Here's a quick video I made explaining how to use Alphabet / ABC books as an alternative assessment. This video explains what an alphabet book is and how you can have your students create them to show what they know about a particular topic instead of having them do a report or take a test. Depending on the age of your students, you have have them work independently, in pairs, in a group, or as a class by assigning each student a letter.
I used the webcam and PhotoBooth on my computer to make the video, then uploaded it to my YouTube account, which is linked to my Google account and blog. If you need any help making your own video, leave a comment and I'll post a tutorial.
Here are the planning sheet / blank word list, cover, and 26 alphabet pages that I made!
I tried to embed the document here as a pdf, but the formatting is off. If anyone can help me fix that, let me know! Please leave a feedback rating and comment about the topic you think you'd use it for.
I started doing this with my students before Roland Smith's books became popular. They're awesome though, so check them out!
A great idea is to get the books published. Students can buy the books and you get a free copy! I have used Student Treasures. The pages are glossy, so make sure to do a practice run and have your students work only in pencil until you have checked their pages. Also, you need to give yourself plenty of time for ordering, publication, and shipping. I think we had to get our order done and shipped out by early April to get it by the end of the school year in June.
