First Five Minutes | Center for Teaching Excellence (2024)

First Five Minutes | Center for Teaching Excellence (1)

Overview

“The opening five minutes offer us a rich opportunity to capture the attention of students and prepare them for learning They walk into our classes trailing all of the distractions of their complex lives — the many wonders of their smartphones, the arguments with roommates, the question of what to have for lunch. Their bodies may be stuck in a room with us for the required time period, but their minds may be somewhere else entirely. It seems clear, then, that we should start class with a deliberate effort to bring students’ focus to the subject at hand.”

-James Lang

Strategies

Open with a Question

One effective strategy for harnessing the power of the first 5 minutes of class is asking thought provoking questions. Questions of this nature catch students’ attention and encourages them to start thinking about the concepts or themes that will center the day’s lesson.

Reviewing

Doing a class review supports the idea that students learn more when they are frequently exposed to the material they need to master. Starting class with a review also engages students with the material as soon as they enter the classroom.

References

Related Resource Library Topics

First Five Minutes | Center for Teaching Excellence (2024)

FAQs

Why are the first five minutes of class so important? ›

“The opening five minutes offer us a rich opportunity to capture the attention of students and prepare them for learning They walk into our classes trailing all of the distractions of their complex lives — the many wonders of their smartphones, the arguments with roommates, the question of what to have for lunch.

How do you measure excellence in teaching? ›

Types of evidence of teaching effectiveness include: student evaluations; the assessments of faculty members based on class visitations or attendance at public lectures; departmental review of syllabi, exams, assignments, and other materials; the number and caliber of students mentored by the candidate; and the ...

What is the 5 to 1 teaching strategy? ›

Whomever intends to build trust (the teacher, coach, principal) needs to have five positive or neutral interactions with another person for every one corrective piece of feedback” (Aguilar, 2017).

What do you teach in a 5 minute lesson? ›

5-Minute Mini Lessons Are Perfect For Filling Those Little Extra Bits Of Time
  • Comprehension, Spelling, and More.
  • Math and Time.
  • Math, Spelling, and More.
  • Rhyming, Math, and More.
  • Computation Skills and More.
  • Adjectives and More.
  • Observation and Vocabulary Skills.
  • Spelling, Puzzles, and More.

How to pass 5 minutes in class? ›

Here is a list of 10 things to do when you only have 5 minutes left in class.
  1. Journal writing: Have your students write a journal entry to summarize the things that they learned in class that particular day. ...
  2. Conduct a poll: ...
  3. Writing notes: ...
  4. The Toilet Paper Game: ...
  5. Ticket to Leave: ...
  6. Read a book: ...
  7. Play Hangman: ...
  8. Toss a ball:

How to demonstrate excellence in teaching? ›

Attributes of an excellent teacher
  1. Possesses thorough knowledge of subject matter and demonstrates a contagious enthusiasm for it;
  2. goes further than the standard textbook materials;
  3. researches and develops important and original thoughts on the subject specialty;

What are examples of evidence of teaching excellence? ›

Used relatable examples, kept material simple and straightforward; no excess/complications; overall, a great teacher.” “Excellent notes and presentation. Very enthusiastic about the subject which makes the class more interesting. Made good comparisons between complex economic issues and current events.”

What does excellence in teaching look like? ›

A sure sign of teaching excellence is a love of lifelong learning where evenings are spent playing with new ideas, techniques, and materials; money and time are invested in maintaining professional networks through conferences, conversations, and engagement with literature; and there is a constant effort to connect ...

What is the 5 4 3 2 1 teaching method? ›

The 54321 (or 5, 4, 3, 2, 1) method is a grounding exercise designed to manage acute stress and reduce anxiety. It involves identifying 5 things you can see, 4 things you can touch, 3 things you can hear, 2 things you can smell, and 1 thing you can taste.

What are the 5 A's teaching? ›

She taught me how to model what she calls the five A's, in order to teach my students how to initiate positive relationships with their peers. Those five A's are ACCEPTANCE, ATTENTION, APPRECIATION, AFFIRMATION, and AFFECTION.

What are the 5 Rs of teaching? ›

In this five-part series, the National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching, and Learning ( NCECDTL ) introduces the 5Rs for Early Learning Leaders: Responsive Relationships, Reason, Resources, Reflective Dialogue, and Recognition.

How do you pass a boring class? ›

How to Survive a Boring Class
  1. #1. A good night's sleep is the rule of thumb. ...
  2. #2. Eliminate all electronic distractions. ...
  3. #3. Take notes. ...
  4. #4. Study the material in advance. ...
  5. #5. Ask questions. ...
  6. #6. Avoid counting the minute. ...
  7. #7. Brr… ...
  8. #8. Pick the right seat.
May 6, 2022

How can I learn easily in 5 minutes? ›

How to Learn Big Answers in 5 Minutes?
  1. Read the content first to get a gest of it.
  2. Don't try to memorise everything in one go.
  3. Break the answer into parts (as many as you like).
  4. Read the sections aloud to learn.
  5. Hide it to check if you've memorised it or not.
  6. Repeat this with the complete answer; until memorised.
Jun 27, 2023

How do you pass a boring day at school? ›

How to Pass Time in Class
  1. Listen actively and take notes.
  2. Interact in class and ask questions.
  3. Illustrate your notes.
  4. Complete your homework for another class.
  5. Organize and create a to-do list.
  6. Doodle in the margins of your notebook.
  7. Read something interesting.
  8. Engage in some creative writing.

How to pass classes last minute? ›

Take a look:
  1. Adjust your study habits. It could be possible that you are studying, but it's just not effective. ...
  2. Ask for help. There's no shame in asking for help. ...
  3. Stop procrastinating. ...
  4. Turn in missing work. ...
  5. Talk to your teacher. ...
  6. Request extra credit. ...
  7. Consider choosing a “pass/fail” grading. ...
  8. Don't give up.
Feb 22, 2017

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