Formative Assessment Classroom Technique (FACT) Template

Grade Level: 1st grade

FACT: Commit and Toss
Referenced from Mathematics Formative Assessment: 75 Practical Strategies for Linking Assessment, Instruction, and Learning, pg. 68, FACT #7
Authors: Page Keeley, Cheryl Rose Tobey / Description of FACT:
Commit and Toss is an anonymous response technique used to make students’ thinking visible to the class. Students are given an assessment problem. After completing the problem, students crumble their papers into a ball and toss the paper balls around the room. Students then pick up one piece of paper and share the answer and explanation that is described on the paper they are holding without inserting their own ideas. / Standard(s) Addressed:
1.OA.C.6 – Add and subtract within 20.
Examples:
7 + 6
8 + 4
9 + 5
How this FACT Promotes Student Learning:
Commit and Toss requires students to commit to an answer that matches their own thinking and provide an explanation for why that answer was chosen. Before students crumble and toss their papers, they must think about the question posed, commit to a response, and explain their thinking that informed the answer they selected. Confidence is built when a student realizes that he or she is not the only one to have a different answer. It helps students see that “wrong” answers can be just as valuable for informing learning opportunities and constructing new ideas as “right” answers. / How the FACT Informs Instruction:
Commit and Toss allows the teacher to get a quick read on ideas and explanations held by the class. It is a very engaging way to get a class snapshot of student thinking. / Materials/Supplies:
Paper
Pencils
Design and Administration:
  1. Distribute papers to students, and instruct them to NOT put their name on it.
  2. Pose a specific math problem for students to solve on their papers. EX: 7 + 6
  3. Instruct students to not only provide an answer, but also show/illustrate the strategy used to find the answer. (EX: doubles +1/-1, draw 7 and draw 6, make-a-ten strategy)
  4. After every student is finished, instruct students to crumble their paper into a ball.
  5. On your cue, students will toss their papers across the room.
  6. Then instruct students to pick up one paper from around the room that was not their own.
  7. Convene to a large-group gathering place.
  8. One by one, students will share the response and explanation that was written on the paper they are holding.
  9. After responses are shared, hold a class discussion about the different strategies used to find the correct answer.