Many educators struggle with the task of figuring out how to start each day or each class with their students.
Beginning a new day or a new class can be difficult for students, either because they are switching context or they are yet to be in the right mindset to begin learning for the day.
Bellringers are a quick and easy way to engage with students, spark excitement and build relationships.
Questions like "What are you most excited about this week?" can be used to inform a fun class discussion while readying students for the class ahead.
Or even a question like “What’s one thing from our last class you still don’t understand?” can be a way to move focus to learning while also providing you with valuable data on how your students are going.
Teachers often limit bellringers to a single question so they don’t take up too much class time, but frequently commit to them such as at the start of each class or day. This regular cadence creates anticipation among students and helps to internalize a shift in focus towards learning immediately following a bellringer question.
Not only do they help bring energy to your classroom experience, they are a great tool for focusing students’ attention on a lighter touch task, which builds classroom engagement that will carry over into the subsequent learning material for that lesson.
Bellringers are also known as “Entrance tickets” as they are run at the start of a class or a day.
- Share results with the class to reflect on and prompt discussion.
- You might ask follow-up questions in class or in Ziplet like:
"Do these responses surprise you?"
"Why do you think ‘X’ is the most common response?" - Use responses to introduce the next class element to students (e.g. the new topic in a history class)
A full list of questions you can use in your class can be found in Ziplet’s question library under “Daily Bellringers”.
