Automatic drills for my students - and a little more

It can be quite a challenge to drill the students, secure their basic knowledge ("vocabulary") and mark their progress adequately

In my case I see lacking knowledge of basic chemistry formula:

• I see that some of my students still don't know the chemical formula of Sodiumchloride is NaCl, even this is basic knowledge from grade 8.

I experience lacking knowledge about technical terms in biology as well as insecurity when it comes to their meaning or function of biological structures:

•  Some of the students have difficulties that there are ribosomes in a cell and what is their actual function. Or the name benedict reaction is not unknown, but its application and the meaning of its results.
  
  

Not unheard of? Sounds familiar? Well I reckon the challenges in the language subjects are to build up a basic vocabulary that is the foundation for the following units. You can't expand if you are "standing on clay legs".

How do I get my students to learn those reproductive parts of their knowledge by heart without chasing them? And how do I make sure they get their rewards for knowing them without dying marking every single of their attempts?

I got a suggestion and I am happy this website doesn't let down the sciencentist amongst us either.

Open www.quizlet.com -you will already find a big variety of learning cards and other activities. Setting up my own set of 19 learning cards took me about 4 minutes. Yes, this included producing the respective chemical formula.

www.quizlet.com

e.g.: learning cards with chemical formula and the german name for the chemical. I think you will get it without translation - this one is from my current grade 8.

If a student thinks he is ready to tackle the set - he is able to ask me for a test. I can easily check him orally or a bunch with an existing test for this unit.
They get a reward and I get bigger knowledge to work with during my lessons.

Are you still with me and looking for even more time saving potential?

If you are a moodle user in your classes you can export the already existing Quizlets and turn them easily in questions of moodle quizzes within your courses.

They can be made into multiple choice questions, matching exercises or shortanswer questions.
The marking and rating will be done  by moodle automatically.

Following is the link of the export function of quizlet plus a short training video that shows you how to make double use of once done work.

http://pin13.net/quizlet/