Students will self-assess their feelings and learning progress through quick prompts and record results, enabling targeted teacher support.
Regular pulse checks build students’ self-awareness, give teachers formative data on engagement and understanding, and guide timely instructional adjustments.
2nd Grade Students
20 minutes
Guided prompts + individual recording in a structured 20-minute routine
5 minutes
3 minutes
2 minutes
5 minutes
5 minutes
5 minutes
On a scale of 1 (“Not at all”) to 5 (“Completely”), how well do you understand today’s lesson?
Project this slide and say: “Prompt 1: On a scale of 1 to 5, how well do you understand today’s material? Circle the number that shows how you feel.”
On a scale of 1 (“Easily distracted”) to 5 (“Fully focused”), how focused were you during our work today?
Project this slide and say: “Prompt 2: Focus. Rate how focused you felt during our activities today.”
On a scale of 1 (“Very uncomfortable”) to 5 (“Very comfortable”), how comfortable were you asking questions if something was confusing?
Project this slide and say: “Prompt 3: Questions. Rate how comfortable you felt asking questions when you needed help.”
On a scale of 1 (“Very little effort”) to 5 (“My best effort”), how much effort did you put in during class today?
Project this slide and say: “Prompt 4: Effort. Rate how much effort you put into today’s tasks.”
On a scale of 1 (“Not ready”) to 5 (“Completely ready”), how confident do you feel about our next lesson or task?
Project this slide and say: “Prompt 5: Confidence. Rate how ready you feel for our next lesson or activity.”
How are you feeling right now? Color or circle the face that matches your mood today.
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ☹️ | 🙁 | 😐 | 🙂 | 😃 |
Instructions for Students:
Use this chart to record your ratings for each prompt every time we do a Pulse Check. Write the date and circle or write the number (1–5) that shows how you feel for each prompt.
| Date | Understanding (1–5) | Focus (1–5) | Comfort Asking Questions (1–5) | Effort (1–5) | Confidence (1–5) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Which area do you most want to improve? Why?
What is one goal you will set for our next session?
Teacher: “Friends, please take out your Daily Smile Meter. Look at each face and circle or color the one that shows how you feel right now.”
Teacher follow-up: “Who would like to share one word about why you picked that face?”
Teacher: “Great job! Today we’re doing our Progress Pulse. That’s a quick check to see how you feel about our learning and yourself. I’ll show you prompts on the board, and you’ll record your answers on your Pulse Tracking Chart. There are no right or wrong answers—just be honest. Ready?”
Teacher: “Let’s begin with Prompt 1 from the Quick Check Prompts: ‘On a scale of 1 to 5, how well do you understand today’s lesson?’ Please circle the number that shows how you feel.”
(Pause for about 10 seconds while students record.)
Teacher: “Prompt 2: ‘On a scale of 1 to 5, how focused were you during our work today?’ Circle your number.”
(Pause for about 10 seconds.)
Teacher: “Prompt 3: ‘How comfortable were you asking questions if something was confusing?’”
(Pause for about 10 seconds.)
Teacher: “Prompt 4: ‘How much effort did you put in today?’”
(Pause for about 10 seconds.)
Teacher: “Prompt 5: ‘How confident do you feel about our next lesson or task?’”
(Pause for about 10 seconds.)
Teacher: “Thank you for your honest answers! Who would like to share something about Prompt 1?”
Teacher follow-up: “I heard some of you say a 2—what question can we ask or what tip can you give to help a friend understand better?”
Teacher: “Who has an idea to help someone who rated a 3 on focus?”
Teacher: “You all did a fantastic job sharing. Today we saw our strengths and areas to work on. Keep your charts safe, and think of one thing you want to improve before our next Pulse Check.”
Teacher follow-up: “What is one goal you’ll set for our next session?”
(Pause for 5 seconds.)
Teacher: “Excellent! I’m so proud of your effort. Have a wonderful rest of your day!”
