Prodigy offers various in-game aids such as virtual manipulatives, hints, and text-to-speech to assist children with their work.
Every time a student is given a question, they can view hints or lessons and also access a toolbox of virtual manipulatives to help them work through it out.
1. Drawing tools:
On the right side of the screen are a series of pencil crayons. When one is selected, the multi-coloured drawing tool can be used to write anywhere within the workspace.
Good examples of how this can be used are:
- Performing operations that require regrouping
- Drawing a number line to help count or skip-count
2. The erase tool:
If a student has drawn a lot with the pen tool or placed a number of manipulatives and would like to erase some of them, select the eraser below the pencil crayon icons.
Using this tool, click and drag to erase portions of what you've drawn on the screen.
To clear the entire workspace students can select the trash can icon.
3. Manipulatives
Manipulatives can be a valuable resource however, many students do not have them at their disposal at home. With Prodigy's virtual manipulatives, students can access interactive tools just like those they have at school.
Selecting the manipulatives drawer on the top right of the menu displays the available manipulatives within the menu.
Students simply click/tap and drag the item to move it into the workspace. This will also allow them to move it around the workspace.
Selecting the item within the workspace will also allow students to make use of its interactive elements. For example, base ten blocks are a tool students can use to understand place value and to visualize regrouping.
Students can make use of all of the tools available to address concepts like fractions, money, counting and many more:
Other available tools are:
- Coins
- Fraction Strips
- Counters
Using Prodigy's virtual manipulatives, teachers can work through concepts with students, and students will continue to have access to those tools at home!
If students are having a hard time answering a question, or just need a reminder of the process for solving, our hints can help!
Embedded within each question in Prodigy is a hint. Hints are available within the question menu and can be accessed by selecting the lightbulb icon on the left side of the screen.
Once the hint has been reviewed, selecting the button once more or "Close Hint" on the bottom right, students will return to the question.
Some of our newer hints now appear as pop-up bubbles in the question itself! They look like this:
Prodigy has provided a Text-to-Speech feature for each question students encounter in the game.
Each question can be read aloud to a student by simply clicking/tapping on the speaker icon:
Click the button again to stop the read-aloud function.
With the Text-to-Speech feature, Prodigy's math questions are accessible to our users no matter their reading level.