Formative Assessment Exit Tickets: 25 Prompts by Subject

A good exit ticket has one question tied directly to the day's objective. It takes 2–3 minutes to complete and gives you sortable data: got it, almost, not yet. Multi-question exit tickets take too long and blur the signal.

The question should require application, not just recall. 'Solve this problem and explain your first step' is better than 'What is the formula for area?' because it tells you whether the student can use the knowledge, not just recite it.

Math: (1) Solve this problem and explain your strategy. (2) Find the error in this worked example. (3) Write a word problem that uses today's concept. (4) Which method is more efficient and why? (5) Draw a model that shows why this answer is correct.

Science: (6) Explain the relationship between X and Y using evidence from today's activity. (7) What would happen if we changed one variable? (8) Draw and label the process we studied. (9) Write a CER statement about today's investigation. (10) What question do you still have?

ELA: (11) What is the author's purpose and how do you know? (12) Summarize today's text in exactly 20 words. (13) Identify one rhetorical device and explain its effect. (14) Write one claim about the text with supporting evidence. (15) What connection can you make between this text and another we've read?

Social Studies: (16) What caused X and what was the effect? (17) Compare two perspectives on this event. (18) How does today's topic connect to the essential question? (19) What evidence supports this historical claim? (20) If you were advising the historical figure, what would you recommend?

General: (21) What is the most important thing you learned today? (22) Rate your understanding 1–5 and explain. (23) Explain today's concept to a younger student. (24) What was confusing and what would help? (25) Create a test question about today's lesson.

Sort responses into three piles: got it, almost, not yet. Tomorrow's warm-up targets the 'almost' and 'not yet' groups. The 'got it' group gets an extension. This 60-second sort is the fastest way to differentiate instruction based on real data.

LessonCraft's Assessment Pack tool generates aligned exit tickets for any lesson objective. Pro users can create a set of formative checks matched to the lesson's learning target.