Coach's Connection

"Building on research, Nuthall (1999) found that students require about four exposures to new informational knowledge to adequately integrate it into their existing knowledge base. These exposures should not be spaced too far apart." (Marzano 2007)

Below you will find six quick & easy strategies that you could implement in your classroom tomorrow to review content.

To implement exit slips you just have to remember to stop class a few minutes before the end of the period. You can offer one or more prompts. The following are a list of prompt ideas:

• What did you learn today?
• How is this unit going for you?
• What was the most difficult or confusing idea we learned today - and why?
• What were the three most important ideas we learned today - and why?
• Pick one quote from today's class discussion or reading and comment on it.
• What are some questions you have about today's lesson?
• Predict what we will need to learn next in this unit and why.
• What would you like me to review in class tomorrow and why?
• What would be some good review questions about this material?
• Summarize today's lesson in exactly 25 words.

At specific points during class, students stop and reflect in writing on the activities happening or information being presented. Writing and then talking about it improves your stickiness rate! So, next have students share with partners (get up and move) or the whole class.

Variation #1: Students play tic-tac-toe. However, to place their X or their O they have to share something from your unit. Students can write down the content on their board before they place their X or their O.

Variation #2: The teacher asks a question to all of the X's. If they can answer the question, they get to place an X on the board. Next the teacher poses a question to all of the O's and if they answer correctly, they get to place an O on the board. This continues until someone gets a tic-tac-toe!

Prepare enough notecards for the number of students you have in your class. Write a quiz question on each notecard. If you choose to do so you can write the answer on the back. Students get up, find a partner, & then quiz each other the question on the notecard. As soon as they each quiz & answer they trade notecards and find a new partner. This pattern of quiz, quiz, trade continues until the teacher says stop.

Post questions around the room on pieces of paper or sticky notes. Students carry their electronic device or a worksheet & answer the questions as they are on the move. You must set up your classroom expectations before you begin. What level of talking and sharing is okay? What should they do if they don't know the answer to a question? What should the do if they finish early?

Give students a few words (a splash of words) from the lesson or unit. They are then instructed to create a few meaningful sentences using the terms based on what they have learned. For extra review, have students share the sentences that they have created either in small groups or as a whole class.

Daniels, Harvey, Steven Zemelman, and Nancy Steineke. Content Area Writing. Portsmouth, NH: 2007.

Welch, Leslie, Gregg Adams, John L. Brown, Adam Welch, and Robert J. Marzano. The Art and Science of Teaching. Alexandria, VA: 2008

Kagan Structures - http://www.kaganonline.com/