Have you tried Quizlet's new classroom game?!?! The new feature takes everything you love about Quizlet and adds a collaborative component. The best part is, it's super easy to get started. Begin by creating a Quizlet set or choosing one that you have already created. A join code will be created for the Quizlet Live set.
Students go to https://quizlet.com/live to enter the classroom code.
Students are then grouped into teams.
They have a few seconds to move around the room, find one another and sit together. Once the game begins, the prompt will be displayed on each student's screen. Answer choices will be displayed on the screens of all students, but only one student in each group will have the correct answer. Students must work together to find the correct answer. In the demo picture below, I am on a team with Alec and Karoun. You can see that the correct answer, Egypt, is in my list. Alec and Karoun have different answer choices on the lists on their screens.
Visit the website for more information!
Here's a screencast explaining how to change user settings in Canvas. The video includes instruction on linking your Google account to Canvas. Students will need to link their accounts in order to submit Google Docs as assignments.
While searching for resources to utilize in creating the midyear benchmark, the possibility of utilizing published summative assessments from other states was considered. Not all states have adopted the Common Core State Standards, and different plans for assessment exist in the states that have implemented the standards.
The Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium is a public agency consisting of 15 states, 1 territory, and the Burearu of Indian Affairs. These governing members use Smarter Balanced Assessments created by representative members of the Consortium. North Carolina is an affiliate member of the Smarter Balanced Assessment Consortium. We do not use summative and interim assessments created by the Consortium, but continue to use summative (EOG/EOC) assessments through NCDPI.
The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) is a similar organization committed to the development of modern assessment, or group of assessments, to replace standardized tests. Currently, 11 states and the District of Columbia participate in the PARCC consortium.
Other states, such as Wyoming, North Carolina, and New York utilize independent assessments, not built through participation in a consortium. It's interesting to note how the implemenation of Common Core has changed assessment methods in some states. This Blendspace was created to provide examples of what other states are using. The format varies, but perhaps you can find some items or samples that will be helpful.
Using Groups in the Classroom
Often times when we think of "group work," our minds travel to those times when you would pray you got in a group with a "smart kid" so you wouldn't have to do so much work. Well, maybe that was what I thought when I was assigned group work. Educators have conducted in-depth research concerning grouping students effectively and efficiently. Many different strategies for grouping students allow for all students to feel confident and successful. Research has shown that "when students are able to verbalize their ideas, listen to one another, share authentic discussion, and create common products, they are much more actively engaged in the learning process."*
* 30 Ways to Arrange Students for Group Work by Jordan Catapno
- TeachHUB.com
Here is a link to the professional development session delivered to East Alexander Middle School on January 19, 2016.
Collaborative Groups
