How do I use Custom Word Lists?

You can use custom word lists to allow your students to practice their spelling words or work on words they might be struggling with

When creating a Custom word list you choose words that your pupils will practice whilst playing Sumdog games. We recommend setting at least 10 words in each list. This is because, on average, pupils will answer 10 questions within a game.

How to create a new custom word list

  1. Ensure Spelling is selected on your Teacher Dashboard and go into Set Work
  2. Click 'create & view' in the Custom Word Lists box
  3. Click 'choose word list'. This will bring up a list of the custom word lists that have already been created by teachers in your school 
  4. To create a new word list, click 'new word list'
  5. Type in a spelling word in the search box. If the word is in our system, it will appear below the search box. Click the word to add it to your list. The words you've added will appear in pink on the right

    Tip: If the word is not in our system, you can request it by clicking the link that says 'Can't find the word you want?' and then clicking 'request'
  6. Once you've added all the words you'd like to include in your list, name your word list by typing the name into the text box on the right
  7. Click 'save this list
  8. Follow the directions in Step 4 to choose your newly created custom word list

How to set a challenge using a custom word list

  1. Go into Set Work
  2. Click 'create & view' in the Custom Word Lists box
  3. Click 'choose' next to the Students box. This will bring up the student chooser popup. You can click on the name of a class in the popup to expand it to show all the students in that class. Select the students you want to include in the challenge, and click 'done'
  4. Click 'choose word list
  5. Click 'choose' to the right of the word list you'd like to use
  6. Create a title for your custom word list by typing the title into the text box
  7. Select the date/time you'd like the challenge to begin and end, and click 'set challenge'