Bellringers: The ultimate guide for teachers (with examples)

Bellringers are a warm-up activity run when students first enter the classroom.

Also known as "do-nows" and "bell work", bellringers are short activities that take under 5 minutes to complete, helping to settle students into the learning environment and prompt them the focus on upcoming concepts.

Bellringers are the perfect way to transition your students from the chaos of the oustide world into a focused state.

By beginning your lessons with a daily bellringer, you'll set up your class for learning success and give your students their best chance to absorb your content.

Here are 6 reasons to start your class with a daily bellringer:

1. Stimulate curiosity: By starting with a thought-provoking bellringer activity, you'll capture student's attention before the lesson even begins
2. Activate prior knowledge: Asking students to recall information sets the stage for new learning
3. Establish routine: Bellringers are the perfect way to create a sense of structure for your students
4. Support critical-thinking skills: You can use bellringers to encourage students to analyze and problem solve

Topic starters

Topic starters are used at the beginning of a new topic to help students reflect on existing knowledge and spark excitement in the new topic.

Asking students to list 3 things they already know about the topic, or share what they are most excited about starting the topic, is a great way to contextualise new content.

We've written a topic starter lesson activity you can use today.

Icebreakers

Icebreakers help students relax into a new class setting and promotes a sense of participation and bonding.

Using an icebreaker as an bellringer activity will not only help students be more active participants, but also help you as a teacher to build stronger relationships with your students.

You can even share your own response to the icebreaker to help your students get to know you better!

You can find some icebreaker bellringer ideas in this lesson activity.

Class Warm-Ups

Taking the time to warm-up the class for learning will ensure you start the lesson from the best possible state. They're also a fun way to engage students and have them expect the unexpected when they're in your classroom.

Here are some fun ideas for bellringer warm-up activities.

Homework Check-Ins

Taking the opportunity to get insight into how students found their homework activities is an important part of class planning. Before asking students to jump into the next lesson, you can ask for feedback and reflection on last night's homework.

By addressing the feedback provided and following-up with students, your class will feel a sense of agency in their education.

Here's an activity plan for starting your lesson with a homework check-in.

Bellringer activities should happen at the start of a lesson.

When bellringers are part of your routine, students will understand the expectation that they should enter the room, set up their laptops, and get started with the activity straight away. This makes them effective at focusing students for the day. This is great for managing student behaviors.

Starting your class with a bellringer is a quick and effective teaching strategy. Having a clear plan will help you ensure it's a fast and easy activity.

Step 1. Set your objective

Determine the learning goals and outcomes you want to achieve through the bellringer activity, ensuring they align with the overall lesson plan.

Some example bellringer objectives:

• Consolidate prior learning
• Invite students to start thinking about today's content
• Behavioral management while I set up for the day
• Class warm-up

Step 2. Keep it brief

Bellringer activities should be concise, taking no more than 5-10 minutes to complete, allowing sufficient time for the main lesson.

Step 3. Variety is key

Experiment with different question types, such as multiple-choice, open-ended, or visual prompts, to cater to diverse learning styles and interests.

💡 Bonus: You can use Ziplet's question bank to take the thinking out of writing bellringers. Create a free account today here

Step 4. Provide feedback

after students complete the bellringer, offer timely feedback or facilitate a class discussion to reinforce correct answers, clarify misconceptions, and promote deeper understanding.

Step 5. Make it routine

creating a regular routine of bell-ringers allows a habit for students to expect a bell-ringer on arrival and settle into the lesson faster.

Bellringers can be used to review and reflect on content, spark creativity and delight, and help students get to know you.

We've compiled a list of bellringer ideas and examples you can steal for your classroom today.

💡 Bonus tip: As well as using bellringer questions, you can also use these do-now activitiy ideas to settle students into learning

To get the most out of your bellringers, ensure you link the activity to a teaching objective. Example objectives include:

• Support learning outcomes
• Focus students at the start of a lesson
• Help students get to know me
• Encourage self-reflection

Starting with an objective will ensure you design your bellringers in line with your teaching strategy.

Bellringers can use different question types like open text responses, knowledge quizzes, or a rating scale. When asking bellringer questions, ensure the prompts:

• are short and open-ended
• are linked to your objectives
• avoid negative renforcements (e.g. "I can't" attitudues)

💡 Bonus tip: Embedding daily bellringers as part of every lesson will help create a habit and enable students to settle into the lesson faster.

Bellringers can take the form of a physical game or collaborative activity. But for quick daily bellringers, using a digital platform will ensure the activities are brief and efficient.

Digital bellringer tools, like Ziplet, help teachers to plan ahead and schedule daily bellringer questions at the start of the week or term. Using a consistent approach will help habitualize your students into reaching for their laptops at the start of each lesson as part of a focus routine.

Ziplet is a free bellringer tool that enables teachers to run fast student check-ins.

Students can respond using a 6-digit code and don't need accounts.

Ziplet can also be used for:

• Exit tickets
• SEL checks
• Formative assessment
• Student feedback

You can learn more about Ziplet here, or get started with your own free account.

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