Purpose
Admit slips, also known as bell ringers, are used as a means of gauging student understanding about a given topic before beginning instruction. This strategy is used to assess what students know and to help guide instruction. They can be used either as an introduction to the content of the day's lesson to have students begin to think in a specific way or about a specific idea or as a method of review to determine how much information students know about a topic to better decide on the direction instruction will take. These activities typically are not graded, but simply put in place to provide a formative assessment of student understanding.
Procedures
Admit slips should be ready for students to respond to as they come into the room, preferably before the bell rings to signal the start of the class period. This can be done by either having the question or topic on the board, projector, or having the prompt typed on sheets to give the students as they walk in. At the very beginning of class, students will jot quick responses to the prompt that is tied to the topic. They can either be collected by the teacher and reviewed or discussed at the beginning of class.
Example
An example of an admit slip that would direct student thinking in a specific way could be used for an introductory lesson on Shakespeare's Macbeth. A teacher may wish to scaffold a Shakespearean play through something that may be more familiar with students, such as video games. Parallels between the two could be examined, focusing on the entertainment of the period. As students enter the classroom, they could be presented with a question such as, "What is your favorite video game and why?" After the first few minutes of class this question could be discussed and conclusions can be drawn based on the similarities. Particular emphasis should be placed on characteristics of video games mentioned and how the majority of games described will likely involve varying levels of violence and domination. Students will be drawing on prior knowledge at this time and will begin thinking about why we are entertained by specific elements. This can provide an effective segue into discussing or presenting information on the psychological appeal of gore in media, from which the play can be introduced.
References: Central High School, 2012