How to use Cogito

Every part of the app, explained in plain words, with pictures of what you will actually see on your screen. You do not need to know anything about computers.

Start at the top and work down, or jump straight to the part you need. Each one takes two or three minutes.

New here? Watch how Cogito works.

Two parents get shown the whole app — the courses, a real lesson, the printable worksheets, search, the hint helper, the family page and the play corners. Watch it through, or jump straight to the part you need.

Play the tour

Welcome0:00The worry0:38The tour1:28The library3:12Inside a lesson4:17Science5:45Worksheets6:41Search & hints7:52Family tools8:24Build & play9:58Wrap-up11:39

1. 1Getting startedWhat Cogito is, and the first five minutes.
2. 2The menu on the leftThe menu down the side that reaches everything else.
3. 3The home pageEvery part of the first screen, before and after signing in.
4. 4Finding a lessonSearching, browsing the courses by subject and grade, and saving a course.
5. 5Finding where to startA short test in math or reading that suggests a course and chapter.
6. 6Grades and levelsWhat the course names mean, showing levels instead of grades, and how grades line up outside the US.
7. 7Chapter toursThe short clip inside a math lesson, and what became of the chapter tours.
8. 8Inside a lessonWhat each part of a math lesson does, and how a science book works.
9. 9Reading lessonsReading lessons as picture books, and what the reading buddy beside the story is doing.
10. 10Worksheets and printingPaper practice for every lesson, and the answer keys.
11. 11Word problemsFour hundred and twenty problems that do not say which method to use.
12. 12Scratch paperSomewhere to work out a math problem, inside the lesson.
13. 13Chapter checksThe short test at the end of a chapter.
14. 14Today's fiveA two-minute daily warm-up of chapters already passed.
15. 15This weekOne lesson, then four short homeworks on four different days.
16. 16Math LabEighty-two math problems and a formula sheet: set your own numbers and work each out step by step.
17. 17Science LabFifty-six 3D labs in life science, chemistry, physical science, and Earth and space: guess, explore, then explain what you found.
18. 18Fun & ThinkTwenty-four short things to play, almost none needing reading.
19. 19Signing inMaking an account, step by step.
20. 20Free week and membershipWhat costs nothing, and what a membership opens.
21. 21Asking about a lessonThe helper for grown-ups, hints for children, and the helper on the home page.
22. 22More than one childAdding learners, finding where each should start, and keeping progress apart.
23. 23Your family pageEach child's progress, where to start, and this week's letter.
24. 24Helping your childWhere to start, how long, what to do when they are stuck.
25. 25On a phone or tabletAdding it to the home screen, using it without internet, and finding your way on a small screen.
26. 26When something goes wrongThe handful of things that go wrong, and the fix.

If something here does not match what you see on your screen, or you cannot find the answer, tell us and we will fix it. There is no wrong question.