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Triangles

A quick self-assessment tool where learners shade sections of a triangle to indicate their understanding of three related learning objectives, creating a visual snapshot of their progress.

Assessment for learning
Triangles diagram

What is triangles?

  • Draw a triangle divided into three sections, each labelled with a learning objective
  • Learners shade each section to show their confidence: fully shaded means confident, partly shaded means developing, unshaded means not confident
  • The completed triangle gives a visual summary of understanding across all three objectives
  • Use the triangles to set targets and plan differentiated support

How it works

Triangles offer a quick visual alternative to traffic lighting when a lesson has three related learning objectives. Each section of the triangle represents one objective. Learners shade each section according to their confidence: a fully shaded section means they are confident, a half-shaded section means they partly understand, and an empty section means they need support.

The visual summary is immediately useful. A learner with two shaded sections and one empty section can see exactly where to focus. A teacher scanning a set of triangles can identify which objective the class found most challenging.

Triangles work particularly well when the three objectives build on each other. For example, in a mathematics lesson on fractions: "I can identify a fraction" (foundation), "I can compare fractions" (developing), and "I can add fractions with different denominators" (challenge). The triangle pattern shows at a glance how far each learner progressed through the sequence.

The tool is quick to use, taking less than a minute, and produces a tangible record that can be compared over time. When learners complete the same triangle at the start and end of a unit, the change in shading demonstrates progress visually.

Classroom example

A Year 5 Science and Technology class in a Newport school has been learning about forces. The triangle has three sections: "I can name different forces," "I can explain how forces affect movement," and "I can predict what happens when forces are unbalanced." Most learners shade the first section fully, the second section partly, and leave the third section mostly empty. The teacher uses this to plan the next lesson: a practical investigation on unbalanced forces with targeted support for the prediction element.

Curriculum for Wales connection

Triangles develop the "Reflect" strand of thinking skills by building quick, visual self-assessment into lesson routines. They support a stage-not-age approach by making individual progress visible and actionable, and work across all AoLEs as a simple, versatile self-assessment tool.

Rainbow Curriculum's Thinking Tools lens helps you plan where visual self-assessment tools are used across your curriculum, ensuring that learner progress is regularly monitored through simple, engaging methods.

Tips

  • Label the three sections clearly so learners know exactly what they are assessing.
  • Use the same triangle template consistently so it becomes a routine that takes seconds, not minutes.
  • A common pitfall: using triangles without following up. The shading must lead to differentiated support or target-setting.
  • Keep completed triangles in books so learners can compare their progress over time.
  • Combine with reflection triangles for a more sophisticated three-dimensional assessment.

Source: Adapted from "How to develop thinking and assessment for learning in the classroom", Welsh Assembly Government, Guidance 044/2010.