Rory’s Story Cubes

Use a random roll of Rory’s Story Cubes to explain everything you’ve learned about (Concept X).
Every image rolled must be integrated organically and logically into the explanation—no matter how ridiculous the connection may seem. This forces lateral thinking, synthesis, and creative problem-solving while still demanding deep content accuracy.

Cognitive lift: Analyze Create

Concept Mapping (Constraint Edition)

Create a concept map to show relationships between ideas in (Concept X).
To increase rigor, provide a fixed shape (four corners, six points, etc.) and require one concept per point. Students must then draw and explain as many meaningful connections as possible.

Optional twist: require one concept from a previous unit or pop culture to deepen transfer.

Cognitive lift: Analyze Evaluate

Graffiti Pages

Create a graffiti-style one-pager demonstrating mastery of (Concept X) that includes:

  • 2 coffee-cup-sized illustrations
  • 2 oversized keywords
  • 4 key quotes or facts (with citations)
  • 4 written annotations explaining why each element matters

This blends visual literacy, prioritization, and explanation.

Cognitive lift: Understand Create

Socratic Seminar (with Equity Maps)

Run a Socratic Seminar using Equity Maps to track participation in real time.
Students reflect on not just what was said, but who spoke, how often, and when. Post-seminar analysis turns discussion itself into assessable data, shifting the focus from airtime to equity and quality of contribution.

Cognitive lift: Remember Evaluate

LEGO Design Challenges

Build your understanding of (Concept X) using LEGO bricks.
Students photograph their builds and embed the images in a slideshow, adding captions that explain every design decision and how each piece represents an aspect of the content.

Cognitive lift: Apply Create

Content Bracketology

Create a tournament bracket around a singular subjective trait:

  • Most influential president
  • Most powerful element
  • Most significant line in a poem

Students complete the bracket, craft arguments for every matchup, and debate each round. Voting only happens after arguments are heard. Once a bracket is busted, students pivot to busting someone else’s with stronger reasoning.

Cognitive lift: Understand Evaluate

Minecraft Education Worlds

Students design a Minecraft world inspired by (Concept X).
They then screen-record a narrated walkthrough—Twitch-style—explaining what they built, why they built it, and how each element connects to the content.

Cognitive lift: Apply Create

Pecha Kucha Presentations

Students create a timed presentation (e.g., 20 slides × 20 seconds, auto-advance).
The format forces rehearsal, clarity, and intentional design. Presentations can be recorded asynchronously (multiple takes allowed) or delivered live for added challenge.

Cognitive lift: Apply Create

Cheat Sheet Shenanigans

Students intentionally craft a plausible wrong answer to a question (or series of questions) about (Concept X)—then explain why someone might believe it and where the thinking breaks down.
This surfaces misconceptions, sharpens reasoning, and rewards metacognition instead of guessing.

Cognitive lift: Analyze Evaluate

Teach Like a… Student?!?

Students redesign what they’ve learned and develop a deliverable for how they would teach this same concept again for a new audience or context:

  • Teach this concept to a 1st grader (a puppet show? A comic book perhaps?!)
  • Turn what they’ve learned into a board game mechanic
  • Rewrite it as a museum exhibit placard (LEGO works great again here)
  • Adapt it for a different discipline altogether

The content stays constant; the context changes.

Cognitive lift: Transfer Create

 

Ready for an Encore?
These 10 alternative assessments are only the beginning. They’re drawn from a growing library of 1,100+ high-impact, classroom-tested resources designed to help teachers move beyond low-level tasks and into deeper, more engaging learning—all available through EMC² Learning. The full library is included with an active Engagement Engineer or Engagement Engineer PLUS annual site membership. Lock in the exclusive FETC discounted rate of just $99/year using the promo code FETC26.