Formative assessments
Hi-Tech
Common Craft videos are a great way to assess what students know about the content being taught. They are done in groups but each group member has a responsibility that contributes to the final product.
Students will work in groups of three to create their own Common Craft video. One student will be the writer, one will be the graphic artist, and the other will be the producer. These different roles allow for students to play to their strengths and meet UDL. All group members must contribute information about the content and the roles are assigned to make sure everyone is accountable. Videos will be shared with the class and videos can be evaluated anonymously by their peers as this will show the teacher what students understand. Of course, the teacher would review the peer feedback to also assess feedback as well as check for inappropriate language.
http://www.commoncraft.com
Below is an example of a Common Craft video. Go ahead and try it in your inclusive classroom today!
Common Craft videos are a great way to assess what students know about the content being taught. They are done in groups but each group member has a responsibility that contributes to the final product.
Students will work in groups of three to create their own Common Craft video. One student will be the writer, one will be the graphic artist, and the other will be the producer. These different roles allow for students to play to their strengths and meet UDL. All group members must contribute information about the content and the roles are assigned to make sure everyone is accountable. Videos will be shared with the class and videos can be evaluated anonymously by their peers as this will show the teacher what students understand. Of course, the teacher would review the peer feedback to also assess feedback as well as check for inappropriate language.
http://www.commoncraft.com
Below is an example of a Common Craft video. Go ahead and try it in your inclusive classroom today!
Low Tech
The use of Differentiation Cubes can benefit an inclusive classroom in unlimited ways for formative assessments. Some ways the cubes can be used are:
1) Each Differentiated Instruction Cubes can provide a group of students with up to six different problems, prompts, tasks, or questions to discuss
2) Different groups can work with different cubes
3) Can be turned into large dice for games or math problems if students struggle with fine motor skills
4) Each cube can cater to specific learning needs with words or pictures
5) Post-it notes fit perfectly inside
6) Vocabulary study
Check out Big Huge Labs to help you create your own cubes too!
http://bighugelabs.com/cube.php
For use in secondary classrooms, this person created a great website with additional ideas!
http://teachingjunkie.blogspot.com/2013/06/using-differentiated-instruction-cubes.html
Below is a free set of questions from Science Teaching Junkie, the link supplied above for secondary classroom.
Below are two different lessons I've created as part of my field experience.
Summative assessments
Hi-Tech
Prezi or PowerPoint presentations
Having students show what they know about the content being taught in class is an excellent way for summative assessments versus a boring pencil and paper test. This way, students can use their talents to showcase knowledge of the topic that targets various learning styles. Students can create the presentation in class and then present the next day. Students can learn from one another, especially if students select different ideas to present about what they know.
Having students learn how to present will help as they mature through school and hopefully over time decrease the anxiety of giving speeches or presentations, at least among their peers. There are programs out there that can be incorporated if the student is non-verbal that can do text to speech for them. If a student struggles with typing, there is speech to text features too.
www.prezi.com
Below is a Prezi presentation I made with a partner for an online class about Williams Syndrome. It includes voiceover, video, and additional resources for the audience to interact with. Make sure your sound is on :)
Having students show what they know about the content being taught in class is an excellent way for summative assessments versus a boring pencil and paper test. This way, students can use their talents to showcase knowledge of the topic that targets various learning styles. Students can create the presentation in class and then present the next day. Students can learn from one another, especially if students select different ideas to present about what they know.
Having students learn how to present will help as they mature through school and hopefully over time decrease the anxiety of giving speeches or presentations, at least among their peers. There are programs out there that can be incorporated if the student is non-verbal that can do text to speech for them. If a student struggles with typing, there is speech to text features too.
www.prezi.com
Below is a Prezi presentation I made with a partner for an online class about Williams Syndrome. It includes voiceover, video, and additional resources for the audience to interact with. Make sure your sound is on :)
Here is another example Prezi that I made of the Civil Rights Movement that can be created into a timeline fashion for summative assessment.
Low Tech
Stix Discussion
This type of discussion is a mini debate within the classroom where there is a smaller group in the circle and each group member in the circle has two or three other support members behind them that feed them information on index cards for the discussion. Members will rotate so everyone can be in the smaller group. The teacher prompts each smaller group with an essential question for debate. Two people are for and the other two people are against the essential question. The purpose of this is to have a mix of people debating for something that they might not otherwise oppose and have to work with classmates to support their position. This will show what students comprehend during the readings and research. This will be evaluated based off of the type of responses students write on the index cards and how the students within the discussion defend other student's rebuttals without help from the group.
http://www.andistix.com/stix-discussion
This type of discussion is a mini debate within the classroom where there is a smaller group in the circle and each group member in the circle has two or three other support members behind them that feed them information on index cards for the discussion. Members will rotate so everyone can be in the smaller group. The teacher prompts each smaller group with an essential question for debate. Two people are for and the other two people are against the essential question. The purpose of this is to have a mix of people debating for something that they might not otherwise oppose and have to work with classmates to support their position. This will show what students comprehend during the readings and research. This will be evaluated based off of the type of responses students write on the index cards and how the students within the discussion defend other student's rebuttals without help from the group.
http://www.andistix.com/stix-discussion
- Teacher evaluation check list for
each student criteria for grade and participation:
- Did every student respond to the provided
question in each group rotation?
- Was their response related to the
provided question or to the direction the discussion was naturally going among
students?
- Did they stick to the assigned
stance, hero or villain?
- Did they contribute additional questions
for other group members to reflect during debate?
- Did the student use supporting
evidence or cite research done during unit?