Lesson 1: Getting Started with Instruction

Welcome to Chalk's guide to taking full advantage of the Instruction Solution as a teacher! 

This series of lessons is a structured collection of step-by-step directions of Instruction features, and how to get full value of the Instruction solution to make your life easier and give you more time focusing in the classroom, not outside of it.

How do I log into Chalk for the first time?

• This article is a quick how-to when it comes to getting started and setting up your account! Keep reading for how to do this! 

How do I set up my semester?

• This article will help you set up your semester within your Planboard account. A Semester in Chalk account is the time period where you are teaching the same students the same subjects. This may differ from school to school in what they are called or how they are set up, but to make it easiest for you, you'll want to pick the beginning and end dates that you're teaching your same group of students the same subject.

Note: For some Institutions, when you sign up you will be given a default semester just to get your started! Click here to find how to edit your semester's start and end dates, teaching days and the name you would like it to have. 

How do I set up my subjects & sections?

• This article will help you set up your subjects and sections! Subjects are the relatively straight forward. You might teach Grade 11 English, Grade 10 English and Grade 12 World History all in the same semester. These would get their own subject. Sections are when you teach the same Subject to the same Grade but different groups of students. For example, you might teach Grade 11 English to two different sets of students at two different times. They have the same Curriculum Sets or Standards attached. Therefore you would have 1 Subject of Grade 11 English, but two sections within it.  
  • In addition to Subjects and Sections Chalk allows you to add non-teaching blocks to your schedule. This is for those blocks of time in your rotation that have meaning but are not instruction related. For example, you may put lunch, recess duty, planning time or other important blocks in your timetable as a non-teaching block. 

How do I set up my timetable?

• Before you can get started on planning your lessons, you'll need to set up your timetable/schedule so that you'll know which lessons to plan for which date and time!

Continue onto Lesson 2: Lesson Planning and Templates!