Write a One-Minute Paper
Activity Summary
Students write a one-minute paper in response to a question or topic. This is a quick but effective exercise for your students to check-in and reflect on what they have learned so far. Additionally, the teacher will get a window into their understandings and misunderstandings. It’s a useful exercise to conclude a lesson.
Activity Plan
1
Before
At the end of class, the teacher sets a timer (this can vary from 1 minute – 5 minutes depending on the ability and concentration levels of your students).
2
1-5 min
The teacher then asks the students to answer a question. For example, students write a one-minute paper in response to such questions as, “What was the most important concept you learned in class today? Or, “What was the ‘muddiest’ or most confusing concept covered in today’s class?” They could also include their most eye-opening revelations or biggest questions.
Tips & Tricks
- One-minute papers can function as an ongoing learning log or learning journal, so at the end of term they have a consecutive series of logs that can be used for revision which can sometimes help students see connections across course content.
- Please feel free to change the question to suit the needs of your class/subject/topic. Additionally, the students could answer this question orally in pairs or groups.