Pear Deck Flashcard Factory for increased retention and engagement

2/14/2020

Nearly any content area unit at any grade level involves learning important academic vocabulary to help students understand and articulate their knowledge in a manner that shows their newfound comprehension. Vocabulary comprehension is a critical skill when it comes to demonstrating understanding on the CMAS assessment, as well. Students are not able to comprehend vocabulary without picturing, and technology is able to engage support students in that task.

Pear Deck’s Flashcard Factory is a little-known feature that helps engage students in this work in a new, game-based way! Pear Deck explains, “In the Flashcard Factory, students work together to create the best example sentences and illustrations for your vocabulary terms. At the end of the game, you can review and choose the final flashcard set as a group. Finally, print the final set or export it to Gimkit for free. Students can play review games with their cards at home, and all of the fun examples they created will help them remember and better understand the terms.”

Getting started with Flashcard factory

Step 1 - Create a vocabulary list

Go to peardeck.com and log in as a teacher (use your jeffcoschools.us email address!) to open your Pear Deck Home. Please note: You must use a Google account to play the Flashcard Factory game at this time! When you reach Pear Deck Home, click Start a Vocab List:

Step Two: Add Vocabulary Terms to your List

Teachers can find a Vocabulary List by Subject, paste in their own list, or type in terms. Merriam-Webster is on call to help you fill in definitions as you go. You get to choose whether or not to provide students a definition. Learn more about creating a list.

Step Three: Play the Flashcard Factory Game

When you're ready to begin, click the blue Play Flashcard Factory button (see the image above). Pear Deck displays instructions on your screen (the Projector View) telling students how to join the game. Just like they enter a Slides Session, students need to go to joinpd.com, log in with their Google Account, then enter the code to join.

Students' names will appear on the teacher’s screen as they join. Students are automatically assigned a partner to create example sentences and illustrations for the new terms during the game. Once they have joined the session, teachers will click Clock in to enter the Production Phase. Students can then start creating their cards. As a class, students can review the cards on the Projector View and choose the best examples to be included in the final Flashcard Set. Learn more about how the game is played.

Step Four: Choose the final Flashcard Set

When you are ready for students to stop working in the Production Phase, and you want to decide which cards to send to the final set, go to Quality Control.

In Quality Control, you can approve cards for the final set (or dismiss them). The students can get in on the fun here as well!

After completing the Quality Control phase, click on the Shipping Phase button.

Step Five: Export, Print, and Review

In the Shipping Phase, click on Print or Export Set.

A new window opens. Click on Print Flashcard Set or Export to Gimkit.
If you choose Print, the Print menu opens. If a Flashcard does not have a definition, example, or image, we provide space for students to fill in their own copy or image after printing.

You can also play fun study games on products like Gimkit!

We hope you find a way to utilize this secret gem of a game/instructional tool soon!
As always, if you have questions, please contact your EdTech Specialist to get started.

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