Paddling Our Way To Review

My Students

"Let's review what we have learned." --- "Exit slip time!" --- These are statements I say daily in class. After a few months, I am willing to admit, that my students do not jump for joy at the idea of reviewing material or completing an exit slip. How can I make these tasks more interesting?

My students are amazing, kind, wonderful, and happy young people.

They smile every day and give me a reason to smile many, many times a day. We have approximately 380 students in the school and around 110 students in the 8th grade. Every day I watch them focus diligently on their school work, strive to please themselves and their teachers with their work ethics, and commit wholeheartedly to learning the material being taught. There are very few discipline problems because of the respectful and polite natures of the students as a whole. They welcome new students with open arms and there is very little bullying because they are so empathic to the feelings of others. The school is in a rural area, close to urban settings but not all students have the means to travel to those areas for new experiences. Athletics are important to them as well. They love their PE class and many of the 8th graders play Junior Varsity sports for the high school. I am grateful to work with these kids each day!

My Project

Dry erase answer paddles that can be easily used by my students.. --- Dry erase markers in various colors (because middle schoolers love color!). --- Dry erasers to be shared. --- In the world of high stakes testing, benchmarks, and classroom tests, remediation and review have become essential parts of the daily lesson. Teachers need students to recall information taught that day, the day before, the month before, and several months before. But how can a teacher complete this remediation and review without boring the students? Handing out paddles and markers would definitely get and keep the students' attention. --- The same can be said for the tried and true "Exit Slip". Research shows that this teaching strategy is a great way for teachers to check for understanding to cement learning in the students' mind. My students are bored with the "here is the question, write the answer" format. These paddles allow for a varied approach that will keep them interested and motivated.

What I am requesting seems simple - a few dry erase paddles, some markers, and a few erasers.

But these materials are so much more than they seem. What could I gain from these being used in the classroom? A quicker and very succinct way of knowing what concepts are understood by my students and which ones need to be reviewed. What could my students gain from these materials? An interesting and engaging way to review material and communicate their learning that gives everyone a voice in the room.