Using Self-Checking Activities in Your Classroom
Maybe one of these situations resonates with you:
Teaching middle school with a hundred or more students, the grading piles up.
Students get frustrated because they thought they did the assignment right but didn’t get a great score.
Parents call, frustrated because they can’t remember how to do the math and would like an answer key so they can help their child.
Trying to find some fast-paced, but fun math skills practice that won’t cause you extra work to grade.
Figuring out what to do with early finishers.
I’ve experienced all of these, and perhaps even all at once! Granted, when I went into education, I wasn’t expecting to EVER have to teach math at the middle school level - more on that in a later post perhaps!
When I started using self-checking activities in my classroom, a lot of frustration went away.
What is a self-checking activity?
A self-checking activity is a math skills activity that gives your students instant feedback.
Why are self-checking activities beneficial?
Self-checking activities are beneficial because it gives your scholars instant feedback. They can know right away if they need to re-check their work or if they made some sort of error typing in their answer. It can also bring some awareness if they didn’t quite grasp the concept in the first place. On the other hand, it can help boost self-confidence as well.
For the teacher, self-checking activities free up a lot of time - not just for grading either! Have you ever had a student who comes up after every question asking if it is correct? Even if they are getting every question correct? Now they’ll know right away and you’ll be able to focus on other students.
Types of self-checking activities
There are so many different types of self-checking activities out there. Some online textbooks offer the ability to have assignments assess students right away (as long as a justification is not needed), and some services, like IXL, also offer that component.
Mystery Pixel Art
I like to add an element of fun to my self-checking activities. My classes love mystery pixel art, especially now that we are online! It is like a digital color by number where a different piece of the picture reveals itself as students get the answers correct.
Self-Checking Games or Task Cards
They also love self-checking games. They can pair up with a friend in math centers and answer the multiple-choice question. It tells them if their answers were right or not and allows them to try again.
The best thing about these activities is that the only thing you need is a Google Drive or Microsoft Office Account!
Boom Cards
BOOM Cards are another fantastic resource. They are interactive internet activities and fun and easy to assign to your class. You can read more about ways to use Boom Cards in this post here.
Do you use self-checking activities in your classroom? Which ones? Tell me about your experience in the comments below!
