Kami Quick Start Guide

Confirm sign-in, tools, and your assignment route

Open Kami using your school-approved sign-in method. Confirm the account matches your school’s Google or Microsoft identity and has the expected license. Ask your technology contact to resolve account or license issues before creating another account.

For the Google Classroom extension workflow below, teachers need the Kami extension in a supported Chrome or Edge browser and a paid Kami plan. Have your school install or approve the extension on managed devices.

Kami setup resources · Find your LMS instructions

Prepare one accessible page

Open a short PDF or other supported classroom document from your computer or approved cloud storage. Keep an unmarked teacher original, use a clear title, and leave sufficient space for answers.

Try selecting a sentence. For a scanned image without selectable text, use Tools → Run text recognition. Check the result, especially numbers and unusual vocabulary. Text recognition is free; it does not by itself guarantee that a document will work with every access tool.

When enabled by your paid plan, test Read aloud with the actual document and student device. Check headphones, audio, zoom, keyboard access, and the learner’s usual assistive technology. Provide an equivalent accessible text or oral response route if necessary.

Prepare selectable text · Use Read aloud

Create a Google Classroom assignment

Extension workflow:

1. In the intended Classroom course, select Classwork → Create → Kami assignment.
2. Add a title, directions, and your file. For a Google Drive file, use the Drive upload option if you want Class View; attaching its URL with the Link option does not support that view.
3. Choose Make a copy for each student for independent work. Reserve Students share one copy for intentional collaboration.
4. Check recipients, dates, and available tool controls. Enable Add Links for Mobile Devices when students will use iPads or similar tablets.
5. Select Assign, or use the adjacent menu to save a draft or schedule it.

Google Classroom assignment instructions

If your school uses the Kami Google add-on: The route is Create → Assignment → Add-ons → Kami. That option requires administrator installation, a paid Kami plan, and an eligible Google education license. Follow the add-on-specific directions.

Or establish a link-based assignment routine

For a file saved in Google Drive or OneDrive, open Share in Kami and choose the available Create individual copy option. Set sharing permissions appropriate to your school and intended students, then distribute the copy link through the classroom channel.

Have students share their own copy back with you using the agreed submission location. Test that you can open and comment on it. Sharing options differ by storage location; a link that permits everyone to annotate one document can put students in the same file.

Official sharing-link workflow

Test opening, saving, submitting, and returning

Run a short test with an approved test account or during your first supervised student session. Open the assignment, add one response, check the cloud-save status, and complete the submission process. Then open the student’s work as the teacher and return a comment.

In Google Classroom, students open the assignment from Classwork and select their file under Your Work, or use Open with Kami. After completing it, they select Turn in and confirm. Verify the submitted status.

Saving and turning in are separate steps. For a sharing-link assignment, confirm the student’s saved copy is accessible at the agreed return link. Test iPad and tablet access separately; these devices use a different opening route from the desktop extension.

Student opening and turn-in instructions · Tablet instructions · Saving and file controls

Start with a short text and a clear target

Example learning target, grades 4–6: Make an inference about a character and support it with relevant details.

Place this original SDLA passage on one page with the prompt: “What can you infer about Maya? Use two details and explain how they support your inference.”

Explain that an inference combines what the text says with reasoning. Model the process with a different short example so students can demonstrate their own thinking on this passage.

Teach only the tools needed for this task

Accept other reasonable inferences when the evidence and explanation support them. A student could argue that Maya is a careful organizer. The learning target is the strength of the reasoning.

Make the response expectations visible

Give students a short checklist: one inference, two relevant details, and an explanation of the connection. Use labels such as “Evidence 1” and “Evidence 2” so meaning does not depend on highlight color alone.

For students who need language support, offer: “I infer ___ because the text says ___. This suggests ___.” Where your license and permissions allow, an audio comment can capture an oral explanation; a teacher conference can serve the same purpose.

Specify the supports permitted for this task. If you are assessing a student’s own inference, distinguish their reasoning from an AI-generated explanation. Preserve the learner’s needed access supports and record substantive help when interpreting the work.

Give one useful comment and time to respond

Review a few responses while students work. Ask a student who highlights everything to select the smallest useful piece of evidence. Ask a student who only retells the story to explain what an action suggests about Maya.

Allow a few minutes for revision before students complete the turn-in routine. Look for a change in reasoning, not simply more marks on the page.

Check transfer with a fresh example

Offer this independent exit task: “Before leaving the library, Sam noticed books on the floor. Although his friends were waiting, he picked them up and asked the librarian where they belonged. What can you infer about Sam? Explain with evidence.”

Look for: A defensible inference such as helpful or responsible, with an explanation connecting picking up the books or asking where they belong to caring for a shared space. “He likes books” needs stronger support from the passage.

Adapt by grade: Younger students can circle one clue and explain orally. Older students can compare two interpretations and explain which has stronger textual support. In math, use drawing and text to explain a worked solution; in science, annotate a diagram and justify a claim from observations.

Open the work with the appropriate grading view

In the Google Classroom extension workflow, open the assignment and choose Review Work. Select Grade with Kami to see the student’s annotations and give feedback. Enter the grade where appropriate and use Return to send the work back.

With a paid plan and a supported integrated assignment, Class View lets you inspect multiple student files. Open it from the assignment or the Kami dashboard; use submission filters to distinguish unsubmitted work from returned or resubmitted work.

For link-based work, open each student’s returned copy and verify you have the necessary access. Use your existing rubric and record results in your approved gradebook.

Grade and return in Google Classroom · Use Class View

Assess the thinking behind the annotations

The number of highlights, a finished page, and a submitted status indicate activity or completion. Use the content of the response and the fresh exit task to judge understanding.

Keep automated assessment in context

If your school uses Kami’s Questions AI and auto-grading, preview the questions and answer key and review the results before applying grades. Short-answer grading can depend on exact matching or the partial-match option. An acceptable explanation may be worded differently from a key.

The inference lesson here is designed for teacher review of ordinary annotations. Use the claim, evidence, and reasoning criteria to judge quality. Ask students to clarify when a response is ambiguous.

Review auto-grading behavior

Resolve common first-week problems