Just like everyone else, I want my students to leave our class feeling that they learned something useful and that they know how to build on the day's learning. While there are many different ways to make sure this happens, this process does not have to be difficult or tediously time-consuming to grade. Here are just a few very simple ways that you can end class in a productive way. You can adapt these activities to reinforce the day’s learning and insure that your students leave with positive attitudes. Consider asking students to:
1.
Play
a quick (4-5 minute) review game.
2.
Use
the current lesson to predict what they will learn in the next one.
3.
Write
three things they learned, two things they found interesting, and one question
they still have.
4.
Highlight
their notes and then list the top five most interesting main ideas.
5.
Rewrite
information in their own words.
6.
Complete
an exit slip that begins:
·
I
learned...
·
I
am still confused about…
·
This
lesson was valuable because…
7.
Share
five facts from the lesson with a classmate.
8.
Tell
the class one new fact they learned. The next student must repeat that fact and
add a new one until all students have had a chance to participate.
9.
Sketch
a fact, definition, or event from the lesson.
10. Write a question about the lesson.
Then form two lines facing each other.
Students ask the person in front of them the question. After one minute
of discussion, they change places with other students. After a few exchanges,
they return to their seats to write out what they have learned.
