Writing to Learn- Admit Slips and Exit Slips
How can we use admit slips and exit slips effectively in a classroom? This blog post outlines some of the issues and concerns surround admit and exit slips and outlines how to use them in an English classroom. This is an English 10 class, doing a novel study on Suzanne Collins The Hunger Games.
Who: The class is an Grade 10 English class. I have 28 students and they sit in pods of 4 throughout the classroom.
Each classroom will be unique, but consider the following students:
- ESL Student: Naharive, from Saudi Arabia. He has been here for 6 months
- Student with disability: Jason, born with a degenerative spine disease has been in a wheelchair all his life.
- Student from low socioeconomic background: Sandra is from a single parent home that receives welfare checks.
- Student who frequently misses class: Jackson has been playing hockey for the junior Canucks team in Vancouver. He frequently misses multiple days of school, and rarely is able to attend school on Fridays.
*Adapted from: http://hyperstruction.ucr.edu/equip.html
It is important to note the variety of students within each classroom. By making the admit slip anonymous, students who are not comfortable speaking out in class can feel more safe, expressing their views in an anonymous way. If there are any culture differences, or concepts that students don’t understand, they can write them down without the threat of being ridiculed if they asked in a discussion setting. Because admit slips and exit slips are very general, they can be tailored very easily depending on the uniqueness of the class.
What: Admit slips and exit slips are key when sued anonymously. They should not be used as a permanent record of learning and should a separate assignment in order to be an effective tool in the classroom. There are a difference between exit and admit slips:
Admit slips: These are brief comments, concerns, or thoughts written by students. They can be written on index cards or scrap pieces of paper. Admit slips should be “assigned” at the beginning of class. An admit slip acts like “admission” slip, getting students engaged in the lesson, and welcoming into the classroom. “The purpose of the admit slip is to have students react to what they are studying or what is happening in class” (Vacca, 226). Students are asked to respond on admit slips, and because they are anonymous students are more likely to give out real answers, and concerns about information they do not know. Admit slips should be collected by the teacher, and read out loud. This is a great way to generate discussion about a topic, see what level all of the students are on within a topic. Admit slips allows for communication between a teacher and student, and other students within the class. It is a good way to gauge understanding of a text or concept.
Exit slips: Like the admit slips, exit slips are handed out to students, like a slash card, or scrap piece of paper. The difference though, is that exit slips are given out at the end of class. This is a way for teachers to bring closure to a lesson. An exit slip can ask students to summarize, evaluate, synthesis, discuss, reflect or project information they just learned (Vacca, 236). Exit slips are a great building block to use from one lesson to the next.
IRP: This lesson meets the following IRP’s for Grade 10 English:
B1 read, both collaboratively and independently, to comprehend a variety of literary texts, including
– literature reflecting a variety of times, places, and perspectives
B6 during reading and viewing, select, adapt, and apply a range of strategies to construct, monitor,
and confirm meaning, including
– comparing and refining predictions, questions, images, and connections
– making inferences and drawing conclusions
– summarizing and paraphrasing
The first IRP (B1) is met solely through the literature chosen. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a science-fiction novel, set in a post apocalyptic world, with a female narrator. The novel crossed many generations, and allows students to think about the world in a post apocalyptic setting. By asking students to respond to the text, both with admit slips and exit slips, students are fulfilling B6. By completing an admit slip, students are making connections to the novel and their understanding, making predictions, and asking questions about future information they would like to learn. Because the exit slip requires them to summarize, they are deconstructing not just the text, but also the discussion and information they discussed within their group, making a conclusion about the whole lesson. The final step of the exit slip asks students to write down a question they have about the book, shaping future lessons, and allowing them to utilize this strategy to make predictions, get information about a text and possibly draw conclusions about future readings.
Where: The logistics of admit slips and exit slips require admit slips to be handed out at the beginning of class and the exit slips to be handed out at the end of class. This strategy should be used as frequently as needed within a unit, to check for understand, get students to write and to gauge what information students can recall from a text. For this lesson I would use admit slips and exit slips almost as a double entry journal. Students are required to read up to the 4th chapter in The Hunger Games. When they first enter class I would ask them to complete an admit slip with the following questions:
- What is confusing you about the plot of the story so far?
- What do you like/dislike about the book so far?
- Do you think Katniss Everdeen is a good protagonist? Why or why not?
By asking students open ended, yet general ones that can ask them to think critically about the text they are reading, I can gauge who did their homework, what point students are at with their book, and some of the class perception of the novel.
After a discussion about the admit slip questions, we would complete lit circles, with each students completing a role in their group (passage director, discussion director, summarizer and vocabularian). Lit circles are a great way to get students discussing text, and become more focused when each student has a specific role.
Before class ends, as a final closing activity, I would ask students, this time not anonymously, to write a brief summary of what they learned today, and ask one question they are curious to read about for next class. This question could have to do with plot, characters, themes or the author. These questions will be used as a scaffolding technique and addressed or answered within the next few class periods.
When: These strategies could be used throughout any unit. I would use this as a way to get students to write, to generate ideas for discussion or lesson planning, and to see how much of the text students are understanding. By asking students to anonymously answer questions about the novel, as a teacher I can adapt my lesson to some of the issues that students are having with a text. In this lesson both admit slips and exit slips are used in the same class, as an introduction and conclusion technique. Because this lesson only requires two pieces of scrap paper, it can be completed any where. Even if students are not in their own desks, this lesson would still be available to all students.
Why: So why use admit slips and exit slips? These strategies really begin class discussion, and build a trusting relationship between the student and teacher. Admit slips and exit slips create a sense of community within the classroom, while allowing the teacher to measure understanding about a topic, theme, concept or text (Vacca 236). By asking students to pin point specifically parts of a novel they are having some confusion about teachers are able to see what could be missing in their students learning. By asking students to write down final summaries or answer specific questions in an exit slip, students are synthesizing what they have learned about each day.
How: The following is an example dialogue between students and teachers demonstrating how to introduce both admit slips and exit slips into a classroom.
Admit Slips:
Teacher: “Good morning class! Did everyone get a chance to complete their assignment reading for last night?”
Student #1: “We were only suppose to read to chapter 4, right?”
Teacher: “That’s right! You were suppose to read to chapter 4, but I have a feeling some of you might have read a bit further! Before we begin to get into our lit circles, I want to hear about some of your thoughts on the book.”
Students #1: “It’s soooooooo good Miss M! I didn’t think I was going to like it because its by a girl, but its awesome! Does she die?”
Teacher: “I don’t know Jason! I am glad you are enjoying the book though! Okay. Everyone should have a piece of paper on their desk. I am going to give you the next 5 minutes to answer the questions on the board. What is confusing you about the plot of the story so far? What do you like/dislike about the book so far? Do you think Katniss Everdeen is a good protagonist? Why or why not?”
Student #2: “Can I write down something that isn’t on the board?”
Teacher: “Sure. But remember to answer the questions on the board too.”
Student #3: “Is this for marks?”
Teacher: “No, this is to check to make sure everyone is reading, and to see if you have any questions about the novel that you might not mention in class.”
Student #4: “Do I have to write my name on this?”
Teacher: “Nope. Remember, our admit slips are completely anonymous. Take the next five minutes to answer the questions. And go!”
Exit Slips:
Teacher: “Great job in your lit circles everyone! I heard a lot of really great discussions about Katniss and Petta, and their characters! Who wants to know what happens to them in the end?”
Student #1: “Tell us!!!!”
Teacher: “I don’t know, I am only as far along as you are! Okay, before the bell rings, for the next five minutes I want you guys to write something down on the piece of paper in front of you.”
Students #1: “Didn’t we do this at the beginning of class?”
Teacher: “Yes, we did something like this Matt. But this time you are going to answer a different question, and put your name on it.”
Student #2: “What’s the question?”
Teacher: “In 3-5 sentences summarize what your lit circle discussed today, and write down one question you have about the book, that you want answered. I will read over the questions, and we will discuss them in class, or wait to see if after reading the book our questions were answered.”
Student #3: “So I have to put my name on this? What if I have a question like, did they make a movie about this?”
Teacher: “That would be okay Jane, as long as you are giving me a summary and a questions that in some way relates to the novel.”
Student #4: “So we have to summarize what we talked about today?”
Teacher: “Yes! You have 5 minutes!”
Works Cited:
http://hyperstruction.ucr.edu/equip.html
Vacca, R., Vacca J., & Begoray, D. (2005) Content Area Reading: Literacy and Learning Across the Curriculum.Toronto: Pearson Education.
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