This document provides a list of 75 interactive techniques for teaching and assessing student learning. It summarizes techniques for instructors to use during lectures, such as asking students to identify images or answer polling questions. It also lists techniques for individual student work, such as concept mapping, writing summaries, and identifying misconceptions. Finally, it outlines some pair-based techniques like think-pair-share where students discuss questions with a partner before addressing the full class. The overall document promotes interactive, engaged learning techniques as alternatives to traditional lecturing.

1. NOTES/101 Tips-1.pdf
Interactive Techniques
Adapted in part from:
Thomas A. Angelo/K. Patricia Cross, Classroom Assessment
Techniques.
2nd Edition. Jossey-Bass: San Francisco, 1993.
Alison Morrison-Shetlar/Mary Marwitz, Teaching Creatively:
Ideas in
Action. Outernet: Eden Prairie, 2001.
Silberman, Mel. Active Learning: 101 Strategies to Teach Any
Subject.
Allyn and Bacon: Boston, 1996.
VanGundy, Arthur. 101 Activities for Teaching Creativity and
Problem
Solving. Pfeiffer: San Francisco, 2005.
Watkins, Ryan. 75 e-Learning Activities: Making Online
Learning
Interactive. San Francisco: Pfeiffer, 2005.
These techniques have multiple benefits: the instructor can

2. easily and quickly
assess if students have really mastered the material (and plan to
dedicate more
time to it, if necessary), and the process of measuring student
understanding in
many cases is also practice for the material—often students do
not actually learn
the material until asked to make use of it in assessments such as
these. Finally,
the very nature of these assessments drives interactivity and
brings several
benefits. Students are revived from their passivity of merely
listening to a lecture
and instead become attentive and engaged, two prerequisites for
effective
learning. These techniques are often perceived as “fun”, yet
they are frequently
more effective than lectures at enabling student learning.
Not all techniques listed here will have universal appeal, with
factors such as your
teaching style and personality influencing which choices may be
right for you.
Instructor Action: Lecture
1. Picture Prompt – Show students an image with no
explanation, and ask them to
identify/explain it, and justify their answers. Or ask students to
write about it using terms
from lecture, or to name the processes and concepts shown.
Also works well as group
activity. Do not give the “answer” until they have explored all

3. options first.
2. Think Break – Ask a rhetorical question, and then allow 20
seconds for students to
think about the problem before you go on to explain. This
technique encourages students
to take part in the problem-solving process even when
discussion isn't feasible. Having
students write something down (while you write an answer also)
helps assure that they
will in fact work on the problem.
3. Choral Response – Ask a one-word answer to the class at
large; volume of answer will
suggest degree of comprehension. Very useful to “drill” new
vocabulary words into
students.
4. Instructor Storytelling – Instructor illustrates a concept, idea,
or principle with a real-
life application, model, or case-study.
5. Pass the Pointer – Place a complex, intricate, or detailed
image on the screen and ask
for volunteers to temporarily borrow the laser pointer to
identify key features or ask
questions about items they don’t understand.
6. Empty Outlines – Distribute a partially completed outline of
today’s lecture and ask
students to fill it in. Useful at start or at end of class.
7. Classroom Opinion Polls – Informal hand-raising suffices to

4. test the waters before a
controversial subject.
8. Total Physical Response (TPR) – Students either stand or sit
to indicate their binary
answers, such as True/False, to the instructor’s questions.
9. Hand Held Response Cards – Distribute (or ask students to
create) standardized
cards that can be held aloft as visual responses to instructor
questions. Example: green
card for true, red for false. Or hand-write a giant letter on each
card to use in multiple
choice questions.
10. Student Polling – Select some students to travel the room,
polling the others on a topic
relevant to the course, then report back the results for everyone.
11. Self-Assessment of Ways of Learning – Prepare a
questionnaire for students that
probes what kind of learning style they use, so the course can
match visual/aural/tactile
learning styles.
12. Quote Minus One – Provide a quote relevant to your topic
but leave out a crucial word
and ask students to guess what it might be: “I cannot forecast to
you the action of
______; it is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma.”
This engages them
quickly in a topic and makes them feel invested.
13. Everyday Ethical Dilemmas – Present an abbreviated case
study with an ethical
dilemma related to the discipline being studied.

5. 14. Polar Opposites – Ask the class to examine two written-out
versions of a theory (or
corollary, law of nature, etc.), where one is incorrect, such as
the opposite or a negation of
the other. In deciding which is correct, students will have to
examine the problem from all
angles.
15. Pop Culture – Infuse your lectures, case studies, sample
word problems for use during
class with current events from the pop culture world. Rather
than citing statistics for
housing construction, for instance, illustrate the same statistical
concept you are teaching
by inventing statistics about something students gossip about,
like how often a certain
pop star appears in public without make-up.
16. Make Them Guess – Introduce a new subject by asking an
intriguing question,
something that few will know the answer to (but should interest
all of them). Accept blind
guessing for a while before giving the answer to build curiosity.
17. Make It Personal – Design class activities (or even essays)
to address the real lives of
the individual students. Instead of asking for reflections on
Down’s Syndrome, ask for
personal stories of neurological problems by a family member
or anyone they have ever
met.
18. Read Aloud – Choose a small text (500 words or less) to
read aloud, and ask students to
pay particular attention during this phase of lecture. A small

6. text read orally in a larger
lecture can focus attention.
19. Punctuated Lectures – Ask student to perform five steps:
listen, stop, reflect, write,
give feedback. Students become self-monitoring listeners.
20. Word of the Day – Select an important term and highlight it
throughout the class
session, working it into as many concepts as possible. Challenge
students to do the same
in their interactive activities.
21. Recall, Summarize, Question, Connect, and Comment – This
method of starting
each session (or each week) has five steps to reinforce the
previous session’s material:
recall it, summarize it, phrase a remaining question, connect it
to the class as a whole,
and comment on that class session.
22. Focused Listing – List several ideas related to the main
focus point. Helpful for starting
new topics.
23. Background Knowledge Probe – Use questionnaire (multi-
choice or short answer)
when introducing a new topic.
24. Goal Ranking and Matching – Students rank their goals for
the class, then instructor
combines those with her own list.

7. 25. Interest/Knowledge/Skills Checklist – Assesses interest and
preparation for the
course, and can help adjust teaching agenda.
26. Documented Problem
Solution
s – Keep track of the steps needed to solve specific
types of problems. Model a list for students first and then ask
them to perform similar
steps.
Instructor Action: Lecture (Small Class Size)
27. Pass the Chalk – Provide chalk or a soft toy; whoever has it
must answer your next
question, and they pass it on to the student of their choice.
28. Quaker Meeting – Students highlight key passages of the
reading, and there is silence
(like a Quaker meeting) until someone wants to read his/her out,
and others follow. End
with brief writing about what they learned from the sentences.

8. 29. Town Hall Meeting – Abdicate the front of the room for a
student willing to speak out
on a controversial subject, and when she is done with her
comment, she selects the next
speaker from the hands raised.
30. The Half Class Lecture – Divide the class in half and
provide reading material to one
half. Lecture on that same material to the other half of the class.
Then, switch the groups
and repeat, ending with a recap by pairing up members of
opposite groups.
31. Tournament – Divide the class into at least two groups and
announce a competition for
most points on a practice test. Let them study a topic together
and then give that quiz,
tallying points. After each round, let them study the next topic
before quizzing again. The
points should be carried over from round to round. The student
impulse for competition
will focus their engagement onto the material itself.

9. Student Action: Individual (many of these can be used as
partnerwork or groupwork instead;
or may escalate to that after some individual effort)
32. One-Minute Papers – Students write for one minute on a
specific question (which
might be generalized to “what was the most important thing you
learned today”). Best
used at the end of the class session.
33. Muddiest Point – Like the Minute Paper, but asks for the
“most confusing” point
instead. Best used at the end of the class session.
34. Misconception Check – Discover class’s preconceptions.
Useful for starting new
chapters.
35. Drawing for Understanding – Students illustrate an abstract
concept or idea.
Comparing drawings around the room can clear up
misconceptions.
36. Circle the Questions – Pre-make a handout that has a few

10. dozen likely student
questions (make them specific) on your topic for that day and
ask students to circle the
ones they don’t know the answers to, then turn in the paper.
37. Ask the Winner – Ask students to silently solve a problem
on the board. After revealing
the answer, instruct those who got it right to raise their hands
(and keep them raised);
then, all other students are to talk to someone with a raised
hand to better understand the
question and how to solve it next time.
38. What’s the Principle – After recognizing the problem,
students assess what principle
to apply in order to solve it. Helps focus on problem TYPES
rather than individual
specific problems. Principle(s) should be listed out.
39. Haiku – Students write a haiku (a three-line poem: 5-
syllables, then 7, then 5) on a given
topic or concept, and then share it with others.
40. Bookmark Notes - Distribute full-length paper to be used as
a bookmark for the

11. current chapter. On it, record prompts and other “reading
questions”, and require
students to record their notes, observations, and objections
while reading onto these
bookmarks for collection and discussion in class.
41. True or False? – Distribute index cards (one to each student)
on which is written a
statement. Half of the cards will contain statements that are
true, half false. Students
decide if theirs is one of the true statements or not, using
whatever means they desire.
Variation: designate half the room a space for those who think
their statements are true,
and the other half for false.
42. “Real-World” – Have students discuss in class how a topic
or concept relates to a real-
world application or product. Then have students write about
this topic for homework.
Variation: ask them to record their answer on index cards.

12. 43. Concept Mapping – Students write keywords onto sticky
notes and then organize them
into a flowchart. Could be less structured: students simply draw
the connections they
make between concepts.
44. Advice Letter – Students write a letter of advice to future
students on how to be
successful students in that course.
45. Tabloid Titles – Ask students to write a tabloid-style
headline that would illustrate the
concept currently being discussed. Share and choose the best.
46. Bumper Stickers – Ask students to write a slogan-like
bumper sticker to illustrate a
particular concept from lecture. Variation: can be used to ask
them to sum up the entire
course in one sentence.
47. One-Sentence Summary – Summarize the topic into one
sentence that incorporates
all of who/what/when/where/why/how creatively.

13. 48. Directed Paraphrasing – Students asked to paraphrase part
of a lesson for a specific
audience (and a specific purpose).
49. Word Journal – First, summarize the entire topic on paper
with a single word. Then
use a paragraph to explain your word choice.
50. Truth Statements – Either to introduce a topic or check
comprehension, ask
individuals to list out “It is true that...” statements on the topic
being discussed. The
ensuing discussion might illustrate how ambiguous knowledge
is sometimes.
51. Objective Check – Students write a brief essay in which
they evaluate to what extent
their work fulfills an assignment’s objectives.
52. Opposites – Instructor lists out one or more concepts, for
which students must come up
with an antonym, and then defend their choice.
53. Student Storytelling – Students are given assignments that
make use of a given

14. concept in relation to something that seems personally relevant
(such as requiring the
topic to be someone in their family).
54. Application to Major – During last 15 minutes of class, ask
students to write a short
article about how the point applies to their major.
55. Pro and Con Grid – Students list out the pros and cons for a
given subject.
56. Harvesting – After an experience/activity in class, ask
students to reflect on “what” they
learned, “so what” (why is it important and what are the
implications), and “now what”
(how to apply it or do things differently).
57. Chain Notes – Instructor pre-distributes index cards and
passes around an envelope, on
which is written a question relating to the learning environment
(i.e., are the group
discussions useful?) Students write a very brief answer, drop in
their own card, and pass
the envelope to the next student.

15. 58. Focused Autobiographical Sketches – Focuses on a single
successful learning
experience, one relevant to the current course.
59. Course-Related Self-Confidence Surveys – Simple questions
that measure how
self-confident students are when it comes to a specific skill.
Once they become aware they
can do it, they focus on it more.
60. Profiles of Admirable Individuals – Students write a brief
profile of an individual in
a field related to the course. Students assess their own values
and learn best practices for
this field.
61. Memory Matrix – Identify a key taxonomy and then design a
grid that represents those
interrelationships. Keep it simple at first. Avoid trivial or
ambiguous relationships, which
tend to backfire by focusing students on superficial kinds of
learning. Although probably
most useful in introductory courses, this technique can also be
used to help develop basic
study skills for students who plan to continue in the field

16. 62. Categorizing Grid – Hand out rectangles divided into cells
and a jumbled listing of
terms that need to be categorized by row and column.
63. Defining Features Matrix – Hand out a simple table where
students decide if a
defining feature is PRESENT or ABSENT. For instance, they
might have to read through
several descriptions of theories and decide if each refers to
behaviorist or constructivist
models of learning.
64. What/How/Why Outlines – Write brief notes answering the
what / how / why
questions when analyzing a message or text.
65. Approximate Analogies – Students provide the second half
of an analogy (A is to B as
X is to Y).
66. Problem Recognition Tasks – Offer case studies with

17. different types of problems and
ask students to identify the TYPE of problem (which is different
from solving it)
67. Switch it up! – Ask students to work on one problem for a
few minutes and
intentionally move to a second problem without debriefing the
first one, then solve the
second one and only then return to the first one for more work.
A carefully chosen second
problem can shed light on the first problem, but this also works
well if the problems are
not directly related to each other.
68. Reading Rating Sheets – Students fill out a ratings sheet on
the course readings, on
how clear, useful, and interesting it was.
69. Assignment Assessments – Students give feedback on their
homework assignments,
and evaluate them as learning tools.
70. Exam Evaluations – Students explain what they are learning
from exams, and evaluate
the fairness, usefulness, and quality of tests.

18. 71. Group-Work Evaluations – Questionnaires asking how
effective groupwork has been
in the class.
72. Teacher-Designed Feedback Forms – Rather than use
standardized evaluation
forms, teachers create ones tailored for their needs and their
classes. Especially useful
midway through the term.
73. Writing Fables – Students write an animal fable (or at least
sketch its outline) that will
lead to a one-sentence moral matching the current concept
discussed in class. May be
done verbally instead.
Student Action: Pairs
74. Think-Pair-Share – Students share and compare possible
answers to a question with a
partner before addressing the larger class.

19. 75. Pair-Share-Repeat – After a pair-share experience, ask
students to find a new partner
and debrief the wisdom of the old partnership to this new
partner.
76. Teacher and Student - Individually brainstorm the main
points of the last homework,
then assign roles of teacher and student to pairs. The teacher’s
job is to sketch the main
points, while the student’s job is to cross off points on his list
as they are mentioned, but
come up with 2-3 ones missed by the teacher.
77. Wisdom of Another – After any individual brainstorm or
creative activity, partner
students up to share their results. Then, call for volunteers of
students who found their
partner’s work to be interesting or exemplary. Students are
sometimes more willing to
share in plenary the work of fellow students than their own
work.
78. Forced Debate – Students debate in pairs, but must defend
the opposite side of their
personal opinion. Variation: half the class take one position,

20. half the other. They line up
and face each other. Each student may only speak once, so that
all students on both sides
can engage the issue.
79. Optimist/Pessimist – In pairs, students take opposite
emotional sides of a
conversation. This technique can be applied to case studies and
problem solving as well.
80. Peer Review Writing Task – To assist students with a
writing assignments, encourage
them to exchange drafts with a partner. The partner reads the
essay and writes a three-
paragraph response: the first paragraph outlines the strengths of
the essay, the second
paragraph discusses the essay’s problems, and the third
paragraph is a description of
what the partner would focus on in revision, if it were her
essay.
81. Invented Dialogues – Students weave together real quotes
from primary sources, or
invent ones to fit the speaker and context.

21. 82. My Christmas Gift – Students mentally select one of their
recent gifts as related to or
emblematic of a concept given in class, and must tell their
partners how this gift relates to
the concept. The one with a closer connection wins.
83. Psychoanalysis – Students get into pairs and interview one
another about a recent
learning unit. The focus, however, is upon analysis of the
material rather than rote
memorization. Sample Interview Questions: Can you describe to
me the topic that you
would like to analyze today? What were your attitudes/beliefs
before this topic? How did
your attitudes/beliefs change after learning about this topic?
How will/have your
actions/decisions altered based on your learning of this topic?
How have your
perceptions of others/events changed?
Student Action: Groups

22. 84. Jigsaw (Group Experts) – Give each group a different topic.
Re-mix groups with one
planted “expert” on each topic, who now has to teach his new
group.
85. Board Rotation – Assign groups of students to each of the
boards you have set up in
the room (four or more works best), and assign one
topic/question per board. After each
group writes an answer, they rotate to the next board and write
their answer below the
first, and so on around the room.
86. Pick the Winner – Divide the class into groups and have all
groups work on the same
problem and record an answer/strategy on paper. Then, ask
groups to switch with a
nearby group, and evaluate their answer. After a few minutes,
allow each set of groups to
merge and ask them to select the better answer from the two
choices, which will be
presented to the class as a whole.

23. 87. Layered Cake Discussion - Every table/group works on the
same task for a few
minutes, then there’s a plenary debrief for the whole class, and
finally repeat with a new
topic to be discussed in the groups.
88. Lecture Reaction – Divide the class into four groups after a
lecture: questioners (must
ask two questions related to the material), example givers
(provide applications),
divergent thinkers (must disagree with some points of the
lecture), and agreers (explain
which points they agreed with or found helpful). After
discussion, brief the whole class.
89. Movie Application – In groups, students discuss examples
of movies that made use of
a concept or event discussed in class, trying to identify at least
one way the movie-makers
got it right, and one way they got it wrong.
90. Student Pictures – Ask students to bring their own pictures
from home to illustrate a
specific concept to their working groups.

24. 91. Definitions and Applications – In groups, students provide
definitions, associations,
and applications of concepts discussed in lecture.
92. TV Commercial – In groups, students create a 30-second TV
commercial for the
subject currently being discussed in class. Variation: ask them
to act out their
commercials.
93. Blender – Students silently write a definition or brainstorm
an idea for several minutes
on paper. Then they form into groups, and two of them read
their ideas and integrate
elements from each. A third student reads his, and again
integration occurs with the
previous two, until finally everyone in the group has been
integrated (or has attempted
integration).
94. Human Tableau or Class Modeling – Groups create living
scenes (also of inanimate
objects) which relate to the classroom concepts or discussions.
95. Build From Restricted Components – Provide limited

25. resources (or a discrete list of
ideas that must be used) and either literally or figuratively
dump them on the table,
asking students in groups to construct a solution using only
these things (note: may be
familiar from the Apollo 13 movie). If possible, provide red
herrings, and ask students to
construct a solution using the minimum amount of items
possible.
96. Ranking Alternatives – Teacher gives a situation, everyone
thinks up as many
alternative courses of action (or explanations of the situation)
as possible. Compile list. In
groups, now rank them by preference.
97. Simulation – Place the class into a long-term simulation
(like as a business) to enable
Problem-Based Learning (PBL).
98. Group Instructional Feedback Technique – Someone other
than the teacher polls

26. groups on what works, what doesn’t, and how to fix it, then
reports them to the teacher.
99. Classroom Assessment Quality Circles – A small group of
students forms a
“committee” on the quality of teaching and learning, which
meets regularly and includes
the instructor.
100. Audio and Videotaped Protocols – Taping students while
they are solving problems
assesses the learner’s awareness of his own thinking.
101. Imaginary Show and Tell – Students pretend they have
brought an object relevant to
current discussion, and “display” it to the class while talking
about its properties.
102. Six Degrees of “RNA Transcription Errors” – Like the
parlor game “Six Degrees of
Kevin Bacon” (in which actors are linked by joint projects), you
provide groups with a
conceptual start point and challenge them to leap to a given
concept in six moves or
fewer. One student judge in each group determines if each leap

27. is fair and records the
nature of the leaps for reporting back to the class.
Facebook
103. Replace Discussion Boards - Create a Facebook “group”
(private/invite only) and use
the Wall as the class discussion board. Students are notified by
home page notification
when someone replies to their thread.
104. Notify Students Quickly – Posting to Facebook will reach
your students much faster
than an email, because most of them check Facebook regularly.
105. Fan Page - An alternative to a group is a “fan” page, which
has the advantage that your
“status updates” will show up for students on their Live Feed.
Disadvantage: some
students turn off Live Feed and only see status updates of their
friends.
106. Direct Facebook Friendship - Allowing your students to

28. “friend” you will give you
unfettered access to them (unless they’ve set up a special role
for you), but more
importantly, your status updates will be visible to them on the
home page (unless they
block you manually). Disadvantage: too much information will
be revealed on both sides,
unless both you and the students set up “lists” with limited
access allowed.
Twitter
107. Report from the Field – Students use smart phones to
record their observations while
witnessing an event/location related to the course of study,
capturing more honest and
spontaneous reactions
108. Twitter Clicker Alternative - In large classes, a hashtag
can amalgamate all posts by
your students in one place, giving them a free-response place to
provide feedback or guess
at a right answer. Also useful for brainstorming.

29. 109. Backchannel Conversations in Large Classes – unlike a
whispered conversation, a
Twitter conversation (searchable by agreed-upon hashtag)
becomes a group discussion.
Students may also help out other students who missed a brief
detail during the lecture.
110. Follow an Expert – Luminaries in many disciplines, as well
as companies and
governmental agencies, often publish a Twitter feed. Reading
such updates provides a
way to stay current.
111. Tweeted Announcements - Instead of Blackboard, use
Twitter to send out
announcements like cancelled classes.
112. Twitter Pictures and URLs - Twitpic and other services
allows for photo upload to
twitter; bit.ly and other “link shorteners” allow for pasting long
URLs as short ones.
113. Student Summaries - Make one student the “leader” for
tweets; she posts the top five

30. important concepts from each session to twitter (one at a time);
other students follow her
feed and RT for discussion/disagreements
114. Quick Contact - Since sharing cell phone numbers is risky,
instructors may wish to let
students follow them on Twitter and send Direct Messages that
way.
115. Community-Building - A Twitter group for your specific
class creates inclusiveness
and belonging.
116. Twitter Projects - Tweetworks and other apps can enable
student groups to
communicate with each other more easily.
117. Brainstorm - Small Twitter assignments can yield
unexpected brainstorming by
students, since it’s happening “away” from the LMS.
118. Twitter Poll - PollDaddy and other apps enable Twitter to

31. gather interest, information,
attitudes, and guesses.
119. Post Links - News stories and other websites can be linked
via Twitter (services such as
bit.ly will shorten URLs).
YouTube
120. Video Demonstrations - Using a webcam, record a
demonstration relevant to your
topic and post it to YouTube.
121. Student Videos - Student projects, presentations, or
speeches can take the form of
video instead of PowerPoint, and uploaded for the class to see.
122. Closed Eyes Method – To prevent students at home from
“reading” presentations
(such as poem recitations) that were supposed to be memorized
for YouTube upload,
require them to give the performance with their eyes closed.

32. 123. Interactive Video Quizzes - Using annotations (text boxes)
and making them
hyperlinks to other uploaded videos, instructors can construct
an on-screen “multiple
choice” test leading to differentiated video reactions, depending
on how the student
answers. Requires filming multiple videos and some editing
work.
124. Movie Clips - Show brief segments of popular movies to
illustrate a point, start a
conversation, have students hunt for what the movie gets wrong,
etc.
125. Embed Into PowerPoint - YouTube videos can be
embedded into PPT as long as there
is an active Internet connection; create a Shockwave Flash
object in the Developer tab,
and add the URL for “Movie” in the properties (the URL will
need to replace “watch?=v/”
with just “/v/”). Alternative: use one-button plugin from iSpring
Free.
126. Shared Account – Instructor creates a generic YouTube
username/account and gives

33. the password to everyone in the class, so student uploads all go
to the same place.
Wikis
127. Group Wiki Projects - Instead of emailing a document (or
PPT) back and forth,
student groups can collaborate in real time with a free wiki such
as wikispaces.com
128. Wiki Class Notes - Offering a class wiki for the optional
sharing of lecture notes aids
students who miss class, provides a tool for studying, and helps
students see the material
from more than one perspective.
Blogs
129. Questions to Students - Use the blog to “push” questions
and discussion prompts to
students like you would email, but in a different forum.

34. 130. Provide Links - The native HTML nature of the blog makes
it easy to give links to news
stories and relevant websites.
131. Substitute for Blackboard Discussion Board - Students can
comment on each post
(or previous comment) and engage in a dialogue that is similar
to Blackboard, but while
out in the Internet in general.
132. Electronic Role Play - Students create their own blogs, and
write diary-type entries
while role-playing as someone central to your content.
Creating Groups
133. Quick Division – Divide your class into two roughly equal
segments for simultaneous,
parallel tasks by invoking their date of birth: “if your birthday
falls on an odd-numbered

35. day, do task X…if your birthday is even, do task Y.” Other
variations include males and
females, months of birth, odd or even inches in their height
(5’10” vs 5’11”).
134. Question and Answer Cards – Make index cards for every
student in the class; half
with questions about class content; half with the right answers.
Shuffle the cards and have
students find their appropriate partner by comparing questions
and answers on their own
cards.
135. Telescoping Images – When you need the class to form
new groups, craft sets of index
cards that will be grouped together by theme, and randomly pass
them out for students to
seek the other members of their new groups. Example: one set
of four index cards has
pictures of Europe on a map, then France, then the Eiffel
Tower, then a person wearing a
beret (thematically, the images “telescope” from far away to
close up, and the students

36. must find others in their particular set of telescoping images).
136. Speed Sharing – Students write definitions, concepts, quiz
questions, etc. on index
cards and form two concentric circles, facing each other. For
thirty seconds (or 60), they
share their knowledge with the person opposite them. Then, the
outer circle “rotates” so
that everyone has a new partner, and the sharing is repeated.
This can be done until each
student has completed the circuit.
137. Trio Rotation – Group students into threes, and arrange the
groups into a large circle.
Each team of three works on a problem. Then, each team
assigns a 1, 2, and 3 number to
each person. The 1’s stay put, but the 2’s rotate clockwise and
the 3’s rotate
counterclockwise. Newly formed teams then work on a new
problem.
138. Go to Your Post – Tape a sign onto opposite sides of the
walls with different
preferences (different authors, skills, a specific kind of problem
to solve, different values)

37. and let students self-select their working group
139. Four Corners – Put up a different topic in each corner of
the room and ask students to
pick one, write their ideas about it down, then head to “their”
corner and discuss opinions
with others who also chose this topic.
Icebreakers
140. Introduce Your Partner’s Non-Obvious Trait – Students
partner up and are tasked
with learning one thing about the other person that is not
obvious by looking at them.
Then, they introduce their partner to the larger class. Instructors
can use this time to
record a crude seating chart of the students and begin to learn
their names.
141. Scrapbook Selection – Put students in groups and give each
group a big pile of printed
photos (best if laminated – maybe different shapes/sizes?) Ask
them to choose one as a

38. group that epitomizes their reaction/definition of the topic being
discussed, and explain
why.
142. Brush with Fame – Students relate their closest encounter
with someone famous, even
if it has to be a story about something that happened to a friend
or relative.
143. Name Game – Students form circles in groups of 8-10 and
one at a time state their
name with an alliterative action: “I’m Jumping James!”
Optimally, they should perform
the action as well. They proceed around the circle, stating
names and performing the
actions, adding names one at a time, until the last person in the
circle will have to say
everyone’s name and perform all the actions.
144. Human Bingo – Students become acquainted at the start of
a semester by performing a
scavenger hunt you design as a handout: “find someone who
dislikes carrots, someone
who owns a German car, someone who has read a book about
submarines, etc.”

39. 145. Line Dance – Students line up according to their level of
agreement on a controversial
subject: strong agreement on one side, strong disagreement on
the other.
146. Two Truths and a Lie – Go around the room and ask each
student to relate two true
statements and one falsehood about themselves, without giving
away which is false.
Games (Useful for Review)
147. Crossword Puzzle – Create a crossword puzzle as a
handout for students to review
terms, definitions, or concepts before a test. Some online
websites will automate the
puzzle creation.
148. Jeopardy – Play jeopardy like the TV show with your

40. students. Requires a fair amount
of preparation.
149. Pictionary – For important concepts and especially terms,
have students play
pictionary: one draws images only, the rest must guess the term.
150. Super-Password – Also for concepts and terms; one student
tries to get his partner to
say the key term by circumlocution, and cannot say any of the
“forbidden words” on a
card prepared ahead of time.
151. Guess the Password – The instructor reveals a list of words
(esp. nouns) one at a time
and at each point, ask students to guess what key term they are
related to. The hints
become increasingly specific to make the answer more clear.
152. Twenty Questions – Assign a person, theory, concept,
event, etc to individual students
and have the partner ask yes/no questions to guess what the
concept is. Also works on a
plenary level, with one student fielding the questions from the
whole class.

41. 153. Hollywood Squares – Choose students to sit as
“celebrities” at the front of the class.
Variation: allow the celebrities to use books and notes in
deciding how to help the
contestants.
154. Scrabble – Use the chapter (or course) title as the pool of
letters from which to make
words (e.g., mitochondrialdna) and allow teams to brainstorm as
many words as possible
from that list, but all words must be relevant to this test.
Variation: actually play scrabble
on boards afterward.
155. Who am I? - Tape a term or name on the back of each
student, out of view. Each student
then wanders about the room, posing yes/no questions to the
other students in an effort
to guess the term on his own back.
Interaction Through Homework

42. 156. Find the Company – Students search the Internet for a
corporation that makes use of
concepts/ideas from class, and must defend their choice in the
next class session.
157. Diagnostic Learning Logs – Students track main points in
lecture and a second list of
unclear points. They then reflect on and analyze the information
and diagnose their
weaknesses.
158. Process Analysis – Students track the steps they take to
finish an assignment and
comment on their approaches to it.
159. Productive Study-Time Logs – Short records students keep
on how long they study
for a class; comparison allows those with lesser commitment to
see the disparity.
160. Double-Entry Journals – Students note first the important
ideas from reading, and
then respond personally.
161. Paper or Project Prospectus – Write a structured plan for a

43. term paper or large
project.
162. Annotated Portfolios – Student turns in creative work, with
student’s explanation of
the work in relation to the course content and goals.
Student Questions
163. Student Questions (Index Cards) – At the start of the
semester, pass out index cards
and ask each student to write a question about the class and
your expectations. The cards
rotate through the room, with each student adding a check-mark
if they agree this
question is important for them. The teacher learns what the
class is most anxious about.
164. Student Questions (Group-Decided) – Stop class, group
students into fours, ask
them to take five minutes to decide on the one question they
think is crucial for you to
answer right now.

44. 165. Questions as Homework – Students write questions before
class on 3x5 cards: “What
I really wanted to know about mitochondrial DNA but was
afraid to ask...”
166. Student-Generated Test Questions – Students create likely
exam questions and
model the answers. Variation: same activity, but with students
in teams, taking each
others’ quizzes.
167. Minute Paper Shuffle – Ask students to write a relevant
question about the material,
using no more than a minute, and collect them all. Shuffle and
re-distribute, asking each
student to answer his new question. Can be continued a second
or third round with the
same questions.
Role-Play

45. 168. Role-Playing – Assign roles for a concept, students
research their parts at home, and
they act it out in class. Observers critique and ask questions.
169. Role Reversal – Teacher role-plays as the student, asking
questions about the content.
The students are collectively the teacher, and must answer the
questions. Works well as
test review/prep.
170. Jury Trial. Divide the class into various roles (including
witnesses, jury, judge, lawyers,
defendant, prosecution, audience) to deliberate on a
controversial subject.
171. Press Conference – Ask students to role-play as
investigative reporters asking
questions of you, the expert on the topic. They should seek a
point of contradiction or
inadequate evidence, hounding you in the process with follow-
up questions to all your
replies.

46. 172. Press Conference (Guest Speaker) – Invite a guest speaker
and run the class like a
press conference, with a few prepared remarks and then fielding
questions from the
audience.
173. Analytic Memo – Write a one-page analysis of an issue,
roleplaying as an employer or
client.
Student Presentations
174. Fishbowl – A student unpacks her ideas and thoughts on a
topic in front of others, who
take notes and then write a response. Avoid asking questions.
175. Impromptu Speeches – Students generate keywords, drop
them into a hat, and self-
choose presenters to speak for 30 seconds on each topic.
176. Anonymous Peer Feedback – For student presentations or
group projects, encourage
frank feedback from the observing students by asking them to

47. rip up a page into quarters
and dedicating comments to each presenter. Multiple variations
are possible in “forcing”
particular types of comments (i.e., require two compliments and
two instances of
constructive feedback). Then, ask students to create a pile of
comments for Student X,
another pile for Student Y, and so on.
177. PowerPoint Presentations – For those teaching in
computer-mediated environments,
put students into groups of three or four students. Students
focus their attention on a
chapter or article and present this material to the class using
PowerPoint. Have groups
conference with you beforehand to outline their presentation
strategy and ensure
coverage of the material.
Brainstorming
178. Brainstorming on the Board – Students call out concepts
and terms related to a topic

48. about to be introduced; the instructor writes them on the board.
If possible, group them
into categories as you record the responses. Works to gauge pre-
existing knowledge and
focus attention on the subject.
179. Brainstorming Tree – While brainstorming on the board,
circle the major concepts
and perform sub-brainstorms on those specific words; the result
will look like a tree
blooming outward.
180. Brainstorming in a Circle – Group students to discuss an
issue together, and then
spend a few minutes jotting down individual notes. One person
starts a brainstorming list
and passes it to the student to the right, who then adds to the
list and passes it along
again.
181. Chalk Talk – Ask students to go to multiple boards around

49. the room to brainstorm
answers to a prompt/assignment, but disallow all talking. Can
also be done in groups.
Online Interaction
182. Online Chat (All-Day) – For classes meeting at least
partially in an online
environment, instructors can simulate the benefits gained by a
chat-room discussion
(more participation from reserved instructors) without requiring
everyone to meet in a
chat room for a specific length of time. The day begins with a
post from the instructor in a
discussion board forum. Students respond to the prompt, and
continue to check back all
day, reading their peers’ posts and responding multiple times
throughout the day to
extend discussion.
183. Online Chat (Quick) – To gauge a quick response to a topic
or reading assignment,
post a question, and then allow students to chat in a

50. synchronous environment for the
next 10 minutes on the topic. A quick examination of the chat
transcript will reveal a
multitude of opinions and directions for further discussion. In
online environments,
many students can “talk” at once, with less chaotic and more
productive results than in a
face-to-face environment.
184. Online Evaluation – For those teaching in online
environments, schedule a time which
students can log on anonymously and provide feedback about
the course and your
teaching. Understand, however, that anonymity online
sometimes breeds a more
aggressive response than anonymity in print.
185. Pre-Class Writing – A few days before your computer-
mediated class begins, have
students respond in an asynchronous environment to a prompt
about this week’s topic.
Each student should post their response and at least one
question for further discussion.
During the face-to-face meeting, the instructor can address
some of these questions or

51. areas not addressed in the asynchronous forum.
186. E-Mail Feedback – Instructor poses questions about his
teaching via e-mail; students
reply anonymously.
NOTES/25QuickFormativeAssessments.pdf
New York • Toronto • London • Auckland • Sydney
Mexico City • New Delhi • Hong Kong • Buenos Aires
Judith Dodge
ASSESSMENTS
FORMATIVE
for a Differentiated Classroom
25
Q

52. ui
ck
F
or
m
at
iv
e
A
ss
es
sm
en
ts
fo
r a
D

53. if
fe
re
nt
ia
te
d
C
la
ss
ro
om
©
J
ud
ith
D

54. od
ge
, S
ch
ol
as
tic
T
ea
ch
in
g
R
es
ou
rc

55. es
Scholastic Inc. grants teachers permission to photocopy the
reproducible pages from this book for classroom use.
No other part of this publication may be reproduced in whole or
in part, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in
any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without written
permission of the
publisher. For information regarding permission, write to
Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012.
Editor: Joanna Davis-Swing
Cover design: Jorge J. Namerow
Interior design: Kelli Thompson
ISBN-13: 978-0-545-08742-1
ISBN-10: 0-545-08742-2
Copyright © 2009 by Judith Dodge.
All rights reserved. Published by Scholastic Inc.

56. Printed in the U.S.A.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 40 15 14 13 12 11 10 09
Acknowledgments
Thank you to Carol Ann Tomlinson, who continues to inform
my work in
this field
Thank you to Debra Steinroder, Jill Simpson, and Lisa Drewes,
who took
many of the ideas in this book and piloted them with their
students, often
improving them and making them more useful for others
Thank you to Noel Forte, who worked with me on the
technology connections,
making this book more current
Thank you to the countless teachers in over 75 school districts
with whom I
have worked over the past twenty years, exploring together how
to refine the
art and science of teaching and learning

57. A special thanks to the teachers in the following school
districts, who eagerly
shared their work, ideas, and students sample with me so that
we could
spread those ideas to others: Elmont, Freeport, Herricks, South
Huntington,
North Merrick, Mineola, Middle Country, Westhampton Beach
Thank you to Jen Maichin, a special education teacher, who
pointed out
how the assessment strategies in this book could help teachers
implement
the federal mandates of Response to Intervention in their
general education
classrooms
Thank you to Mike Mildon, who helped me finally go digital
with my strategies
Thank you to my family, who has been so supportive during the
process of
completing this book
Thank you to my parents for always believing in me; they would

58. have been
so proud
And thank you to the team at Scholastic, including Joanna
Davis-Swing, my
editor, who continue to support me as a teacher of teachers
25 Q
uick Form
ative A
ssessm
ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©
Judith D
odge, Scholastic T
eaching R
esources

59. Introduction
What Are Formative Assessments and Why Should We Use
Them? . . . . . . . . 4
Using a Variety of Formative Assessments . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
Types of Assessment Strategies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
How to Use the Assessments in This Book . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Keeping Track of the Data . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Differentiating Instruction in Response to Formative
Assessments . . . . . . . . 7
Formative Assessment Data Collection . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Designing Tiered Activities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Gathering Multiple Sources of Evidence . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
25 Quick Formative Assessments: Quick Reference . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Section 1: Summaries and Reflections

60. 1. Dry-Erase Boards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2 . QuickWrite . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
3 . WriteAbout . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
4. S-O-S Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
5 . 3-2-1 Summarizer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
6. My Opinions Journal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
7. My Textbook Page . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
8. FactStorming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
Section 2: Lists, Charts, and Graphic Organizers
9 . My Top Ten List . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
1 0 . Matrix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
1 1 . Noting What I’ve Learned . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
1 2 . List-Group-Label . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

61. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
1 3 . Web Wind-up . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
Section 3: Visual Representations of Information
1 4 . Picture Note Making . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
1 5 . QuickWrite/QuickDraw . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
1 6 . Unit Collage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
1 7 . Photo Finish . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
1 8 . Filming the Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
1 9 . Flipbooks . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
20. SmartCards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
Section 4: Collaborative Activities
2 1 . Turn ’n’ Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
22. Headline News! Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82

62. 2 3 . Four More! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
24 . Find Someone Who . . . Review . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
2 5. Carousel Brainstorming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 91
Appendix . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
Reproducibles Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
Contents
25
Q
ui
ck
F
or

63. m
at
iv
e
A
ss
es
sm
en
ts
fo
r a
D
if
fe
re
nt

64. ia
te
d
C
la
ss
ro
om
©
J
ud
ith
D
od
ge
, S
ch

65. ol
as
tic
T
ea
ch
in
g
R
es
ou
rc
es
Introduction

66. What are Formative assessments
and Why should We use them?
F
ormative assessments are ongoing assessments, observations,
summa-
ries, and reviews that inform teacher instruction and provide
students
feedback on a daily basis (Fisher & Frey, 2007). While
assessments are
always crucial to the teaching and learning process, nowhere are
they
more important than in a differentiated classroom, where
students of all levels
of readiness sit side by side. Without the regular use of
formative assessment,
or checks for understanding, how are we to know what each
student needs
to be successful in our classroom? How else can we ensure we
are addressing
students’ needs instead of simply teaching them what we think
they need?
Traditionally, we have used assessments to measure how much

67. our
students have learned up to a particular point in time (Stiggins,
2007). This
is what Rick Stiggins calls “assessment of learning” and what
we use to see
whether our students are meeting standards set by the state, the
district, or
the classroom teacher. These summative assessments are
conducted after a unit
or certain time period to determine how much learning has taken
place.
Although Stiggins notes that assessments of learning are
important if we
are to ascribe grades to students and provide accountability, he
urges teachers to
focus more on assessment for learning. These types of
assessment—formative
assessments—support learning during the learning process.
Since formative assessments are considered part of the learning,
they need
not be graded as summative assessments (end-of-unit exams or
quarterlies, for
example) are. Rather, they serve as practice for students, just

68. like a meaning-
ful homework assignment (Chappuis & Chappuis, 2007/2008).
They check for
understanding along the way and guide teacher decision making
about future
instruction; they also provide feedback to students so they can
improve their
performance. Stiggins suggests “the student’s role is to strive to
understand
what success looks like and to use each assessment to try to
understand how
to do better the next time.” Formative assessments help us
differentiate instruc-
tion and thus improve student achievement.
When I work with teachers during staff development, they often
tell me
they don’t have time to assess students along the way. They fear
sacrificing
coverage and insist they must move on quickly. Yet in the rush
to cover more,
students are actually learning less. Without time to reflect on
and interact
meaningfully with new information, students are unlikely to
retain much of

69. what is “covered” in their classrooms.
Formative assessments, however, do not have to take an
inordinate
amount of time. While a few types (such as extended responses
or essays)
take considerably more time than others, many are quick and
easy to use on
a daily basis. On balance, the time they take from a lesson is
well worth the
information you gather and the retention students gain.
“Informative assessment
isn’t an end in itself,
but the beginning of better
instruction.”
CarolannTomlinson
(2007/2008,p.11)
25 Q
uick Form
ative A
ssessm

70. ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©
Judith D
odge, Scholastic T
eaching R
esources
�
Using a Variety of Formative Assessments
The National Forum on Assessment (1995) suggests that
assessment systems include opportunities for both individual
and group work. To provide you
with a comprehensive repertoire, I have labeled each assessment
as Individual,
Partner, Small Group, or Whole Class (see chart, page 11).

71. Listening in on
student partners or small-group conversations allows you to
quickly identify
problems or misconceptions, which you can address
immediately. If you
choose a group assessment activity, you will frequently want to
follow it up
with an individual one to more effectively pinpoint what each
student needs.
Often, the opportunity to work with others before working on
their own
leads students toward mastery. The group assessment process is
part of the
learning; don’t feel you must grade it. The individual
assessment that follows
can remain ungraded, as well, although it will be most useful if
you provide
some feedback to the learner, perhaps in the form of a brief
comment or,
at the very least, a check, check-plus or check-minus, with a
brief verbal
explanation about what each symbol indicates (You have
mastered the skill,
You need more practice, etc.).

72. By varying the type of assessment you use over the course of
the week,
you can get a more accurate picture of what students know and
understand,
obtaining a “multiple-measure assessment ‘window’ into student
understand-
ing” (Ainsworth & Viegut, 2006). Using at least one formative
assessment
daily enables you to evaluate and assess the quality of the
learning that
is taking place in your classroom and answer these driving
questions: How is
this student evolving as a learner? What can I do to assist this
learner on his path
to mastery?
Types of Assessment Strategies
I have chosen a variety of quick ways for you to check for
understanding and gather “evidence” of learning in your
classroom. In this book, you
will find four different types of formative assessments.
■ Summaries and Reflections Students stop and reflect, make
sense of

73. what they have heard or read, derive personal meaning from
their
learning experiences, and/or increase their metacognitive skills.
These
require that students use content-specific language.
■ Lists, Charts, and Graphic Organizers Students will organize
information,
make connections, and note relationships through the use of
various
graphic organizers.
■ Visual Representations of Information Students will use both
words and
pictures to make connections and increase memory, facilitating
retrieval
of information later on. This “dual coding” helps teachers
address
classroom diversity, preferences in learning style, and different
ways
of “knowing.”
■ Collaborative Activities Students have the opportunity to
move and/or
communicate with others as they develop and demonstrate their

74. understanding of concepts.
25
Q
ui
ck
F
or
m
at
iv
e
A
ss
es
sm
en
ts

75. fo
r a
D
if
fe
re
nt
ia
te
d
C
la
ss
ro
om
©

76. J
ud
ith
D
od
ge
, S
ch
ol
as
tic
T
ea
ch
in
g
R

77. es
ou
rc
es
�
How to Use the Assessments in This Book
The quick formative assessments found within this book are
designed for easy implementation in any classroom. Almost all
can be used, with a little modifi-
cation, throughout grades 3–8 and across the curriculum. A few
are better for
either younger or more sophisticated learners. Each strategy is
labeled for easy
identification by grade level on the list of strategies found on
page 11.
You can choose any of the 25 quick assessments in this book to
measure

78. learning in your classroom. For each strategy, I will provide the
following.
■ Introduction A description of the strategy and the relevant
research behind
it. I will explain how the strategy supports differentiated
instruction.
■ Step-by-Step Instructions Steps for introducing and modeling
the strategy
for students
■ Applications Suggestions regarding what you can assess with
the strategy
In addition, for many strategies you’ll find:
■ Tips for Tiering Any ideas specific to the strategy for
supporting struggling
learners and challenging advanced learners that may not appear
in the
Introduction of this book
■ TechConnect Ideas for integrating technology with the
formative

79. assessment
■ Reproducibles and/or Completed Samples of Student Work
All reproducibles in the book are on the enclosed CD. I’ve also
included
variations of some forms that are only on the CD. See page 95
for a complete list
of the CD contents.
Exit Cards
One of the easiest formative assessments is the Exit Card. Exit
Cards are index
cards (or sticky notes) that students hand to you, deposit in a
box, or post on
the door as they leave your classroom. On the Exit Card, your
students have
written their names and have responded to a question, solved a
problem, or
summarized their understanding after a particular learning
experience. In a
few short minutes, you can read the responses, sort them into
groups (students
who have not yet mastered the skill, students who are ready to
apply the skill, stu-

80. dents who are ready to go ahead or to go deeper), and use the
data to inform the
next day’s or, even, that afternoon’s instruction.
Feedback provided by the Exit Cards frequently leads to the
formation
of a needs-based group whose members require reteaching of
the concept
in a different way. It also identifies which of your students do
not need to
participate in your planned whole-group mini-lesson, because
they are ready
to be challenged at a greater level of complexity.
Several of the formative assessments contained in this book can
be used
as Exit Cards. In the table on page 11, I have placed an asterisk
next to those
assessments that you can use as an Exit Card to quickly sort and
group students
for subsequent instruction.
25 Q
uick Form

81. ative A
ssessm
ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©
Judith D
odge, Scholastic T
eaching R
esources
�
Keeping Track of the Data
When you use formative assessments, you must keep track of
the data that you collect. The easiest way to observe and assess
student growth
is to walk around your room with a clipboard and sticky notes.

82. As you notice
acquisition of a new skill or confusion and struggle with a skill,
record the
student’s name and jot down a brief comment. Consider keeping
a folder for
each child in which you insert any notes that you make on a
daily basis. This
process will help you focus on the needs of individual students
when you
confer with each child or develop lessons for your whole class.
Another way to keep track of the data is to use a class list such
as the one on
page 8. On this sheet, you can note specific skills and record
how each student
is doing. You can use a system of check-minus, check, and
check-plus or the
numbers 4, 3, 2, 1 to indicate student proficiency with the skill.
Differentiating Instruction in Response
to Formative Assessments
Thomas R. Guskey suggests that for assessments to become an
integral part of the instructional process, teachers need to
change their approach

83. in three important ways. They must “1) use assessments as
sources of
information for both students and teachers, 2) follow
assessments with
high-quality corrective instruction, and 3) give students second
chances to
demonstrate success” (2007).
Once you have assessed your learners, you must take action.
You
will be able to help your students achieve success by
differentiating your
instruction based on the information you have gathered. Ask
yourself,
“Who needs my attention now? Which students need a different
approach?
Which students are not learning anything new, because I haven’t
challenged
them?” “Tiering” your activities for two or three levels of
learners is usually
what is called for after a review of assessment data. We must be
prepared
to provide both corrective activities and enrichment activities
for those
who need them. An important caveat to keep in mind, however,

84. is that
the follow-up, corrective instruction designed to help students
must present
concepts in new ways and engage students in different learning
experiences
that are more appropriate for them (Guskey, 2007/2008). Your
challenge
will be to find a new and different pathway to understanding.
The best
corrective activities involve a change in format, organization, or
method of
presentation (Guskey, 2007/2008).
After using any of the formative assessments contained in this
book,
you can choose from among the suggestions on page 9 to
scaffold your
struggling learners or challenge your advanced learners. The
suggestions
for struggling learners will help students during their “second-
chance”
learning on the road toward mastery. The suggestions for
advanced
learners will challenge those students who, in my opinion, are
frequently

85. forgotten in mixed-ability classrooms. With these easy
adjustments to your
lesson plans, you will be able to respond to the diverse
readiness needs of
students in your heterogeneous classroom.
25
Q
ui
ck
F
or
m
at
iv
e
A
ss
es

86. sm
en
ts
fo
r a
D
if
fe
re
nt
ia
te
d
C
la
ss
ro

87. om
©
J
ud
ith
D
od
ge
, S
ch
ol
as
tic
T
ea
ch

88. in
g
R
es
ou
rc
es
�
Assessment of:
_____________________________________________________
______________
Now what? The next step . . .
Use the information gathered to design tiered activities .
See page 9 for ideas on how to tier follow-up learning activities
Students List Specific Skills: Record �, 3, 2, 1

89. Formative Assessment Data Collection
4= Advanced
3=Proficient
2=Developing
1=Beginning
25 Q
uick Form
ative A
ssessm
ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©
Judith D
odge, Scholastic T
eaching R
esources

90. �
■ Offer teacher direction (reteaching with a different
method).
■ Allow the student to work with a reading partner, study
buddy, or learning partner. (Buddy-up an English
language learner (ELL) with another student.) This will
provide peer support for collaborative learning.
■ Allow students to use class notes, textbooks, and/or other
classroom resources to complete the task.
■ Provide a model or exemplar (of a similar problem solved
or a sample of the type of writing expected).
■ Furnish step-by-step directions; break down the task.
■ Provide hints or tips.
■ Color-code different elements; highlight for focusing;
provide “masks and markers” for focused attention on
specific text.

91. ■ Provide sentence strips, sticky labels with terms,
or manipulatives (plastic coins, Judy clocks, Unifix
cubes, fraction tiles, number lines, algebraic tiles,
calculators, etc.).
■ Provide a partially completed graphic organizer or
outline.
■ Provide out-of-sequence steps for students to reorganize.
■ Provide a cloze (fill-in-the-blank) paragraph (with or
without a word box) for students whose language is
extremely limited or for those who struggle with
grapho-motor skills.
■ Give a framed paragraph or essay (with sentence
starters to help organize the writing).
■ Provide guided questions.
■ Supply a word bank and definitions.
■ Support with visuals, diagrams, or pictures.
■ Provide words on labels for students to simply pull off

92. and place appropriately.
■ Allow additional time.
Scaffolding Struggling Learners
■ Design activities that are more complex, abstract,
independent, and/or multistep.
■ Pose a challenge question or task that requires them to
think beyond the concrete and obvious response (from
the newly learned material) to more abstract ideas and
new use of the information.
■ Require more complex expression of ideas: different
types of sentences, synonyms, more than one adjective or
action (verb) to describe what’s happening.
■ Require that metaphors and similes, idiomatic expres-
sions, or specific literary elements be included in their
writing.
■ Ask students to make text-to-text and text-to-world
connections (more abstract than text-to-self connections).
■ Require students to note relationships and point out con-

93. nections among ideas: compare and contrast; cause and
effect; problem and solution; sequence, steps, or change
over time; advantages and disadvantages; benefits; etc.
■ Ask students to tell the story from a different point of view.
■ Ask students to place themselves into the story or time
period and write from the first-person point of view.
■ Ask students to consider “What if?” scenarios.
■ Provide multistep math problems.
■ Include distracters.
■ Do not provide a visual prompt.
■ Ask students to suggest tips or hints that would help
others who struggle to make sense of the information
■ Provide a problem or model that does not work; have
students problem-solve.
■ Have students create their own pattern, graph, experi-
ment, word problem, scenario, story, poem, etc.
■ Have students use the information in a completely new
way (Design an awareness campaign about … ; Create
a flier to inform …; Write/give a speech to convince …;

94. Write an article to educate …; Write an ad to warn others
about …; Design a program to solve the problem of …. )
Challenging Advanced Learners
Designing Tiered Activities
Addressing Student Needs at Different Levels of Readiness
25
Q
ui
ck
F
or
m
at
iv
e
A
ss

95. es
sm
en
ts
fo
r a
D
if
fe
re
nt
ia
te
d
C
la

96. ss
ro
om
©
J
ud
ith
D
od
ge
, S
ch
ol
as
tic
T
ea

97. ch
in
g
R
es
ou
rc
es
10
Gathering Multiple Sources of Evidence
In differentiated classrooms everywhere, a resounding mantra is
“Fair is not equal; fair is getting what you need.” Assessments
enable us to
determine what students need. But for our assessments to be
accurate,
we need multiple measures of student understanding. We need

98. evidence
gathered over time in different ways to evaluate how effective
the teaching
and learning process has been. Tomlinson and McTighe (2006)
suggest that
when we gather a “photo album” rather than a “snapshot” of our
students,
we can differentiate instruction based on a more accurate
evaluation of our
students’ learning needs.
I wish you success as you gather your own “photo album” of
your students
and choose from a variety of reflective, unique, and engaging
assessment
tools. This book offers you an “assessment tool kit” to choose
from as you
create a classroom that is continually more responsive to the
needs of your
diverse learners. These assessments will provide you and your
students
“evidence” of their learning and help them on their journey to
greater
achievement in school.

99. W ith the reauthorization of the Individuals with Disabilities
Education Act (IDEA, 2004) under No Child Left Behind,
schools are searching for ways to implement
the newly required Response to Intervention (RTI) model . This
new way of delivering
intervention to struggling students encompasses a three-tiered
model .
Tier 1 interventions include monitoring at-risk students within
the general education
classroom, ensuring that each student has access to a high-
quality education that is
matched to his or her needs . RTI focuses on improving
academic achievement by using
scientifically based instructional practices .
According to the National Association of State Directors of
Special Education (2005),
Tier 1 strategies encompass “alternative assessment which
utilizes quality interventions
matched to student needs, coupled with formative evaluation to
obtain data over time
to make critical educational decisions .” Not to be confused
with tiered activities, which
are a cornerstone of a differentiated classroom (where one

100. concept is taught at two
or three levels of readiness), Tier I activities are any of the in-
class interventions class-
room teachers provide to assess and monitor their at-risk
students .
The evidence-based formative assessments provided in this
book are excellent
methods for classroom teachers to measure the progress of their
Tier 1 students .
Response to Intervention (RTI)
25 Q
uick Form
ative A
ssessm
ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©

101. Judith D
odge, Scholastic T
eaching R
esources
25 Quick Formative Assessments
Quick Reference
11
summariEs & rEflECtions Verbal-linguistic &
interpersonalSection 1
Gr. 3–� Gr. �–� I • P •G • C Assessments TechConnect Page
#
✓ ✓ I • P •G • C ■ Dry-Erase Boards ✓ 13
✓ ✓ I ■ QuickWrite✱ ✓ 1�
✓ ✓ I ■ WriteAbout✱ ✓ 1�

102. ✓ ✓ I ■ S-O-S Summary ✱ 1�
✓ ✓ I ■ 3-2-1 Summarizer✱ 22
✓ ✓ I ■ My Opinions Journal ✓ 2�
✓ I ■ My Textbook Page ✓ 2�
✓ G• I ■ FactStorming ✓ 32
✱ Can be used as
Exit Cards
I–Individual
P–Partner
C–Whole Class
G–Small Group
lists, Charts, and GraphiC orGanizErs logical-
MatheMaticalSection 2
Gr. 3–� Gr. �–� I • P •G • C Assessments TechConnect Page
#
✓ ✓ I ■ My Top Ten List ✱ 3�

103. ✓ ✓ I • P •G ■ Matrix �1
✓ ✓ I ■ Noting What I’ve Learned ��
✓ ✓ I • P •G ■ List-Group-Label (LGL) ��
✓ ✓ I • P •G ■ Web Wind-Up ✓ �0
Visual rEprEsEntations of information spatial Section 3
Gr. 3–� Gr. �–� I • P •G • C Assessments TechConnect Page
#
✓ I ■ Picture Note Making ✱ ✓ �3
✓ ✓ I •G ■ QuickWrite/QuickDraw!✱ ��
✓ ✓ I ■ Unit Collage ✓ ��
✓ ✓ I ■ Photo Finish ✓ �3
✓ ✓ I ■ Filming the Ideas ✓ ��
✓ ✓ I ■ Flipbooks ✓ �3

104. ✓ ✓ I ■ SmartCards ✱ ✓ ��
CollaboratiVE aCtiVitiEs Kinesthetic & interpersonalSection 4
Gr. 3–� Gr. �–� I • P •G • C Assessments TechConnect Page
#
✓ ✓ P ■ Turn ’n’ Talk ✓ �0
✓ P •G ■ Headline News! Summary ✓ �2
✓ ✓ C ■ Four More! ��
✓ ✓ C ■ Find Someone Who ... Review �1
✓ ✓ G•C ■ Carousel Brainstorming ✓ ��
All forms are available on the
companion CD
25
Q
ui

105. ck
F
or
m
at
iv
e
A
ss
es
sm
en
ts
fo
r a
D
if

106. fe
re
nt
ia
te
d
C
la
ss
ro
om
©
J
ud
ith
D

107. od
ge
, S
ch
ol
as
tic
T
ea
ch
in
g
R
es
ou
rc
es

108. T
he strategies that follow are summaries and
written reflections. Relying heavily on verbal-
linguistic skills and focusing mostly on intrapersonal
intelligence, students are asked to reflect upon their
own learning. They must reorganize information to make
meaning for themselves. Brooks and Brooks (cited in
McLaughlin & Vogt, 2000) note that from a constructivist
point of view, learning is understood as a process that
incorporates concrete experience, collaborative discourse,
and reflection. Following are eight strategies that invite
students to summarize and reflect after their learning

109. experiences.
Summaries and
Reflections
Section 1
12
25 Q
uick Form
ative A
ssessm
ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©
Judith D
odge, Scholastic T

110. eaching R
esources
13
1. If you have a class set of dry-erase boards, have
two students pass one out to each classmate . This
assigned job can rotate and can include collecting
them at the end of the day and, occasionally, cleaning
them of any remaining ink .
2. As students record and illustrate on the boards,
pass among the desks, assessing student understand-
ing . You might carry a clipboard to make notes about
misconceptions or different ideas for sharing with
students at the end of the activity .
Step-by-Step
Dry-Erase Boards
Using dry-erase boards has been a standard strategy in
classrooms where teachers encour-
age consistent student engagement . However, there

111. are many classrooms where dry-erase boards sit on
shelves or in closets gathering dust, remnants of a
forgotten, or underused, technique for energizing
classrooms . Let me share an important reason for
digging them out and dusting them off .
Assessment is immediate with the use of a
dry-erase board . When students raise their boards
during class to offer responses to a question or
problem, you get on-the-spot information . You can
see if students are incorporating new knowledge,
and which areas, if any, are presenting confusion .
Depending upon your assessment of student under-

112. standing, you can instantly change the direction of
your lesson or reteach a part of it .
Dry-erase boards can be used for any subject . They are,
however, particularly useful for math,
language arts, and foreign-language review, practice,
and enrichment . See page 14 for a sample lesson in
language arts .
The dry-erase board is flexible and ideal for
use in a differentiated classroom . Among the myriad
tasks you can design for dry-erase boards are answer-
ing questions, solving math problems, illustrating
concepts, generating lists, composing sketches, and
creating graphic organizers .
Whenever you feel the need to reengage your
learners, you can create a brief activity with the dry-
erase boards . You can use them from time to time
throughout the day, for short practice, or for reflection .
They can be used for warm-ups, homework review,
or guided practice . They can be used by individual
students, partners, or small groups . Visual learners are

113. aided by the use of images and colors . Tactile-kines-
thetic learners are supported by the physicality of writ-
ing or drawing, raising the boards, and the interactive
environment they create .
You can use the boards as “Entrance Cards,” on
which students write or draw something that makes a
connection to the previous day’s lesson . This practice is
effective in activating prior knowledge, and I’ve found it
to be highly motivating as well .
Applications
25
Q
ui
ck
F
or
m
at

114. iv
e
A
ss
es
sm
en
ts
fo
r a
D
if
fe
re
nt
ia
te

115. d
C
la
ss
ro
om
©
J
ud
ith
D
od
ge
, S
ch
ol
as

116. tic
T
ea
ch
in
g
R
es
ou
rc
es
1�
There are many teacher stores and online distributors that sell
class sets of individual dry-erase boards or
paddle dry-erase boards (with handles for easier student

117. use) . Do an Internet search for “dry-erase boards” and
you’ll find thousands .
Most teachers, however, have budgetary con-
straints and find that class sets are too expensive for
them to purchase (up to $100 per set) . Instead, they
make their own . It’s easy . Go to a home improvement
store and purchase one sheet of shower board—this is
the material that is placed behind the tiles in a shower .
It comes in 8' x 4' sheets and is white and shiny . One
board costs around ten dollars . Many teachers have
reported in online blogs that if you tell the salesperson
that you are a teacher, he or she will accommodate you
by cutting the board into 12" x 12" individual boards .
After having the board cut into the smaller size,
cover the edges with duct tape . Ask your students to
bring in old clean socks to serve as erasers . You will
have to supply dry-erase pens, which can last the year,
if properly taken care of (remind students to replace
caps immediately when not in use) .
After a while, the ink leaves marks that are hard
to remove from the shower board . I found an excel-
lent idea online from a teacher who suggested treating

118. the boards with car wax before using them to help
keep marks from becoming permanent . There are
many products that can be used every once in a
while to completely clean the boards . The savings
incurred by making the boards yourself is worth the
occasional time you or your students will need to
clean them thoroughly .
Tips for Making Your Own Dry-Erase Boards!
This activity will encourage students to write fuller,
richer sentences.
■ First, have students write a simple sentence
on their board—for example, “Damien runs” or
“Mary studies.”
■ Then, pull one card at a time from a set of cards
with the following words written on them: How?
Where? When? With whom? Why?
■ As you pull one card at a time from the box, direct
students to erase and rewrite their sentence to
include the new information.

119. ■ Have two or three students share their sentences after
each rewriting.
Language Arts: expanding sentences
The makers of SMART Board technology have created
a new gadget that allows for on-the-spot assessment .
These interactive clickers, or Senteos, allow the
teacher to prepare an “Ask the Audience” portion
of a lesson to instantly measure and view graphs of
student understanding .
For more info: www .smarttech .com (search: Senteo) .
Using the free Web tool SurveyMonkey to assess
students is another option . Unlike the handheld de-
vices, SurveyMonkey doesn’t provide instant access to
information . However, the results can be retrieved from
the Web site or stored for later use .
A tutorial for SurveyMonkey can be found at
http://www .surveymonkey .com/Home_Videos .aspx .
TechConnect

120. 25 Q
uick Form
ative A
ssessm
ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©
Judith D
odge, Scholastic T
eaching R
esources
1�
1. Either midway through a lesson or at the end,
provide students with a large sticky note, an index
card, or a half-sheet of paper .

121. 2. Advise students that they will have two (or three)
minutes to reflect on what they have just learned and
write about it .
3. State the prompt you want students to respond
to . You may pose a question, ask for a summary
Step-by-Step
QuickWrite
A QuickWrite is a brief, timed writing activity . Giving students
two or three minutes
to reflect on and summarize their learning in
writing allows them to make sense of what they
have been studying .
A series of QuickWrites can be kept in a journal, allowing
students to revisit what they have learned over time . You can
collect the journals periodically and provide written feedback to
your students .

122. Applications
Have students create a “TalkAbout” instead of a Quick-
Write . Using a microphone connected to a computer
and the free audio-capturing software that comes with
Windows (Start/Programs/Accessories/Entertainment/
Sound Recorder), students will record their responses
to the prompts instead of writing them . For students in
a differentiated classroom who would find it easier to
speak than to write, this option would provide an
appropriate alternative assessment .
■ For about $50, teachers can purchase a Webcam to attach
to the computer so students can videotape themselves
providing the summary.
TechConnect
of the content, require a list of steps, ask for an
analysis of the work, or request the use of specific
content-area vocabulary in a wrap-up of the topic
under study . The more specific the prompt, the
better the response .

123. 4. Have a few students share their reflections with
the class . Alternatively, you can collect the QuickWrites
as Exit Cards .
25
Q
ui
ck
F
or
m
at
iv
e
A
ss
es
sm

124. en
ts
fo
r a
D
if
fe
re
nt
ia
te
d
C
la
ss
ro
om

125. ©
J
ud
ith
D
od
ge
, S
ch
ol
as
tic
T
ea
ch
in
g

126. R
es
ou
rc
es
1�
1. At the end of your lesson, provide a WriteAbout
sheet to students (page 18) .
(TIP: If you photocopy these pages on colored paper, they will
be easy
to find later when needed for studying.)
2. Model for the class how you would complete a
WriteAbout . Depending upon the grade of your stu-
dents, you may need to model several times . Brainstorm
key words and draw a picture to represent the main
idea .

127. 3. Demonstrate how to write a summary using the key
words on the list . Show students how you check off the
terms as you use them and circle them in your writing .
4. Let partners talk and complete a WriteAbout together .
5. After a few practice opportunities with a partner,
students should be ready to complete a WriteAbout on
their own .
6. Collect this assessment and provide feedback to
students . Provide a simple check or check-plus to
indicate the individual’s level of mastery . Share with
your class what a check or check-plus means . (A
check means that you understand most of the terms
and ideas, but still have to master others. Please notice
any circles, question marks, or questions that I have
written on your paper to help guide your next steps in
learning.)
7. Plan your instruction for the next day so that it fills
any gaps in class understanding and/or includes flexible
grouping for a follow-up tiered activity .
Step-by-Step

128. WriteAbout
Research has shown that summarization yields some of the
greatest leaps in comprehension
and long-term retention of information (Wormeli,
2005) . A WriteAbout is a concrete tool for summa-
rization in which students use key vocabulary terms
(the language of the content area) to synthesize their
understanding in a paragraph as well as represent
key ideas graphically . Combining both verbal-linguis-
tic and spatial intelligences, this assessment tool is a
favorite of many students .
Debra Steinroder models a
WriteAbout for her fifth-grade
students using a poster-size
version of a WriteAbout.

129. 25 Q
uick Form
ative A
ssessm
ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©
Judith D
odge, Scholastic T
eaching R
esources
1�
The WriteAbout is also a useful tool for homework . It provides
an opportunity for students to synthe-

130. size the key understandings of the day’s lesson .
Keep in mind, however, that this assessment is
designed for a single concept within a larger unit .
Don’t use it, for example, to see what students have
learned about the Civil War . Use it to see what they have
learned about the Underground Railroad, the advan-
tages held by the North or South, or Reconstruction
after the war .
Teachers have used the WriteAbout paragraphs
successfully with their “Expert Groups” in a Jigsaw
review activity (See Dodge, 2005 for a more detailed
explanation about the Jigsaw Activity .) Briefly, stu-
dents are assigned a Home Base Group and each
is given a different subtopic, question, reading, or
problem to complete . They then move into Expert
Groups to work with others given the same assign-
ment . There, each student completes his own Write-
About . When he/she returns to the original Home
Base Group, each Expert contributes his/her piece
to the group’s poster on the whole topic . This poster
or product represents a group assessment . To check
for individual understanding, follow up with several

131. short-response questions .
Applications
Using a software program like Kid Pix or the free
paint tool that comes with Windows, students can
draw the pictures, symbols, or steps . Then, using
the paint tool found in either program, they can
write their paragraph .
I n addition to the ideas on page 9, consider the following .
To support struggling learners: Duplicate the Write-
About template with the vocabulary terms already
printed on it . (Provide definitions, if you feel they are
necessary)
Tips for Tiering!
Students use A WriteAbout to help them
process the information they have been
learning in a unit on animal adaptations.
They check off the vocabulary terms and
circle them in their writing as they use
the key words in context. (This template

132. is available on the CD.)
TechConnect
25
Q
ui
ck
F
or
m
at
iv
e
A
ss
es
sm

133. en
ts
fo
r a
D
if
fe
re
nt
ia
te
d
C
la
ss
ro
om

134. ©
J
ud
ith
D
od
ge
, S
ch
ol
as
tic
T
ea
ch
in
g

135. R
es
ou
rc
es
■
18
■ ■
■
Draw a picture or write symbols in
this box to summarize the topic
List Key Words about the topic
❑

136. _____________________________________________________
__
❑
_____________________________________________________
__
❑
_____________________________________________________
__
❑
_____________________________________________________
__
❑
_____________________________________________________
__
❑
_____________________________________________________
__
❑
_____________________________________________________

137. __
❑
_____________________________________________________
__
❑
_____________________________________________________
__
Paragraph: Summarize your learning by using the terms above
in a paragraph about the topic.
Check off the terms as you use them. Then circle the terms in
your paragraph.
_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________

138. ___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
___________________________________________
WriteAbout
_____________________________________________________
_____________________________Topic
Name
_____________________________________________________
____ Date ______________________

139. 25 Q
uick Form
ative A
ssessm
ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©
Judith D
odge, Scholastic T
eaching R
esources
1�
S-O-S Summary

140. An S-O-S Summary is an assessment that can be used at any
point in a lesson .
The teacher presents a statement (S), asks the
student’s opinion (O) (whether the student agrees
or disagrees with the statement), and asks the
student to support (S) his or her opinion with
evidence . This summary can be used before or
during a unit to assess student attitudes, beliefs,
and knowledge about a topic . It can be used at
points throughout a unit or lesson to assess what
students are coming to understand about the
topic . And it can be used at the end of a unit to
see if attitudes and beliefs have been influenced
or changed as a result of new learning .

141. ■ Read the following statement: ______________
What does it mean?
■ What’s your opinion?
Circle one: I agree I disagree
■ Support your opinion with evidence (facts, data,
reasons, examples, etc.).
S-O-S
This fifth grade student is using the S-O-S
Summary to practice writing an English Language
Arts essay on characterization—without all of
the writing. Reacting to the given statement,
she provides her opinion with brief, bulleted
responses, supporting her opinion with evidence.
(This template is available on the CD.)
25
Q
ui
ck

142. F
or
m
at
iv
e
A
ss
es
sm
en
ts
fo
r a
D
if

143. fe
re
nt
ia
te
d
C
la
ss
ro
om
©
J
ud
ith
D
od

144. ge
, S
ch
ol
as
tic
T
ea
ch
in
g
R
es
ou
rc
es

145. 20
The S-O-S Summary is excellent practice for essay writing
without all of the writing . It helps students
choose a point of view and support it with evidence
presented in brief bulleted points . Teachers can
use it frequently because it requires much less
time than an essay—both to write and to assess .
The S-O-S Summary is also good practice
for students who are required to complete DBQs
(document-based questions) in social studies,
write critical-lens essays in English Language
Arts, or ponder ethical dilemmas in science .
Each of these tasks requires students to take a
stand on a particular issue and support their point
of view with evidence, facts, and examples .
Applications
I n addition to the ideas on page 9, consider the following .
To challenge advanced learners: If you have a ma-

146. ture class, capable of independent, critical thinking,
you can make this activity more complex . Ask half of
the class to agree with the statement and the other
half to disagree with it; have students complete an
S-O-S Summary from their assigned viewpoint .
Then hold a debate . Have the two groups stand on
opposite sides of the room with their S-O-S Summary
in hand and encourage the two sides to defend their
opinions orally by using all of the facts, data, and
examples they have written . Then, ask students to
return to their seats and write the very best argument
they can for the opposite viewpoint . This is an excellent
exercise for developing listening skills; arguing
from a particular viewpoint; and deconstructing
conflicts in literature, history, and everyday life .
Tips for Tiering!
1. Provide students with an S-O-S Summary sheet
(page 21) .
2. Write a statement (not a question!) on the board
for students to copy . This activity works best when the
statement is one which can be argued from two points

147. of view (see sample statements in box below) .
3. Give students five minutes to agree or disagree
with the statement by listing facts, data, reasons,
examples, and so on that they have learned from class
discussion, reading, or media presentations .
4. Collect the S-O-S Summary sheet to assess
student understanding .
5. Make decisions about the next day’s instruction .
Step-by-Step
■ The main character is a hero.
■ Recycling is not necessary in our community.
■ If you are young, it’s not important to have good
health habits.
■ The city is the best place to live.
■ The Industrial Revolution produced only positive

148. effects on society.
■ You don’t need to know math to live comfortably
in the world.
Sample Statements
25 Q
uick Form
ative A
ssessm
ents for a D
ifferentiated C
lassroom
©
Judith D
odge, Scholastic T
eaching R
esources

149. 21
■
■
■
■ S-O-S Summary
Read the following
statement:____________________________________________
__________________
_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
What does it
mean?_______________________________________________
_________________________

150. _____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
What’s your opinion? Circle one: I agree I disagree
Support your opinion with evidence (facts, reasons, examples,
etc.).
■
■
■
Name
_____________________________________________________
____ Date ______________________
Read the following
statement:____________________________________________
__________________

151. _____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
What does it
mean?_______________________________________________
_________________________
_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
_____________________________________________________
_______________________________________________
What’s your opinion? Circle one: I agree I disagree
Support your opinion with evidence (facts, reasons, examples,
etc.).
■
■

152. ■
Name
_____________________________________________________
___ Date ______________________
✁
25
Q
ui
ck
F
or
m
at
iv
e
A
ss

153. es
sm
en
ts
fo
r a
D
if
fe
re
nt
ia
te
d
C
la

154. ss
ro
om
©
J
ud
ith
D
od
ge
, S
ch
ol
as
tic
T
ea

155. ch
in
g
R
es
ou
rc
es
NOTES/Classroom Assessments and Grading That Work.pdf
Classroom Assessment and Grading
That Work
One Day Overview
Author: Robert J. Marzano

156. Presenter:
B. McGarvey
Marzano Research Lab
[email protected]
January, 2009
Source Authors: Robert Marzano and Debra
Pickering
© 2009 Marzano Research Lab. All Rights
Reserved. 1
1
Classroom Assessment & Grading
From Research to Practice
2Resources
Designing

157. & Assessing
Educational
Objectives
Applying the New Taxonomy
Robert J. Marzano
John S. Kendall
Nature of Knowledge
& Learning
Assessment & Grading
3
1. If changes in classroom formative assessment and grading are
going to work and be sustained, all aspects of the system of
curriculum, instruction, and assessment must work together.
2. The flaws in the present system are significant
and they profoundly influence students.
3. There is a compelling body of research, as well as
massive anecdotal evidence, that support changing

158. formative assessment & grading practices to
significantly enhance students’ learning.
4. It is possible, and feasible, to gradually change our
classroom formative assessment and grading practices.
LEARNING GOALS: “Understandings”
Participants will increase understanding of the following:
4
6. To track student learning on academic
topics
LEARNING GOALS: “Skills”
Participants will increase their ability:
7. To provide students with a clear picture of
their progress on specific learning goals
and how they might improve
5. To identify academic topics
8. To use a grading scale that provides

159. consistent feedback and encourages
students to improve.
5
I. INTRODUCTION:
ŹWelcome - Outcomes ‘n Agenda
ŹPrime-the-Pump!
II. CREATING DISEQUILIBRIUM!
ŹFlaws in the Current System
ŹThe Research on Feedback
ŹAccountability in Education
Why
Change?
II. TRACKING STUDENT PROGRESS
ŹAbout Learning Goals
ŹCharting Progress
ŹSeparating out Academic and Non-Academic Feedback

160. What
Changes?
6
III. UNPACKING the STANDARDS (A new format!!)
ŹMeasurement Topics
- In a Scoring Scale Format
- From Points & Percentages to Rubrics
THIS ALL ORGANIZES THE CURRICULUM
IN A SCORING SCALE FORMAT….
clear and useful!
What
Changes?
☺
Source Authors: Robert Marzano and Debra

161. Pickering
© 2009 Marzano Research Lab. All Rights
Reserved. 2
7
IV. GRADING PRACTICES…..Formative Feedback
ŹAssigning Topic Grades
ŹAssigning Final Grades for Academic Topics
and Non-Academic Factors
ŹAbout Averaging….About Zeroes!
ŹReporting Out
Progress Reports….Report Cards…Transcripts
ŹPolicy Work
What
Changes?
V. CLOSING:

162. ŹReflecting on the Days
- Insights - Questions - Next Steps
8
Why
Do We Need
to Make Changes?
Creating Disequilibrium!
1. Flaws in the current Grading System
Three areas that underscore the need to change our feedback
system:
2. The Research on Effective Feedback
3. Accountability in Education
10
FLAWS IN THE
CURRENT

163. SYSTEM
11
“GRADES” – From the Students’ Point of View
MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRL: I’d like the report cards to be, like,
so
if you let’s say out of the 9 weeks that we were doing it before
we
get our report card; we’re working on this one certain thing in
math and we get let’s say a “D” and then we get a “C” a “B”
and
an “A”. And then on the report card, I think we should get our
best
grade.
HIGH SCHOOL GIRL: I have photography class and I have
taken
it for three years and I took it again. And I have an “A+” in
that
class and I know nothing. I have never done anything. I don’t
show him any work. He gave me an “A”. We just talk all the
time
and I don’t think it is fair ‘cause other kids, like, do stuff and

164. they
don’t get a good grade or anything and I feel bad. Then I have
an
English class where I turn in all my work and I don’t have a
good
grade at all. And she just, like, – it goes on favorites with her.
If
you’re her favorite, she’ll give you an “A”. If you’re not, she
won’t pass you or whatever.
12
PARENT: Recently we got a letter from the results of the
“turnover
testing” that the kids have to take. And it said that they were
congratulating my husband and I on my son being the third
smartest or
most intelligent child in his age group for the nation. And yet
when I
look at my son’s report card he’s an average - there are average
grades
– C’s a few B’s
HIGH SCHOOL BOY: Say a math teacher teaches you just how
to do a