Formative Assessments

I want to teach in the first grade, why not keep kids engaged with a fun formative assessment. Formative assessments are used to see what students know, and it gives the teacher feedback on what he or she can do better for their students. Since Halloween is coming up, a fun formative task could look a little something like this...

"Plot in the Pumpkin Patch" By Jen Rude, pinterest

RL.1.3 Reading Literature

Students will know how to describe characters, settings, and major events in a story using key details.

Students can make a cute little pumpkin that has categories on each side. Each side can state characters, settings, major events, and key details. This is a great way to see what students have captured from a group reading. 

Music in the Classroom!

Everyone loves music! Music in the classroom is a great way to get your children engaged. Children have a lot of energy, sometimes they do not even know what to do with half of it. Some teachers are incorporating music in their classrooms to let children dance their energy out. Not only is this a great way to tire out the little ones, but another great way to learn a lesson. The amount of times people have asked me "how can you remember an entire song, but not remember anything when studying?" is astonishing. I always responded "well music is way more fun than studying." I know that sounds terrible...but what if we incorporated music into our learning environment? This could make our students remember the material better. Studying may end up being surprisingly fun.