Last month we reviewed a few of the abctools customization features, from adding clip art to resizing margins. Here are a couple more tips for creating documents that are functional and engaging for both your students and class.
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Document Titles
Want to include teacher names, room numbers, or additional information at the top of your worksheets? You can easily customize worksheet headings by either clicking the ‘Preferences …’ link on the left side bar of the members site, or by clicking on the ‘Page Headings’ label on any abctool. Once there, click ‘Create New Title,’ then enter the text and title, and ‘Save Changes’. When you return to editing your worksheet, select the title of your new heading from the ‘Page Heading’ list, and it will be automatically be added to your new document.
Create Blank Lines using Special Codes
A common worksheet feature is to give students blank lines to write out their answers. abctools includes this feature, and offers special support for creating blank lines. For any tool that allows you to include your own text, there are special codes that create lines for you.
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<line> – adds a blank line from the end of the word it follows to the right margin.
<leftline> – create a blank line to the left of the word it follows, pushing that word all the way to the right margin (a writing prompt for left handed students).
<pageoflines> – creates a writing prompt from the end of the word it follows to the end of the current page.
Use each of these codes to automatically create blank lines that fill to the margin or end of your page. They also work with the EFI fonts as well, providing two, three, and four line writing areas that match the style of the chosen EFI font.
With nearly 60 tools available, abctools truly opens the door when it comes to creativity with classroom materials. We hope you find these additional tips helpful, and please let us know when questions arise.
Posted by Chris Johnk, abcteach team