Brand new kids this year? Same kids as last year but need to know what they remember?? Beginning of the year assessments are the perfect way to figure out where your kiddos are at and to help guide your planning.
Whether you have all new students, some new students, or no new students, snapshot assessments at the beginning of the year will show you what toolbox the kiddos are starting the school year with to allow you to plan your year around continuing to fill those tool boxes.
En français, il y a 4 compétences que nous évaluons: la lecture, l’écriture, la compréhension orale, et la production orale. Faut-il faire 4 évaluations différentes? Non! Tu peux faire l’écriture avec la lecture et la compréhension orale. Tu peux faire la production orale avec la lecture. Tu peux faire ce que tu veux!
You might be thinking, “but I don’t have time to plan, prep, and grade all this in the first 1-2 weeks of school!”
I know, me neither! That’s why my ideas will all be activities that can be done with little to no prep so that you can focus on seeing where the kids are at, rather than designing tasks.
Lecture
- Choisis un article gratuit du site web LesPlans (ça inclut les questions et les réponses).
- Have your students choose a magazine article and complete a graphic organizer.
- Have your kiddos read an anchor book (grade-level of course) and share their book with the class or a peer.
- Together, read the first chapter of a novel you’ll be reading and have the students respond.
- If you teach older/advanced students, have them choose a news article and summarize it.
Bonus: Si tu as des ressources des Éditions de l’envolée, utilise-les!
Écriture
- Have your students describe their favourite movie scene.
- Demande à tes élèves ce qu’iels veulent accomplir cette année.
- Allow your students to free write and choose their own topic.
- Encourage tes élèves à inventer un monstre ou un superhéros et de l’expliquer.
- Invite your students to share where they’d like to be in 10 years.
Compréhension orale
- Les élèves écoutent une chanson et remplissent des tirets.
- Watch a video on Idéllo or TV5Monde and have the students respond.
- Raconte une histoire et demande aux élèves d’écrire un résumé.
- Watch a movie and have the students complete comprehension questions.
- Les élèves écoutent un podcast et remplissent un organisateur graphique.
Production orale
- Have the students introduce themselves to the class.
- Les élèves présentent un diatribe au sujet donné.
- Have the students play some games like Loup-garou, Taboo, or Fish Bowl.
- Pendant que les élèves travaillent individuellement, fais des courtes entrevues avec les élèves 1:1.
- Do skits! The kids can work in groups to create and present a short skit (no writing allowed).
Feeling ready to get those beginning of the year assessments done now? You are now prepared with 20 different ideas that you can incorporate into your planning to get a snapshot of where your students are at this year. Make sure that you get all 4 language competencies included and don’t stress too much.
These activities don’t have to “count”. They can be just for your records so don’t worry about correcting grammar and leaving feedback if you don’t have time. That’s okay!
Have fun with these. Get to know your kiddos, personally and academically,and enjoy your first few weeks of school.
Please reach out if you want to add more ideas or if you need more ideas.
Have fun!