedback enables you to model how when we listen back to our writing, we can identify grammatical errors. Hearing our writing read back is so much easier than re-reading our work so pupils can learn how to independently listen to and correct their mistakes.

• Using deliberate or common spelling errors, you can model using the Spell Check tool to correct those mistakes. Asking pupils to explain why the spelling is wrong can also help you to assess any gaps or misconceptions with spelling patterns or rules.

• Use the Predictor to show learners how it can support their writing stamina and spelling. By modelling the use of right-clicking a suggestion (PC) or using the SoundShift tool (App) to hear the word first, pupils will be able to see how they can independently choose the correct words. The Predictor can help to get learners excited about writing; they don’t have to do it alone!

Review pupils' work instantly with Analytics

After the short writing lesson, it might be useful to see how the pupil produced their work.

Did they use the predictor? Which words did they need to spell check? With this information you could assess which areas need to be covered in the following lessons.

The Analytics tool gives you an insight into how the pupil has produced the work. You can open the tabs on the left to see all the words input from a particular source and by selecting the words, you can view more information.

Being able to see the original spellings or attempts at a word allows you to then create spelling lists for your individual pupils or create lessons to address these gaps.

By selecting ‘Copy’ you can then paste the words into your spelling list!

These are just some ideas for how Clicker can be used when your pupils need to write in a short writing session. Here are some other resources you might find helpful: 

• Clicker for whole class teaching webinar
• Sharing, saving and printing tutorial
• Book a customer care meeting to talk to one of our Customer Experience team

In secondary school, having the right vocabulary is key to success. Students need to know subject-specific vocabulary and how to use it in their writing. This helps them understand their subjects better, write clearly, and meet the standards set by exam specifications and mark schemes.

For struggling readers and writers, the challenge is even bigger. They might rely on low-complexity vocabulary, use repetitive language, or miss opportunities to include important non-negotiable vocabulary in their work.

Building a strong vocabulary boosts confidence and helps students express their ideas better. In a recent webinar, I showed how Wordbars in DocsPlus can make this easier. These tools help students use precise terms, structure their writing, and meet the demands of their subjects. Wordbars can support high-level vocabulary, guide students in applying vocabulary, and help overcome literacy barriers.

Why targeted vocabulary instruction is important

The Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) recently reported that teachers should focus on teaching vocabulary in every subject to help improve secondary literacy. Here’s a breakdown of their guidance:

1. Teaching vocabulary in every subject
   Teachers in all subjects should teach important academic words that help students understand the content. These words are often not used in everyday speech, but they are essential for success in school. By teaching students these words, teachers help them engage with the material and express their thoughts more clearly.
   
   
2. Helping students remember words
   Effective vocabulary instruction goes beyond just explaining what words mean. Teaching students about the roots and structure of words (etymology and morphology) helps them connect new words to words they already know. This makes it easier to remember and understand the words in different contexts.
   
   
3. Focusing on important vocabulary
   The EEF recommends focusing on Tier 2 and Tier 3 vocabulary.
   
   
   • Tier 2 words are used in many subjects, like "analyse," "evaluate," or "compare." These words aren’t used in everyday conversations, but they are key for academic success.
   • Tier 3 words are subject-specific terms, such as "photosynthesis" in science or "feudalism" in history. These words help students understand specific topics.

By teaching these words, teachers help students get better at understanding and discussing complex ideas.

4. Planning vocabulary instruction
   To make vocabulary instruction effective, teachers should carefully choose which words to teach as part of their lessons. By including important vocabulary in the curriculum, teachers ensure that students learn the words they need to understand each subject. This helps students feel more confident and capable when tackling new topics.

How can DocsPlus help teachers provide subject-specific vocabulary instruction?

Wordbars are tools in DocsPlus that give students quick access to words and phrases for a topic. They support students with:

• Using subject-specific vocabulary in their writing
  
  
• Improving spelling and reading – right-clicking a cell reads out the word, enabling students to confirm they’ve selected the right one
  
  
• Organising their work with clear prompts

A common struggle for students is overusing simple words. Wordbars offer synonyms and high-level vocabulary to enrich their writing. For example, instead of saying "big battle," they can use "monumental conflict" or "historical confrontation." This makes their writing more engaging and detailed.

Using Wordbars also ensures students use key terms correctly, aligning their work with exam specifications and mark schemes.

Types of Wordbars and how to use them

DocsPlus includes three types of Wordbars to suit different needs:

1. A-Z Wordbars
   These organise subject-specific vocabulary alphabetically, making it easy for students to find and spell the words they need. This is great for students who know what they want to write but struggle with spelling.

2. Topic-based Wordbars
   These are structured around themes or subtopics, helping students use non-negotiable vocabulary while also understanding key content areas. For example, tabs might separate terms like "causes," "events," and "outcomes" to guide historical analysis.

3. Quick words Wordbars
   These offer a simple grid of key terms for quick reference. They’re ideal for struggling writers who need a clear starting point.

Writing frames: Applying subject-specific vocabulary through structured writing

Developing a strong vocabulary is vital. However, it’s equally important to teach students how to apply that vocabulary effectively in their writing.

Writing frames in DocsPlus help students organise their ideas and apply subject-specific vocabulary in the right way.

These frames provide both structure and support, ensuring students’ writing is clear, detailed, and meets exam specifications and mark schemes.

For example:

• In geography, frames like “Comparing Countries” guide students to use geographical terms and comparison skills.
  
  
• In science, frames help students explain processes using high-level vocabulary, such as when writing up investigations.
  
  
• In English, sentence starter frames guide students to write essays and reports that meet curriculum requirements.

Writing frames combine vocabulary support with a clear structure, giving students the tools to succeed across all subjects.

How do Wordbars help students with specific learning needs to include subject-specific vocabulary?

Students with an Education, Health, and Care Plan (EHCP) often need extra support to help them succeed. Wordbars in DocsPlus are a great tool for providing this help because they can be adapted to meet individual needs. Whether a student struggles with spelling, vocabulary, focus, or organising their writing, Wordbars offer flexible support that aligns with their EHCP goals.

Wordbars are beneficial for all students, whether or not they have an EHCP. Here’s how they can specifically support students with the following learning needs:

EAL (English as an Additional Language)

Building vocabulary: Wordbars provide quick access to important words, helping students learn new English vocabulary for different subjects.
Learning in context: Words are grouped by topics, so EAL pupils can see how they are used in real examples, helping with their language acquisition.
Guiding writing: Sentence starters and key phrases in Wordbars help students write with correct grammar and structure.

Dyslexia

Making spelling easier: Wordbars help students use high-level vocabulary without worrying about spelling them correctly.
Clear layout: The organised design of Wordbars makes it easy for students to find words quickly, reducing confusion. Right-clicking a cell reads out the word, enabling students to confirm they've selected the correct one.
Customisation: Teachers can create Wordbars that match the student’s specific needs or interests, offering just the right level of support.

ADHD

Staying focused: Wordbars keep students on track by giving them a clear structure and reducing distractions.
Quick and simple: Wordbars make inserting key vocabulary easy with a single click.
Finishing tasks: With vocabulary and writing prompts, Wordbars help students complete their work more independently.

Autism

Providing structure: The organised layout of Wordbars gives students a predictable and easy way to find words.
Helping communication: By offering key words and sentence starters, Wordbars support students in expressing their thoughts clearly.
Freeing up working memory: Wordbars help reduce the pressure of remembering to use or how to spell key vocabulary, making writing a less stressful experience and freeing up working memory to focus on other content.

Want to know more?

Here are some other resources you may find useful:

• LearningGrids tour for Windows/Mac
  
  
• LearningGrids tour for iPad/Chromebook
  
  

After their training session, a school reached out for further support on how to guide their pupils through Clicker’s writing grids to encourage independent writing.  

Writing grids are resources available in Clicker that have been designed to provide writing-specific support for learners of all abilities.  

The school could clearly see what a fantastic tool Clicker is, so their teachers wanted more guidance on how to use the different types of writing grids to help pupils progress from emergent and developing writers into independent writers. 

They had the initial idea of a flow chart concept which could be used by staff to understand how to move pupils through the writing grids, clearly demonstrating how learners can progress through various stages of scaffolding. Using this idea, I created a flow chart that guides teachers through which writing grid to use and when. 

To use the flow chart in your school, download it here.  

Clicker’s intuitive word processor, including spell checker, Predictor, and Voice Notes can be used alongside Clicker’s writing grids to transform a pupil’s daily writing challenges into achievable targets.  

To view our bank of ready-made writing grids, visit LearningGrids. If you would like to edit or create your own writing grids, watch our tutorials.  

If you have any questions, you can book a meeting with your Clicker Partnership Consultant.

In a recent conversation with a secondary school, we discussed how DocsPlus could be used to support learners in PE. We focused on how to assist students when reading or writing PE-related content, both in lessons and in exams.  

Using DocReader to access reading materials

To begin with, we discussed how teachers and learners can use the built-in DocReader to open PDFs or Word documents and have them read aloud. The DocReader reads out highlighted sections of the text which supports fluency and comprehension. The split screen function enables the student to view both the document and the word processor at the same time, which makes answering questions or making notes easier and more user friendly. 

Collating ideas in a visual organiser

After reading a text, learners can think about how to take this information and create a piece of writing or complete a written task. We explored a range of WorkSpaces, which are a great visual organising tool, perfect for planning out ideas or for revision. They enable learners to organise their thoughts and ideas in a clear and accessible format. A learner can create their own from scratch or they can use a pre-made WorkSpace available on LearningGrids. 

WorkSpaces can help students to scaffold different writing styles. If your PE students need to write a piece promoting participation in sport, advising on the benefits of physical activity, or persuading their audience of the importance of a balanced diet, these sets provide a valuable framework to fit each writing genre. 

From planning to writing

Following on from this, the learner now needs to take their ideas from this planning stage into the writing stage. To do this, we focussed on the core support tools in the DocsPlus Document, which are useful for learners who struggle with getting their ideas and knowledge down onto paper. 

Voice Notes can be invaluable for students who can verbalise their understanding but need support when writing. The learner can listen back as many times as they need to whilst creating their piece of writing. 

DocsPlus’ realistic speech feedback encourages learners to review and self-correct their work. The talking spell checker enables the learner to correct spelling errors and maintain their flow of writing.  

The intelligent predictor suggests words based on the context of the learner’s writing, speeding up writing productivity. It supports those with poor working memory by reducing how many words they have to physically type out. 

Wordbars provide subject specific vocabulary, organised in topic tabs or alphabetically, which can be inserted by a click or a tap. They sit beneath the document and encourage learners to use a wider range of relevant vocabulary, as well as providing structure to their writing. Wordbars are easily editable, so you can add or remove words to suit specific learners or topics as well as including any tier vocabulary you wish the students to include. 

Within the Science subject area of LearningGrids, you can find Wordbars for topics such as the skeleton, muscles, circulatory system, respiratory system, and diet and nutrition. 

Creating your own Wordbar

It’s easy to make your own Wordbar – simply copy and paste text from a web page or document into our Wordbar generator to quickly create a bank of vocabulary for your learners to use. This enables you to create a resource which exactly suits your students and their writing goals for a particular topic. This could also be something your more able learners generate for themselves! Check out our DocsPlus for Students videos which are a great guide to help you get your students started using DocsPlus. 

Want to know more?

The beauty of DocsPlus is that it can be used to support literacy across the curriculum, in any subject. If you want to find out more about how you can use DocsPlus and the amazing resources available in a specific subject or topic area, book a meeting with your DocsPlus Partnership Consultant.

Within a school setting, there are several ways to gather pupils’ views, feelings and wishes.

One way to collect this information is through pupil voice. Pupil voice may be used to gather a range of ideas about a particular subject, to find out their opinion on a learning experience, or to complete a pupil’s individual support plan.

Clicker Talk Sets are a great resource for this as they offer an alternative way to record for those who struggle to express their ideas or feelings in writing.

Talk Sets enable pupils to verbally record information and thoughts using picture prompts or verbal cues, developing their oral communication and listening skills.

Pupils can select a picture and then use the microphone to record their ideas, opinions, or answers.

Clicker Boards are another effective way to record pupil voice. Adding Voice Notes along with a text cell allows pupils to share their thoughts and ideas either orally or in a written format. With both Talk Sets and Clicker Boards, pupils can re-record as many times as they need to which is great for those who lack confidence or children who are learning English as an additional language. You can also use your own pictures as visual clues for pupils.

By giving them a voice, pupils are helped to feel safe to express their views and, as a result, they feel valued and listened to. Watch our Talk Set and Clicker Board tutorials to find out how to edit sets from LearningGrids or how to quickly create your own from scratch!

Word Banks are also a great writing resource which can be used to support pupil voice. You can create tabs to support the structure of an answer as well as to provide prompts.

There are hundreds of free ready-made Word Banks available on LearningGrids, and it is quick and easy to edit them to add your own vocabulary.

In this example, there is a sentence starter tab to support the beginning of the response and then subsequent tabs to help the pupil build their sentence.

Watch our tutorial for more support on how to create or edit a Word Bank from LearningGrids.

Providing pupils with a voice and giving them an opportunity to play an active role in the decisions made within the school positively affects their learning and wellbeing. To explore other ways that you could be using Clicker to support teaching, learning and wellbeing across your school, book a meeting with your Clicker Partnership Consultant.