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Last month, I loved taking a deep dive into Night Zookeeper in my review [click HERE to read more] to learn how the interactive, online platform engages students in literacy and creative writing through 👾 gamification, 🌐 global collaboration, and 💻 digital citizenship (ALL my favorite things in one!). As I shared out on social media and with my PLN, I heard from so many other global educators just as excited as me and who were finding many ways to use Night Zookeeper with their elementary students. 
We asked educators to share more on what makes Night Zookeeper such a hit in the classroom. Here is what I found out:
Brittany Seibert, Grade 2 teacher, Surrey Public School, North Dakota: We log in as a whole class the first time. After that, it is one of the Language Arts stations for the students after they get their work done! Melisa Hayes, Grade 2 teacher, Avery Elementary, Ohio: We use all aspects: from the varieties of writing, grammar games, battling, reading lite, and more! Melisa Dodd, Grade 5 teacher, Ozark Middle School, Missouri: Night Zookeeper basically houses of all of their work for the year. I use the site to create lessons to reinforce what I am doing in the classroom. Another way I use NZ is to have my students to go on to read others’ writing and leave comments. We practice how to give constructive feedback and model good writing in our feedback. This helps them read as writers and readers. Lisa Wiegand, Grade 3 teacher, Eastlawn Elementary, Indiana: I use the website as a creative writing opportunity for my students. Almost daily students are on the site. I also taken advantage of the lessons as an assessment to monitor my students' progress. 
Audrey Lash, Grade 2 teacher, New Britton Elementary, Indiana: It's done during our RTI intervention time for students who are not normally doing interventions during that time. They also do it sometimes after morning work is done by choice. Brittany Seibert, Grade 2 teacher, Surrey Public School, North Dakota: It is put into our daily Language Arts stations as a choice when finished with work. Sherry Willis, Grade 3 teacher, Tupelo Schools, Mississippi: I use Night Zookeeper in my centers. The students beg to use Night Zookeeper. Some of them also work on the program at home. Lisa Wiegand, Grade 3 teacher, Eastlawn Elementary, Indiana: We use Night Zookeeper for our free write assignments, and it is a daily choice on the board for when students finish other work. I also use it as a beginning-of-the-day assignment once a week.
Melisa Hayes, Grade 2 teacher, Avery Elementary, Ohio: My students moan and groan when it is time to stop. On days when we have inside recess, they even continue writing! Even the most reluctant writer now LOVES to write! HUGE impact in the BEST way! Matt Peebles, Grade 4 teacher, Forest Elementary, Illinois: My class wrote over 250,000 words last year! Night Zookeeper has been a complete gamechanger to support students to be motivated, engaged, and excited to write and share their stories! Melisa Dodd, Grade 5 teacher, Ozark Middle School, Missouri: They love getting feedback from others, not just their teacher. They know they have a much bigger audience to write for. Dianne Coffey, Grade 4 teacher, Tuttle Intermediate, Oklahoma:Students improved in all areas of writing! They love it; they talk about it outside of class and with their parents. Thanks to Dianne, Melisa D, Matt, Melisa H., Lisa, Sherry, Brittany, and Audrey for sharing your thoughts and to Ms. Hayes’ class for sharing photos of learning in action! Much appreciation to the team at Night Zookeeper for offering a free trial for any educators interested in jumping in → http://bit.ly/nzkwriting.
Be sure to follow the fantastic adventures of Team Nightzookeeper on Twitter at @nightzookeeper and follow along as they travel from London to the United States for their School Tour! 🇬🇧 --> 🇺🇸
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