Levels of Understanding Simplified for Your Classroom

The Levels of Understanding system has worked so well in my classroom and it reminds students to put their name on their papers! Plus I have a set of FREE levels of understanding posters for you to use in your classroom! Keep reading to check out how to use this system or check out this video that shows the setup!

First, choose which colors you want (pink, orange, yellow, and green or pink, yellow, green, and blue) and whether you want the posters to say a level number or the color name. These colors were picked because they are commonly found highlighter colors.

There are also Spanish versions of each of these posters! After you’ve chosen your four levels of understanding posters, print them on card stock and laminate them for durability. Then display the posters where your students turn in their work. I recommend somewhere in the back of the classroom to give your students some privacy.

Then gather corresponding highlighters or markers and place them in a cup where your students turn in work. I also like to include some extra pencils in this cup because there will inevitably be students who go to turn in their work and realize they’ve forgotten to write their name. Luckily this system helps to solve that problem!

Once you have your levels of understanding set up by your turn in area, you’ll need to explain how this system works. When your students turn in their work, they will highlight their name using the color that shows how they feel about a skill. This is why I recommend putting your levels of understanding posters somewhere that isn’t directly in front of the other students. If they are given privacy, they are more likely to self-assess honestly.

What typically happens, is my students will walk back to turn in their paper and realize that they forgot their name when they pick a level. This is how the levels of understanding will help reduce no name papers in your classroom! Want to read about more ways to reduce no name papers? Check out this blog post!

Will you get some students that always mark themselves at a level four when they may be a level two? Absolutely, but this is a great opportunity to teach students about self-reflection, or if they are younger, to talk with their parents at conferences.

Will you get some students that always mark themselves at a level four when they may be a level two? Absolutely, but this is a great opportunity to teach students about self-reflection, or if they are younger, to talk with their parents at conferences. Additionally, if you don’t feel that your students are ready for level for yet, leave that poster off and just use the first three levels of understanding!

This has been a great look into my students’ self-awareness and also how comfortable they feel with various skills we’re working on. Want to know the best part? These posters are FREE in my TpT store! Click the button below to grab the levels of understanding posters!