Tips for Making Bellwork Effective & Set Up a Great Lesson

Bellwork is the daily opportunity to boost students' confidence, spark their curiosity, and kickstart critical thinking. When done right, this three-minute task can work wonders in transforming your classroom culture.

For many years, I was doing bellwork all wrong, unaware of how it was subtly undermining the classroom environment I was working so hard to create.

I used it primarily as a transitional tool to get students settled and focused but didn’t realize I was missing a golden opportunity to set students up for success for the rest of lesson. 

After a took a sabbatical visiting classrooms all over the country, I developed a recipe for bellwork that had a massive impact on student performance in my room. 

So, what was I doing wrong?

Too often, the warm-up tasks I assigned proved too complex or challenging. I wanted to dive into deep thinking right away, but it was akin to a track coach starting practice with a grueling mile run instead of a warm-up. Some students could manage, but many became frustrated, disengaged, or even disruptive. This was far from the ideal class kickoff.

I would also ask questions like, "What were three key takeaways from last class or your homework?" But if students were absent or just are struggling learners and can’t remember what they learned last class, they start class with a goose egg and frustration. The bell just rang and they’re already feeling lost and behind. Think they’re excited for the next 45 minutes?