REVIEWING FOR TESTS

All Subjects

Grade Levels: K-12

Objectives

Students will:

* solve four problems/answer four questions on their own ( can increase #/level)

* share their work with a small group of peers, and

* come to a consensus about the correct answers to the four questions/problems.

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Materials Needed

*  KleenSlate Dry-Erase Paddle Boards with attached marker and eraser

* Worksheet/hand-out with four problems to solve or questions to answer

Procedure

KleenSlate Paddles can be a fun way to support lessons at any grade level,

This small-group activity can be used to review content, concept, or skills. It can also be used as a quiz grade; or you can award bonus points to groups of students who answer all four questions correctly.

Before the Lesson

Create four questions or problems for students to respond to. Following are a few ideas of how this lesson might be adapted across the curriculum:

* If you teach math, you might create four word problems, four equations to solve, or four formulas to use.

* If you teach history or science or another of the content areas, you might present four questions that address important concepts in the unit you just finished teaching. Students might/might not be allowed to use their books to answer the questions.

* If you teach language arts, you might present four questions related to a piece of literature just read. Or you might present four paragraphs to edit for usage, spelling, and punctuation. For a unique spelling lesson, you might include five groups of four words; students will identify one word that is misspelled in each group.

Type or write the questions/problems on a sheet of paper. The questions should be clearly numbered 1 to 4. Print out enough questions sheets so you have one for every four students.

The Lesson

Start the lesson by marking an area of the blackboard or whiteboard to create four sections — one section for each question. Number the sections 1 to 4.

Arrange students into groups of four, with every student seated at their desk. Name the groups, for example Group A, Group B, Group C, and so on. Provide each group with a question sheet. Have one student from each group cut the question sheet into its four questions and distribute one question slip to each student in the group. Provide a set length of time for students to answer their questions. (Time will vary depending on the skill being reviewed.)

When time is up, have students write down their answer on their KleenSlate Paddle. Students can pass their question slips clockwise, to the next person in the group. The solving and shifting continue until all students have answered all four questions.

Note: All the steps done up to this point are done by individual students without collaboration.

Next, students share their answers with the other students in their groups, one question at a time. Did everybody in the group agree on the answer to question 1? If not, the group should come to an agreement about the correct answer to the question. When they have agreed on an answer to question 1, they write on the KleenSlate Response Paddle the following information:

* Question 1

* The group name

* The agreed-upon answer to the question

Then, each group transfers their answer into the Section 1 on classroom board

Students continue the activity in the same way, coming to an agreement about the answers to the other questions and making official their final answer to each question by transferring the agreed upon answer on the board next to the appropriate question number.

When all groups have posted answers to all four questions, check the answers and assign a group grade. Discuss any errors to be sure students understand the correct responses. The group grade might be used as a quiz grade; or a perfect score on the four questions might earn each student in the group a 5-point bonus on their next quiz or unit test.

Assessment

The activity is its own assessment, though a follow-up assessment might be administered, in which students work on their own, instead of in groups, to solve four problems or answer four questions.