When I went to college, back in the dark ages, I don’t think that teacher preparation programs did enough to focus on the importance of having opening and closing routines. So here is a list of exit ticket ideas to get you started.
The More Things Change, the More they Stay the Same
As I watch my student teacher wrap up his placement, I think it remains true that teacher prep programs are missing out on the opportunity to help young teachers with a clear daily structure that includes an opening and closing routine in high school English.
Exit tickets are a quick activity for the end of class. Ideally they take five minutes or fewer. In fact something that only takes a minute or two is the perfect way to use exit slips in class.
Exit slips provide teachers with the opportunity to do a “temperature check.” We can see what things in the lesson hit the mark and those that missed. They allow for a quick check for understanding or a super quick formative assessment.
9 Favorite Exit Ticket Ideas for High School English
The Exit Ticket 3 2 1
This is one that I revisit all the time. Students write 3 of one topic, 2 of another and 1 of a third. They require very little preparation: make a slide or just ask it verbally. Students can turn them in digitally or on a half sheet paper that they split with their friend. For more, check out this post on the 3 2 1 Strategy.
5 4 3 2 1 Ticket
This is a variation of the 3 2 1 Strategy. Just add two more layers. This one takes a little more preparation because it is just a touch harder to think of five things on the fly, but it is still easy for students to complete.
The One Word Response
I do love the power of one word. Ask students for one word to describe X and then defend it. (Read more about using a One Word Exit Ticket in this collaborative post on warm ups and exit tickets.)
Three of These Things
I got this one from Amanda Cardenas and Marie Morris of the Brave New Teaching Podcast. Give students a list of 4 things and ask them to identify why three of them go together which is the outlier. I have a number of these for Macbeth and The Importance of Being Earnest in my Bell Ringer Library.
Spill the TEA
This is a three sentence response. Students write a topic sentence, use evidence and analysis. I talk more about how to use these for characterization in Unlocking Characterization: Teaching Character Complexity in HIgh School English.
The 2×2 Exit Ticket
Provide students with a 4 quadrant graphic organizer and have them process something different in each square. This works great if you introduce a new term or literary element. You can have students draw word art in one quadrant, stick figure art in another, the third can be an example or evidence and the final can be a question or observation. I could also be used for characters or even symbols.
Pair this one the one word exit ticket. The word art can be the word, the stick figure art can be an illustration of the text, the other two boxes can be evidence and rationale.
Before and After Exit Slips
This one can double as a warm up. Have students respond to a question before you do the work for the day and then have them respond to the same question after you have done the work for the day.
Emoji Exit Ticket Ideas
Emojis are a great way to gauge learning. One way to use this style of exit ticket is to simply ask students to draw an emoji that indicates their feelings about the learning.
However, you could get more intricate with using emojis by giving students a set to choose one. Their choice could reflect their own feelings or something related to the text.
For example, if I were to use this with A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I might give the students a series of heart emojis and then ask them to choose one that best represents a certain set of characters at that point in the play. And then, of course, they would defend their answer.
Text or IG Exit Tickets
Give students an image of a cell phone with some text message bubbles, have them text a friend who missed class about what they missed.
Use Instagram as a mode for students to process their learning. Have students write a caption or use hashtags to respond to the lesson for the day. You could give them an image to captions or have them draw something. Or just have them give 3-5 hashtags to describe their learning for the day.
Exit Ticket Ideas for Any Text
Any of these 9 exit ticket ideas will work with almost any text fiction, non-fiction or poetry. So give one or two a shot and let me know how it goes in your classes. And if you are looking for ready made exit tickets, be sure to check out the Pencils and Prologues Bell Ringer Library. (Yes, I know it says bell ringer, but lots of bell ringers can actually double as exit tickets.)
Additional Resources
The 3 2 1 Strategy in High School English
Formative Assessments in Under 10 minutes
Favorite Bell Ringers and Exit Tickets (featuring guest contributors: Whimsy and Rigor, Smith Teaches 9 to 12, Middle School Cafe and Mochas and Markbooks)
5 Ways You Can Bring Self Assessment By Students Into Your Lessons (A Better Way to Teach)
Shop This Post
Pencils and Prologues Bell Ringer Library (there are lots of exit tickets too!)
Unlocking Characterization: Teaching Character Complexity in HIgh School English
