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                                            Be The Illustrator

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                                            Be The Illustrator

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A good way to include the arts and creativity in instruction is to use drawings, visuals, art projects, etc. One example that can be used to assess students' listening and comprehension skills in literacy is to read a page from a story during story time and have students visualize and then illustrate the setting, the characters, and special characteristics of the story. This can give a good picture ( not pun intended) of how much students are retaining and pulling from a reading.

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                                             Running Records

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                                             Running Records

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Whether a teacher chooses to use the Fountas and Pinnell Benchmark assessments or informal running records in quick conferences with students, running records are what tell teachers what level students are reading at. While conducting running records, a teacher will use special codes to note the specific mistake/mistakes a child makes while reading. When the child is done reading, a teacher is able to see patterns and determine where the child needs the most support. It is crucial that these are done frequently, so that a teacher can keep an eye on students' progress and catch things in time.

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                                      Historical Figure Postcard 

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                                      Historical Figure Postcard 

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I always like to see history and those within it, as carrying much more than just information and dates. One way to assess students' knowledge of both historical figures and the events surrounding them, is to have them write a postcard from one famous person in history to another who lived within the same time frame. This is much more engaging and fun than just answering questions from a worksheet. A teacher can sit the parameters on the specific figures, the time period, and the event. Since a letter implies personal content, the writer must truly think about and how a character is feeling and establish the character's intent for writing. This is a good alternative assignment that enhances history, writing skills, and creativity.

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                                         Small Group Rotation 

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                                         Small Group Rotation 

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No matter the subject area, a teacher can place students in small groups, according to their mastery of content or levels of academic achievement. Different stations are set up and students have time slots in each station. As they rotate and work through different activities, a teacher can walk around and watch for students who are struggling with the material. The key is to have that small group setting where students cannot easily hide and pretend they know the content. This proves more effective than teaching through lecture. Students learn more effectively with hands-on activities and interaction with others. Through observation and asking questions that build upon a student's subject knowledge, a teacher can walk around and assess students in the various small groups. Then, one is able to see if future lessons need to revisit the content of the day.

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                          Let the Student Become the Teacher 

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                          Let the Student Become the Teacher 

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They say that one of the best ways to know if you are truly grasping something is if you are able to teach it yourself. A teacher can allow students to plan ahead and teach a mini lesson to the class on a certain skill or concept. Whether individually or with a partner, students can present a scenario/problem to the class and then explain step-by-step- how they could solve it. The teacher can assess students' depth of understanding and ability in a certain area through a process that forces them to think further and take ownership of their learning.

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                                                GOOGLE DOCS

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                                                GOOGLE DOCS

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This is something new that I learned of this semester in the education program.  A teacher can make a gmail account and invite students ( for free and without them having to make an account) to write on that word document. A teacher can, for example, make 22 different google documents, each named after a student and invite them ( respectively through email) to write free response questions or essays on that document. This works better with the upper elementary grades and in classes where laptops are readily available. A teacher can then respond in real-time and give immediate feedback to students as they write. Because a teacher has access to each document, he/she can see how much students are presently writing, if they are taking long pauses, and what they are writing about. Both progress and behavior can be monitored, in a sense. A teacher can do this from a desk and does not have to walk all around the room. If for some reason, the teacher is sick at home, she can still communicate with her class during their writing period by commenting on their essays.

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                                               KAHOOT! game

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                                               KAHOOT! game

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Playing a game of Kahoot! is a fun way to end a lesson. A teacher could even use it as a fun introduction into a new unit to assess students' prior knowledge on the subject.  In order to play, each student must have access to either a smartphone or a computer. A teacher creates a free account and sets up questions for the class to answer. Students are given a code that they use to enter the game for free and create usernames. A teacher can ensure that everyone is participating by seeing that the number of participants corresponds to the number of students in the class. Students will race against a timer and each other to answer questions and gain points. It is simply a fun and safe opportunity for students to participate anonymously in healthy competition. Sometimes students will participate virtually, even though they do not participate much in class. Each student is able to see if they are at least understanding the basics of a subject.

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                                   Ticket Out the Door/ Exit Slip 

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                                   Ticket Out the Door/ Exit Slip 

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These are quick knowledge checks that are handed out at the end of the day or lesson. A student must briefly answer the questions on a ticket-out-the-door and put their name on it before they leave the classroom. A teacher can choose which questions and how many to put on a ticket-out-the-door. He/she can assess student motivation/attitude toward a subject, or simply their ability to answer two different math problems. It all depends. I like the example shown above because some students become easily defeated, are shy, or feel like they are the only ones not understanding something. Therefore, they remain silent. This is a great way for them to communicate with the teacher and ask the necessary questions in order to be successful.

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                                            Mini White Boards

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                                            Mini White Boards

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I always loved getting to use the small, personal white boards when I was in elementary school. It made everything from spelling to math, a little less dull. Mini white boards are inexpensive. In addition, most of the time, they are already within a school's possession, so they are not difficult to access. Students are automatically engaged because there is something about getting to use a dry-erase marker that is fun. Kids love it.  They can be used during "carpet time" as a substitute for a think-pair-share across various subjects. A teacher can gain immediate knowledge about who is understanding the content and who is not by simply asking a question and having students write their answers down. While they wait for their classmates to finish, they can turn the boards upside down and lay them on their lap. Then, when everyone is ready, they can turn them over and hold over the head. Students can easily practice spelling and math problems, as they can quickly erase thing.  Students get a better visual of their own work because they can write bigger on a whiteboard than they would be able to in a regular composition notebook or sheet of paper.

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                                                Think-Pair-Share

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                                                Think-Pair-Share

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This is not the most unique formative assessment, but I have seen it being done in various classrooms and teachers are truly able to tell which students can focus and answer the question. Think-Pair-Shares are normally started with a broad question from the educator, regarding a particular lesson or topic. The question is focused, yet open-ended. The teacher tells students to think for a second, turn to the person next to them, and talk about the question or prompt the teacher presented. The teacher can choose a student whose answer he/she liked to share with the class. This can be done within a mini-lesson, or at the end of a whole group lesson. Normally, students are seated on the carpet in close proximity to the teacher, so that he/she can easily lean in and listen closely to students as they speak. This is a fun activity for students because it is low-pressure ( they are just talking to a classmate) and they get their social impulses out.