Exit tickets can be effectively differentiated to engage all students. One common method involves adjusting the level of support provided, especially for students who might struggle with the material.
Strategies for Differentiating Exit Tickets
Differentiation doesn't have to mean creating entirely new exit tickets for each student. Instead, it involves strategically modifying aspects of the questions to cater to different learning needs. Here are some ways to differentiate exit tickets:
Level of Question Complexity
- Vary the type of questions: Use a mix of recall, understanding, application, analysis, synthesis, and evaluation questions based on student needs.
- Offer multiple choice options for some, and open-ended questions for others: This allows for different levels of cognitive engagement.
Scaffolding and Support
- Provide sentence starters or frames: According to the reference, sentence stems can be a great way to help struggling students formulate their responses. Example: "One thing I learned today is ____," or "I still have questions about ____."
- Offer vocabulary support: Pre-teach key terms or provide a word bank for students to use in their responses.
- Provide visuals or graphic organizers: For visual learners, this can be an effective method of differentiation.
Modification of Task Length or Content
- Allow choice: Give students a choice of questions to answer, based on their comfort level or interests.
- Shorten the exit ticket for some: Some students may need fewer questions to demonstrate understanding.
- Focus on key concepts: For students who might be overwhelmed, focus on the most critical concepts covered in the lesson.
Example Scenario
Let's say the topic was photosynthesis.
| Student Group | Exit Ticket Question | Support |
|---|---|---|
| High-Achieving | Explain the process of photosynthesis using your own words. | None |
| On-Level | Describe the key components involved in photosynthesis. | A list of keywords: sunlight, water, chlorophyll, carbon dioxide, oxygen |
| Struggling | Complete the sentence: Photosynthesis needs __ and __, and produces __. | Sentence stem provided with blanks, word bank: water, sunlight, oxygen, food. |
Benefits of Differentiated Exit Tickets
- Increased engagement: By catering to various learning styles and needs, students are more likely to engage fully with the activity.
- More accurate assessment: You get a more realistic measure of what each student has learned.
- Personalized learning: Differentiation supports a more personalized learning approach.
- Greater understanding: With appropriate supports, all students can demonstrate their understanding of the key concepts.
By utilizing these strategies, educators can ensure that exit tickets are not just an end-of-lesson formality, but rather a valuable tool for both assessing and guiding student learning.
