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Changing up Multiple Choice!
Are you needing some ideas for livening (is that a real word?!?) your multiple choice questions? When I was teaching reading I sometimes felt that the best resources I had to review something was a worksheet. It certainly was the easiest thing to find, and my first year teaching, an Edhelper subscription was about all I had. But, dealing with below level readers was difficult if I was using too many worksheets. Plus, it bored me to death as well. So, I thought, how can I change this up. And it hit me. Remove the worksheet!
At this point, I’m sure you’re so confused. But, keep reading! How can you use a worksheet but remove the worksheet? By taking the paper away. I used our die-cut machine and found one that stood for the a, the b, the c, and the d. I made one for each student and they kept them in their folders for future use. At the school I’m at now, we don’t have a die-cut. A few people have Cricuts but they are their personal ones. For those of you like me that may need some help, I made a set of cards using clip art. You can download those by clicking on the image below. Taking the worksheet away also saves on copying! You can use a document projector to project the worksheet and the choices.
How did I use them? Well, a few ways:
- I read a question and the four choices aloud. Students held up their answer choice on their chest. This allowed me to see their response, but not the rest of the class. I kept a notepad with the worksheet so I could record if a student or students were having troubles.
- For more in-depth questions, or this would be great for problem solving in math, students could work in groups to decide on an answer and then hold up the card representing their choice.
- As test prep. For those of you who like to go over the exact questions, this is a safer route because students don’t have a copy to take with them.
I hope this gives you some ideas on how you can change up your worksheets. I’d love to hear some ideas that you have.
Until next time….
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Hi! I’m Tessa!
I’ve spent the last 15 years teaching in 1st, 2nd, and 3rd grades, and working beside elementary classrooms as an instructional coach and resource support. I’m passionate about math, literacy, and finding ways to make teachers’ days easier. I share from my experiences both in and out of the elementary classroom. Read more About Me.
12 Comments
I use sign language with the alphabet for students' to show me the answers on any multiple choice question. It's super easy and they have their hands on them always, and I can quickly scan to see who has it and who doesn't. It's used daily wiht our quick checks in math (formative assesment).
That's a great idea! I had never thought of that!
Love this out of the box idea!!
Jessica Stanford
mrsstanfordsclass.blogspot.com
I'm hosting my first linky and would love for you to join!
Thanks! I checked it out and am working on a post.
I use multiple choice cards too. It keeps everyone involved and I can informally assess their understanding. The students think it is fun too.
What do you use for your cards? Something similar to what I gave away?
It is similar to what you gave away. I just made cute letters on different colors of card stock so I can quick glance based on color. A's are pink, B's are blue, C's are yellow, and D's are orange. I can quickly see if there is misunderstanding when I have a variety of colors in the air. Some students don't like to raise them up so I let them leave it on the corner of their desk and I will walk around. I also laminated mine to allow for reuse each year.
Great ideas!
Great idea! I am currently reading about formative asseessment, and this would definitely be an easy, quick, and effective way to assess the students mid-lesson. Thanks so much! 🙂
Delighted in Second
I like it for those quick formative assessments. Like you said, quick and easy.
This sounds great-thank you for sharing!
My teammate had the clickers for her kids to pick a,b,c,d and the class results came up in bar graph form on her smart board!!
Kelli
Tales From a Traveling Teacher
I've heard great things about those clickers. I just never have had one in my building!