Student Quiz Questions

At the end of the year, I have my students write their own quiz questions, and count these as part of their final test grade. I told my some of my colleagues about this, and their reaction was, "What a good idea to save time!" Actually, it's not a time-saver at all--just the opposite in fact, but it's well worth the effort.

By having students create their own questions, and providing an answer key, I can measure their understanding of the topics much better than a traditional multiple-choice test. It's also a terrific study tool, because writing quiz questions is not easy. The most common reaction from the students? "This is haaaard" (insert whiny voice). I just smile and think, welcome to my world!

We start by writing a list of topics we covered over the quarter on the board, then come up with guidelines (how many questions, must cover at least five topics etc...) and formatting choices (multiple choice, T/F, short answer, matching etc...). You can let them work in groups or individually. After everyone has their questions and answer keys, I copy all of them and pass them out to the students for review. Their task (in groups) is to go through all the questions and mark any that they think are unclear, unfair, or should not otherwise by included on the final quiz. Again, this serves as a great study tool.

When grading the questions, it's surprising how many students answer their own questions incorrectly, and it's interesting to see which topics they avoid and which they gravitate toward. All in all, it's a valuable learning experience for both the students and the teacher.

Clause Confusion

It's been a while since I taught clauses to my students, beyond dependent and independent clauses. The section in our book on the subject was not clear at all, and I felt like I needed to brush up on the topic myself anyway, so I started researching from different sources. Wow. I ended up completely confused. Not only does it seem there is no consensus on the major categories, but they are often called by different names.

So, I sifted through all the resources I could find, and after one big headache, boiled it down what I think is the latest and greatest thinking on the subject, and included the categories that made the most sense for students: Independent, Dependent, Relative, Nonrestrictive, and Restrictive. Although I looked at a plethora of sources, the one that most informed my choices was from the online library at the University of Phoenix.

This power point is a great starting point for clearing up clause confusion. It has explanations and clear examples. I used it in my classroom this quarter, and the test scores on the subject confirmed that it helped. I hope you will find it helpful, also.

Ho, ho, ho!

Note-Taking: Cornell Notes Free Template

The Cornell note-taking system has been around since the 1950s, and it's still around for good reason--it works! In my Success class for incoming freshman,  I pass out this template and do a mini-lecture to let students practice. It's not for everyone, but it works for many, and can vastly improve a student's comprehension.

The idea is that the students takes notes in the "Notes" section during the lecture. Then, within twenty-four hours (I always recommend as soon as possible), they will fill out the Questions and Key Points section and the Summary section. This keeps things organized and easy to find when studying for exams.

You can certainly have students draw the form themselves, but I find it's much better to hand out three-hole punched copies of the template above. Click here or on the picture to download the free template.

Cool Tool for Checking for Understanding

It's important to periodically check for understanding during a lesson, but often a teacher gets blank stares instead of helpful feedback. I heard of making these student "whiteboards" from a colleague, and it's made all the difference. Simple insert a white piece of paper or card stock in a page protector. Then supply dry erase markers (or have students provide their own) and a paper towel, and you have portable, erasable boards. When I'm explaining a concept, I'll often stop and ask an on-the-spot quiz question and have students write their answers on their boards and hold them up. This way, I can see at a glance how many are getting it. Better yet, it engages the students and most happily participate.

Free Resources for Grades 7 - 12

Talk about a great gift for teachers! This collection of free resources from sellers on teacherspayteachers (including yours truly) is now available. It's a big gift book full of a variety of free resources for the classroom. I've been downloading like crazy! Fa-la-la-la-la.....

Cyber Monday Sale - Teachers Pay Teachers

Woo-hoo! A big sale on something you can really use - teacher-created resources for the classroom. I've got my wishlist ready to go! Everything in my store is 20% off, plus Teachers Pay Teachers will take off an additional 10%, for a 28% discount. Be sure to use the promo code CMT12 when you check out. Happy shopping!

Evaluating Sources Prompt - Bottled Water

It's important to teach students to use qualified academic sources in their papers. The temptation is to use the easy, entertaining stuff they find on the internet instead. Here is a classroom activity to start a discussion and use as a writing prompt.

1. Show the video "The Story of Bottled Water."

2. After the video, have a brief discussion of the issues. Now show the video "The Real Story of Bottled Water."

3. Have a discussion on why or why not either of these are credible sources. (They are not--one is inflammatory, for example, it compares drinking bottled water to smoking while pregnant, and one is put out by a trade association with a commercial interest). Ask students what questions they have now, what information they can use or trust, and how to go about verifying facts and getting the real story.

4. At this point, I ask students to find a good academic source, and write a response to the issue based on the credible information they find.

An important concept the students learn is that unqualified sources such as the videos are good starting points for asking questions and learning what the conversation is all about, but that in order to be a good research, facts must be verified.