Sticky Bars With Plickers

Whether you’re teaching online or in a face-to-face setting, learning in the modern classroom benefits from digital mediation.

In this resource, you’ll learn how to implement the Sticky Bars instructional strategy using the Plickers tech tool. By using these tools together, you can store data, including the results of a poll and specific student answers. Plus, you can implement the instructional strategy in a new and engaging way.

Sticky Bars is located on the K20 LEARN site under the Instructional Strategies tab. This strategy enables you to quickly assess students’ ideas concerning a concept or question and helps students see a range of opinions concerning a concept.

Plickers is a web app that can help you assess student understanding quickly without requiring extra devices or clickers. Students use paper response cards similar to QR codes that can be scanned in the app for instant feedback. You can find an introduction to Plickers on the K20 LEARN site under the Tech Tools tab.

In the how-to section, you’ll receive hands-on instructions for how to facilitate a Sticky Bar activity using Plickers.

1. First, navigate to get.plickers.com. Next, select Get Started and create your account.

2. Once you are signed in, you will be redirected to your library. Select New Class from the left panel.

3. Name your class.

4. Select Create Class. You can also import a class from Google Classroom.

5. Once your class is created, select Add Students.

6. Add your students to your class roster.

7. Type your student’s first and last name and press enter.

8. Type another student’s first and last name. Repeat as needed to enter all students’ first and last names.

9. Select Next to arrange the list of names as you see fit.

10. You can arrange them by first name or last name.

11. Select Done.

12. Navigate to your library by selecting Your Library at the top of the left panel and select New Set.

13. Name your set.

14. Enter the question you wish to pose in the box. Select the letter of the correct answer so it is highlighted in green. Then add answer options below.

15.  If your question has no right or wrong answer, select Survey above the question box. You can also add other media to your question by selecting an option from the toolbar on the right of the question box.

16. When you are finished preparing your question, select Add to Queue.

17. Navigate back to your library by selecting the waffle icon in the upper left corner. 

18. Select Your Library from the dropdown menu.

19. Select your name on the top-right of the page. This will take you to your account settings.

20. Under Help Links, select Get Plickers Cards.

21. Download and print your cards or prepare them upon arrival if ordering.

22. Download the mobile app on your phone or tablet. The Plickers app allows you to scan student answers when facilitating an activity. That's it. You're done!

When you are ready to facilitate the Sticky Bars activity, distribute the Plickers cards to your students. The cards are numbered. Be sure to match each card with the corresponding student as numbered on your Plickers class roster.

On the Plickers web app, navigate to your library and select the question set you would like to use with your class. Make sure your device is connected to a screen all students can see.

Select the blue Play Now button on the right. Select the appropriate class. The question will display on your screen.

Give students a moment to read and select their answer. Have them answer by holding up their Plickers card with the letter corresponding to their answer at the top of the card.

Using the mobile app on your phone or iPad, scan each student’s card when they are ready.

When all students have answered, select Show Graph on your phone or tablet. The results of your poll will appear on the screen.

Facilitate a whole-class discussion regarding the results displayed. Ask students to share their reasoning for their answers and address any misconceptions that arise.