Back to School linky-Assessment

Greetings!

I am back for week two of this amanzing Back 2 School Linky party hosted by Mrs. D's Corner and Miss V's Busy Bees. 

Assessment. A pretty big buzz word in education today. However, I am not going to delve into the topic of standardized testing!! (As we say up north, Uffda.) I want to talk about the ways I quickly assess students in my classroom. Those of you that want to use buzz words: formative assessments. (There are a LOT of buzz words in education!!) 

There are many ways to do a "quick check" on student understanding. Below I will share a couple of ways I assess my students, one of them being a hands-on game that my students LOVE.ADORE.ASKTOPLAYEVERYDAY. 

One of the best ways to get an instant check on my students and how they are doing is through the use of individual whiteboards. I have a set of these in my classroom, but I also have them on my small group table......like stuck on the table!! They are the BEST small group resource ever! (Check out a previous post on these whiteboards HERE.) My kiddos think they are cool and these little stick on whiteboards have eliminated the, "Oh wait, I will be right back, I forgot a whiteboard." Also, I keep a basket of whiteboard markers at my small group table so no one can forget their marker, head to their desk to go get one, get distracted by Johnny who is playing a game with dice, etc....(You know exactly what I am talking about right??) You can order these sticker boards for yourself HERE.

Like I said, I also use the traditional individual whiteboards. These are great to use during whole group time. Here are two ways I use them:

1. During whole group math: We often start our math time with a quick review of what we learned the day before. The kiddos copy down a problem onto their board and "hug it" to their chest when they are done. Then, when I say "Show me your amazing work!" They hold it up in the air. The reason I have them hug it before showing me is it gives other kids a little extra time to work, AND it almost completely stops copying. 

2. During whole group reading: I most often use the mini whiteboards during phonics and spelling reviews. For example, if our sound of the week is "ch" I will have the kids write some words that include that sound. (Same with spelling, we review our words.)

The kiddos DO get sick of taking tests....and more tests....and still MORE tests. I mean, can you blame them? Like I said above, individual whiteboards are a great way to quickly assess students, BUT they will get bored of it if you use them too often. I was thinking about this one night (because a teacher's brain NEVER stops thinking of school!) and decided to create a review game for my students to use in math the next day. We were learning about grams and kilograms and my littles needed to be able to determine which unit (g or kg) they would use to measure an object. What popped out of my brain was "This or That?". In this game, students each get a "g" and "kg" circle (pictured below). We glue (or tape) these onto popsicle sticks, and when I say an object, "fridge" the students show me either g or kg. (After naming a few objects, I know INSTANTLY who gets it, and who needs a review in small group.) The kiddos LOVE this....they kind of feel like it is a game show. 

I have two versions of this game in my TpT store....so far. :) You can get my grams or kilograms version FREE! I also have an inches or feet version. Click on the pictures below!

Thanks for stopping by!