Canvas Step-By-Step Instructions
How To Make Assignments on a Module
Click on the Course Card of the class you are trying to make an assignment for.
Go to your Modules (otherwise known as a "topic" on Google Classroom.)
If a module isn't created, click the +button. Otherwise, click the +button to add to the module.
Click "Create Assignment". Give it an "Assignment Name" and then click "Add Item".
Click on the assignment shell, which is simply the title of the assignment to open it up.
Click "Edit" on the top right-hand corner.
Underneath the assignment title, you are going to put in a description of the assignment. You can also embed things from your Google Drive, like notes or resources, by clicking on the "Google Drive" logo. You can also use other applications by clicking on the plug, like YouTube, to embed videos!
Give the assignment a point value.
Choose the assignment group. Note: If you want it to transfer to Powerschool, it must choose a synced Powerschool category.
Select your submission type. You can choose from "No Submission, Online, On Paper, or External Tool.
UNLIKELY NEEDED: Group Assignment is if you want multiple students to work on an assignment and require peer reviews if you want students to give each other feedback. These are advanced features!
Check off "Sync to SIS" if you want the grades to go Powerschool.
Where it says "Assign," it defaults to everyone. You can assign it to only certain students, groups of students, or sections. See note on the bottom for more details.
Select a due date. This is required.
If you want the assignment not to appear until a certain time (or to schedule it ahead), choose a date you want it to appear (available from) and "until" if you want it that students cannot have access to it after a certain date. This is optional.
Note: If you teach multiple sections of the same class but need different due dates, you can click +Add to differentiate due dates within the same assignment! Game changer!
How To Create Assignments Using the Calendar
You can create assignment shells using the calendar in Canvas, meaning you can put the details in later (if needed). Assignments shells added this way are placeholders until all the details for the assignment are added. This is also perfect for simple assignments that don't require a lot of details, like daily class participation. You can also directly sync to SIS from here!
Plus, with the Calendar, you can easily drag assignment due dates around. Note: If you want to duplicate an assignment, the best way to do that is in a module by clicking on the right of the assignment (the three dots) and then duplicate.
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Find and click on the Calendar icon in the left sidebar.
Add a new assignment by clicking “+”.
Add assignment details and be sure to select the Calendar for the appropriate course from the “Calendar” dropdown.
Check off "Sync to SIS" if you want it to go to PowerSchool (and make sure it is in an assignment group that is synchronized with PowerSchool).
Submit the new assignment.
Visit the course shell to complete details in the assignment shell(s) you’ve created.
How To Use Week-At-A-Glance/Newsletter on Canva
Make sure your Canva is embedded on your Canvas Page.
Go to Canva.com
Find your Week-At-A-Glance/Newsletter by scrolling down to your recent designs.
RECOMMENDED: Bookmark the page that has your Week-At-A-Glance/Newsletter so you don't have to go searching for this every week!
When it is the new week, click "Duplicate Page," which is to the right of the lockpad.
Fill in your learning objectives and such. You can include hyperlinks by selecting a word and clicking CTRL+K.
If you want to link to a Canvas assignment (or another website), simply copy and paste the hyperlink to the assignment itself (copy and paste the website address when you're on the assignment). Type in the title of the assignment, select the text, and then click CTRL+K to link it to the assignment.
You can also embed videos on Canva. If interested, click on Apps on the left, click on Youtube, and find a video that you think fits your week!
After you're done working on Canva, there's no need to do anything to Canvas as it's already embedded and it autosaves!
Remember, you should make your latest changes to the page on the top as that's the most current copy. Your previous weeks will be accessible by keeping all content below.
Different Assignment Types: How To Make An Online Assignment (Submit Text Entry/Student Annotation to Write on PDF = Most Popular)
Click "Create Assignment". Give it an "Assignment Name" and then click "Add Item".
Click on the assignment shell, which is simply the title of the assignment to open it up.
Click "Edit" on the top right-hand corner.
Underneath the assignment title, you are going to put in a description of the assignment. You can also embed things from your Google Drive, like notes or resources, by clicking on the "Google Drive" logo. You can also use other applications by clicking on the plug, like YouTube, to embed videos!
Give the assignment a point value.
Choose the assignment group. Note: If you want it to transfer to Powerschool, it must choose a synced Powerschool category.
Select your submission type. Choose Online.
Text Entry [1]: Students can submit their assignment directly in the Rich Content Editor. This is good for a warm-up or exit-ticket.
Website URLs [2]: Students can submit a URL that fulfills the assignment. This is rarely used, but if they wanted to submit a URL as an assignment, this is how they could do it.
Media Recordings [3]: Students can submit an audio or video recording that fulfills the assignment. They can either record new media or upload existing media. Video and audio uploads to Canvas can be up to 500 MB.
Student Annotation [4]: Very popular! Do you have a PDF of a worksheet or a Word file you want students to write on? Students can annotate a file uploaded by teacher. The annotated document is submitted as the student's assignment submission.
File Uploads [5]: Students can upload a file or take a photo with their webcam to fulfill the assignment. Students can upload files from their respective Google Drive or OneDrive account directly. Most people opt to use the Google Assignments LTI (which is an external tool).
8. UNLIKELY NEEDED: Group Assignment is if you want multiple students to work on an assignment and require peer reviews if you want students to give each other feedback. These are advanced features!
9. Check off "Sync to SIS" if you want the grades to go Powerschool.
10. Where it says "Assign," it defaults to everyone. You can assign it to only certain students, groups of students, or sections. See note on the bottom for more details.
11. Select a due date. This is required.
12. If you want the assignment not to appear until a certain time (or to schedule it ahead), choose a date you want it to appear (available from) and "until" if you want it that students cannot have access to it after a certain date. This is optional.
Note: If you teach multiple sections of the same class but need different due dates, you can click +Add to differentiate due dates within the same assignment! Game changer!
Different Assignment Types: How To Make An On Paper Assignment
If you are giving an assignment that requires no physical submission (like a physical pop quiz), but you need to have a grade appear in the gradebook, here's how you do it!
Click "Create Assignment". Give it an "Assignment Name" and then click "Add Item".
Click on the assignment shell, which is simply the title of the assignment to open it up.
Click "Edit" on the top right-hand corner.
Underneath the assignment title, you are going to put in a description of the assignment. You can also embed things from your Google Drive, like notes or resources, by clicking on the "Google Drive" logo. You can also use other applications by clicking on the plug, like YouTube, to embed videos!
Give the assignment a point value.
Choose the assignment group. Note: If you want it to transfer to Powerschool, it must choose a synced Powerschool category.
Select your submission type. Choose On Paper.
Different Assignment Types: How To Make An External Tool Assignment (Edpuzzle, Google Assignments, IXL, etc.)
If you have an assignment on Edpuzzle, you want to make a copy for every student (like you did on Google Classroom), use IXL, etc, this is how you do it. Click here!
Important Note About Google Assignments LTI: If you have a Google Form, it does not work with the Google Assignments LTI. Google Assignments will "Make a Copy" for Google Docs, Slides, Sheets, NOT Forms.
If you want to post a Google Form, one simple option is to open your Google form, click send, copy the link, and then go back to Canvas where you can click + on your module, click +External Link, and paste the link.
You can also create a Canvas page with a Google Form on it. To do this, click Pages, +Page, and once it's open, click Insert, and then Embed, and paste the code from the Google Form. The Google Form Embed link is found by clicking "Send" in the top right-hand corner and then clicking < >.
You can also convert your Google Form quizzes into Canvas quizzes using Automagical if you have multiple-choice quizzes.
Different Assignment Types: How To Link Out Externally (No Assignment in Canvas Required)
If you are having students complete work on an external website, like Edulastic, but there is no grade directly attached to it, you can simply add a URL link to your modules or put a URL link on a page. This is also good if you want to post materials for students, like linking your students to your Google Drive folder of notes.
When adding an External URL to a module, the dialog box includes an option to load the URL in a new browser tab. When this option is selected, Canvas will display the page to students outside of Canvas. If the External URL is part of a module requirement, Canvas will also register the progression so that the module footer will appear and allow the student to advance to the next module item.
When this option is not selected, the content is embedded in an iFrame for easy viewing, which is nice because it'll keep students on Canvas itself. However, some sites have disabled embedding and require users to open the content in a new window. Users can open the link in a new window by right-clicking the link and selecting the option to view in a new window or tab.
How do I enter or edit grades? Speedgrader vs Gradebook
You can either grade assignments by clicking on the assignment itself and then clicking on "Speedgrader" to the right, or you can go to your Gradebook directly. It's important to filter your gradebook so you can easily find where you need to fill in grades. You can filter by assignment, section, module--you will find a view that works best for you and your work flow.
You're more likely to use Speedgrader if you are working on grading one assignment. The gradebook is good if you want to view everything at once. Also, if you ever need to make a correction or need to manually sync to the SIS, the gradebook is where you're going to want to go.
How do I embed a landing page/week-at-a-glance from Canva to Canvas?
For directions and templates for landing pages and week-at-a-glance, click here. Below are the general steps for embedding pages.
On Canva, click on "Share" in the upper right.
Click "More..."
Click "Embed."
Click "Embed" again.
Copy the first code.
Log in to your Canvas account.
Open your Homebase Course (if elementary).
Click "Manage Subject."Click "Manage Subject."
Click "Pages" on the left.
Click "+ Page" button on right.
Page Title: Landing Page or Week-At-A-Glance (depending what you're embedding)
Go to Insert -> Embed.
Paste your embed code.
Do NOT just copy and paste the code in the text. You have to click Insert-->Embed to put the code. You will see your page populate, and that's how you'll know it's right!
Click "Save and Publish" on the bottom of the screen.
Go back to the "Pages" page.
Click on the three dots on the Landing Page far right.
Click "Use as Subject Home," if you're elementary.