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Exit Sheets

Teachers can find out what students learned in a class by asking them to reflect the last 5 minutes of a lesson. Carefully select 2-3 questions that get at the heart of what you are trying to teach. I find that it's best to start with an easy question like, "What do you remember best about math class today?" and progress to harder questions like, "Explain how you divide." I like to finish with an application question like, "How will you use what you learned today in your life?"

Often, I write the 3 questions on the board. Sometimes I run them on half sheets of paper so that they can be glued into the students' daybooks. I use exit sheets daily for periods of time. I scan all of the papers very quickly and comment with a word or two. I usually write more extensively on at least 2 papers every day I collect them.

I mark papers with "Please read!" That way I encourage more reluctant students to share their thinking at the beginning of class the next day. I choose the points I want the class to hear in their classmates' own words which carry more weight than mine! It gives me a chance to publicly praise my students.

Sample Exit Sheet (Use at the end of class right before the students exit!)

Reader's Name ________________________ Date __________
Book Title __________________________________________
total # of pages in my book _______
I read ___________ pages in _________ minutes today.
I'm on page _____________

What question sustained the best conversation today with your partner?

What were the most important details about that conversation? Details can include plot summaries, connections to other books, predictions, visuals you see as you're reading, themes beginning to emerge, conclusions you are beginning to make. List 5 most important details.

What is your own thinking about the book, either determined by reading or from your discussion with others? What is your opinion and why, what are you wondering about, what do you predict will happen and why, what reading strategy did you try today that helped you, what literary device did you notice the author used, what word did you figure out and how did you figure it out? (Please write on the back.)

Other reading questions I've used on exit sheets:

• What reading strategy did you try today?
• How can you apply that strategy to your reading life?
• Explain where you used a fix-up strategy.
• Tell me one idea you inferred.
• What is the most important idea you learned from reading. What makes you think so?
• Summarize what you read today.
• Retell what you read today.
• Make a prediction about what will happen in the next chapter of your book. Tell why you think so.
• What new words did you learn? List 3 and tell what they mean?
• How does writing double entry journals help you understand what you're reading?
• What is the hardest part of reading? Easiest part?
• What helps you get in the reading "zone."
• What kind of environment do you need to enjoy reading?
• How does the use of the different journal entries influence your connection with the text?
• How have the journal entries affected the response in reading group?
• List the texts - articles and book chapters - that you are reading.
• Of these, which are the most useful and/or interesting? Why?
• In your reading group, what kinds of contributions have you made? Have they helped others? What makes you think so (either yes or no)?

From my own response journal...

We're all reading The Cabin Faced West as a model for our novel study. The reading journals, the students' written reactions to the text, have exceeded my expectations. The students are showing me that what they learned from retelling The Hill of Fire and from taking a look at the author's craft with My Brother Sam is Dead is paying off. When I was bogged down in the muck of it last month, I wasn't sure whether what I was doing was making any difference. But, now, reading the exit sheets, I am convinced that seeds were planted at that time that are blossoming now.

Some excerpts from exit sheets in the students' words and spelling:

Anthony: Think this book is a bore so far but the author sounds like she's puting good words in the book like apologize and deliberately she expresses there amotion, looks and feelings well. She made Andy talk like he's not educated by puting the words eddicated and learnin also she make Andy say sentences that do not make sence. She also uses similes.
Me: You are reading like an author!

Reginald: I think Andy is like me. He is like me by killing a turkey. Andy also has a slingshot. I think still boring because they don't talk about why the cabin faced west. But if they did talk why the cabin faced west in the first chapter is wouldn't be any good.

There is a book that I read in the 4th grade called The Gamage Cup. In the first 5 or 6 chapters they really didn't talk about anything. But in the 6 chapter, they atrted geting down to business.

If I were the author I would put a little excitment in the first few chapters. Then I would put the real action in the book and make it so interesting they would want to read more.
Me: We need to remember your feelings when we write our book. I hope you will share what you have discovered with the class.

Shelly: I didn't want to put the book down when you said stop. Why because write when you said stop Ann was having trouble getting her uncles. The along came a man. The Author described him as a man that was nice and kind. But I think he is a bad character because the last sentence was, "My mom told me never to talk to strangers."
Me: Do you think foreshadowing is happening here?

Nyisha: I can kind of relate to Ann because when I moved from New York to Texas I thought nothing will ever happen thats exciting. My parents kept telling me to quit complaining when I would say everyone here either has a son or a 3 year old. Yet there was still a special place I loved to go to and it was the wooden swing underneath the oak tree and from there you could see Williamson Creek which circled Oak Hill. Ann had a surprise with Andy and I had a surprise with Amanda Schindler. I guess when you love one place or thing and it's time to move onto another you make up excuses to go back to the previous one.
Me: Nyisha, your insight is amazing to me! Please share.

Focus lessons grow out of the children's responses. They know instinctively what makes a good story, although they may not know the word for it. As a teacher, I can go back and teach them that author's have a word for this technique or that. We have, on our own, already discovered foreshadowing, characterization, descriptive words, similes, building interest and where to do that and how. As readers, we've talked about getting bored at the beginning, liking or not liking characters, and making connections to other books we've read or experiences we've had. We start our reading time together with comments about the journals. Right now I am reading entries that trigger a short, very short, focus lesson.