Formative assessment tells you what students understand while you can still change the plan. Each example below asks students to explain their thinking in a short video, so you hear how they got to the answer, not just whether they got there.
I'm planning for and want people to show what they understand
All activitiesExplain how you found the difference between 2,729 and 5,645. Show your work on a whiteboard while you talk, and use the words sum, difference, renaming, and place value.
K–5 · Math · Show what they understand
Show us your paper airplanes. State your directional hypothesis, name the independent and dependent variables, and report the results of your flight trials.
6–Higher Ed · Science · Show what they understand
Make a prediction about what happens in the next chapter. Use one clue from today's reading to back it up, and tell us the page it is on.
K–8 · English and reading · Show what they understand
Post one question you had about this week's chapter, or one concept that was hard to follow, and share a link, video, or tutorial that helped you understand it. Replying to a classmate's question counts.
9–Higher Ed · Any subject · Show what they understand
Choose a passage of three to ten verses. In three to five minutes, explain the central issue it addresses, how the author responds to it, and what it asks of a reader today.
Higher Ed · English and reading · Show what they understand
What are you still wondering after today's lesson? Tell us one thing you learned and one question you have now.
K–8 · Any subject · Show what they understand
Show what you built. Tell us what you tried first, what did not work, and what you changed.
K–8 · Math, Science · Show what they understand
Prompts, grading advice, and ways to manage the workload when students record short explanations of their work.
9–Higher Ed · Any subject · Show what they understand
Can they say why a step works, or only what they did?
Do they use the terms on their own, or talk around them?
Notice where they pause or skip a step. That is where to start tomorrow.