Assessing students' comprehension is often done through formal assessments such as tests, papers, and oral presentations.  The 3.2.1. format allows you to regularly check comprehension formatively to reinforce concepts and give students the opportunity to recall. By asking students to respond through the 3.2.1 format students both recall and deepen their learning.  See this handout for other ideas.

Some ideas to develop students’ thinking and activate the classroom:

Analytical/Conceptual

• 3 differences between metaphors and symbolism, 2 things they have in common, and 1 general effect on a text that they each have

• 3 underlying assumptions of democracy, 2 common misunderstandings of democracy, 1 reason democracies have endured as a form of modern government

• Write 3 questions at the recall or understanding level, 2 questions at the ‘apply’ level, and 1 question at the evaluate level

Discussion/Listening/Debate

• 3 ways you agree, 2 ways you disagree, and 1 thing you learned (or that surprised you) during your conversation

• 3 things they said, 2 points they made, 1 thing you’d like to know more about

Metacognitive

• 3 things I know (generally) about mindset, 2 examples of the effect of mindset (generally), 1 thing I’ve noticed about my mindset today/before or during this lesson/recently, etc. (specifically)

• 3 ways my thinking occurs easily or naturally for me, 2 ways my thinking requires focus or effort on my part, 1 adjustment I can make in response

• 3 things I remember thinking during the lesson, 2 things I remember doing during the lesson, and 1 thing I could’ve done but didn’t

Time-Based

• Spend 3 minutes summarizing, 2 minutes clarifying, and 1 minute writing one sentence that concisely summarizes the ‘thing’

• 3 things I could do with what I’ve learned, 2 things that other people do with this kind of knowledge or skill, 1 thing I am going to do with what I’ve learned

• 3 similarities, 2 differences, 1 question-to-guide-future-learning 

• 3 things I learned, 2 things that were a bit confusing, 1 ‘big idea’ that sums up the relevance of it all

• 3 open-ended questions, 2 closed questions, 1 deepening question

• 3 clarifying questions, 2 probing questions, 1 contextualizing question