Category: Assessment

Using a preassessment in your instruction is one of the best ways to save time, close academic gaps, differentiate instruction, and deliver effective instruction. If you're not using preassessments in your classroom, then you should definitely consider doing so! Click through to read more about what preassessments are, how to use them, and how to get the most out of them.

Why You SHOULD Be Using a Preassessment

A while back, I was talking to a friend of mine who is a teacher. Somehow, we got on the topic of assessments, and I

Assessing electricity doesn't have to be a challenge! On the contrary, it can be authentic, engaging, and hands-on! This blog post describes in detail a STEM activity where students take on the role of engineers who have to create electric vests. Watch their minds buckle down and work on this fun STEM challenge!

Assessing Electricity with Electric Vests

I love teaching about electricity. It is one of my favorite science units, and I am always trying to think of new ways to engage

As I've written previously, scaffolding your instruction can feel daunting and overwhelming. However, in this post I provide a list of authentic scaffolding strategies that you can start using immediately to help you meet the needs of all of your learners!

Scaffolding Strategies for Any Content Area

Not too long ago I discussed the difference between scaffolding and rescuing. I mentioned my struggles and how I was rescuing my students without even

Scaffolding instruction for struggling students is an important step that many teachers need to be taking - and sometimes, teachers are rescuing students rather than scaffolding instruction for them. This post helps identify the difference between scaffolding and rescuing and helps you better understand what scaffolding instruction looks like.

Are You Scaffolding or Rescuing?

When I first started teaching, I avoided the students who were low. Not because I was afraid of them or because they were difficult but

An Exciting New Way to Look at Brag Tags

Brag tags are exciting, engaging, and extremely motivating in the classroom. Students love them, and there’s no doubt based on the massive supply of them

If you're bored with the same informal assessments such as the ticket out the door, check out this list of assessment ideas that are low prep and engaging for your classroom. This blog post includes an A to Z list of ideas for informal assessments with a FREE printable.

Informal Assessments A to Z: A list of Ideas

We all need to use assessments in our classroom to determine how our students are doing with the content, but if you are like me,

Although it may not seem like it, reading fluency is incredibly important for comprehension. If students cannot read fluently, then their ability to comprehend what they read is impeded. This blog post shares eight ideas to help build fluency in your students, so click through to get all eight of them!

8 Ideas to Help Build Fluency

Fluency is extremely important because it takes students a step beyond word recognition and into the land of comprehension. Once students are no longer focusing