IXL is an online platform designed for personalized learning experiences focused on skill development across a wide range of content areas and K-12 grade levels. Through a comprehensive set of features, IXL focuses on specific areas of development that students may need to develop further through the use of engaging video tutorials, games, and personalized lessons. IXL offers flexible learning activities that can be used for whole class instruction, small group work, individual learning, and tutoring.
For an overview of IXL, see What is IXL and how does it work?
The following is a sample lesson that could be used for high school algebra.
Subject: Math
Issue: Algebra
Grade Band: High school
Learning objective:
At the end of the lesson, students will be able to:
- Understand algebraic concepts.
- Collaborate with colleagues
- Develop individual algebraic skills
IXL Lesson Plan: Beginner
Use one of the whole class lessons within IXL to instruct students on the algebraic concepts you want them to learn. Within IXL, you will have the option to choose the grade level to focus on specific skills that align with the learning objectives of your lesson.
As they review different examples as a class, students will have the opportunity to view the IXL platform and solve different problems together. An interesting feature of IXL is “Group Jam”, which allows colleagues to work collaboratively to find the correct answers to the questions posed.
Alternatively, you can prepare a lesson using interactive slides via Solid, Google Slidesor any other similar educational technology tool, and save the IXL engagement for the next phase of the lesson, which is individual skill development.
Individual skill development
After the whole class lesson, have students work individually within the IXL platform to ensure they are working on the specific skills they need to personally develop.
Students will start by choosing their grade, for example, 9th grade, and then the topic area, Algebra 1. Then, over 350 skills will be available, but they are organized by broad topics such as numbers and operations, linear functions, quadratic equations, etc. The “Recommendations” option in IXL will use past data to recommend activities to start with for students.
Within this 9th grade Algebra 1 example, there are also 75 lessons and over 300 videos, so students will have plenty of content to learn and enjoy. If students answer a question incorrectly, a detailed explanation will appear to guide them in correcting it, as well as additional resources to develop skills, including games, interactive worksheets, and teacher-created activities.
Student-teacher conference
IXL provides a robust set of analytics for teachers to monitor student progress, including how many questions they answered, time spent answering questions, what has been accomplished in terms of skill development, and much more. Charts and charts are also available to show progress by category with scoring grids to see how each student in the class is doing on each specific skill, compared to their peers.
Using these analyses, identify areas of concern and share with students your progress, ask questions about your experience and areas of need in your opinion, and discuss a plan for future development in individualized conferences. Other students can work on developing their skills within the IXL platform while you meet individually with each student.
What does IXL offer for exam preparation?
In addition to individualized skill-building lessons for math, science, language arts, social studies, and Spanish, IXL offers a wide range of preparation content for several standardized tests, including: ACT and SAT, which are used for college admissions ; the GED to obtain high school completion equivalency; and specific state tests, such as Keystones, which are required in Pennsylvania.
The IXL website offers regular posts to keep the IXL user community connected. In addition, throughout the year different awards and specific activities are organized in which educators can participate. An option to subscribe to the newsletter is also available if you prefer to receive automatic updates.
IXL is a great site to include in your lesson time so that students focus on specific skills that are personalized to their development. Try it and see how your students enjoy and learn with IXL.
