Let’s talk about science bell ringers. What’s the big deal you ask? Well, science bell ringers are a great way to jump start your science lesson, they’re flexible enough to go digital and they are easy to track. Let’s take a look at how to use bell ringers like a pro.
1. Why Use Science Bell Ringers?
I often use a science bell ringer to get my students settled and engaged while I transition and start laying out my science lesson. When I teach science to my 4th graders, they are coming into my science lesson from other classrooms. Students are expected to come in, grab a pencil and their science notebook and take a look at the smart board. I have the science bell ringer up as a warm up for them. This gives your first arrivals something to do right away to get their brains transitioned over to science. It also gives stragglers time to settle in and get working.
While students are working on the warm up, you are able to set out supplies for the lesson, take roll or organize your thoughts. Bell ringers are a great way to prevent problems before they start by minimizing downtime while you are taking care of required tasks. Using bell ringers this way is a win-win!
2. Paper or Digital Science Bell Ringers?
When we are in class, I like to have students answer the bell ringer in their science notebooks. I put up a bell ringer similar to the original version (above) on the smart board. First, they put the date at the top and title the page “Bell Ringer.” Next, they write out the complete question. Finally, they write out their answer in a complete sentence.
Writing their bell ring out in their science notebooks allows them to have all of their ideas and information in one place. Some teachers choose to collect bell ringers each week for easy grading. In which case, you can use a printable student response sheet.
Obviously at this stage in the game we aren’t always in class together! #thankscoronavirus Enter digital bell ringers!
I created these beauties when I realized that we might be teaching across the digital divide come August. I took the original warm up and formatted them to be used by students in Google Slides. If you have a 1:1 digital device classroom you could also use and track warm ups this way! Students are able to type right onto the slide or drag and drop labels to complete the bell ringer.
3. How to Hold Students Accountable?
Tracking or grading?! Wait! What? Yes, if you want students to actually complete the bell ringer each day, you’re likely going to have to track and grade them somehow. There are multiple ways to accomplish this with little time on the teacher’s side of things.
First, you can check off that students wrote down an answer. I structure my science bell ringers so that there often isn’t a right or wrong answer because I want these to be attention grabbers and get my kiddos excited or interested in the topic we are studying. We use them as discussion starters or review of material we’ve already covered. Because of this, I like to simply track that they’ve completed them. This can then be included in their participation grade.
If checking off work daily isn’t your jam, never fear! Another great way to hold students accountable is to do periodic checks, sort of like a pop quiz. Sneeeeeaaaaky right?! Every once in a while you can have students lay out their notebooks and you can check their work. This keeps kiddos on their toes and again, is an easy way to hold students accountable.
Need an easy tracking sheet? You can grab one right here. Simply add students’ names down the side and fill in each date that you check their work across the top.
Need more easy? How about pre-made bell ringers? You can check out the growing collection here.
Have questions, comments, or suggestions? I’d love to hear from you!
Thanks!