Saturday, October 1, 2011

Exit Tickets

The Exit Ticket

The Exit Ticket (sometimes called an exit slip) is being used in the music room this year to ensure that the students in my classroom are leaving with an understanding of the concept that was presented during the lesson.  I am currently implementing the Exit Ticket in grades 1-5.  My Exit Ticket was designed to accommodate answers to ten "Essential Questions" that will be asked throughout the course of the year in each of these grade levels.  The questions are content-specific for each grade level and are proving to be a very useful tracking tool as my students work towards mastery of the content.

Essential Question #1:  The photo above shows the seating diagram for the Jacksonville Symphony Orchestra.  My 4th and 5th graders are preparing for a field study to attend a "live" performance in November and will be well-acquainted with the seating plan for the orchestra by that time.  On the back of the yellow sheet, there is a blank seating diagram.

Their first assignment was to fill out the blank side by using the pictures of the instrument families on the front side of the paper.  I allotted 15 minutes for this "Essential Question" and most of them were able to complete the task in that amount of time.  They were allowed to use the "Instrument Family" posters in my classroom as a resource.  Some were able to complete the assigment from their chairs; others needed to use the posters on the wall to complete the assignment.  It was a good indicator of who knew their "instrument families" and was an excellent opportunity for review.





If all goes as planned, I will have a portfolio of student work for 1200 students at the conclusion of this school year.  Unprecedented? I'm not sure, but I will do my best to see that this method of accountability is met with perseverence and due diligence on my part.  I am hoping for 80% mastery across the board.  Please stay tuned.

Until next time...

1 comment:

Suzanne said...

I love it! We use Exit Tickets about three times a week in our math class to capture in writing what a student can do independently at the end of a lesson. Sometimes, we use them to exit the lesson and sometimes we use them the next day to enter a lesson.

We then sort the Exit Tickets into piles and prescribe small group and individual instruction based off the needs of the students.

The Exit Ticket is one of my favorite learning tools. Can't wait to come see my students' music Exit Tickets at the end of the year.

Nicely done, Dee Dee!