Assessment+and+Record+Keeping

=Assessment doesn't have to always be tedious and boring. This is my chance to give the students another source of motivation. They need to know that their teacher is excited about getting to review their hard work.=

1. Use Color-Coded Cards
We've all used the "thumbs up, thumbs down" for a quick check on our class's understanding, but are you able to identify those students who are struggling or those who need an extension? Instead, give children green, yellow, and red cardstock. A green card represents full understanding, a yellow shows some mastery, and a red signals no understanding. Children can place the appropriate card on their desk as their mastery changes.

2. Create End-of-Class Tickets
Before the students leave your class or begin a new activity, require students to answer one more question or summarize their understanding. Use a note card, sticky note, or a small sheet of paper. These can guide your next lesson or review!

3. One Dozen Summary
Using exactly 12 words, summarize the lesson. This is harder than you might think!

4. Countdown Reflection
Students will write three sentences about what they learned, two things they found interesting, and one sentence describing something they would like to know more about. For older students, the countdown can begin with five. Ask them to write:
 * five statements summarizing their learning
 * four questions about the assignment (use these for review)
 * three facts they found interesting
 * two things they would like to know more about
 * one statement describing their level of understanding on the objective.

5. Real World Examples
How might today's objective apply to the real world outside of our classroom? Students can write these ideas on sticky notes and post them for others to view.

6. Student-Generated Review
At the end of the lesson, give students time to create a question based upon the information covered in class. Encourage students to use words like **apply**, **create**, **evaluate**, and **design**.

7. Talk It Out
In pairs, students will "teach" the material to their partner. At a predetermined signal, the students will switch roles.

8. Doodle Your Thoughts
Students will illustrate the information in your lesson, **without** using any words.

9. Communication Gap
What parts of the lesson were unclear? Students can write about the information that is unclear. And, of course ...

10. Voting Devices!
Use handheld voting devices, such as ActivExpression or ActiVote, to gain quick information on what your children understand. Use a variety of formative assessments, and use them often! Get a better understanding of what your students know, so you know where to go!