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