PERTS Elevate Resource Library

Fist to Five

A quick and easy way to get a sense of studentsʼ understanding of each lesson and clarify misunderstandings in real time.

Grades 3-5, 6-8, 9-12 All subjects

Overview

Using their fingers as a visual scale, Fist to Five is a quick and low-stakes method for students to self-assess and communicate their level of understanding.

Through this activity, you will be able to:

  • Quickly gauge student understanding.
  • Surface areas for whole class clarification or identify individual students who need targeted follow-up.
  • Support students to see their progress over time.

Conducting the Practice

  1. Set aside 5-10 minutes at the end of a class or lesson to ask students to rate their level of understanding using their fingers. Explain:

    • A closed fist (0) indicates students feel they don't understand the lesson at all
    • Three fingers represent partial comprehension with a need for further clarification and explanation
    • An open hand (five fingers) would indicate complete understanding

  2. Ask three-finger responders to share what is clear to them and what is still not making sense. Ask others in the class to give a "thumbs up" if they agree. This will help you surface concepts that are widely misunderstood. You can then clarify these concepts yourself or invite students with open hands to put them in their own words.

  3. Make a mental or paper note of any students who shared closed fists. These students may benefit from your discussion with the three-finger responders. But it is also wise to follow up individually with students who feel totally lost. This can be done during times when other students are working on individual classwork, or after school/during study hall periods.

Modification: Fist to Five can also be used as an exit ticket, instead of asking students to share their assessment of their understanding in front of their peers. For example, you could have them write 1, 3, or 5 on a notecard and explain why they chose that response and collect them before students leave or have students self-assess on a Post-it and post it on a bulletin board with these options displayed on their way out of the class.

This practice was adapted from the Supportive Teaching Guide developed by the Learning and Development Group at the University of Chicago Consortium on School Research in partnership with PERTS.