For English learners, a written exit ticket can measure the wrong thing. A student may understand the lesson completely and still struggle to explain it in English in three minutes.
A few simple supports fix that, and most of them help every student in the room.
Five supports that work
1. Sentence frames. Give students the start of the answer. - "Today I learned that ___ because ___." - "One thing I am still confused about is ___." - "This connects to ___ because ___."
2. Word banks. List three to five key vocabulary words on the slip. Students who know the concept but not the word can still show it.
3. Draw or label. Let students answer with a labeled drawing or diagram. It shows understanding without heavy writing.
4. Choice of response. Multiple choice plus one short "why." The choice shows understanding, the "why" shows thinking.
5. Home language allowed. If the goal is content knowledge, a student can answer in their first language. You can translate later. You'll learn what they actually know.
Keep it consistent
Use the same exit ticket structure every day so students learn the format. Once the format is familiar, all their energy goes to the content.
Read more
Exit Tickets for English Learners: The full guide.
Printable Exit Tickets: Easy to add sentence frames to.
Exit Ticket Template: Build your own with supports built in.