This is a great reading activity that will give students experience with ‘testing vocabulary’ and require them to use higher levels of thinking. You could also use it as a listening activity, but you’d probably want to have done it with a reading first since the immediacy of listening would make it more challenging. Begin…
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Listening assessments for language classes
I administer four kinds of summative assessments to my students: Reading comprehension assessments Listening comprehension assessments Presentational writing assessments Presentational speaking assessments (Read here about why I don’t administer summative Interpersonal assessments.) Each quarter, I try to get three or four grades in the book for each of the first three assessment categories. I adopted…
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True/False Listening Quiz
Here is an obvious one for you!! (I need to post every kind of activity that I use on here so that when my brain isn’t working, I can look at the archives for each category and remember what kinds of assessments and activities I have at my disposal!) After any given story, a very…
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Cornell Notes
Developed “far above Cayuga’s waters“, Cornell Notes are an effective note-taking strategy that can be used across grade levels and content areas. I was first introduced to Cornell Notes by my administrator in a 6-8 public school in Anchorage, Alaska. She didn’t have to sell me on it too hard since my grandfather, my parents,…
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First, Second
This can be done in pairs or individually. If it’s done in pairs, have one student write down the answers for his or her partner, then switch roles. If it’s done individually, students can write down their own answers. After you’ve “finished” a story (asked a complete script), have students take out a piece of…
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Rethinking Dictation in language classes
Dictations have been a standard activity for language classes for a very long time. In particular, the traditional French dictée has a non-negotiable place in courses from Kinder through university level courses. Traditionally, dictations are used to learn spelling– a purpose which is debatable at best. Certainly, direct spelling instruction and practice has a positive…
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Who, What, Where?
This is a listening assessment that I used after we spent some time using present progressive verbs, and I think that it works best when you have a targeted verb tense that you are comparing to something else. In this case, present vs. present progressive. First, write up five to six mini-scenes (only one or…
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