There are several ways you can gauge whether your student has grasped the skill you introduced. Use these strategies to check for understanding during and after the lesson. You can also download and print these tips and refer back to them during your lesson.
1. Have your student generate additional examples beyond what is listed in the lesson plan.
- What this sounds like:
- “Look around the room and come up with at least 2 other words that start with the sound ‘b’.”
- “What other words have the ‘sh’ sound at the beginning or end?”
- “What problem did the character face in the last book we read? How was it solved?”
- “Retell the sequence of events from your weekend/morning/lunch period.”
- How this helps:
- The student is required to think beyond what has been provided for them and apply this new knowledge to generate more ideas.
2. Have your student explain what they have learned in their own words.
- What this sounds like:
- “Tell me in your own words ___.”
- “Explain ___ in a different way than I just did.”
- “If you had to teach this skill to a younger brother/sister, how would you explain it to them?”
- How this helps:
- Explaining a concept in his/her own words helps your student internalize the knowledge.
- In order to explain a concept differently than it was initially introduced, your student really needs to think through the concept and fully understand it.
3. Switch roles. Have your student teach you the skill.
- What this sounds like:
- “Now, it’s your turn to teach me how to ___.”
- “Imagine you are a teacher and I am your student. Teach me how to ____.”
- How this helps:
- Teaching is one of the best ways to learn. Your student will likely show and tell you how to do something, which increases his/her chances of internalizing the knowledge.
- Your student will have fun playing the teacher while applying higher level thinking skills.
