5 Crucial Minutes: Establishing a Fun and Focused Routine to Start Class

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Picture this.

8:30. The bell rings and your students are slowly walking to their seats. They roam around the
room, chat with their neighbor, and school through their phones. “Class is starting. Put your phones away, please,” you say.

But nothing changes.

“Sit down please.” Two more attempts and you finally have your students’ attention.

It’s 8:36. You take attendance.

8:38.

Now you have 52 minutes to get through your lesson. 8 minutes of time gone just settling into the class.

And this happens day after day. You just want a better way to start class.

Here it is.

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“Students want a safe, predictable, and nurturing environment—one that is consistent. Students like well-managed classes because no one yells at them, and learning takes place. Effective teachers spend the first two weeks teaching students to be in control of their own actions in a consistent classroom environment.”

― Harry K. Wong, Classroom Routine

When you start class the right way, everything else feels easier. When young people feel empowered through routines, they feel good in your classroom. When they feel good, you feel good.

The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Harry and Rosemary Wong should be your best friend if it isn’t already. Harry and Rosemary talk extensively about the first 5 minutes of class and the first two weeks of school.

Mastering a simple routine in the first two weeks of school will make your year much better. Every teacher has their own twist on a routine to begin class. Here is mine. It’s super simple.

1. I greet students by name as they walk into class.
2. They sit in their seats.*
3. They look at the bell ringer written on the board and begin the assignment.
4. During this time, I take attendance and pass out all worksheets for the day.

*Seating: I teach 9th grade and post-graduate students, so I assign seats for younger students but not older students. 

The Deal with Bell Work

Bellwork is not the same as a lesson hook or anticipatory set.

LESSON HOOK

(noun) a short period at the beginning of each lesson to reveal the topic of the lesson. Other terms: anticipatory set, set induction

BELLWORK

(noun) The first few minutes of class used to capture engagement, drive curiosity, create a state of intrigue, and reduce negative behaviors. Other terms: bell ringer, morning work

They are two distinct parts of a class. The bellwork typically comes first, then the lesson hook. Bellwork stands on its own while the lesson hook is attached to a broader topic.

The Primary/Recency Effect

The Primacy/Recency Effect is the experience in which information learned at the beginning and end of a lesson is better remembered than information learned in the middle. Since bellwork is done at the very beginning of class, students have the best chance of remembering whatever new skills or ideas are learned during this time. Bellwork that creates a state of anticipation and curiosity is amazing for long-terming learning.

Bellwork does not need to be tied to whatever topic you are covering in class. Instead, it is the ideal time to explore students’ perceptions, passions, insights, and creativity.

The myth about bell work is that it must relate to the topic you are teaching that day.

In order to understand how to use bellwork, you have to understand its purpose.

The Purpose of Bellwork

1. To calm students as they walk in from the chaos of the hallway
2. To set the tone for your class (focused, hardworking)
3. To exercise a skill
4. To review something you do not have time for in regular lessons

You can see why I use bell ringers every day. Switching between classes and lunch with only a tight break is stressful and chaotic. Students usually enter the classroom in varying moods and energies. Bellringers are a great solution to bring focus and calm to the classroom. They are also the perfect amount of time to practice skills that you may want to squeeze in but do not have time to teach.

How to Craft Compelling Bell Work

When I started using bell ringers in my classroom routine, it flopped. I had been fooled by the myth that bell work had to match my subject, so I gave my students bellwork that was about the topic we were studying. And they got tired of it. They got tired of reviewing and discussing the same things. That’s when I decided to do a 180 on my bellwork strategy.

I began creating bellwork that was only about engagement. They were high-value activities that were fun, challenging, and creative. All of the sudden, my classes changed.

The students would hustle into class to get started on the bellwork of the day. It was a breath of fresh air among their otherwise tedious learning schedule.

My bell ringers allowed them to be creative and quirky. To think on their feet. To solve weird problems. They. loved. it.

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Criteria for Compelling Bell Work

Compelling bellwork should drive curiosity, exercise critical thinking, and deliver feelings of intrigue. Students can respond in words, drawings, actions, or any other means of communication. Mix it up to keep the intrigue in your bellwork. You may be busy or not want to put in the time to create your own bell ringers. If this sounds like you, you can also find my own sets of bellwork and morning meetings here.

We deserve calm, focused classes as do our students. The environment that our students bring into our classrooms is controllable by us. Students want a classroom space that promotes curiosity and critical thinking. They want to feel safe and excited to learn. As the captains of our classrooms, we can manage the energy within our classrooms from the first minute of class to the last. Bellwork creates an immediate shift in the vibe of your classroom by engaging students from the first moment so that your students feel engaged and capable in your classroom.