STRATEGY FOCUS
Entry Board
PURPOSE
Entry Boards can be used to bring students’ attention to the key content of a particular lesson. Teachers may use entry boards to gain insight into students’ background knowledge or understanding, student misconceptions, or even as a community builder. Upon entering the classroom, students are invited to respond to a prompt or question that is typically posted in a convenient and highly visible location. The writing activity is usually 2-3 minutes and allows students to organize their own thoughts and compare their ideas to those of other students.
PROCESS
- Provide any needed writing utensil and/or space in which all students can easily respond.
- Discuss with students ahead of time the expectations (e.g., appropriate response, materials, etc.).
- Determine how you might use the collected information.
- Encourage and provide time for students to read the responses of other students either as they write their own responses or afterwards.
PROBING QUESTIONS
CONSIDERATIONS
- What do you notice about what you see on the Entry Board?
- What do you wonder about what you see on the Entry Board?
- What surprises you about what is on the Entry Board?
- What new questions do you have?
- Consider ways to utilize technology to collect student responses.
- Plan for how you might support reluctant students.
CONTENT APPLICATIONS
SOCIAL STUDIES
When preparing to begin a unit on the Civil War, ask students to put on an Entry Board what they already know about the Civil War.
MATHEMATICS
When studying fractions, put the following question on the Entry Board and have students respond: 3/2 is equivalent to 4/6. Agree or disagree?
WORLD LANGUAGES
Ask students to name three countries in Europe that speak French.
HEALTH & PHYSICAL EDUCATION
When preparing to study the foundational human movements, ask students to identify the various movements they make each day (e.g. squat, lunge, stretch, bend, etc.)
Sources
Interactive Classroom Activities. (2022b). The Harriet W. Sheridan Center for Teaching and Learning. Retrieved February 27, 2022, from https://www.brown.edu/sheridan/teaching-learning-resources/teaching-resources/classroom-practices/active-learning/interactive.