Stamp Sheets
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If you read my post about Real World Homework, then you already know that I love stamps. Next I created a similar document for the class objectives for the students and copied it on the other side. When students SHOW what they can do, I give them a stamp on that goal. It makes it about learning, instead of the grade. Sometimes I wear a little apron which has my stamps and other necessary items always at hand.
The Stamp sheet helps me in so many ways!
1. It makes me look at the entire unit before I teach it. I like to know where I’m going.
2. It helps students know what they will be learning. They like to know where they are going too.
3. If a student is absent, I only ask they show me they can do what ever “stamp” they missed. Usually they are more likely to do missed activities for the learning, not just the completion grade.
4. I write the date on one copy when we practice it. This serves as part of my lesson plans for my administration.
5. They can be used formative assessment checks. There are many ways to do this.
A. If you observe a student doing the goal during class, stamp it.
B. Give everyone a written or spoken quiz at the end of class or on a specific day. You can cover one stamp or several.
C. Students self-assess themselves. Keep one specific stamp design out that they can use.
D. Pick a few students every day to show what they can do.
E. Cut up the goals, put them in a bucket as you teach them and let students draw one or two. This keeps them on their toes!
6. No need to type up a study guide at the end of the unit. Study the goals on the sheet!
7. It reminds me that interpretive activities are just important as presentational. What can they understand?
8. It minimizes paper. I collect these at the end of the unit and enter it as one grade. Each stamp equals 5 points in my class. This counts as my class participation. I do not collect the activities they do to practice. It takes time, but it changes the way they think about participation and increases motivation.
Keep it a positive thing. If they can’t do, just tell them to try again. Some students take a little longer than others to get it. I also hold them to the proficiency level expectations. If they are suppose to be Novice high, then it needs to be in a sentence. This gives a chance to give them some quick feedback and guidance.
In the past I’ve also used the stamp sheets blank. The students copied the goal from the board each day.
My district specialist, Thomas Sauer, asked a group of us to extend this to all of our units, and then he formatted them. Here is a link to those documents. The stamp sheets can be modified too to fit your class. 
Click on the level, then the unit. It is the first document listed. This concept can work for any course. Share it!
JCPS World Language Documents
Megan
rachel573
Kara
I’m interested into changing how I teach my classes next year and I love the idea of these stamp sheets. Would you mind telling how you assign grades: performance assessments, stamp sheets, what else do you give grades/points for?
Let me promise this, I will post about this really soon! Probably this week since my students are testing. I need to have some visuals to help explain. I give very few GRADES, but tons of FEEDBACK.
How wonderful?
The document is a PDF file. Can I use the template to fit my class? How can I modify it?
There should be a Word version too on the site.
The link to your school curriculum is AMAZING! Thank you so much for sharing!
I absolutely love this idea! I checked out your school curriculum documents and am soooooo jealous! We started standards-based grading this year and are looking to be more organized for next year. Do you mind if I print some of your documents off so we can modify them for our curriculum/use them as templates? Awesome work! Thanks for inspiring us!
I learned about your performance assessment documents at the KWLA conference last fall. My colleague and I were so inspired; we are planning to re-design our curriculum this summer! I also wanted to ask about how you give grades aside from the performance assessments; are there quizzes and tests? Do you give a final exam? I have really enjoyed reading your blog; it has been a great help to us in envisioning or plan and how we can use the assessments for next year!
I AM IN AWE! I so wish I were part of your district with all the amazing things you guys are doing! My district (relucantantly for some) is in the process of realigning and I want to be sure it’s done right. May I print some of your documents to share?
Jen, We’re glad to share. We’re lucky to have an awesome language director for our district that helps us go done the proficiency path! Good luck with the transition at your school. It takes time but if it helps our students than its worth it!
Wow that was strange. I just wrote an extremely long comment but after I clicked submit my comment didn’t show up. Grrrr… well I’m not writing all that over again. Anyway, just wanted to say fantastic blog!
sorry! I know that’s frustrating! Thanks for leaving the 2nd comment!
What textbook do you use if any?
Love this!! And I love your whole site. You have everything I want to do but don’t have the time/energy to do! Thanks for sharing!
Spent most of the day editing the stamp sheet an Real world homework sheet for our first unit. I can’t wait to share it and begin this week! Thanks again and again for sharing all of the amazing ideas!
Thanks a ton for this – love the info and agree with your perspective. However many others will not, so thanks for speaking up. Nice blog, well done!
Amazing curriculum link!! Do you have a stamp sheet for Unit 7? It was the only one I didn’t see.
I’m not sure I will ever make it off your blog today, there are so many amazing ideas! Love this one too and can’t begin to express my thanks to you both and your administrator for being so willing to share!
Thanks Julia – Who knows what teachers did before the internet was invented?!?
Where are you from?
I’m in Virginia but I bleed BLUE– originally from Owensboro and hubby from Midway.
I don’t have this in my options! (iphone 4s)
I have copied your idea of stamp sheets. I love the way you set them up with the “I can” statements. I am using them in my class this week. The kids were so excited to get a stamp on their paper if they could tell me something. I can’t wait to see if they are still motivated tomorrow. Do you happen to have a template for creating these sheets? I downloaded the ones from your school’s website but I can figure out how to customize them for my classes. I tried to recreate it myself but it looks terrible. Thanks for sharing. I love this blog.
Kelly, I also copied this idea and the kids LOVED it. I even bought some awesome sombrero/mustache/sugar skull stamps from http://www.paper-source.com – But I actually made my own on a Word Document that looks almost identical to this one, if you would like I can email it to you!
Thanks for the new stamp store!
Brooke,
Could I also have the Word Document for the stamp sheet?
Thanks,
Sue
I would like it as well….
Sorry, I never saw this post until today for some reason. Brooke, yes, please!!!!!!!! My email is k.ochoa@comcast.net Muchisimas Gracias!!!!!!!
I am now working on my second stamp sheet with students and like the poster below mentioned, I did not budget enough time to give kids stamps. But also some kids were not focused in class and not prepared to come and get a stamp. Most of the things on the Unit 2 stamp sheet is a review for my kids from last year and so I moved pretty fast through the unit. One thing I have decided to do is force the kids to write out the phrase that they have to say on the back of the sheet or another piece of paper. I had them number the circles. I found it helped some kids with retention.
I am following the units that Megan and Kara do because so far they almost perfectly align with the chapters from my text book. Since Unit 3 will now be mostly new material, I am going to insist on the writing piece with the stamp sheet. I love this stamp sheet idea and so do the kids. I have to thank Megan and Kara for such wonderful ideas and for their willingness to share them with us.
I love this idea and I really want to try it in my classroom! I’m a new teacher, and I was wondering if you have any tips on how to implement it effectively? I’m mostly concerned about when I’m going to find the time to get around to all 30 students in the class. Like you said, I want it to be a positive thing that gives students multiple attempts at demonstrating each skill, but I’m afraid there won’t be enough time in class to do it. Do you ever feel rushed to give all the kids enough chances to get their stamps before you’re ready to move on to a new unit? What do you have the other students doing while you’re working with individuals on their stamps? Thanks so much for sharing all your great ideas – they’ve been a big help for me in my first year of teaching!
There are a million ways to use a stamp sheet. I have big classes too so sometimes I have to change it up to get to everyone. I prefer to do a stamp and have the student speak at the end of the lesson, but if I’m running out of time, I’ll have them write it as an exit slip. The next day as I pass back their work I will stamp them if they could complete the task the day before. Sometimes I give a project or tech assignment on Fridays and then call kids up to do stamps. They show all the things they have learned that week. If we don’t have time and the student misses a lot of school then he/she may have to make up stamps after school but that is pretty rare.
I just wanted to let you know that Friday my colleagues and I spent the whole day looking at your stamp sheets and adapting them to fit our curriculum. You all did a great job with your curriculum, and I only hope to have ours half as good. Thank you for the great ideas!
Awesome! Glad to share! Your department sounds like great group. Getting everyone of the same page is hard but it is so important for your students’ success!
Thank you for sharing all of your great resources. I was wondering how you set up the presentational speaking assignments. Do they get 5 minutes to prepare and then spontaneously present to the class? Just curious… I am trying to move away from the memorized conversations. Gracias!
I usually give them about 10-20 minutes to prepare in class or overnight. In class, they record themselves and post it on Edmodo under the assignment/turn in post. I ask them to not read off of a card. Sometimes we show them to the class for peer review (specifically presenting skills like eye contact, fluidity, etc.). My favorite thing is to have it lead to another task like this: http://creativelanguageclass.wordpress.com/2012/03/07/idea-55-kramer-inspired-symptom-videos/
We are moving to your type of curriculum and busy creating plans and stamp sheets. One question: When you have just a picture on the stamp sheet, what do the students have to do to get that stamp? Thanks for all your resources, they’re AWESOME!
Take whatever you want!the pictures are just for visual interest. But you could have them describe a random picture or something if you want. A bonus for going above expectations?
Where do you get your Spanish stamps? I have looked around and I cannot seem to find any that I really like.
I’ve ordered some online or found a few a craft stores like Hobby Lobby. I’ve heard that Staples can create self-inking stamps with any text if you want a personalized stamp! Etsy.com is also a great option!