Back to School Proficiency Scales

Proficiency scales became a large part of my classroom last year in Kindergarten.  We had one for our math journals (See blog post here) and several for writing (see blog posts here and here).  I want to continue with proficiency scales in my 3rd grade classroom because I feel like they are a great tool for students to assess their own learning.  But, I want to introduce proficiency scales in a fun way for students. I recently made some homemade chocolate chip cookies.  When I finish a batch, my son always looks at the cookies cooling on the rack and he takes a very long time deciding which cookie he wants.  While he was doing that this weekend, it hit me- why not make a proficiency scale for the perfect chocolate chip cookie?  It's not the best idea- there are flaws inherent in the process because everyone likes their cookies a little different- some like chewy, some like crispy etc... so when you look at this, keep that in mind.  But, I think it serves its purpose- to introduce students to the concept of proficiency scales in a fun way.  I began by thinking about characteristics of the perfect cookie- size, texture, and color.  Then I created the "3" which would be the "just right" cookie.  After I created the criteria for the "3", then I went down to the "2" and to the "1."  Get the whole freebie here. I included a little background on how I created the scale, the final scale, and then some cards you can use to have the students grade the chocolate chip cookie.  My grand plan is to bring in different kinds of chocolate chip cookies and have the students score those cookies on the scale (and then have an extra snack-yum!), but the cards will work too. I think this will make a fun first week of school activity.  Tune in tomorrow for my "Active Listening" Proficiency Scale.