Earning Coins
As pupils practise on Freckle, they earn coins for questions they answer correctly. A few important things to note:
- The coin totals reset daily to give every pupil a fair chance to climb to the top of the leaderboard.
- Coins are gained at the same speed, regardless of the level at which the pupils are working.
- While different parts of the Freckle program can award different amounts of coins, earning coins will always depend on whether pupils are answering questions correctly.
- Some assignments may not offer coin incentives to pupils. For example, if the teacher has assigned an assessment or the pupil has already passed the level, the pupil will not earn additional coins.
Using Coins (The Piggy Shop)
Primary pupils have the option of dressing/decorating their avatar using the coins they have earned. The Piggy Shop is not always open—pupils have to earn their trips to the shop by completing tasks or practising on the app. Pupils must earn 50 coins to earn a trip to the Piggy Shop. The program will ask them if they want to take a trip to the Piggy Shop. Once there, they will be given either 90 seconds or an unlimited amount of time to pick out different clothing and accessories (edit pupils in the Class List to change the Additional Time settings).
In the Piggy Shop, pupils will be able to see how many coins they have available to spend. They will also be able to reference the amount of time they have left in the shop.
If pupils see an item that they want to purchase, all they have to do is select the item. It will then open the option for the pupil to buy that item.
If pupils try to purchase an item for which they do not have enough coins, the program will let them know that they need more coins for that particular item.
If the 90-second time limit is in effect, after the time has expired, pupils will be returned to the program to continue their work. We decided to include a 90-second time limit to ensure the focus of the program is still on the various subjects offered, while the Piggy Shop remains a positive reinforcer; however, we realise that some pupils with special needs may require additional time to make their selections and purchases in the shop. This is why we have made it possible for you to give pupils unlimited time if you wish.
As pupils go back to work on the program, their piggy avatar will be wearing the clothing/accessories that the pupil selected during his or her time in the Piggy Shop. Pupils will always own all the items they have purchased and can put them back on their avatar in the shop.
Coins Resetting
You may notice that while pupils are working on Freckle, their coin totals drop to zero. No need to worry—your pupils did not actually lose these coins (unless they spent them in the shop). This happens because the pupils are working on a new pupil session.
At the end of each pupil session (level completed, trip to the Piggy Shop, new set of questions, etc.), the coins earned by the pupil during that session are added to that pupil's coin total.
Changing a Pupilʼs Coin Balance
For any reason, if you ever need or want to update the amount of coins one of your pupils has, you can do this from the Class Lists page settings drop-down.