The first few weeks of school can be such a whirl wind! From the moment I first meet my little cuties, I feel like I am going from one thing to the next without even skipping a beat {or taking a breath, for that matter}! Not only do I need to teach my new students the correct classroom procedures and rules, but I need to assess them in many different areas, so I know where they are academically. In my classroom, I like to start the year off with a Friend Assessment. I learned about this assessment from my cooperating teacher when I was student teaching in first grade and I have used it {and LOVED it} ever since {Love ya, Lynda!!}.
A Friend Assessment can assess at least 3 important things:
1. It can tell me who their friends are
2. It can tell me how they feel about their friends
3. MOST IMPORTANTLY – I can assess their writing ability/skills
To give the Friend Assessment, I give my students the following page {copied double-sided with extra writing lines – you might have some serious writers who need the additional space}. I also pass out an “office” to each student. “Offices” are basically desk carrels and you can check them out {here}, but I made mine out of poster board and packing tape. Next, I give my students 5 minutes to draw a picture of their friends {this gets them thinking}. Then, I give them 5 minutes to write about their friends.
Click on the picture below to download!
I give this assessment to my students quarterly, so I can compare their writing samples and see how much they have improved. It is also interesting to see how their friends change from time to time. Parents also love to see these assessments, so I share them at every Parent-Teacher Conference {it gives them good insight on the friend area, too}.
What quarterly assessments do you do throughout the year?
