Oooh…I’m not usually one for a spicy title, but that one is provocative! Please don’t scroll away yet just because I said “Sparknotes!” I’ve got such a great lesson for you!
If you’re looking for a quiz that:
- Informs you if students read a required text…
- Takes 5 minutes or less to write…
- Includes an opportunity for point recovery or extra credit…
Then keep reading!
Instructions
I first heard about a SparkNotes quiz a few years ago on Facebook. Basically, you find the summary of your students’ assigned reading on Sparknotes (or Wikipedia for other subjects) and copy it into a document. Then, remove some facts from that summary and print it out. For the quiz, ask students what Sparknotes missed. Give them 5 minutes to write as many missed facts as possible on the sheet, then score it.
Why Use It: It’s Time-Saving
I must reiterate, to prep this quiz took me about 3 minutes. I cut and pasted the facts that I removed from Sparknotes onto a separate document to serve as my “answer key.”
Why Use It: It’s Unguessable
Aside from saving time, this quiz is almost completely unguessable. It very clearly shows who didn’t read, based on the number of quizzes I got back blank.
A Bonus: Paired with a Reward
One reason I hate reading quizzes is they seem like a “gotcha” effort to catch those that don’t read. One reason I like this quiz is that it can also reward students who read, not only with a good grade but some extra points. In my quiz, I removed six details from the Sparknotes summary and asked students to find three. But if they found more than 3, I gave them extra points.
Some even found details that Sparknotes left out completely. Pointing this out showed me who not only read, but read closely. I gave them even more points!
The Bottom Line
Throwing in a quiz like this per unit reminds students to stick to reading schedules but using rewards rather than punishments. Best of all, it requires no prep at all!
If you use this type of quiz, I’d love to hear about it! Drop a comment here or share it with me on Instagram!
This is fantastic! I’ve been looking for something like this for “The Fight” chapter of Kindred. Thanks so much!