Can you make formative assessments festive?
Yes! You sure can! It’s no secret that we love a good exit slip! In ELA, one of my favorite ways to use the principles of exit slips is quick writes, or accountable writes. Quick writes are easy to customize to fit the season!
I like to take whatever concept we’ve been working on in ELA (characterization, for example) and pose a quick journal prompt at the end of independent reading to see how well students are able to take the skill and apply it on their own in their self-selected independent reading book.
How to use exit slips:
Since today’s Christmas freebie is an ELA exit slip/quick write, we’ll use ELA as our example. I typically give an exit slip/accountable write at the end of the independent reading period. First, pose a question that relates to the reading target (theme, characterization, plot development, etc.). Then give the students a few minutes to write out their responses.
After collecting the exit slips, sort them into three different piles 3s- they have it, 2s- they don’t quite have it yet, and 1s- they don’t have it yet. This will allow you to visualize where each of your students are in mastering any given skill and an overview of where the class is as a whole. Mark your exit slips before passing them back, and be sure to follow up with students as soon as possible (the next day at the latest).
How to make exit slips festive!
Consider general activities that take place in any given season, and then work it into a journal prompt focusing on your target skill. Let’s practice!
Let’s pretend you are working on characterization, and it is October. You could pose this journal prompt to your students: If your main character was going to dress up for Halloween, what would he/she dress up as and why?
The “and why” part is crucial! Always ask your students to explain their answers. This is how you get to see their thinking. This is also how you know where they are in their progression toward mastery of the skill!
If you want to read more about why you should be using exit slips, be sure to check out this post, and be on the lookout for ELA exit slips/accountable writes for 3rd and 4th grade in the near future!
