Using Google Forms for Reading Comprehension Assessments

Allow me to put on my Instructional Technologist hat for this blog post.

As the coronavirus continues to spread across this nation, more schools are heading to an extended 100% online delivery of curriculum, as they close in an effort to contain the virus. Even if your school has a digital learning management system, for many educators, the question is "So how do I deliver digital content for 10-14 days? It is one thing to create 'busywork' for students for a snow day, but what about 2-3 weeks?" 

Over the next few blogposts, I will address ways in which one can use digital web tools and apps for online, digital learning (and hopefully for the delivery of Comprehensible Input). In this post, I will discuss how to create a reading comprehension assessment using Google Forms.

I love using Google Forms, because it has so many applications and is quite easy to use once one gets past the learning curve. However, I had always wanted to create a reading comprehension assessment using Google Forms, but I never knew how one could insert the text. Last year, I learned how to do it, and it is SO easy! Why did I not figure this out earlier?

If you are not familiar with how to set up Google Forms as a self-grading quiz, you can view the video below:

To insert a reading passage:

1. Open Google Forms
2. In the Untitled Form, type in your title, e.g., "Perseus et Rex Malus, Reading Comprehension Quiz"

    3. In the Form description section, add/write your reading passage. This will now allow students to see the passage when they answer questions.

      4. Now you can begin adding questions and answer choices (multiple choice, short answer, drop down menu, checkboxes, etc).

Observations

1. I usually break up the passage over a few pages so that it is not all on one page and does not overwhelm students or force them to keep scrolling up and down to read the passage and then to answer the question (how to add sections in Google Forms).
2. When I break up the assessment into sections, I will have 3-4 questions per section.
3. I usually allow students to take assessment three times. Because it is a self-grading quiz, students learn which questions they missed and can receive feedback for incorrect answers.