ADMIT SLIPS

An "admit slip" is usually a brief writing task that can effectively foreshadow some major aspect of the day's class session. Allow students two to five minutes to write to a question or prompt, the length of time depending on the complexity of the question. The question itself should be connected to the material for the day's lesson.

In effect,  the admit slip asks students to summarize their expectations--which they may have considered in more detail in a journal entry. Notice also that the admit slip previews a more detailed discussion. By summarizing  expectations at the beginning of the session, the admit slip provides some "hypotheses" which students can test against the ideas in the upcoming class.

Applications: the admit slip can serve several purposes but it is basically designed to get students thinking and focused on some central aspect of the day's lesson. The writing task may direct students in any number of directions, for example:

• suggest hypotheses students can explore during the session

• articulate questions they have about the day's topic (so they can listen more closely for an answer)

• articulate a connection between a previous day's work and their expectations for the day's lesson

• state an interpretation or issue they hope to discuss in the course of the session

• ask questions about readings--or about the material to be covered so that in your discussion you can respond to their concerns

You can use admit slips as a means of informal assessment: collect them as soon as the students are finished writing; before beginning class discussion or lecture, review them very quickly to get a sense of how much your students already know about the material you are going to cover. For this purpose, focus the question well, and limit the students to a brief response: for example, "Name the one aspect of today's material which is most confusing to you." From such slips (some of which you could read aloud in class), you can uncover a lot about where your students are having difficulty.

                                            EXIT SLIPS

 "Exit slips" are very similar to "admit slips" except that they are used at a different point in your class session, and therefore serve somewhat different functions. If the admit slip is useful to engage students in thinking about the topic to be discussed, the exit slip is most powerful as a way of getting student either to summarize what they have been doing during the class session or to become aware of important aspects of that material.

In some ways, "exit slips" are more difficult to use than admit slips--because they require that you stay aware of class time to stop and let students write at the end of class. In other ways, they are easier because you can often just make u the question on the spot.

As with "admit slips," judge the amount of time for writing by the complexity of the task. However, as a general principle, exit slip tasks should be given slightly more time--especially if you are using them to assess learning.

Applications: exit slips are useful supports to learning since they provide the student with a chance for closure. For example, asking students to write down the most important things they learned from a day's session allows them the chance to review what has gone on, integrate the material, and make about the relative importance of a variety of ideas. Other options for "exit" tasks include previews of homework ("How do you think the essay you are asked to read will connect to our discussion of theory?"), speculations about how the day's lesson fits into the overall structure of the course, or similar reflections on specific points raised during the day's session.

Exit slips are an excellent form of informal assessment: they can provide valuable information about how well students are understanding material, where they are having difficulty, and where they would like additional information, etc. These brief writings can help you monitor many aspects of your course and increase your flexibility in presenting information.

MINI-THEMES

The "mini-theme" (sometimes referred to as "One Minute Essays,") can be a powerful tool for enhancing class discussion. Many professors have found they can improve discussions simply by extending their "wait time" (the amount of time between asking students a question and calling on someone for an answer). You can do even more by asking a question and then saying--"Take a couple of minutes to make some notes about your answer."

This does slow down the pace of discussion--but it also has two major benefits: (1) it gives students a chance to think about the answer (and writing can improve the quality of that thinking); (2) it allows students who are less assertive a chance to assemble their thoughts. And since they are writing answers, every student in the class should be able to contribute something--you can insist that, at the very least, they read what they wrote.

Applications: mini-themes are useful, as suggested above, for slowing--and hopefully deepening--class discussion. But they can also provide students with all sorts of thought problems and can provide you with information about how your students are thinking in the context of class discussion or lecture. Some suggestions for designing effective tasks:

• If you use rhetorical questions as a part of your lecture style--get the students to write a short answer before you continue your discussion.

• Identify the key points in the structure of the lesson--and get students to either summarize what has been covered up to the present, or preview what will come next.

• If part of your material depends upon students' having some background information, let them write a few minutes about that information (e.g., so that you will better understand how 19^th Century writing theorists were working from a new model of the imagination, take a few minutes to recall: "What are the five departments of Classical Rhetoric?"). In small classes you might call on one or two people to read their reviews so that everyone shares a knowledge of the crucial points.

• Ask students to apply a theoretical point under discussion to particular instances--or to explain a general point in some greater detail. (Such mini-themes are, again, usefully shared if time allows--since the specifics are a great aid to understanding for some students.)

Like Admit and Exit Slips, mini-themes can provide you with valuable information about how well students are processing ideas in your courses. Because mini-themes catch students in the act of thinking, as it were, they can often give a clearer sense of their strengths and difficulties than more considered writing samples.

• Group Writing. Groups of two or three are the most manageable and will cut your paper load by half or two-thirds. Students will learn from each other as they exchange ideas, write and edit to create a final product.
• One-Minute Essay. This is a great way to monitor learning and to stimulate better class discussion and closer reading. It usually asks two questions: a). What's the most significant thing you learned? b). What's the most significant question you're left with? Ask the questions at the beginning or end of the class. Some teachers call these "entrance slips" or "admit slips" and "exit slips."
• Writing That You Don't Read. You know how you feel when you ask a question and no one answers? Well, when that happens have the students write the answer(s) to the question(s). Give them time to think about them, to clarify and compose their responses. Then call on students to read the answer aloud and build the discussion on those comments.
• Joint Responses. Have students trade papers and read what others responded. Have 2-3 students write a joint response, and then read it aloud to the rest of the class. Don't grade these written responses - perhaps you can just collect them and check them off. However, you do need to let the students know somehow their responses are valuable to you and to their understanding of the material.
• Micro Theme. Longer is not always better. Have students write reviews of magazine articles, books, films, etc. on note cards. This helps them get rid of excess verbiage and to focus on pertinent information. Or insist on 25-word limits or 50-word limits to some summaries (and take off points for going over the limit). Sometimes you can even provide the first sentence - a topic or thematic statement that needs support. Or give the students the supporting examples, and have them write the topic sentence.
• Writing Roulette. As a review, ask students to start writing about what was significant about the material covered. After 2-3 minutes, have students pass their papers to the person behind them. Then have them read and write for another 2-3 minutes commenting, clarifying, and adding to what they read. Stress to the students that they should try to keep the flow from the previous writer going. Repeat this process four times (adding time for reading) and return papers to the original writers. Collect them and read some aloud to the class.  Respond by clarifying and re-emphasizing important points. [Computers really streamline this.]
• Believing-Doubting Game. This comes from Peter Elbow's Writing Without Teachers. Have students use this as invention (prewriting) for analysis or argumentation. Take a controversial claim, identify all the reasons to support the claim, with no criticism, then identify all the reasons to doubt the claim, with no positive counter-arguments. It can be done individually or in small groups.
• Data Sets. A great way to help students think logically, find patterns and relationships, understand cause-effect, and consequences is to give students random lists of data (choose data from some current event that they are interested in - use newspapers, magazine articles, Harper's Index, etc.), and have them work in groups to write a claim about the data and to arrange the data to support their claim. Or begin with a chart, graph, table, and have the students draw conclusions. Note: This is great for teaching students that there is not always one right answer but that same sets of data can yield more than one answer.
• Descriptive Outlining. For short reading assignments, consider descriptive outlining (indicate what the paragraph says and what each one does) or sentence combining (deconstruct a key passage and have them reconstruct it).
• Idea Maps. As a substitute for traditional outlining (outlining works best as a revision strategy, rather than as a prewriting strategy), have students visually represent their papers or their peers' papers. It is a way to see associations in nonlinear ways, and it reinforces visual and spatial learning.
• The List. Sometimes students need to work with shorter forms of writing. In list making, one idea often leads to another. They can make lists of

    steps in a process
    causes
    effects
    reasons
    examples
    items
    suggestions
    ideas
    conclusions

• Journals. Have students write a daily or weekly journal structured so they are responding to specific questions you've devised or generic questions, such as those in the one-minute essay (see #5). Have students write for 10 or 15 minutes at a time outside of class or for shorter periods at the beginning of class if you want to use the journals to promote class discussion. Good questions to ask include how to apply a general principle in a given situation or how to define a "borderline" case. Above all, avoid rhetorical questions with one right answer.
• Guided Journals. Have students respond to outside reading to help make them more critical readers. The one-minute essay works well as a reading guide.
• Dialectical Notebook. Sometimes called the Cornell notebook, this is an open-ended journal in which half the notebook is used for observation or summary while help is used for reflection on the summary. Such notebooks are particularly useful in classes which require primary research or have an interest in foregrounding methodology or process.
• Free Writing. At the beginning of a chapter, unit, period, discussion, lecture, etc., ask the students to write nonstop for five to ten minutes on what they know about the concept to be introduced (prior knowledge). This focuses them on the learning to be taught and if they share aloud what they've written, it helps you know what they already know, what they don't know, or what they want to learn. Saves you time in "repeating" material they already know.
• More Free Writing. Use the same free writing activity at the end of a chapter, story, film, etc. Ask students to write nonstop about what they've learned and what they think about what they've learned. You may want to do "focused free writing" by giving them a prompt, for example ask them to make connections between what they've just heard, read or seen, and previous learning. This will also serve as a springboard for discussion as students read or paraphrase their writing aloud. Or students can share their free writings with each other and report to the entire class by groups.
• Notebooks. Keep free writing in a notebook and date the entries.   Collect at the end of a quarter. Just count entries and award points for completion.
• Note Cards. Try using note cards instead of paper. After readings, films, lectures, ask students to write down a "wondering" question about concepts presented. Redistribute the cards to members of the class, asking each student to respond to and answer the question he or she receives. Return the cards; then ask students to read their questions and responses aloud. This makes a great review, also.
• Test Questions. Ask students individually or in groups to write test questions on note cards. Collect and redistribute then, asking students to find the answers to the questions they've been given. Collect them and use them on the test. You may want to ask students to design questions at various levels of Bloom's Taxonomy. Give them a copy and an explanation of the taxonomy.
• The RAFT. Provide students with the writer's Role, Audience, Format, and Task. Then to help them further, provide them with a suggested format: key idea, general ideas, specific case, frosting. You will be able to evaluate the papers much faster if you and students know what you are looking for. Format might include for key idea (a one sentence answer to the question), for general ideas (presentation of the main ideas, terms, and relationships of the part to the topic), for specific cases (application of these ideas to the specific question), and for frosting (optional additional insights that further explain the topic.

*****

Criteria for Assessing a Writing-to-Learn Assignment

1. It requires no elaborate explanation.

2. It gets students to reflect on what they've learned and what they don't yet know.

3. It is clearly and immediately related to course material.

4. It is short and can be quickly read by an instructor.

5. It doesn't appear to students to be busy work because it leads somewhere:  a better grade on an assignment, better understanding of crucial material.

      *****

Handling the Paper Load

1. If you have students write research papers, limit them to three pages, typed and double-spaced. Shorter is sweeter. Better yet, have students turn in phases of their papers. First could be 1-2 page abstracts of their sources. Next students could hand in a 1-2 page paper comparing or contrasting two or three of the sources. Later students could be asked to write a 3-4 page problem/solution or persuasive paper using as many of the sources as they need.
2. When teaching argument or persuasive writing, ask students to free write their own argument and bring it to class. During class, have students exchange papers with a peer. The peer reads the student's paper, writes a response in class, and returns both copies to the writer. The students then go home and revise their argument incorporating the "other view" into their argument. They return to class with a synthesis and pair up again. Continue this until each student has a succinct and balanced argument. The teacher can move around the room joining in and listening to different teams reading their papers and comment orally in class.
3. If you collect a number or series of assignments at the same time (or near the same time), ask students to choose the best of their own papers to be graded. Besides cutting your paper load, this asks the students to re-read and evaluate the quality of their work. You can even ask students to help each other choose their best efforts. That way they have the opportunity to read and learn from each other's writing. [Don't tell them this method of evaluation until you are ready to collect the work.] Collect all papers even though you are going to grade only one of them.
4. When peer groups read and respond to each other's papers, have them sign their names to their commentary. Provide evaluation criteria for them to check off - or generate the criteria with them. You can even have two similar classes exchange papers to do this kind of workshop.
5. Design writing assignments that can be read or presented to the class and evaluated by you at the actual time of the presentation. For example, oral reports, reviews, dialogues between characters, plays, panel discussions, debated, etc. Collect what students prepare for their presentations, the notes, notecards, scripts, photocopies of highlighted materials, visual aids, etc., to make them accountable for their grade based on the oral presentation. You may want to use evaluation checklists as students give their presentations and give them the evaluation after your record grades.
6. Rather than write the same ten or fifteen comments on a set of thirty papers, don't waste the time. Present the comments to the entire class. Use a separate piece of paper to keep a list of the general strengths and weaknesses students had in a particular assignment. Let the whole class know what they are doing well, what needs improvement. Read model papers aloud or put them on transparencies. Give specific examples abstracted from papers of what they should avoid.
7. When it's appropriate, in a longer composition, evaluate only a 100-word passage. Let students know that's your procedure, but they won't know which 100 words you will choose.

 *****

Strategies for Supporting
Your Students' Writing

THINKING ABOUT WHAT TO SAY: the writer in this stage must identify relevant information: identify sources, organize notes, reflect on the significance of information.

• help students understand what types of information are needed for the assignment, the appropriate sources of that information: theoretical constructs from their reading; observations from lab work; examples drawn from personal experience; inferences connecting observations or experience to theory

• provide strategies for recalling and organizing information (e.g., visual strategies such as diagrams or flowcharts; recall strategies like clustering or webbing)

PLANNING: the writer in this stage develops a sequence for presenting the information, tries to foresee structural and functional problems and develop a strategy for resolving them. Outlining is only one strategy of planning.

• be sure students understand the structural and functional aspects of the texts they are to write: explain the general pattern of argument or presentation involved in each section. Help students understand what sources of information are most appropriate to each section.

• provide and discuss models of effective and ineffective texts--and discuss these examples in terms of your expectations

• if possible, review with the student a plan/outline before the students actually draft a text

DRAFTING: the writer actually generates written texts. There is relatively little you can do for students at this stage. However, you might encourage them to attend to larger issues of content and organization when they are drafting, leaving details of mechanics for the revision stage. (Note that notes taken during lab observations are drafted texts, too: students must think of what to note and may even plan how to write them. If your students don't have a very clear sense of how to take notes, you need to show them. Without adequate notes, the student cannot write an adequate report.)

                                                        *****

Composing Processes

• THINKING (about what to say)
• PLANNING (how to say it
• DRAFTING
• REVISING
• PUBLICKING

In trying to improve student writing, you should try to understand which of these activities is giving the student the most trouble. Interventions in that activity, early in the process can forestall troubles at the later stages of composing.

In science writing especially, failure to take effective notes in the thinking stage will undermine the entire process. Equally troublesome is an inability to PLAN effectively because one does not understand the structure of scientific texts (e.g., the parts of a lab report and the functions of each part.)

*****

University Writing Program, 2003