Similar to other informal assessments, the 3-2-1 exit ticket encourages students to reflect upon and summarize their learning using a set of teacher-generated response prompts and/or questions.
What is a 3-2-1 Exit Ticket?
The 3-2-1 exit ticket is an informal assessment that serves as a great tool for discovering what students “took away” from the lesson.
The exit ticket is divided into three parts: students first give 3 responses to a prompt, then 2 answers to a prompt, and then just 1 response to a prompt. (see image below)
It also works well as a quick review to see how well students retained previously-learned material.
Feedback provided from this data guides teachers during the lesson planning process as they’ll have a better understanding of what concepts require reviewing and which topics students have mastered.
How to Use
Step 1
At the completion of a lesson or at the start of a lesson review, tell students that they will reflect upon the activity.
Step 2
Provide students with 3-2-1 prompts to answer.
Step 3
Collect the data, and check for understanding. Plan future lessons accordingly.
3-2-1 Exit Ticket Ideas
- 3-2-1 Reading Response
| Fiction | Non-Fiction | ||
| 3 | Traits you’d use to describe the main character of the story | 3 | Facts learned from the lesson |
| 2 | Significant settings from the story | 2 | Text features that helped you comprehend the text better |
| 1 | Prediction of what you think will happen in the next chapter | 1 | Question about a part that was confusing |
- Writing
| 3 | Elements of a good piece of writing |
| 2 | Types of leads for beginning a piece of writing |
| 1 | Area in which you’d like to improve upon |
- Grammar
| 3 | Action verbs in the text |
| 2 | Proper nouns in the selection |
| 1 | Example of a compound sentence found in the text |
- General (All Subjects)
| 3 | Interesting things you learned today |
| 2 | Ways you can improve |
| 1 | Thing you would like the teacher to clarify |
- Science
| Solar System | Cells | ||
| 3 | Outer planets | 3 | Organelles found in an animal cell |
| 2 | Characteristics of Venus | 2 | Types of cells |
| 1 | Question you still have about any of the planets | 1 | Function of mitochondria |
- Social Studies
| Geography | Branches of Government | ||
| 3 | States in the Southern United States | 3 | The branches of government |
| 2 | Two capital cities in the U.S | 2 | Responsibilities of the executive branch |
| 1 | State that’s part of the New England region | 1 | Duty of the judicial branch |
| Biographies | Community Helpers | ||
| 3 | Attributes of this person | 3 | Important roles of the principal |
| 2 | Questions you’d like to ask this individual | 2 | Responsibility of the nurse |
| 1 | Similarity between you and this person | 1 | Way to contribute as a good school citizen |
- Math
| Problem Solving | Number Sense | ||
| 3 | Clues that helped you solve the problem | 3 | Prime numbers |
| 2 | Strategies that you applied | 2 | Composite numbers |
| 1 | Confusing part that you figured out | 1 | A number that’s neither prime or composite |
| Geometry | Multiplication | ||
| 3 | Types of triangles | 3 | Methods for solving multiplication tables |
| 2 | Names of quadrilaterals | 2 | Examples of using multiplication in the real world |
| 1 | Shape with only one set of parallel sides | 1 | Tip or trick for solving more difficult multiplication facts |
- Digital
| 3 | “Aha” moments you experienced while completing the online assignment |
| 2 | Online brain breaks you enjoyed |
| 1 | tech issue that slowed your progress a bit |
Final Thoughts
Download these 3-2-1 exit tickets PDF style here.
The 3-2-1 exit ticket is a quick informal assessment that encourages students to reflect upon and summarize their thoughts.
Keep these ideas in your assessment toolkit as they’re simple to implement yet very effective in collecting data to help guide instruction.