Formative Assessment Ideas

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.)

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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 o o o o

Role: What is the role of the writer Audience: To whom is the writer writing? Format: What is the format for the writing? Topic: What is the focus of the writing? 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, reasks, 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 o o o o

Students interview a partner and each then share with teammates what they learned. Teacher provides the interview topic, states duration of interview, and provides think time. In pairs, Student A interviews Student B. Pairs switch roles: Student B interviews Student A. RoundRobin: Pairs pair to form groups of four. Each student, in turn, shares with the team what he/she learned in the interview.

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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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