How To Use Fun Phonics Exit Tickets

You’ve just taught a lesson on a targeted phonics skill, but how will you assess students’ understanding? Use quick, kid-friendly, and fun phonics exit tickets! Phonics exit tickets are a way for teachers to evaluate students’ understanding of phonics concepts at the end of a lesson or unit. Equally important, you must also know what to do with the data. Read on for actionable steps!

Fun Phonics Exit Tickets – Why?

An exit ticket typically involves students answering a question or completing a short activity, demonstrating their understanding of class material. Exit tickets are vital because once you’ve completed the lesson, you’ll want to have a pulse on what aspects of the lesson your students have mastered or still need additional instruction.

Pre-preparation

First things first, ensure you’ve quickly reviewed the material right after the lesson; this can be a quick question such as, “When do we use ‘c,’ ‘k,’ and ‘ck’ when spelling words?”

Step #1

Make a set of questions or tasks that relate to the phonics concept taught. These could be multiple-choice, fill-in-the-blank, open-ended questions or hands-on tasks such as sorting words by their initial sounds or blending sounds to make words.

Step #2

Distribute the exit tickets to students at the end of the lesson or unit. Have students complete the exit ticket independently. Allow sufficient time for students to complete. Consider setting a timer or predetermining a set time for students to complete.

Step #3

Collect and review the exit tickets to assess students’ understanding of the phonics concepts. Record information on a Google Sheets document or other working doc. You can use this information to inform your instruction and tailor your lessons to the needs of your students.

Step #4

Provide feedback to students on their exit ticket responses. Feedback can include individualized feedback or a class discussion about the correct answers and common challenges students faced.

Helpful Tips

1. Add an option for students to self-assess. To make it truly “fun,” add emojis and allow students to select the emoji that best represents their level of understanding.
2. Use a working document to record data. Using a Google Sheets, Docs, or Slides option for tracking data allows you to pinpoint areas of weakness; equip yourself with proper data for parent conferences, data meetings, etc.!
3. Don’t officially grade the exit slips. Remember, we’re using this as a formative assessment of students’ data. The sole purpose of this type of assessment is to guide your future instruction — not to use it as a formal grade.
4. Pair it with something FUN. Exit tickets aren’t always the most exciting activity, but if you’re assessing students’ understanding of trick words, follow it up with trick word games! It doesn’t have to be daunting; you can entice students by reviewing trick word games in other ways after completing the exit tickets.

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If you want to see all the exit tickets, the individual units are available with pre-formatted Google Sheets trackers, Google Slides, and PDF versions.