During my twenty-four years of teaching, I had heard the term “bell-ringer” tossed around from time-to-time, but I had never really been compelled to learn more about it until last year, when I took a new job teaching at a public high school where bell-ringer activities were strongly encouraged, especially for those over achiever type teachers seeking a high teacher evaluation score, like myself!
Since I didn’t really know much about bell-ringer activities, I did what many educators do; I conducted a Google search which lead me to a plethora of Pinterest boards, and…Holy Cow! A new world that could enhance and enrich my teaching unfolded before my eyes.
Some of you may be nodding your heads in agreement knowing that bell-ringer activities are the best thing since GradeCam, but others of you may be wincing and doubting their value, especially since they require time to create, adding yet one more daily task to that never-ending To-Do list. But, I can assure you that the effort is definitely worth it.
When I began teaching in the 1990’s, a proper lesson began with a “participatory set,” which later became known as the “hook.” Find a way to hook your students into your lesson, and hopefully they will hang onto your every last word during the entire class period, while absorbing all of the important concepts and details. Right!
Posing an interesting question related to the lesson topic or projecting a stimulating picture that could awaken students’ senses, are examples of hooks. Though I suppose these could be considered the infancy of bell-ringer activities. The only difference is that students began working on them after the bell rang, not before while attendance was being taken and homework checked or collected.
The purpose of the bell-ringer activity is to get students settled, focused and working as soon as they enter the classroom, which, let’s face it, is way more challenging in modern classrooms due to the overwhelming distractions of today’s techno world. Without something to do as soon as they walk through the door, students will happily plop down in their seats with their cell phones and tablets and lose themselves in their incessant texting and gaming.
After experimenting for a year, I concluded that the best way to get students into their seats and working immediately is to make them accountable for their work. Each day students are required to copy something from the board that they will turn in at the end of the week in exchange for a classwork grade. An easy 100! But, in order to make this process efficient, I created a bunch of templates on Power Point and experimented with them before finally settling for this one:
The activity should begin as students trickle into the classroom and it shouldn’t really last more than a few minutes after the bell rings, but I’ll admit that some of my activities take a little longer. While students are working on their task, I am able to take attendance and tend to any last minute preparations without taking up class time.
To sum up, here are five reasons why you should use bell-ringer activities in your classroom:
1. Bell-Ringer Activities Establish Structure For The Class
I usually have a powerpoint with the bell-ringer worksheet projected onto the screen. On the first day of school, kids are introduced to their new daily habit. The expectation is that when they enter the classroom, they need to look at the board, then get to their desk, take out their worksheet and begin copying. For the most part, my students follow this routine, but there are always those few who need coaxing.
2. Bell-Ringers Free Up The First Few Minutes For Teachers
While students are copying the information, I have a chance to quickly get the attendance completed and stroll around the room to greet students without delaying the lesson or dealing with chattiness and chaos in class. I will also cue up video or audio clips that will be used in the lesson.
The activities vary for each day, but they are related to the overall theme that we are working on. Students copy onto their bell-ringer worksheet what is written for that particular day and then they follow the directions. As I move around the room, I clarify directions or direct students to do other things with the information.
It’s smooth and seamless…most days!
3. Bell-Ringer Activities Keep Students Accountable
Students know that I will collect their completed bell-ringer worksheets at the end of the week and for this they will receive a classwork grade, so it is in their best interest to complete them.
Though classwork counts as a small percentage of their overall grade, I find that my students, even my most challenging students, are eager to turn their bell-ringer worksheets in during our Friday class.
4. These Activities Are Great For Side-Bar Information
Bell-ringers also allow me to present something to students that may be important for them to learn, but isn’t necessarily worthy of a forty-five minute lesson period. For example, a major news event that just unfolded in a Spanish speaking country or an obscure holiday.
I will even take the more challenging letters of the Spanish alphabet and introduce them individually throughout the school year using the bell-ringer activity. In this case, students are not overwhelmed by a bombardment of differing rules and sounds. They have the opportunity to focus on just one letter and to practice it for the few minutes allotted for the activity.
5. Lastly, Students Can Earn An Easy 100!
If students copy the work and turn it in, they can boost their overall grade by maintaining an excellent grade in the classwork column. For many of my students who struggle, this is a great motivation. They feel good that they can achieve a high score in at least one area of assessment.
In conclusion…
After using bell-ringer activities for a little over a year, I don’t think I will ever begin a lesson again without them. They have certainly proven themselves valuable to me, as I use them in my Spanish 1 classes, as well as my Spanish 4 Honors class and my AP Spanish class.
I designed my own template, which you are welcome to have for free. Just click here to download it. I have created several different versions for you to choose from. I prefer including the grading quarter and the week of the year so I can keep track of the papers when my stacks of correcting get backlogged and end up in towering piles on my desk. The star is where I have students write their names, which some kids choose to color and decorate!
Lastly, I’ve included a few activity samples. They range from copying new words and phrases, to tongue twisters, to having a face-to-face conversations about something with their neighbor, to brainstorming ideas… and the list goes on and on. Really, the possibilities are endless. I love, love, love bell-ringer activities and will probably use them until I retire from the classroom!
If you use bell-ringers in your classes, please share with us what it is that you do and how they work out for you.
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