Ampel Check-In

This is actually an extension of an earlier post I did on the same topic - using this Ampel / Stop Light system to have students check in mid-unit to self-assess their understanding.

I started using a more general check-in, no specific tasks listed. Just a quick self-reflection on how they're doing with the material and a short sentence completion to identify specific things they have issues with or think are easy. It's general enough that I can reuse the same slide for multiple topics.

I used large flashcards and gave one to each student with their name already on it. On their card, they identified where they were with the topic (Modal Verbs in this case) and wrote their sentence. I had three colored envelops on the board, and they put their flashcard in whichever color applied to them.

I then went through the cards and answered the questions students had in the Red section, helped clear up things/give tips for students in the Yellow section, and did a quick read through of the Green section to make sure they seemed to be on the right track. I then gave the cards back to students the next day (shuffling them first so no one would be able to tell what color they'd initially used).

I also used a highlighter to mark where they'd put their card, just for future reference. The plan is to use this system for the rest of the year as a check-in, using the same cards until they get filled up. It opens up communication with students and lets me keep track of students mid-way through a unit. It's also a good point of conversation for students who initially said they did understand but don't perform well on assessments - did they really not understand? what are their study methods? do they have anxiety during quizzes?

So far so good, though admittedly I've only used it once so far :)

- Frau Leonard

Exit Tickets: Die Ampel

Our last in-service focused on assessment - what's the point of assessment, how do/should we assess students, etc.  What my real take away from it was ongoing assessment.

Students put up their responses as they leave class

I'm still old school enough that I do end of unit quizzes.  I want that final assessment to both give me data on how the kids can handle the topic, as well as to give a little bit of an incentive for them to learn it now as opposed to whenever.

I try to do various types of formative assessments.  I'm fond of exit tickets, and during our PD this is something I looked at.  I had read an post from the Creative Language Class about exit tickets that got me thinking.

What I came up with is actually very similar.  As an exit ticket, I ask students to perform a task, then show them where they currently stand based on how they did on the task.  They write their answers on a post-it, then put their post-its on a traffic light poster I made.  Each color represents a different level of achievement (red = still needs work, yellow = doing alright, but could still improve, green = I've got this!).

Here's a sample for lower levels:

This is one for lower levels of German.  The question is in German (orange), but underneath I give an explanation of what I'm looking for (white).  This sets a goal for the students to achieve that's a little bit more precise.  After students have written down their answers on their post-it note, I show the specific benchmarks for each color.  As they leave class, they put up their post-it notes on the traffic light poster to see how the class is doing overall (see above!).

I plan on having my lower levels keep track of their progress.  I made a version of the traffic light for them.  When they get their exit tickets back, they go on the sheet (left, on top of the post-it picture).  Students then write the topic and date in the circle for reference.  After a while, I hope students will see trends (if they're improving, areas they typically struggle in, etc.).  We'll see how it goes!

Here's a sample for upper levels:

This one is for more advanced students.  The question is in German with no English clarification.  Instead of looking for a specific number of words or examples, I'm asking in general if they understand a concept.  If they don't (red), they need to ask questions about the part they don't understand.  If they sort of get it but still need clarification (yellow), they write their answer AND their questions.  If they think they've got it (green), they just provide an answer.

If you're interested in these exit tickets, they're available on my TPT account!

A look at entrance tickets...

I also looked at entrance tickets.  For some reason it had never occurred to me before, but once I thought about it I kind of liked it.  It seems like a great way to pre-assess what they might already know, especially for review or cultural topics.  Before we even start the lesson, students are thinking about the topic and it's a great jumping point for discussion.

The way I've done it so far is I stand in the doorway before class.  As students arrive, I hand them a ticket and tell them they have to fill it in BEFORE they can come into the classroom.  I've only done it twice so far, but I do like it.  It's definitely different... 20 to 30 students standing outside your room, writing against the lockers as other students go to their classes is something that stands out.  But that's really the point - it gets student attention before they've even walked into your room!

I'm playing around with the idea of having an entrance ticket as a homework assignment.  Maybe give them a topic, ask them to come up with questions about it... I don't know, I'm still trying to figure it out!

If you're interested in the entrance ticket I use, it's available for free on my TPT account - just click here!

- Frau Leonard

Twitter in the Classroom

Since this year we're actually allowing students to use their electronic devices in class, I've been trying to come up with ways I could actually incorporate them to keep the students interested but still be content related.  One thing I've been playing around with this year is using Twitter.  I've looked at it in a variety of different ways, and here are some of the things I found out.

Twister: Fake Tweets
ClassTools.net, along with a variety of games FakeBook, offers Fake Tweets.  Students can write fake tweets using the template they provide, which can then be printed and posted around your classroom.  I haven't actually used this with my students, but I like that it offers an easy to use template and students don't have to sign up for an account.  There are sample fake tweets there that show how it's incorporated into History classes.  While these particular examples would be grade for a cultural connection or a literature unit, I actually prefer to have the students post as themselves.

Twitter - For the students
Our school system actually unblocked a lot of websites for this year, including Twitter.  I could actually use Twitter with my students in the classroom.  It is free and doesn't actually require that much personal information to sign up.  I think the students would love the idea of using Twitter in class, but it seems like it would be complicated and a little too personal if students are using their real accounts.  Personally, I don't think I'm at a point where I want to have students tweeting with their own accounts.

I could see this as a useful means for me to communicate with students outside of class though - if I used a Twitter account to post about upcoming assignments or German club events, then it seems like it would be a great tool.  This is the only way I'd consider using the real Twitter in the classroom.

Twitter - For you
I attended a professional development workshop earlier this week that talked about using Twitter as a tool for you as an educator.  The presenter said that it could be a great way to connect with a.) other educators in our field, whether we meet them in person, see them in conferences, or find them online and b.) target language sources such as the embassy, native speakers, and newspapers.

I did in fact sign up for a Twitter account at this session and looked through to find some relevant online sources.  These are the main ones that are German-related: DW Deutsche Welle, Noah Geisel (2013 ACTFL National Language Teacher of the Year), ACTFL, Goethe-Institut, and the German Embassy.  You're welcome to check out my twitter page, but I warn you that most of who I'm following isn't even work-related, nor do I ever plan on actually "tweeting" anything.

Twitter Templates
Since I didn't want to go through the mess of actually figuring out getting students signed up with Twitter, I decided the easiest thing for me to do would be to get them to write out their Tweets.  I would pose the class a question, they would answer using 140 characters (or less) and at least one hashtag.

This is open-ended enough that I can use it in all levels of German, though obviously the type of question would change.  For German 1, for example, I might ask something as simple as "Was spielst du gern?" (What do you like to play?), whereas for German 4 I could ask something like "Ist man einfach schön geboren, oder kann man sich schön machen?" (Are you born beautiful or can you make yourself beautiful?).

I tried this earlier with my German 4 class.  After we had read and discussed the article Schönheit macht erfolgreich, I had them Tweet their answers to the question "Ist Schönheit wichtig für die Karriere" (we're currently knee-deep in the Schönheit und Ästhetik AP unit).  They wrote their responses on an index card, but they still needed to limit themselves to 140 characters and include a hashtag.  I collected and read them, then put them together on a large sheet of paper and hung it up for other classes to see.  I loved that other levels of German were coming over to read what was said and that German 4 students were reading each other's answers.

After that, I decided I'd try to keep doing this activity with students... but while it only takes 7 index cards to do this with my current German 4 class, it would take a lot more with some of my other classes.  And it seems like a real pain in the butt for students to have to write their response, then count out the characters and make sure it fits.  I decided it'd be easier for me to create a template for them.  Below is the final product:

Now I'm really excited to do this activity again with students!  It doesn't take very long, so it would be a great exit ticket at the end of class.

If you're interested in using the template, it's available for free on my TpT site - just click here!

- Frau Leonard