Short Answer has officially partnered with EduProtocols! We’ve long admired EduProtocols’ creative, research-based approach to teaching, and we’re teaming up to bring those ideas to life inside Short Answer.
To kick things off, we’ve built one of our favorite EduProtocols—Random Emoji Power Paragraph (REPP)—right into Short Answer. It’s a simple, fun, effective activity that gets students thinking critically and writing creatively across all subject areas. Read on to learn more, or demo how you can use REPP in any activity in Short Answer.
How it works
Students are given five random emojis. Their challenge? Write a single, coherent paragraph that connects all five. The randomness pushes students to organize, connect, and revise ideas for clarity. Here’s how it can work:
Using the Random Emoji Generator in Short Answer, display one emoji at a time to the class (see image below).
For each emoji, students write a sentence that relates class content to the emoji shown.
Repeat this process for each new emoji, as students build a five-sentence paragraph.
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The randomness challenges students to adapt their explanations or stories on the fly to incorporate unexpected elements. It also develops writing structure, as students must decide how to keep all sentences connected to a central idea.
Why we love it
REPPs help students build fluency, practice reasoning, and stretch their imagination. And now, with Short Answer’s built-in tools, students can quickly write, get peer and AI feedback, and revise—all in one place.
This is just the beginning of what we’re building together with EduProtocols to make writing more fun, purposeful, and accessible across the curriculum. Want to try the Random Emoji Power Paragraph in your classroom? Head to Short Answer to get started.
