Conundrums: Non Curricular Bell Work
Are you ready to start your class with Bell Work that activates student thinking, builds connections and student confidence? Then give these a try! Assign them through Google Classroom and they’ll auto grade as long as students click on the affirmation.
Here’s how I do it:
I put the video up on my big screen, tell students not to blink because the video only lasts 60 seconds and hit play. When the video is done I tell the students to open the Google form and that they have two minutes to write two sentences. While they are typing away I tell them that it doesn’t matter what team they pick, just their explanation of why they picked it. Once typing has died down I hand a small stuffed animal to a student, ask them what team they are on and why. No matter what they say I use my ostentatious listening skills, repeat (paraphrase) what they said and say “that makes sense to me”. Then have them pass the plushie on to the next student. After a while the answers start to repeat and I’ll ask if anyone else has something they want to share. Then we launch into the day’s work. Simple, quick, builds community, creates a psychologically safe environment, activates Mathematical Practice Number 3 (Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others) and starts the class with every student feeling successful.