Monitoring Student Progress

Sometimes it is hard to tell if all the children in the classroom are learning the information that I present.  Here is an example of how I use an exit slip to check for understanding. 

We were working on inflectional endings with verbs ending in -ed.  The -ed endings can be tricky to read. I have a lot of English language learners and this visual helps them to understand the correct enunciation of the word.  The chart shows and tells the kids exactly how to say the -ed ending. 

We practiced together using our white boards.  On the upper corner, I wanted them to write what sound the -ed made to help them remember how to read the word.

Finally, I had the kids do one to check for understanding.  Each child received a different verb card.  (I love these cards!) I made sure to give each student a card which they could read.  They shared their learning with the class and I monitored who got it or who needed more help.

It appears that everyone is getting the lesson.  Success! 

But look closely at this last one.  The student wrote the letter t.  The student knew how to read the word play but with the inflectional ending was unable to read the word.  I said the word played stressing the ending sound and asked what they heard.  Finally, the student said /d/.  I had the student correct their answer and share the correct answer with the class and why it was correct. 
Exit slips are one or two questions about any topic that provide immediate information to both the teacher and student about student learning.  I like how it provides immediate feedback.  What I love about this example, is that you need very little tools.  If you would like to read more about exit slips, read more here.

 Happy Learning and Teaching!