Question

Which of the following describes an informal assessment that a teacher might use to best check individual students' understanding of a lesson or unit in progress?

A. The teacher has students work in groups of three to solve a problem they have not seen before and asks them to keep careful record of their reasoning.

B. The teacher has students work in groups of four to solve a problem and has one representative of each group come to the board to write out the group's solution.

C. The teacher asks each student to write two sentences that answer a question on a topic the teacher puts on the board midway through the class.

D. The teacher facilitates a brief whole-class discussion, eliciting questions from students about a topic.

Answer 1

Option C, where each student writes two sentences in response to a question, is the informal assessment that best checks individual understanding, offering immediate feedback and preparing students for formal assessments.

Step-by-step explanation:

The informal assessment that best allows a teacher to check individual students' understanding of a lesson or unit in progress is option C, where the teacher asks each student to write two sentences that answer a question on a topic the teacher puts on the board midway through the class. This method elicits brief explanations that demonstrate individual student understanding. It also helps students to articulate their thoughts clearly and concisely, which prepares them for more formal assessments, such as essay writing. This task is low-stakes, can be done quickly, and gives immediate feedback to the teacher about each student's grasp of the material. It can be considered a form of formative assessment, which is a key element in tracking student progress and understanding.