A Few More Fun Formative Assessments

 Last week we featured a few creative, new formative assessment ideas for you to try out.  Since most buildings are continuing to fine-tune their formative assessment skills and to pack their toolboxes full of strategies, we are offering a few more fun strategies this week for you to try out.

These ideas are adapted from “56 different examples of formative assessment,” a Google Slide show curated by David Wees, Formative assessment specialist, New visions for Public Schools.  You can view the entire slide show at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1nzhdnyMQmio5lNT75ITB45rHyLISHEEHZlHTWJRqLmQ/pub?start=false&loop=false&delayms=3000&slide=

1. 3x Summarization: To check understanding, ask students to write three different summaries: One using 10-15 words, one using 30-50 words, one using 75-100 words. Students can compare/contrast with peers and/or look at teacher models via the document camera.  The differing lengths  require different attention to detail and can help you to see how well students understand the content.
2.  Three Things: Students should list three things/strategies/ideas on a 3 x 5 card or a Google Doc that a peer might misunderstand about the topic.  Instantly you can assess your students' depth of knowledge.
3.  Chalkboard Splash:  Position 5-7 individual students around the room in front of a whiteboard or large butcher paper sheet.  You might have small groups of students stand beside/behind the student who is writing. Give students a prompt, a problem, or a question, and ask each of the students to respond individually.  Their small groups can either help them , or evaluate their work . You can sit at the back and observe all working simultaneously. You can also point out unique or astute ways of solving the problem.
4. Partner Quizzes: Have partners work together to solve a problem or answer a question, providing feedback to one another. Then give them a similar problem that they must solve independently, which is then submitted to you.

These strategies are from “Focus On Student Learning - Instructional Strategies Series Book Two: 60 Formative Assessment Strategies,” by Natalie Regier, M. Ed.    http://www.stma.k12.mn.us/documents/DW/Q_Comp/FormativeAssessStrategies.pdf​

1.        One Minute Essays: The one-minute essay is a quick formative assessment strategy that allows you to gauge student understanding of a particular topic. Pose a question to the students, and have the students respond. Tell them that they have one minute to write down their response. Use questions that cause students reflect on learning and make personal connections with their own lives.
2.         Response Cards:  Ask a question, and have students respond by choosing to hold up one card from a pile of cards he/she has been given. The most common response cards are yes/no questions, but you could also use “a,” “b,” “c”, “d” cards for multiple choice; “agree” or “disagree” cards; true/false cards; math operations cards; punctuation cards; etc., cards with your students.
3.        Three Facts and a Fib, or Three Truths and a Lie: This is a great strategy to find out what students have learned about a unit of study. Students write down three facts and one fib about the  topic. They take turn sharing their three facts and a fib with a partner, in a small group, or with the entire class. Students must identify the “fib” and explain why it is untrue. 

FUN Formative Assessment Strategies

As we swiftly move through September, we are all coming to a point where kids’ understanding of our content’s standards should be our focus. Providing formative assessments helps us not only know where kids are, but they are also tell kids where they are as they navigate through their own understanding of the content and standards.

This week’s instructional tip is a few new and exciting (and dare I say, even fun) formative assessments to shake things up in your classroom.

Here are some strategies compiled by K. Lambert of OCPS Curriculum Services. Note, most of these strategies make for a great closure activity! Bonus!


Onion Ring: Students form an inner circle and an outer circle facing a partner. The teacher asks a question and the students are given time to respond to their partner. Next, the inner circle rotates to one person to the left. The teacher asks another question and the cycle repeats itself.


Analogy Prompt: Present student with an analogy prompt. Example: (A designated concept, principle, or process) is like ___________________ because_________________.


ABC Summaries: Each student in the class is assigned a different letter of the alphabet and they must select a word starting with that letter that is related to the topic being studied.


Fill in Your Thoughts: Written check for understanding strategy where students fill in the blank. Example: Another term for rate of change is ___________or ___________. (This is a good reading formative assessment for ALL content areas)


Idea Spinner: The teacher creates a spinner marked into 4 quadrants and labeled “Predict,” “Explain,” “Summarize,” and “Evaluate.” After a new material is presented, the teacher spins the spinner and asks students to answer a question based on the location of the spinner. Example: If the spinner lands on the “Summarize” quadrant the teacher might say, “List the key concepts just presented.”


One Word Summary: Ask students to select (or invent) one word that best summarizes the topic. You can have them share this word in a variety of ways: to you at the door, on a sticky note or note card…


Have fun trying out a variety of these engaging formative assessment strategies!

And as always, we’d love to hear from you and are glad to take any suggestions for our instructional tips.


Bridget and Brooke

Making Students Do the Heavy Lifting

We all know the old adage that teachers too often work harder than the students, but what are some simple strategies that reduce the burden on the teacher while positively impacting student learning?

1.     One strategy for Chromebook checkouts and no-opt out discussions:  From Orlia Stanford’s classroom at THS:  Firmly tape a number to each desk or seat in your classroom.  Use these numbers for Chromebook checkouts—if a student is sitting in seat #9, he/she should get Chromebook #9.  Even better, make one set of numbered popsicle sticks.  To call on students, draw a stick with a number, and the student sitting in that seat must respond.  This saves time for teachers, who don’t have to make five sets of name cards or popsicle sticks, but can still hold students accountable for learning.

2.     Reducing the burden on teachers to race around the room answering individual questions:

a.       From Kathy Whylie, Math Instructional Coach:  when students are working individually on assignments/problems and have questions, require them to write the question on a Post-It and place it on the whiteboard.  The students should look to see whether anyone else has written the same question; if so, he/she should place the Post-It next to that one.  This requires students to put their question into words, to take the time to write it down (sometimes figuring out the answer as they do so), to categorize their question, and to see if someone else has the same question.  This strategy then allows the teacher to check for common questions, to answer questions in the order of urgency or need, and/or to send a student who knows the answer to help the struggling student(s). 

b.       From Malinda Shirley’s classroom, THS: when students are working individually on assignments/problems and the first student finishes, ask that student to stand at the back of the room. The second student finished should join the first, and the two should compare answers and/or check the answers again the key.  When they are certain all of their responses are correct, the two students head out into the classroom to answer questions and help other students.  The next two students to finish do the same thing, and the teacher now has four tutors roaming the class, providing individualized instruction.

3.      Reducing time and energy spent distributing handouts: From Jon Neil’s and Matt Tucker’s classrooms:  On a table near the door, place the handouts or worksheets for the day, along with a sign that says “Take One.” Students will become accustomed to grabbing these as they enter. The responsibility has shifted to the student.

These great ideas all come from THS, but we know that equally wonderful strategies are being implemented all over our district.  Please share with us your ideas so that we can reduce the stress on teachers and raise the learning of all of our students.

Becoming a Transformative Teacher

“However talented, no one is a natural-born teacher. Honing the craft takes significant care and effort, not just by the individual, but also by the school at large.”

~~from David Miller’s blog, “How to Become and Remain a Transformational Teacher.”

How do WE hone our craft and become transformational teachers? Miller’s blog offers six pieces of advice as to how we can transform our practice…and, interestingly enough, the first three directly support Hattie’s top-ranked impact on student achievement: teachers working together as evaluators of their own work.

Miller advises that we transform our practice in the following ways:

1. Constantly share best practices
2. Find a trusted mentor (no matter how long you’ve taught)
3. Commit to classroom observations
4. Change things up
5. Model the usefulness of what you teach
6. Care beyond what you teach

Read Miller’s blog here, choose one piece of advice to apply in your own classroom, and become an even more transformative teacher!

Five Priorities of Classroom Management

While we have fewer classroom management issues than in many districts, the beginning of the year is always a great time to reacquaint ourselves with helpful hints to make our classrooms operate smoothly.  An Edutopia blog post, “The 5 Priorities of Classroom Management,” by Ben Johnson, had some great suggestions. You can either read the blog post yourself or read the summary  below.

From “The 5 Priorities of Classroom Management,” by Ben Johnson

·         Develop effective working relationships with students: A good relationship with a student allows you to push your students harder and further to learn because your students trust you.

·         Train your students on how learning takes place in your classroom: Clearly map out the why you are asking your students to try a strategy, such as Cornell Notes, and why you believe they will learn more productively.

·         Protect and leverage your time: Spend time planning how you will minimize time lost during transitions, such as taking attendance, returning papers, getting supplies, announcements, etc.

·         Anticipate your students’ behaviors in well-written lesson plans:  The best discipline management plan is a good lesson plan. Channel your students’ behaviors and attention into productive learning paths by building your lesson backwards—what is my learning target, what is my assessment, how will I get students there?

·         Establish behavioral standards: Focus on respect, communication, and coming prepared to learn, and include specificsin your directions.  Example: “You have 15 minutes, and you will be working with your partner on designing a structure out of newspaper that will reach the ceiling. You may use inside voices to quietly discuss your plans with your partner. If you have questions, please put the red cup on your desk, and I will come and help you as soon as possible. Meanwhile, keep working on other parts of the project until I get there.”

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End of Year -- A thank you and final wish

This is our final Teaching Tip of the year, and we first would like to thank you for your dedication to students and learning, your passion for your subject, and your willingness to change and grow in our challenging and highly rewarding profession.  We especially want to thank those of you who responded to us with a much-appreciated comment, suggestion, or note.  Special shout-outs to Ken Loomis, Dale Lehman, Kelly Allison, Tracy Krause, Malinda Shirley, Kathryn Strojan, Hillary Ledford, Stella Patrick, Candi Lommen, Marissa Morelock, Tarie Sloan, Nancy Adamson, Dale Heinbigner, and and anyone we missed.

As English teachers (always and forever, regardless of current job title), Lara and I must end with a literary quote:

“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.”                                                                                                                                                                                              

—F. Scott Fitzgerald, The Great Gatsby

May your life begin again on June 17, and may you know how very much respect, admiration, and gratitude we bear toward the best secondary teachers in the state!

Lara and Brooke

Course and Teacher Evaluations--Getting End-of-Year Feedback from Students

With the end of the year just around the corner, you may already be mentally planning for next school year.  Consider gathering anonymous student feedback to help you become an even more effective teacher.

Here are some sample Course/Teacher Evaluation forms you could use as a starting point.  Remember that you can use hard copies of these evaluation forms, or one that you create. You could also create your own Google Form version to gather feedback from your students. 

If you are creating your own evaluation, consider including some of the following:

·         Did students have a clear understanding of the learning target each day?
·         Did the learning targets fit together in a cohesive whole for the semester?
·         Did students know what it looked like/sounded like to be successful meeting the learning target?
·         Did students feel that they got sufficient feedback from you as they were learning? Did they know where they were strong and what their gaps were prior to their final assessment or project?
·         Did students feel a sense of ownership in their learning?
·         Was the course challenging enough? Too challenging? Just right?
·         Did students feel that the assignments helped them to achieve the learning targets?
·         What might have helped them to more easily master the learning targets?
·         Was the time during the class period well-spent?

If you would like help creating an end-of-course evaluation or a teacher evaluation, please contact your building coach or administrator.