Fun...authentic...assessments
With the increasing importance of assessments in the classroom, teachers are spending lots of time measuring and evaluating student learning. Many teachers struggle to seamlessly integrate these assessments into their daily routines and instruction. Below you will find some of my favorite... FUN assessment methods. Generally, my students have no idea that I am determining what they know... they just see it as something exciting and enjoyable! As a teacher, I find that I learn far more about students through these assessments than the more traditional assessment methods.
Table graffiti
This can be as focused or as abstract as you'd like. You can pose a question or present a topic to students. Students use large (butcher) paper to respond with words or pictures for a given amount of time. I find that this allows students to express their knowledge in multiple ways and ends up allowing me to get a better perspective on their depth of knowledge.
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Shaving cream
Display several multiple choice questions or problems that require a number answer. Allow students to solve the problem and display their response in shaving cream. You can walk around to record student responses or informally gather information about student responses. It's amazing how much fun students have with a little shaving cream!
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snowball fights
This tends to be a favorite of students. For this assessment, you can pose a question or ask students to reflect upon their learning. Students write their responses or answer on paper, with their name, and crumple (ball up) their paper... like a snowball. Then, once everyone finishes, we divide the class in half and each student can throw their paper "snowball" at the other side. You can then gather up the responses to evaluate.
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learning links
With Learning Links, students compose and record summarizing statements about a topic, including the most important details, on a strip of paper. Once finished, students read their statement to the class. Then, each strip of paper is linked together, like a paper chain. This can help you determine if your students retained the key concepts of your lesson or unit. This is also a great resource for revisiting a topic later in the year, by taking it apart, you can review the key details.
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airplane races
Airplane races can be used with virtually any assessment. You could display an end-of-unit discussion question, a word problem, or a multiple choice question. Students respond to the question or prompt on notebook paper and write their name on it. Once finished, students fold their paper into the shape of an airplane. Once students are finished, they line up in the classroom and take turns "flying" their plane to determine which airplane will travel the farthest. Then, you collect the airplanes, unfold, and review their responses. Kids enjoy this so much, they have no idea that you are gathering meaningful information about their learning from their "airplane."
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twitter updates
Twitter Updates are used for many types of assessment in our classroom. Students must respond to the given topic, or answer a specific question in 1-2 sentences. This requires students to synthesize their learning and articulate what is most important. Examples of Twitter Updates:
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poll it up
Presenting questions as a poll seems to make assessment seem a bit less intimidating for students. Polls can be conducted using paper and pencil, hands or gestures, or with technology. In our classroom, we use a variety of polling apps (on iPads). In BYOD classrooms, Poll Everywhere is a great polling resource that provides immediate feedback to you and helps you track student understanding. iRespond is another great way to use polling as an assessment.
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