Create or edit a custom lesson
userXello Admin Xello productXello 6-12 & Xello 3-5 Time5 minutes

Users with administrator access can create or edit a custom lesson that will show in the To-do list and Lessons sections in the student's Xello account. Custom lessons can easily be tracked so you can see how many students have completed the work assigned.

noteNote: Only those with administrator access can create or make these changes. To learn more about educator access and permissions, read the article on Educator permissions.
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Custom lessons can be used to track any kind of work that you want all students in a particular year to complete. This is especially helpful if you have a state or local requirement that isn't met with one of Xello's existing lessons. Depending on how the custom lesson was created, students will submit in one of the following ways: 

  • Attach files
  • Enter a text response
  • Attach file AND enter a text response
  • Attach file OR enter a text response
  • Mark as complete

Additionally, these lessons can be set as Required and with due dates, ensuring that it gets top priority on the student's To-do list.

Create a custom lesson

To create a custom lesson for students:

  1. From your educator account, click Features and select Completion Standards.
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
  2. From the top of the page, ensure the correct grade range is selected: Grades 6-12 or Grades 3-5.
  3. Scroll to the bottom of the tasks list and click Add custom task.
    Educator account in Xello on the Completion Standards configuration page. At the bottom of the tasks list, the cursor is selecting Add custom task
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello on the Completion Standards configuration page. At the bottom of the tasks list, the cursor is selecting Add custom task
  4. Click Custom lesson to open a modal where you can add the lesson details.
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open and the cursor is selecting Custom lesson.
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open and the cursor is selecting Custom lesson.
  5. Fill in the necessary information. Options and things to know about custom lessons:
    • Lessons can be assigned to multiple grades, but will only need to be completed by the student once.
    • You can assign the lesson to students at specific schools and groups.
    • If you want to specify when this lesson needs to be completed, add a due date.
    • Custom lessons can be marked as optional. It will display as optional in the student to-do list. They won't be counted in the completion tracker.
    • If you want to include prerequisites that students must complete before beginning the lesson, click Add prerequisites and select up to 5 activities you'd like to include.
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open. A custom lesson about updating a resume is being created. To complete the task, students must attach a file.
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello. The modal to add custom tasks is open. A custom lesson about updating a resume is being created. To complete the task, students must attach a file.
  6. Click Save.
    • The custom lesson will immediately show in the To-do list on the student dashboard.
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Edit a custom lesson

Custom lessons can be edited at any point by those with administrator access. The changes will appear immediately for your students. Edits cannot be made if any students have already submitted their work.

To edit a custom lesson:

  1. From your educator account, click Features and select Completion Standards.
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
  2. From the top of the page, ensure the correct grade range is selected: Grades 6-12 or Grades 3-5.
  3. Find the lesson you plan to edit and click on the title to open the lesson modal.
  4. Make your changes.
  5. Click Save.

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Activate or deactivate a custom lesson

To control whether students can see and access a custom lesson on their end, you can unassign it to remove it from their To-do list.

To remove a custom lesson from the student To-do list:

  1. From your educator account, click Features and select Completion Standards.
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
    Click to enlarge
    Educator account in Xello with the Features menu open with cursor selecting Completion Standards
  2. From the top of the page, ensure the correct grade range is selected: Grades 6-12 or Grades 3-5.
  3. Find the lesson you plan to remove and click on the title.
  4. Deselect any grades and groups it's currently assigned to.
  5. Click Save.

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Additional resources

  • xello resourceXello Resource
    Xello ResourceXello activity lesson plan resourcesUse these resources to help introduce Xello activities to your students. Use the discussion prompts, reflection activities, and teaching strategies to help successfully roll out Xello with your students.
    Xello 6-12
    Xello 3-5
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