End of Class Routines
What are your classroom routines to end class in middle school?
​Do you have specific routines?A few weeks ago I wrote about routines to begin class; today I’ll touch on routines to end class in middle school.
​Do you have specific routines?A few weeks ago I wrote about routines to begin class; today I’ll touch on routines to end class in middle school.
I have to admit, my end-of-class routines often didn’t go as smoothly as my beginning-of-class routines:-)
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Best laid plans, you know….
When it went well, my routine at the end of class would include:
1) Writing homework on the board so students could add it to their assignment books.I did accomplish this nearly every day:-) Writing the homework was critical. Our team teachers made a point of doing a quick check at the end of class every day, to be sure students were writing their homework down (for some students, this was an accommodation we had to meet – checking the homework book. So, why not quickly scan/check all students’ books?)
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2) Asking an ‘exit’ question
IÂ had a “ticket out the door’ poster in the classroom that I numbered 1-30. Each student had a class number, so they’d answer the question on a post-it and then put the post-it on their number on the way out of class. I loved this method because:
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2) Asking an ‘exit’ question
IÂ had a “ticket out the door’ poster in the classroom that I numbered 1-30. Each student had a class number, so they’d answer the question on a post-it and then put the post-it on their number on the way out of class. I loved this method because:
- ​It seriously cut down on copying!!
- Students could finish at their own pace and leave class when they were ready. (I didn’t have to collect anything:-)
- I could grab the answers off the chart in order as the next class filed in and even start checking them as the new class started the beginning-of-class routine.
As I admitted at the beginning of the post, end-of-class didn’t always work this way. I would often try to squeeze in one more example or complete one more practice problem with students and the exit ticket would get skipped.
But, the students learned and understood the routine so that when it went as planned, they’d know exactly what to do.Â
But, the students learned and understood the routine so that when it went as planned, they’d know exactly what to do.Â
- Find 6th grade math exit tickets here.
Other Routine Ideas for Ending Class
I’m always looking for new ideas for quick end-of-class activities, since my classes are only 40 minutes and there’s so much to do! Here are a few ideas that can be used to wrap up quickly.1) Reflection
Have students jot a quick reflection on a post-it. This reflection can be a variety of question types or statements, like:
Have students jot a quick reflection on a post-it. This reflection can be a variety of question types or statements, like:
- How do you feel about today’s lesson?
- Explain something you learned in today’s lesson.
- What questions do you have?
- How can I help you tomorrow?
- Tomorrow I’d like to know…
2) Pair/Share
- Have students explain a concept to a classmate and have the classmate explain it back or explain a 2nd concept.
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​3) Vocabulary or Fast Facts
- Depends on which applies to the day and subject.
- Ask students the definitions of math vocabulary from the lesson or ask them to answer multiplication/division (or addition/subtraction) problems. After they answer 5 as a class, they can head out the door.
More Routine Strategies
For more ideas to begin class, end class, or transition between activities, listen in to the popular podcast episode, Tackling Transitions: Classroom Transition Ideas for Beginning, During, and End of Class!
