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Using Cosmos - Teacher Quick Start Guide

Cosmos is an AI-powered assistant built into Penda that helps students when they get stuck—without giving them the answer. It keeps students learning while giving you insight into where they need support.

Cosmos is built into Penda and is not an open chatbot. It only helps with the content students are working on and does not search the internet. All responses are designed to support learning while keeping students safe and focused.

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1. Cosmos is turned ON for all students

You can control Cosmos access:

• Per student in the student profile
• Per assignment in the Assignment Wizard

⚠️ Cosmos is automatically turned OFF for assessments.

 

2. Assign Activities as Usual

No extra setup is needed. Cosmos works automatically in supported activities.

 

3. How Students Use Cosmos

Students click the glowing astronaut icon in the bottom left corner of any Penda activity screen.

Students choose what they need help with

On Reading Screens:

• Summarize this
• Explain this another way

On Question Screens:

• Help me understand the question 
• Give me a hint 
• Coach me through it 
• Give me a strategy

Use the tools within the Cosmos pop-up window: 

• Calendar icon: View chat history to revisit prior learning steps
• Full screen: Expand the window for easier viewing side-by-side
• Speaker icon: Listen to responses aloud 
• "X" to close the Cosmos window

🚫 Cosmos provides guidance, but it will NOT give the answer.

Note: Using Translation in Penda

There are two ways to translate in Penda, and they do different things:

Cosmos Help & Menu Translation

• Go to Profile Settings → Language → Select your language
  • Translates Cosmos help into your language
  • Translates buttons and menus in Penda
  • 🚫 This does NOT translate the science lesson content

Activity Translation

• Click the headphone icon in the bottom left corner of the activity screen
  • Translates the activity reading passages, questions, and answer choices
  • 🚫 This does NOT translate Cosmos Help and Menus

💡 Remember

• Profile Settings = Cosmos help + menus
• Headphone icon = lesson content

 

4. Teacher View: Analyzing Cosmos Usage

In the Assignment Report, you can view and expand the Cosmos AI Summary to:

• View how many students received help
• See which screens students needed the most help with

• See a summary of prompts used on certain screens
• See a summary of activity accuracy with and without Cosmos
• Review Cosmos responses alongside student work
• See which students used Cosmos

Use Cosmos data insights to inform instruction:

• Identify where students are getting stuck
• Spot patterns in misunderstandings
• Plan small group instruction
• Adjust whole-class reteaching

 

Pro-Tips for Teachers

• Encourage students to try Cosmos before asking for help
• Remind students it gives hints—not answers
• Use Assignment Report data to guide next steps