Checking for Understanding/Closure Ideas
Because many of the techniques we use to check for understanding can also be used to provide closure and end-of-lesson summarization (and vice versa), I’ve included them all together here on this on handy-dandy one page (front and back) cheat sheet. If I got your idea wrong, please let me know and I’ll change it. I will post this list as a document on the website under “For Staff.”
Individual white boards
Students work at the whiteboard either singly or in groups.
Think/Pair/Share: Student answer a question to themselves, discuss/check answer with their partner, then share the answer with the class.
Write/Pair Share: Same as above but students jot down their ideas/answer before sharing with a partner and then the class.
Work the Crowd: Go see how each student is doing on the problem/activity as they are working
Vote cards: Students have cards with, for example, the types of volcanoes. The teacher gives various descriptive traits and the students hold up the type of volcano that is associated with those traits.
Color coded cards: Similar to above but with color coded cards representing the various answers.
Mini-report card: (not sure if I have this right) Students stop and complete a mini-report card on how well the feel they understand the current lesson
Stop and check: I think similar to Mini-report card without the written part.
Put youself on the line: Good for activities with no clear cut answer. Teacher puts extreme views at opposite ends of the room, students decide where they are on the issue and make a line from the two extremes. They share the reason they are where they are in line with those around them, then share out to the whole class.
Variation: Fold the line: Same as above, but then fold the line, putting the two extremes together before discussion and sharing
Random checking: Randomly select students to answer a question using popsicle sticks, cards with names, spinner, etc.
Variation: Draw to names, one student answers the question, the other repeats what the first person said.
Students write a quiz question: Students could then solve their partner’s question, or teacher could randomly select questions to practice, or….?
The classic..students repeat the instructions back to the teacher before they start an activity
DOL or other daily review of previous learning(not as immediate, but better than nothing if you forgot the day before)
Student response system (clickers)
Stand up: All students in the class stand up. Teacher poses question, give definition, etc. Student who answers the question correctly sits down. Continue until all students are seated.
Ticket Out: Students write their response to a question and hand it to the teacher on the way out of class. Teacher quickly reads and sorts answers making a list of students that need additional instruction the next day or deciding whether to re teach the entire class.
Reflection Journal:
Popsicle stick
Non linguistic representation: Student draw a quick sketch to summarize the main learning of the lesson.
4 Squares: Students put a circle in the center of a piece of paper and draw a large box around the circle that is divided into four quadrants. In the center the students put the general topic, in each box the students answer a question about the topic.
Team Leaders Share: Teams evaluate and answer questions posed to them by the teacher such as, “what was the most important learning today?” or “Share one fact you learned today?” Then the leader shares the team’s response. You can also use this to have students rate their effectiveness as a group by asking questions like, “how well did your group cooperate?”