Entrance Slips, Formative Assessment, Freebies, and Blog Hops!

Hello everyone!  I am super excited to be a part of a super cool “Back to School” Blog Hop!  At each of the 12 stops along the way, you will pick up classroom tips, freebies, and a chance to win a great giveaway at the end!  Do I have your attention now?  I thought so!

One teaching “tip” I have that I share whenever I can is how essential formative assessment is to effective teaching.  Research states clearly that knowing WHAT your students know and teaching to address these needs has a HUGE impact on student learning.  Pair this up with quality feedback and you are golden!  
Many people use exit slips at the end of class to see what students have learned. I do this as well–but not as often as I use ENTRANCE slips!  Entrance slips you ask?  Absolutely.  Consider the number of students you have had in your life who got 100% on every spelling test but spell the same words incorrectly at every other time.  The same can be true with exit slips.  LOTS of students can do well with a topic immediately after being taught.  For me, it is more valuable to see who can still do it the next day or the day after that!  That’s why I started using quick learning checks the next day–I wanted to see where my class stood before I started to teach.
Here’s where I want to be clear.  The entrance slips I am talking about are not “morning work” for students to do while I take attendance.  They aren’t necessarily graded (although they can be).  They can be used to check understanding on academic content OR to get a read on student attitudes and comfort levels and I use them in a couple of ways:
  • to see if there are any students with major misconceptions
  • to see if the entire class is missing understanding and I need to reteach
  • to sort my students into groups for instruction
I often create a bunch of these entrance slips to use as I plan any given unit–but I also create them “on the fly” when I feel the need to take the temperature of the class.  I keep a bunch of easy to use slips that work for any subject copied and ready to use.  
Before I get started with instruction, I often give students one of these, collect them as they finish, and give them a quick glance.  I might sort them into piles.  I might highlight things I notice or things I want to address with the class.  I love that I always have a good sense for where my students are and what I need to do as a teacher to better reach them.  I sometimes change my plan right on the spot based on what I see!
Want to give some a try?  I created this freebie to share 3 of my entrance slips with all of you!  If you like it, you might want to check out the full resource in my store with more than 20 entrance slips ready to use–complete with suggestions for use!  

When you are done reading MY tips and picking up the new freebie, please head over to 
My Primary Paradise 
Primary Paradise Signature
to see what Martha has to share with you!  Continue on through the blog hop until you reach the giveaway at the end!

Meg