Task cards are one of those teaching tools that look simple, but there are tons of teachers that are overwhelmed by them (myself included for a while there). When task cards are used well, they can completely change how students practice and assess their understanding. Plus, they’re not as tough to put together as you may think!
What are task cards?
Task cards are essentially a worksheet broken into individual questions and printed onto cards. That’s it. They don’t need to be fancy: this can be as simple as cutting up a worksheet and taping questions onto index cards. Once the questions are on cards, the real question becomes, How do you actually use task cards in the classroom? There are honestly endless possibilities, but below are some of my favorite ways to use task cards in high school science. (
Self Assessment
Let’s chat about my mass vs. weight task card activity in my classroom. Since mass, weight, and force problems rely on the equation F = ma, students can be asked to solve for any of the three variables.
To make this manageable, I put:
- “Solve for F” questions on one color
- “Solve for m” questions on another color
- “Solve for a” questions on a third color
This simple color-coding makes patterns jump out immediately. Students might not be able to say “I struggle when rearranging formulas to solve for mass,” but they can say, “The purple cards are really hard.” That awareness is powerful.
Sometimes I’ll require students to complete 2–3 cards of each color so they get exposure to every question type. Afterward, I’ll give them the full answer key and have them self-assess. If they notice they struggled with one color or type of question, I’ll have them go back and try a few more of those specific cards.
If you’re not interested in color coding, number blocking would work well here too, (even if you skipped some numbers.) For example, solving for F questions might be 1-9 (even if you only had 8 of these questions, that’s okay!). Solving for m might be 11-19 (the teens). Having your students point out that a particular group of questions was tough for them could really help them to assess their knowledge.
Teacher Assessment
When I need something for the gradebook, I’ll have students record their answers on an answer sheet while they work through the task cards. This allows me to:
- Focus on a few key questions instead of grading everything. (This helps me cut down on time grading, and really get to the point. You don’t have to review 25 questions to piece together whether or not your students are catching on. Usually a select few questions will do that for you, especially for a classwork activity.)
- Quickly identify which question types students understand
- Spot patterns of misunderstanding
This is especially helpful for explanation or short-response questions, which students often struggle to self-assess accurately.
Group Race (High Engagement, Low Prep)
I learned this tactic during my student teaching. At the time, I didn’t know these were called task card, or even how to use task cards. Students work in groups and race to:
- Complete a set number of cards or
- Finish the most cards within a time limit
The winning group earns a small reward. I’ve seen teachers use homework passes, but I usually stick with stickers or a bit of extra credit. It’s competitive, fast-paced, and gets even reluctant students participating.
Self Check
One of the best ways I’ve ever used task cards is with a black light! (Though it does require some extra prep.) I like to write the answer to the question on the back of the card using an invisible ink pen. Then I give each of the kids a small black light and let them review the answers. If they get the answer right then they get to move on. If they get it wrong, they’ll know right away what things still need to be addressed. Plus, it’s a trick to get them to do the cards when they really aren’t that interested.
I’ll also state for the record that the heat of a laminator does not affect the invisible ink. If you’re laminating your cards, just make sure you write you answers on the cards first. The other cool thing about the black light is that you can do this will all your task cards, and then pick and choose when you’d like to have your students use a self check model on their task cards. You might want to use Self Check this year, but Teacher Assess next year. Invisible ink is a teacher’s best friend!
Gallery Walk
One of the classic ways to do task cards is to have them posted around the room (using Stikki Clips) and have the kids navigate to them. When this happens, you have them a bit more lively since they’re up and moving. But this usually entails them answer all or most of the questions. For some topics, this is a great way to do it.
Differentiation
Task cards pair beautifully with differentiation. This could be used in combination with really any of the above strategies. Mix and match three of them if you like! You can:
- Assign specific cards to specific students or groups
- Break decks into easy, medium, and hard (again, this works well by either color coding or number blocking your cards)
- Organize by content type (vocabulary, recall, application)
- Have some students carry a black light for a quick self check and others may require teacher check
Then assign different expectations to different groups of students. Same activity. Different needs met.
Check out my collection of task cards and card sorts HERE. And to answer your question: no, card sorts are not the same thing! Read here to learn more about why I’m obsessed with using task cards in my classroom, you know, outside of the versatility.
