Vero

Teaching guide · Classroom example

Read across sources

Compare evidence and perspectives before reaching a judgment.

Create document-based inquiry

Set up

  1. In Create assignment, choose Document-Based Inquiry, then adapt the two-document example below.
  2. Edit the prompt, purpose, audience and supports. Review checklist and Personal reflection start on; use their toggles to turn either off. With both off, students can use Task → Plan → Write. Check any source text and its origin/context. Start without a timer or word limit for practice.
  3. Preview, Save assignment, and look for Assignment saved. Open it for a class, open the lobby, then Start writing.

Provide at least two documents. Preserve authorship and context; use Unknown when needed. Sample documents are clearly labeled classroom simulations, not historical sources. This version produces one synthesis response; it does not create separate graded document questions.

Use the sample

Should the library open at lunch?

Audience: A school committee making a decision.

Should the school try opening the library during lunch? Compare Documents 1 and 2. Use both in your recommendation, explain a limitation, and identify what the school should find out next. These are fictional practice documents.

Read the sample sources

Source 1: Student council note

Fictional student council; classroom simulation · Undated

At our meeting, several students asked for a quiet place to read after lunch. We recommend opening the library. We have not asked students outside the council, and we do not know how many would use it.

Source 2: Library staffing note

Fictional librarian; classroom simulation · Undated

The library is unused during lunch on Tuesdays and Thursdays. An adult must supervise it. I could supervise on Tuesdays for a two-week trial, but I cannot cover Thursdays. We would need to record how many students attend and whether book returns still get completed.

Teach and review

Read both documents. Model how author, purpose and missing information affect a claim. Students compare documents, then make a recommendation using both.

  • My judgment answers the central question.
  • I use and identify evidence from at least two documents.
  • I explain an agreement, difference or limitation.
  • My conclusion does not claim more than the documents support.

Feedback: Name one strength and one specific next step. Have students explain a change before submitting. Checkboxes are self-reports, not scores.

Examples and references

Short model and student example

Teacher think-aloud: These writers answer different questions. I need to explain how their information fits together, rather than choose a quotation from only one.

Illustrative student writing: A Tuesday trial seems possible because the librarian can supervise then. However, the council did not ask everyone, so the school should check how many students would attend.

Reflection: The staffing note changed my recommendation from every day to a Tuesday trial.

Original teaching examples, not actual student work or officially scored exemplars. Use a different modeling topic when students should generate their own answer.

Adjust support and use it beyond this lesson

Discuss ideas aloud, reduce the review criteria or provide a teacher example for more support. Remove optional planning for greater independence. Adapt vocabulary and source demands for other grades and retain accommodations.

This routine supports clear explanations, informed decisions and thoughtful revision in school and everyday communication. Use official assessment samples to compare task demands; this activity is not an official test or an endorsement.

Standards and evidence

W.8.1.a: develop a claim and consider alternatives; W.8.9: support a judgment with documents. See the official grade 8 writing standards. Alignment describes practice opportunities, not mastery. Other grades and discipline-specific tasks need their own mapping.

A Finnish upper-secondary study supports explicit sourcing instruction. Its online, collaborative intervention differs from this offline adaptation. Read the study or guidance.

WWC’s model–practice–reflect guidance supports the teacher demonstration and student review routine. Vero makes these practices ready to use; research outcomes belong to the teaching approaches studied, not to Vero.

Timing, saving and downloads

One timer covers every stage. Use Pause for a break, not End session. Only the final response counts toward word limits. Draft/notes, review checks and reflection save separately and accompany the submission. Sources are reference text, not student words.

PDF, DOCX and TXT label supporting work separately; including prompts also includes source documents. The original .vero keeps the structured package. Wait for Submission received on the Vero device and portal. Assignment edits apply to new sessions.