formative assessment ideas
TRANSCRIPT
Formative Assessment Ideas
Corners Hand Signals Raft Rally Quiz Response Cards / Showdown Summary Writing Think-Write-Pair-Share Three-Step Interview Whip Around Word Toss
Corners: o Students choose a corner based on their level of expertise of a given subject.
o Based on your knowledge of __________________ , which corner would you choose? Corner 1: The Dirt Road –(There’s so much dust, I can’t see where I’m going! Help!!) Corner 2: The Paved Road (It’s fairly smooth, but there are many potholes along the
way.) Corner 3: The Highway ( I feel fairly confident but have an occasional need to slow
down.) Corner 4: The Interstate (I ’m traveling along and could easily give directions to
someone else.) o Once students are in their chosen corners, allow students to discuss their
progress with others. Questions may be prompted by teacher. o Corner One will pair with Corner Three; Corner Two will pair with Corner Four
for peer tutoring. Adapted from Kagan Cooperative Learning Structure www.kaganonline.com
Hand Signals: o Thumbs up: “I understand _________and can explain it.”
o Thumbs sideways: “I’m not completely sure about ____________.”
o Thumbs down: “I do not yet understand ___________.”
RAFT: o Role: What is the role of the writer
o Audience: To whom is the writer writing?
o Format: What is the format for the writing?
o Topic: What is the focus of the writing?
o Example:
o R: Scalene Triangle
o A: Your Angles
o F: Text Message
o T: Unequal Relationship
o Example:
o R: Abraham Lincoln
o A: Barack Obama
o F: Business Letter
o T: Presidential Election Advice Hollas, B. (2005) Differentiating Instruction in a Whole-Group Setting. Peterborough, NH: Crystal
Springs Books
Rally Quiz: o Students take turns quizzing their partners. Teacher provides a list of
questions or students generate a list of questions before playing RallyQuiz!
o Partner A asks a review question of Partner B. o B answers. o Partner A checks. If correct, A affirms with praise. If not correct, A coaches, re-
asks, then affirms with praise. o Students switch roles so B quizzes, and then affirms or coaches
Kagan Cooperative Learning Structure received at 2009 Brain Expo in Newport Beach, CA
www.kaganonline.com
Response Cards / showdown: o Preprinted or write-on whiteboards
o Consider ending a “Snowball Lesson” with a write-on response card to check for
understanding.
Summary writing: o Students should be able to record the GIST of the lesson on an Exit Slip.
Think-Write-Pair-Share: o Think: Teacher engages students thinking with a question or task. Allow ‘wait
time’ for students to process.
o Write: Students write response on paper.
o Pair: Students compare and discuss responses.
o Share: After students talk in pairs, teacher asks pairs to share their thinking
with the rest of the class.
Three-Step Interview: o Students interview a partner and each then share with teammates what they
learned.
o Teacher provides the interview topic, states duration of interview, and provides think
time.
o In pairs, Student A interviews Student B.
o Pairs switch roles: Student B interviews Student A.
o RoundRobin: Pairs pair to form groups of four. Each student, in turn, shares with the
team what he/she learned in the interview.
Kagan Cooperative Learning Structure received at 2009 Brain Expo in Newport Beach, CA
Whip Around: o Teacher engages students thinking with a question, Allow ‘wait time’ for
students to process. Teacher may want to encourage students to record two or
three answers on a piece of paper.
o Teacher ‘whips around’ the class, allowing many students to share one answer
off of their paper. Consider playing the song, “Whip It!” prior to the activity.
Word Toss: o Identify major concepts for the text the students will be reading.
o Write seven to ten key words or phrases on board.
o Students choose at least five words to explain to a partner or in writing
Resources:
Fisher, D., Frey, N. (2007). Checking for Understanding: Formative Assessment Techniques for Your
Classroom. Alexandria, VA: ASCD
Kagan Cooperative Learning Structures received at 2009 Brain Expo in Newport Beach, CA www.kaganonline.com
Hollas, B. (2005). Differentiating Instruction in a Whole-Group Setting. Peterborough, NH: Crystal Springs
Books
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