Mini Quiz, Exit Slips, Plot Charts

As a middle school teacher, it's so very important that I know where the students' understanding of the daily concepts falls.  Some days, I know that none of my lower end students had any idea how to solve for X, subtract decimals, or solve the Pythagorean Theorem.

So, I started using exit slips or 4 question mini quizzes to test their knowledge.

4 Question Mini Quiz
I love the 4 question mini quiz because it's a straight shot at their comprehension of the basic problem.  Plus, you can make your own 4 question mini quiz in about 4 seconds without any copying!

Steps:
1.  Ask the students to fold a new paper into hot dog style, then hamburger style.  You should end up with your paper in fourths.
2.  On your paper - place 4 quick comprehension questions for the kids.  I usually try to do two types of problems, so they have two attempts at each type.
3.  Let them get to work!

I love the setup because sometimes, they write their problems so messily that I can't read their work.  The 4 boxes really help me clearly see how they are working through the problem.

Exit Slip

The exit slip really works well because it allows the students to reconnect with their learning target (or learning goal) and work through a problem for you.  Also, I've included a section where they can discuss how they felt about the problem, which is always so insightful to discover their "true thoughts!"

The key to a good exit slip session is not forcing them to rush doing it out the door.  It really works best in a Cored Setting, where they have to complete the exit slip before moving on to another activity that's not whole-class in nature.

I've attached my copy of an Exit Slip for everyone to download here!  Since I work in a cash-strapped district, my exit slips are a little small and 4 up on a page.  That way I can save my precious paper (....preciooooouuuuussssss....) and copy limits!



Plot Charts

I designed this Plot Chart for my Language Arts classes last year because I needed something that would hit all the elements of a story we needed to discuss AND not waste a million copies doing so.  (Again, cash-strapped district... I'm lucky I don't have to beg for white paper on the street corners!)

I'm pretty happy what I put together, combining a form my neighbor made along with my plot graph idea and summary section.  It's available over at TpT!