Two Quick Assessments

Today, we'll be looking at two quick assessments that are quick and do not need much preparation.  At the same time, you'll have a chance to check for student understanding.  One I mentioned briefly earlier this week and the other is something that can be used at any time including as an exit ticket.  

Earlier this week, I mentioned Stop and Jot but I wanted to go into more detail and talk about different variations one could use.  Stop and Jot is as it sounds, students stop and jot down their thoughts. When students write their thoughts down, it helps promote both learning and retention.

The way to implement Stop and Jot, begin by having students draw a rectangle box on their notes or worksheet.  At some point during the lesson, stop and ask students to respond to a question that you pose. Once everyone has a chance to write down their thoughts, ask for one or two volunteers to share their thoughts or read the responses later.  

The stop and jot can be used at any point during the lesson as a way of providing time to process the information and to help students with their note taking.  If it is used before the lesson, it helps activate a students prior knowledge, if it done in the middle of the lesson, it helps students make sense of the material, can be used to check for student understanding, and after the lesson, it helps students clarify their thoughts, make connections with previously taught materials, and find relevance. 

Best of all, there are several variations of this activity available.  One is Jot-Pair-Share.  In this one, students jot down their thoughts individually.  Then they break up into pairs to share their thought and the last step is to share with the whole class.  Another variation is the quick jot in which students have between a minute and a minute and a half to record their response to a specific prompt or question.  If students need to record important information from the textbook or from a video, use the stop and fill. Students are given a sheet with blanks so they can fill in the material.  One can always do the group jot which as students broken up into larger groups and they share their thoughts from the stop and jot activity. Students are expected to expand their own notes based on this discussion. Lastly is the jot survey where students write their responses on sticky notes and place the notes on a poster containing a question or topic.

The second activity is called Triangle - Square - Circle which you may have seen before with a different name. This one offers students to opportunity to reflect on their learning while they are processing information from the lessons. This is used at the end of the class period to close the lesson or as an exit ticket. It can also be used right before an assessment so the teacher knows what students need to review most. When the lesson is done, have the students draw a triangle on their paper where next to the triangle they will write down three things important points from the lesson or the reading. Then they will draw a square and next to it they will write down anything that "squares" with their thinking or understanding.  Finally, they draw a circle on the paper and next to the shape, they will write down anything that they have questions about.  

A slightly different way to do this activity is to have students write down three things they need clarified next to the triangle and for the circle students can write down how the topic either connects with prior knowledge or with the real world. 

Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear.  Have a great weekend.