Assessments - Stamp Pages

I have a LOT of students - almost 700 in fact, so assessments can sometimes be overwhelming. One of my professional development goals this year is to get better at assessments. One thing I didn't do much last year was self-assessments. The solution? Stamp pages!

I won't lie - I took this idea straight from the Creative Language Classroom and the JCPS Skydrive. I would have loved to use them exactly as I found them but 1) I don't want JCPS on the header when I work in a different county and 2) some of the I can statements are beyond my little one's cognitive abilities even in English. I can't very well teach them how to tell time in Spanish if they haven't learned it yet in English.

Also, since I have less time with my students, I also have to be aware of how much time it will take to finish a unit. Last year, I re-made the Unit 1 - Getting to Know You stamp page with basically the same I can statements and it took the ENTIRE year! This year, I made a smaller stamp page template and planned shorter units. I also changed it from a teacher assessment tool, where I tried to listen to each student individually and then gave them their stamp to a self-assessment tool where students decided if they earned the stamp or not at the end of the unit. I have 4 buckets on my cart that have 3-4 stamps, an ink pad and a sheet of Spanish stickers. At the end of a unit, we watch a video and pass around the buckets.

Before each stamping session I review with the kids how to use the stamps (i.e. Don't put your fingers or nose in the ink pad; Don't stamp your hand or friend's forehead; Only stamp your stamp page.) We also review why we have the stamp pages. I want them to take their pages home at the end of the year and be able to show their families all the things they learned. If their mom asks them "I can introduce myself" then they should be able to do it. If they have a stamp there and can't do it then they are going to be embarrassed. I'm sure some students just stamp away but most of them are actually very conscientious about it. I also have a blurb at the end that asks them to write about what they are proud they can do. Once we finish with all the stamps I will have them look back and reflect on what they can do and what helped them learn.  So that's my stamp pages.

Update January 2015: This year I have converted to shorter half page stamp sheets. The procedure is the same but now students can take their stamp pages home after each unit rather than waiting to the end of the year. It also gives me more flexibility to change my mind on what to teach throughout the year if I want.

If you are interested in downloading a copy I have made them available in Google docs. Just click here for a full page and here for a half page. Once you have them downloaded just insert a text box, type in your I can statements and move them to the middle of the bubbles. Enjoy!