Mr Henry Anker has produced a suite of materials that I have adopted into my curriculum.
These are a suite of tests in SWF format, so I am able to run them offline in my classroom.
I am restricted in that I am not allowed to have the students access the internet, in accord with school policy - however many SWF format games can be saved and will run well offline - and I discovered Mr Anker's materials were suitable for this application.
Each test is aimed at a particular aspect of either the Common Core, or is tailored to the California State Standards.
I find the tests are invaluable, as they give me an objective measurement of ability within a very narrow set of parameters.
I record the initial mark each student gets when doing the test. Once they have run through the test, they are free to revise the test as often as need be, and collaborate with students who may be ahead of them, until they master the material, and obtain 100%. After that, they proceed to the next test in the series.
The syllabus covered by Mr Anker is broad, and my students have been making rapid objective progress.
Interestingly, they refer to the 'tests' as 'games'. They don't relate to them in the same way as they would to identical pen and paper work.
More importantly, they do not object to doing them, and relish re-doing them - really enjoying the progress towards that magical goal of a 100% score. These are students for whom 100% in any test would have been a rare and unusual event - in my classroom, no student progresses on to the next level until they reach mastery of the level they are currently on.
I noticed an interesting phenomenon with the comprehension tests - the student needs to read a short text, and then answer a number of questions. If this has been an identical exercise on paper, most of the studnets in my room would have disengaged from the task without considerable 'classroom management'. Here, the students read, and re-read the materials freely. Sometimes I stood behind a student, and had them read the story to me aloud. They got annoyed when they made errors. 'Can I do it again?' is a question I am no longer astonished to hear. If this were a pen and paper exercise, handed in and marked and returned a week later, this would never happen.
I have had students re-do a comprehension exercise four or five times, re-reading the story multiple times, to reach the desired goal of a 100% score. The look of satisfaction on their faces when they get to that point is amazing to see.
Mr Anker's tests have become a central part of the curriculum in my classroom since I discovered them.
These are a suite of tests in SWF format, so I am able to run them offline in my classroom.
I am restricted in that I am not allowed to have the students access the internet, in accord with school policy - however many SWF format games can be saved and will run well offline - and I discovered Mr Anker's materials were suitable for this application.
Each test is aimed at a particular aspect of either the Common Core, or is tailored to the California State Standards.
I record the initial mark each student gets when doing the test. Once they have run through the test, they are free to revise the test as often as need be, and collaborate with students who may be ahead of them, until they master the material, and obtain 100%. After that, they proceed to the next test in the series.
The syllabus covered by Mr Anker is broad, and my students have been making rapid objective progress.
Interestingly, they refer to the 'tests' as 'games'. They don't relate to them in the same way as they would to identical pen and paper work.
More importantly, they do not object to doing them, and relish re-doing them - really enjoying the progress towards that magical goal of a 100% score. These are students for whom 100% in any test would have been a rare and unusual event - in my classroom, no student progresses on to the next level until they reach mastery of the level they are currently on.
I noticed an interesting phenomenon with the comprehension tests - the student needs to read a short text, and then answer a number of questions. If this has been an identical exercise on paper, most of the studnets in my room would have disengaged from the task without considerable 'classroom management'. Here, the students read, and re-read the materials freely. Sometimes I stood behind a student, and had them read the story to me aloud. They got annoyed when they made errors. 'Can I do it again?' is a question I am no longer astonished to hear. If this were a pen and paper exercise, handed in and marked and returned a week later, this would never happen.
I have had students re-do a comprehension exercise four or five times, re-reading the story multiple times, to reach the desired goal of a 100% score. The look of satisfaction on their faces when they get to that point is amazing to see.
Mr Anker's tests have become a central part of the curriculum in my classroom since I discovered them.
My son also enjoyed some of the videos and interactive practices for math concepts at khanacademy.org. As an adult reviewing concepts, I found the point system and achievement badges surprisingly rewarding without being condescending-- but you may not be able to access that part while working offline, though you CAN use the maths games offline.
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