This strategy provides a structure for students to record their own comprehension and summarize their learning. It also gives teachers the opportunity to identify areas that need re-teaching, as well as areas of student interest.

Type of assessment

Formative assessment explores students’ learning development during the process; it is a form of feedback, reflection and quality assurance. 

How to Use

1.  After the lesson, have each student record THREE things he or she learned from the lesson.

2.  Next, have students record TWO things that they found interesting and that they’d like to learn more about.

3.  Then, have students record ONE question they still have about the material.

4.  The most important step is to review the students’ responses. You can use this information to help develop future lessons and determine if some of the material needs to be taught again.

When to Use

Use 3-2-1 at any time during a lesson to encourage students to think about their learning:

• As a Check for Understanding during any portion of the lesson
• During class discussions as a way for students to record their thoughts
• As a closing activity so that students can review what was learned in the lesson
• As an exit ticket at the end of the class period

References and additional information

See http://www.theteachertoolkit.com/index.php/tool/3-2-1 for further variations of this tool, including templates for free download.

Regier, Natalie (2012) Book Three: Summative Assessment – 50 Ways to Gather Evidence of Student Learning. Regier Educational Resources.  Available from https://gssdelementarymath.wikispaces.com/file/view/Book+Three.pdf.