I don’t like grading quizzes. I think of a quiz as a formative assessment on both the student AND the teacher. What did the students learn from the previous lesson? What did I teach poorly? Quizzes should not be graded any more than a practice touchdown should count during a game. The data from the quiz should be used to improve the gaps in understanding. This means that the data needs to be accurate. Without a grade some may ask how the teacher can get accurate data. The students may not be motivated to take the quiz seriously.

Gamification provides that motivation.

My class theme is based on professional wrestling and this quick little quiz game used that theme. First I copied the 10 questions that would be on the quiz on a single sided page. Each student received a copy of the hardcopy quiz. I administered the quiz using Plickers with the questions displayed on the overhead and students answering using the Plicker QR cards. This gives me the data I need to assess the students’ understandings. If the student answers the question correctly then they cut out the question and turn it into a paper ball which will be thrown later. If the question is answered incorrectly they still cut out the question but put it in their binder to study from. If the assessment goes badly I can even break out a multiple choice assessment form.

This is a “Casket Match” which I thought appropriate for the Halloween season. In this style of match a wrestler loses when they are placed in the casket and the lid is closed.

In this classroom game, the students throw their correct question paper balls at an Undertaker action figure in order to knock it into the casket. If the Undertaker falls into the casket the students win but if not the students lose. I waited until the end of the quiz questions in order to speed up the assessment.