"What did you learn today?" is the most common exit ticket in social studies, and it's one of the least useful. Students list a fact or two, and you learn almost nothing about whether they can think historically. A sharper prompt takes the same two minutes and tells you much more.
Ask for cause and effect
"What was one cause of the event we studied today, and what was one effect?" This forces students to connect ideas instead of listing them. If a student can name a cause but not an effect, you know where tomorrow's review should start.
Use a short source
Put a quote, a political cartoon, or a few lines from a primary source on the exit slip. Ask: "What is the author's point of view, and how do you know?" Two sentences from a student tell you whether they can read a source critically. The primary source analysis guide on Elevate the Norm has more ways to build this skill.
Make them take a side
"Was this decision a mistake? Give one reason." Debatable questions get stronger answers than recall questions because students have to commit and defend. Keep it to one reason so the ticket stays quick.
Connect then to now
"How does today's topic connect to something happening today?" These answers vary in quality, but the strong ones show real understanding, and they make great openers for tomorrow's current events bell ringer.
Sort, don't grade
Don't grade exit tickets like quizzes. Sort them into three piles: got it, almost, not yet. That takes a few minutes and tells you how to group students tomorrow. The exit ticket data guide walks through the process.
Keep going
Need something ready to use tomorrow? The Teacher Emergency Toolkit has grab-and-go packs for de-escalation, work refusal, behavior documentation, and sub plans.