This printable sketchnote exit ticket helps students process their learning in a creative, personalized way. Whether you’re wrapping up a lesson, video, discussion, or reading, this visual template gives students structured space to summarize, question, and reflect.
Use it as:

• A formative check-in
• A daily exit slip
• A journaling prompt
• A review warm-up
• A flexible substitute for a written summary

Classroom Use Example: End-of-Lesson ReflectionObjective: Students will reflect on key takeaways from the lesson using words and visuals.
Lesson Flow:

1. Prompt Students
   After completing the day’s lesson or activity, pass out the exit ticket template. Project the three sections:
   
   • “What stuck with me”
   • “One question I still have”
   • “What I could sketch to remember this”
2. Model or Brainstorm Together
   Quickly sketch an example on the board—simple, fast, stick-figure style. Show that this isn’t about perfection, it’s about processing.
   
3. Independent Work
   Students complete their exit ticket with words + visuals. Encourage use of icons, arrows, thought bubbles, or metaphors.
   
4. Wrap-Up Options
   Collect, share, or post as a gallery. You can also use them as a discussion starter the next day!
   
   
   Tips for Success
   • Keep a stack printed and ready for fast reflections
   • Let students revisit and revise exit tickets before an assessment
   • Use the bottom reflection prompt (“What surprised me?”) as a journaling extension
   • Great for all content areas—not just social studies!

Download the TemplateClick below to download the printable PDF and bring visual reflection into your daily classroom practice.

This sketchnote template helps students dig deeper into a historical figure’s background, contributions, and why they still matter today. With dedicated space for sketching key moments and reflecting on their influence, this is a great tool for biography units, research projects, or social justice work.
Use this with:

• Civil Rights leaders
• Inventors and innovators
• Authors, poets, and artists
• Political figures and revolutionaries
• Activists and changemakers

Classroom Use Example: Mini Research Project or Literature Tie-InObjective: Students will summarize the life and contributions of a historical figure using research and visuals.
Lesson Flow:

1. Choose a Figure
   Assign or let students select a person related to your current unit (e.g., Dolores Huerta, Benjamin Banneker, Malala Yousafzai, Ada Lovelace).
   
2. Gather Key Facts
   Students research the person’s background, contributions, and legacy using classroom texts, vetted websites, or short videos. Provide a note-capture sheet if needed.
   
3. Sketchnote Creation
   Using the template, students organize their thinking into three parts:
   
   • Early life and influences
     
   • Achievements and actions
     
   • Legacy and reflection
     Encourage icons, dates, and short quotes!
     

4. Reflect & Share
Ask students to reflect: What surprised you about this person? What do you think their biggest impact was? Display finished sketchnotes or use them for presentations.


Tips for Success

• Model one together using a well-known figure first
• Provide icon banks for ideas (books, microphones, timelines, scales, etc.)
• Let students color-code sections (e.g., blue = background, green = impact, orange = legacy)
• Use as a visual alternative to a biography report

​

Download the TemplateClick below to download the printable PDF and use it in your next biography or social studies lesson.

Sketchnoting is a powerful way to help students process and represent their understanding—not just by capturing what they read or hear, but by organizing it meaningfully. This Cause & Effect Sketchnote Template gives students a visual structure to break down how an event happened and what came from it.
It’s especially useful in social studies for analyzing:

• Historical turning points (e.g., causes of the American Revolution)
• Social movements (e.g., impact of the Civil Rights Act)
• Environmental or global issues (e.g., effects of deforestation or climate policy)
• Political change (e.g., causes and consequences of a Supreme Court decision)

Classroom Use Example: Article + SketchnoteObjective: Students will identify at least three causes and three effects of a major event using evidence from text.
Lesson Flow:

1. Pre-read setup:
   Project the blank sketchnote template. Introduce the event students will read about (e.g., the Dust Bowl, the fall of the Berlin Wall, etc.). Prompt students to write the event title and sketch a quick icon in the center box.
   
2. Read and annotate:
   Students read an article or watch a video. You can use a Newsela article, CommonLit resource, or current events clip. Ask them to highlight or list:
   
   • What led up to the event?
   • What happened as a result?
3. Sketchnote time:
   After reading, students transfer key ideas into the cause and effect boxes. Encourage short phrases and simple visuals—this is about processing, not perfection.
   
4. Reflect and share:
   Ask students to choose one cause or effect they think was most significant and explain why in the reflection box. Optionally, students can pair up and compare layouts.
   

Tips for Success

• Model a quick example with minimal drawing—show how to get ideas down first, then add icons.
• Offer icon banks or visual vocabulary for emerging sketchers.
• Let students color-code causes and effects for clarity.
• Use this as an alternative to a written paragraph or summary!

Download the TemplateClick below to download the printable PDF and try this in your next social studies or current events lesson.​

A visual tool for comparing viewpoints and deepening critical thinking
This sketchnote template helps students break down two contrasting perspectives on a historical event, current issue, or civic debate. With space to sketch arguments, capture quotes, and reflect on their own thinking, it’s perfect for building students’ ability to analyze multiple sides of a topic.
Use this during:

• Debates or controversial issue discussions
• Primary source comparison
• Editorial analysis
• Historical conflicts or political platforms
• Perspective-based group work​

​Objective: Students will visually compare and contrast two perspectives using evidence from text or discussion.
Lesson Flow:

1. Introduce the Topic
   Choose a debate or event with two clear positions (e.g., Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists, two editorials on free speech, or differing views on climate policy). Present a title and identify the two “voices.”
   
2. Source the Evidence
   Provide articles, excerpts, video clips, or quotes that represent each side. Students read, annotate, or listen and highlight main ideas.
   
3. Sketchnote Time
   Using the template, students record 2–3 ideas from each perspective using sketches, icons, quotes, or keywords. Encourage students to represent the tone or values of each side visually.
   
4. Reflect
   At the bottom of the page, students respond to a prompt like:
   “Which perspective do you agree with and why?” or
   “What’s one question you still have?”
   
5. Optional Extension
   Facilitate a class discussion or peer share-out using their sketchnotes as speaking notes.
   

• Model a simple example on the board (e.g., cats vs. dogs as a warm-up!)
• Use color to help students differentiate sides
• Encourage students to include visuals and reasoning
• Scaffold for younger learners by providing pre-filled keywords or quote starters

Click below to download the printable PDF and try this in your next social studies, debate, or current events lesson.

I love this video from Sketcho Frenzy explaining how to do venn diagrams but more importantly how to add visual elements to the diagram itself. Additionally below you will find a list of articles curated by Read Write Think that touch on compare and contrast modes. Additionally look for videos too that can show the similarities and differences between two items like the Crocodiles vs. Alligators or the Hurricane and Tornadoes videos below. 

Scroll all the way to the bottom to print out the PDF of the Venn Diagram template. 

Here is a great video to practice the idea of timelines or chronological orders. The video isn't very long so you can watch it a few times. How do you picture the timeline flowing through your sketchnote? If you try this activity I would love to see it! Tweet it or instagram it and hashtag it with #sketchnoteclass and tag me in it! 

Just like the end of this chapter and when we focused on the great work that Bettina Curl did with her students to help them build their visual vocabulary for their Native American unit you can too help scaffold information ahead of time by having students build their visual vocabulary for a given topic or subject. 

Are you about to read an article about undersea creatures?

Then take a moment to work together to figure out ways to draw those items. If you know that the article will for sure talk about octopus and seahorses make sure to draw those with your students ahead of time. 

If they have a dedicated space like this print out or a section in their readers, writers, or interactive journal they can just keep adding to it and use it as a reference whenever they get stuck.

As you have your students do some sketchnotes on current events I would love to see them. Either post below in the comments, or share to social media and tag me in the post. #sketchnotesinclass is the hashtag! Click the link below to access the template folder for more current event templates.

Do you have more ideas for templates? I would love to hear your comments and feedback. What is missing, what works and doesn't work?