Summer is a great time to brainstorm new ideas for the classroom. Last year, I started to use a lot of formative assessments with my students in order to check in with their understanding regularly. However, like usual when it comes to teaching, I didn't have a ton of time. I started to look for strategies that were quick. I really liked the idea of an exit ticket, stop and jot, and a system to post student answers. I ended up creating my "Stop and Jot" board! I plan to have students answer a question or problem by recording their responses on a post-it and sticking it to their square. By posting their answers, I will be able to quickly monitor each student's understanding of the lesson or concept. The board can also be used to discuss student's ideas and different strategies to solve a problem. I like the title "Stop and Jot" because I plan to use this a lot during independent reading time where students will have to stop and jot down a response for their book. For example, I could ask them to record a simile or metaphor they found while reading.

I plan to add names or numbers to the squares. HOWEVER…. I don't know which to use. What do you think will be better for a 3rd grade class.. names or numbers? Names are more simple and easier to use at first. However, numbers allow the students more privacy in their responses. Do third graders care whether their answers are opening shared? Thoughts?