60-Second Strategy: One Word, One Sentence

At Frederick High School in Maryland, sociology teacher Becky Pfeil knew that on this particular day, her lesson would take up most of the class time, but she still wanted to be sure to gauge students’ takeaway about the content covered. Enter One Word, One Sentence—a closing assessment activity that invites students to reflect, summarize, and share their thinking in a simple, focused way.

With only a couple minutes left of class, Pfeil handed out index cards and gave students two short but powerful prompts: First, write one word that captures the heart of today’s lesson. Then, build on that word by writing one sentence that explains why they chose it.

The word can be academic—like a concept or vocabulary term—or more personal, like a feeling or theme. By leaving it open to students to make the choice, Pfeil made the activity accessible and authentic. Students responded quickly and instinctively, which gave her a clear and honest look at what resonated most during the class.

After giving students about 90 seconds to complete the task, Pfeil looked for volunteers to share their responses aloud. Once she had heard from 2 or 3 students, she collected the rest of the cards to be reviewed later, which gave her a broad snapshot of student understanding—and a helpful deliverable to guide future instruction.

One Word, One Sentence makes a great exit ticket. It doesn’t take more than two minutes, but it checks a lot of boxes: It gives students a chance to pause and make meaning from what they just learned. It also gives the teacher a window into their thinking—what landed, what stood out, and what might need reinforcement. And because responses are short, they’re easy to scan and synthesize. It’s quick to implement and easy to adapt across grade levels and content areas, and it fosters reflection, builds student voice, and encourages learners to make meaning from what they’ve just experienced. 

To find more activities that help with assessment at the end of class, read Paige Tutt’s article for Edutopia, “27 Super-Smart, Teacher-Tested Closing Activities.”