ThinkDots

ThinkDots are to be used after a concept has been taught. They are great for reviewing or extending learning. ThinkDots are sets of cards that are hole punched in a corner and held together by a ring. Each card has one or more dots on it (1-6 like the dots on a die). On the back of the card, there is a question or a task for the students to answer or complete. These questions or tasks have to do with the concept or skill that they have been studying. These would be so easy to create and if laminated, could last many years. I think that students would love to have a variety of these to work with because they are so interactive and give fun options to show their learning.
By making various ThinkDot sets for the same concept or skill can differentiate for readiness very easily. For interest, there can be many different types of responses the cards have and can also have tasks that require partnerships or for students to work alone. There are so many ways to tweak this to work for your specific class. Once you get to know what interests your students and what levels they are at, it is easy to create cards you know they will want to do. It also can work for any subject area. I love that I could have a massive set of these ThinkDot cards for my classroom. They could be used as fast finishers or even as centers. Since you could just create these on index cards, the would be cheap, easy, and quick to make. The three things teachers are always looking for in their preparations.
Since these are to be used after the student has been working on the concept or skill, they are a great way to assess learning. I could set this up in my classroom for some subjects where they have to pass off three different ThinkDot cards before they can move onto the next lesson. That way, they can get some practice at the concept or skill and show me in different ways what they have learned and how they are thinking about that concept or skill. Using these in the classroom is such an easy way to differentiate the process for readiness, interest, and learning profiles. I really like how easy it is to mold it to exactly what your students need and in each subject. They are so versatile!