Mastering Seesaw: Streamlining Assignments and Assessments for Modern Classrooms
- Jan 5
- 6 min read
By Brandy Cannon, Bullock Elementary
Seesaw is a powerful, user-friendly platform that empowers teachers to create, share and assess students’ work. Seesaw allows teachers to create interactive and engaging assignments and assessments that align with district curriculum and state standards. Whether you are new or experienced with Seesaw, this post will walk you through how to create and assign tasks that are effective and engaging for students.
In today’s digital learning environment, Seesaw has become essential for teachers to adapt to the era of technology and online testing, while allowing students to interact with different mediums to check their understanding of skills. This post will explore how it works and how you can use it effectively in your classroom.
What is Seesaw Assignments and Assessments?
Seesaw assignments and assessments are core features on the Seesaw platform that allow teachers to create, manage and assess student work. These tools are designed to allow students and teachers to interact and engage in the learning process in a meaningful and fun way. Below, I have included the types of assignments and assessments you can create and assign.
Types of Assignments:
Photo/Video- Students take photos of their work or record themselves explaining a concept or demonstrating a skill, then submit it for review
Drawing- Students use the draw tool to illustrate ideas, solve problems, or show their understanding of a topic
Text- Students can type written responses, essays or answers to questions.
Audio- Students can record voice responses, explaining their ideas verbally without a video.
Types of Assessments:
Quizzes- Short-answer, multiple choice, or true/false questions to test students' knowledge.
Skill-based assessments- Teachers can assess specific skills (writing, problem solving or critical thinking)
Project-based assessments- Long term tasks, where students can upload various forms of work (photos, videos, drawings) over time.
Rubric-based assessments- Teachers can use rubrics to provide clear and consistent framework and feedback for work.
Why Use It in Education?
Seesaw is more than a digital portfolio; It is a comprehensive tool that enhances the learning process for both students and teachers. The assignment and assessment features on Seesaw are designed to serve as several key educational purposes, such as:
Personalized Learning- Allows teachers to tailor assignments and assessments to meet the individual needs and interests of students.
I like to assign lessons aligned to my small groups' needs during W.I.N Time.
Formative Assessment and Feedback- Monitor learning in real-time providing continuous feedback that helps students improve before they reach the final assessment stage.
This allows me to see what I need to reteach in small group or whole group.
Building a Digital Portfolio of Student Work- Allows students to archive their learning over time, which helps students, teachers and parents track their progress.
You can present student archives during parent/teacher meetings or give parents access to check all year long.
Encourages Self-Reflection and Critical Thinking- Students can reflect on their own learning, a crucial part of developing metacognitive skills.
Allows your student to become independent thinkers and become confident in peer review/assessing.
Engaging and Motivating- Assignments and assessments provide students a dynamic and interactive environment that increases student engagement.
Students have a multitude of options to submit their assignment and have an opportunity to explore their preferred learning style.
Streamlined Grading and Feedback- Simplifies grading and makes assessments efficient for teachers.
Saves YOU hours of creating and grading student work!
How to Create an assignment or assessment:
Step 1: Log into Seesaw
Open the Seesaw app on ReadyHub
Log in with your teacher account credentials.
Step 2: Navigate to the Correct Class
From your home screen, select the class where you want to create the assignment or assessment.
If you're teaching multiple classes, ensure you're working in the correct one.
Step 3: Click on the "Add" Button
Once you're in the correct class, locate the “Add” button. This button is usually a + icon at the top right of the screen on mobile devices or at the bottom of the screen on desktop.
Click on the “Add” button.
Step 4: Choose "Assign Activity"
After clicking the “Add” button, a menu will pop up with several options.
Select “Assign Activity” to either create a new activity or select an existing one from the Seesaw Activity Library.
Step 5: Select "Create New Activity"
If you're creating a new activity (assignment or assessment), click on “Create New Activity”.
This option will allow you to create a custom assignment or assessment from scratch.
Step 6: Add Details for Your Assignment/Assessment
Title: Enter a clear title for the assignment or assessment. Be descriptive about the task (e.g., “Water Cycle Drawing Assignment” or “Math Quiz on Fractions”).
Instructions: Add detailed instructions. These should guide the students on what to do and what’s expected of them. You can include:
Step-by-step directions.
Any resources or links they need to access.
Specific expectations, such as how long the assignment should be or how many problems to complete.
Optional: You can also add audio instructions if you prefer to explain the task in your own voice instead of writing it out.
Step 7: Choose Assignment/Assessment Type
After entering the title and instructions, you need to select the type of assignment or assessment you want to create.
Photo: Students upload photos of their work.
Example: "Upload a picture of your completed worksheet."
Drawing: Students can use Seesaw’s drawing tools to complete the task directly on the platform.
Example: "Draw the water cycle diagram and label the parts."
Video: Students record and submit a video.
Example: "Record a video explaining the steps you took to solve the math problem."
Audio: Students record an audio explanation of their work.
Example: "Explain your answer to this question in your own words."
Text: Students can type out their answers or explanations.
Example: "Write a paragraph about your favorite book."
Choose One or More: You can mix and match these options to create a multimodal assignment (e.g., drawing + video or photo + text). This provides flexibility in how students complete and express their work.
Step 8: Attach Files or Resources (Optional)
If your assignment requires additional materials (e.g., a template, a PDF document, or a link), you can attach them.
To attach files or links, click on the “Attach” button.
You can upload files such as PDFs, worksheets, presentations, or add web links.
Example: "Here’s a link to a video on the water cycle—watch it and then complete the diagram."
Step 9: Choose Students (Optional)
You can choose to assign the task to all students or select specific students.
If you want to differentiate instruction, assign the task to individual students who need the activity.
If you want to assign the activity to the whole class, select the "All Students" option.
Step 10: Set a Due Date (Optional)
Set a due date for the assignment if you want to give students a deadline.
Click on the calendar icon and choose the due date.
Final Step: Review and Assign
After filling in all the details, review everything to make sure it’s correct:
Check the instructions.
Ensure you’ve attached the correct resources.
Confirm that you’ve chosen the appropriate assignment type and rubric.
Once you’re ready, click “Assign” (on mobile or desktop) to send the assignment or assessment to your students.
Best Practices & Tips:
Be clear and concise with instructions- Instructions should be simple and easy to follow. Use visual and audio aids, some students may benefit from these features rather than reading instructions.
Include sample work- Students can benefit from having an exemplar to follow. This is particularly helpful with drawing or writing tasks.
Seesaw offers a versatile, engaging platform for creating assignments and assessments. These tools allow students to engage with interactive and personalized activities. Teachers are able to allow students to showcase their learning in creative ways, provide timely feedback, and encourage students to be involved in their learning.
Ready to start creating your first assignment or assessment on Seesaw? Dive in to see how this platform can enhance your teaching experience and help students shine!
By incorporating Seesaw Assignments and Assessments into your teaching practice, you can create fun and engaging ways for students to interact with content. I know many of us spend an exorbitant amount of hours creating and grading assignments/assessments. Let Seesaw take away some of the stress and help you gain back some of your time. Give it a try, and watch how it enhances learning in your classroom!
Additional Resources:
Seesaw is a wonderful and useful tool provided to us by the district. It offers amazing features and is a one stop shop for digital learning. New technology can be overwhelming, but the easiest step is to start. Don’t be afraid to play around in Seesaw before you assign activities to the students. Build up your confidence, so you can nurture your students!
I used AI for brainstorming only and crafted the content myself.
