In Praise of Quizzes
Quizzes and tests have gotten a bad rap for a long time, and not just by students. Too many teachers consider quizzes as just assessments and possibly tools to see who has been paying attention.
However, plenty of research is now showing that quizzes been shown to actually enhance long-term learning. They are more than just assessments. They help students remember the content better, to understand it more thoroughly, and to test even better on it next time.
The American Psychology Association says that there are over 200 studies that confirm this. The association adds that many educators have “ignored and failed to acknowledge” the value that a test adds to actual learning.
We are mostly talking here about traditional quizzes and tests – in other words, ones that actually ask focused questions on the material that has just been studied. It is not enough to just ask students to write what they feel about a subject!
Quizzes may not have the “cool” factor, but they definitely have the “wow” factor when it comes to mastering a subject.
At Beyond Words Learning, we have dozens of focused quizzes on novel and short stories that are appropriate for kids in grades 5-9. We also have lessons on grammar, writing, and vocabulary, and almost all of these lessons are followed by a quiz and an answer key.
One such grammar lesson, complete with quiz and key, is called “Comparisons and Double Negatives”. There are many more.
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