Checking for Understanding Strategies

Ask the class several true/false questions related to what you just covered and have them stand up if they agree, stay seated if they don’t, or squat if they’re uncertain

• Sit Down/Stand Up:

• Signals

• Use Your Hands

• Show Me

Select a few student “experts” to debate or discuss a topic you’ve just covered while the rest of the class listens.

• Reflective Stems

• Pepper

• Mini-Debate

• Teams

Whether it’s a poem, a text, a history fact, or even a grammar rule, ask students to explain how they’ll use something they’ve learned in their day-to-day lives.

• Whiteboards

• Signals

• Cold Call

• Connect to Your Life

On the whiteboard or on sticky notes hung around the class, students can write a single sentence summarising something new they learned, the class strolls around the classroom reading what their peers have written.

• Lap of Intent

• Knowledge Walk

• Post it Proud

• TIckets

Students to hold up fingers from one to five to quickly show their level of understanding. 

• Thumbs Up/Thumbs Down

• Use your hands

• Signals

• Numbers

Class responses written on a shared document, supports a culture of error.

• Teams

• Show Me

• Cold Call

• Quick Writes

Tell students that they have a $2.00 budget to summarise the day’s lesson or a recent reading, and each word costs 10 cents.

• $1 Summary

• $2 Summary

• $3 Summary

• $4 Summary

Hang four signs in the corners of your classroom: “Agree,” “Mostly Agree,” “Mostly Disagree,” and “Disagree,” and ask students to agree or disagree by migrating to the appropriate corner of the room

• Four Corners

• People Power

• Show Me

• Vote with your Feet

Give students 60 seconds to write a reflection on the day’s lesson.

• $2 Summary

• Reflection Session

• One-minute Jot

• Exit Ticket

Calling on students regardless of hands being up. Teacher selects who responds, after a collective wait time.

• Cold Call

• Pepper

• Show Me

• Tell Me