Bell Ringer: Preventing the Flurry

     Have you ever entered your classroom, and you've felt like you walked into a flurry of chaos? Thousands of expert educators emphasize the importance of consistent procedures, especially at the beginning of the period. As a substitute teacher, I thank the good Lord for those teachers who have consistent classroom procedures. The next 52 minutes of my life are remarkably easier.
    I religiously have used a bell ringer/daily warm up/ bell work/ whatever you want to call it, and yet there have been days when I enter the classroom and Sally feels sick, Cade forgot his notebook, Jon really really has to go to the bathroom - it's an emergency! he swears, Dane saunters into the classroom ten seconds late, and Spencer sits in his chair doing nothing (what's new?).
    Could you imagine a classroom where a bell ringer wasn't implemented? It can be chaotic enough with 16 of the 21 students occupied!
   I have experimented with many different bell ringers throughout my seven years of teaching, and I have come to the conclusion that I get the biggest bang for my buck with middle school students when the activity is consistent on a day-to-day basis. For example, on Mondays we do _____, on Tuesdays we do _____ , ect. Some years I have had a bell ringer that ties into the daily lesson, but I find this type of bell work doesn't work as smoothly.
    I have had the good fortune to work with some truly amazing teachers throughout my career who have shared some of their procedures. I decided to compile a list of the various bell ringers I have tried in my classrooms, and I hope I learn of some new ones from YOU!

Source	Bell Ringer	Explanation
Kelly Gallagher	Article of the Week	Article is distributed by the teacher on Monday and collected on Friday. Students annotate/close read, answer two questions, and write 1+ page reflection
	Goal Setting	On Mondays, in inquiry based classroom/unit, student sets personal academic goal for the upcoming week (no behaviors)
50 Things to Go Further with Google Classroom	Planner	Each day, students visit the classroom website and record the following: Classwork LT (Learning Target) Homework
	Checking the Pulse	On Mondays, students submit responses to a Nearpod or Google Form sharing highlights or sometimes lowlights from their weekend
	Hinge-Point Question	Provide a multiple-choice question that will allow you to determine who “gets it.” Provide remediation/one-on-one help for those who don’t. Provide extension for those who do. Example
Pirates Mad Libs	Mad Libs	On Tuesdays, students review parts of speech by completing a Mad Libs
Jane Bell Kiester	Caught’ya with a Giggle	Students review grammar by fixing grammatical mistakes in passages that build on one another each day, creating a narrative that engages the students. It can serve as a read-aloud book for the class.
	Sentence Imitation	Each day, students focus on  grammar review, particularly sentence construction Presentation without the grammar emphasis
	Midweek Meme	On Wednesdays, students vote on the best meme(s) from the class and record them here
Going Bohemian: How to Teach Writing Like You Mean It (great resource)	Free Writing	On Fridays… Friday Free Writes   or Fiction Friday