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New to Exams … advice please!
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I have not yet done formal exams with my children. New year. New idea. I’m going to try it at the end of each month. I read a few of the CM exams on AO. I then used my planner (because I can’t remember everything!) to make the exam questions from the month’s material. I did not ask them everything they learned but I did try to ask questions that would lead them to use several subjects to answer or would ask them to form their own opinion about something using all the knowledge they have gained. I am confident in their narrations and work. I feel this is just the third step I’d yet to put in place in the CM philosophy.
How do you do this? How long do you give them? How many questions?
Thank you for any advice or wisdom you have to share here.
I have to admit to inconsistentcy in this department, but I have done exams with satisfying and unsatisfying results. I sort of use it as a gauge to see how they are doing with understanding and retention. Mine are all younger and we still do most things together, so I witness firsthand their learning. This isn’t something I fret over, unless I see problem areas. I’ve used exams to identify where improvement/attention is needed. I’m careful to keep exams encouraging to them. HTH
Practical stuff you actually asked for:
I use guidelines from Lindafay here. They usually last about 3 days and are about 15-20 questions long, tailored to each child. This includes recitation and performing on an instrument. They love using a recording device to tell me all they know!
Anyone else?? … I know you are doing something on this front or at least have thought on the subject a little?! Help us newbies out here and let us learn from your wisdom. Please?
I’ll share that I administered an exam over two days (about 2 hours each day) that covered our last month of lessons/material. I used a written format for the majority of it with several things they were to draw in order to explain their knowledge. I was a bit surprised with my reluctant writer’s efforts. But to my now fresh eyes … that makes perfect sense! He’s reluctant to write, it’s not easy for him physically and I didn’t allow enough different opportunities for him to show what he knew in a way that would let him really shine. Having said that … I am worried (just a wee bit) that children need to write and be asked material in a written format in order to be successful later in … say college. I just don’t know! My other child did very well I thought and showed a lot of growth in controling her rambling and being concise. Writing is a very comfortable medium for this child.
My husband is looking them over after I did so that he can offer his thoughts too. Overall it was a good experience but I’m not sure I’d do it too often. I approached it as fun and new but it still produced anxiety. Having said that I worry that a whole term might be too much.
Any more thoughts or experiences … Amanda do you mind sharing what you have you done? …. thank you!
Most of the time, each term I’ve just asked a question or two for each subject and had my girls narrate back what they remember. This past term, I recorded their history narration (3 questions total using Matt-Acts and Ancient Rome) and had dd9 copy down her narration to keep. I usually don’t do an exam for grammar, but did this past term, and asked dd9 to write a quotation and divided quotation (I wrote down her words and had her put in proper punctuation, then had her copy it). For Spanish I asked them to each count as high as they could starting with the youngest dd or tell me what color they are wearing. Map Drill I had them id each country we’d learned thus far. For Ancient Rome, I asked them to describe a place they could visit in ancient Rome. For art, tell me the artist we studied and describe your fave painting. I don’t do anything for math except review and we move on when we’re ready for a new concept.
I try to remember to jot down questions for science that I want them to remember most, so by exams I remember what to ask I’m trying to do more questions then I used to. I figure they did so well the first time we narrated, they’ll remember in a few weeks.
I hope I’ve answered your questions thoroughly! I’ve figured this is my weak area, so trying research more of what others do as well!
Tara
Well, I just started something new. It was using,,, http://www.schoolexpress.com I make up questions to material and books and other things we have read. I look for areas of interest and key words around their vocabulary. I then ask them questions.I then filling in the questions and making up logical right and wrong answers. I don’t make it to easy or hard. This way I feel better about seeing if they were really listening. I don’t really care if they get the quizzes right at the moment. I want them to think about the correct answers in the end. The quiz is basically to see if they know what was read and to see if they retained main points. It also can give you a grade for record boods if your state requires them. Mine doesn’t right now but if asked you could give them something of substance. 🙂
Good luck tell me if this helps…:)
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