Got Five Minutes Before the Bell Rings

Got Five Minutes Before the Bell Rings?

Maximize your instructional time by using those small blocks of "extra" time to review content, reflect, or work on critical thinking skills, in a fun, easy way.

More Ideas: "Don't Waste a Minute" - Education World article - For more ideas

Content Review:

Vocabulary:

	Keep a list of vocabulary words and definitions on hand
	Review 4-6 words each time, choose randomly from list
	Ask for group response, or have students share answer with neighbor
	Give definition and ask for word, give word and ask for definition, or give definition and multiple choice options for words

Ideas:

	Use words from your current unit of study
	Use words from a master list of subject-area words for the year; include words that you've already covered as a class as well as words the students will come across later in the year - begin to develop connections to prior knowledge

Content:

Ask questions from your textbook or from previous years' tests

Ask questions from previous materials, ie. the test from an earlier unit

Name 3-4 people, words, events for students to sequence (chronologically, by impact, alphabetically, etc.)

Name 3 people, words, or things. Ask students to name what the three things have in common (ie. Presidents of the U.S., chemical formulas, zoo animals, etc.)

Use flash cards to review visual symbols, including:

	Sight words, digraphs, blends
	Meanings of symbols, such as country flags or chemical elements
	Abbreviations, such as U.S. postal codes
	Geometric shapes
	Formulas
	Journal prompt for creative writing (general topic or content-related)

Reflection and Self-Assessment:

Journaling: Thoughts on issue or debate topic brought up during unit

Reflection Tools:

	3 Minute Buzz (pdf)
	Reflecting on Bright Ideas (pdf)
	Reflection Pyramid (pdf)

Don't want to have to print off copies?

	Draw basic tool on board; have students make their own on scrap paper
	Have students respond orally, share responses with a partner
	Hand out index cards; collect as students walk out the door ("Ticket to the Hall")

Ideas for Reflective Response:

	Describe one thing you've learned
	List three people (ideas, events, facts) that you learned
	Name one thing that was new to you
	What's one thing that surprised you?
	What do you wonder about?
	Write a question that you have about what we read today
	What's one thing you hope to learn more about?
	What person (idea, event, etc.) are you most interested in

Critical Thinking Skills:

Ask questions from cards from board games, such as Trivial Pursuit or Tri-Bond for Kids

Line Up (whole group get-up-and-interact activity)

Give the students directions for arranging themselves in a line (at the front of the room, at the door, etc.)

To make it more challenging, have students form the line without talking

Ideas:

Alphabetical by first or last name

Age or date of birth

Height, shoe size, or length of hair

Time you woke up this morning- Who is...? (Small group interaction activity)

Ask a question that requires students to compare and contrast. Students decide in their team, at their table, or in a small group which student has the characteristic that answers the question. Use to identify one student to perform a task.

Ideas:

	Who went to bed earliest last night?
	Who has the longest thumb?
	Who had the biggest breakfast?
	Whose birthday is closest to today?
	Who most recently ate pizza

Rebus Puzzles (Image that represents and word or phrase)

	NIEHS Kids' Pages - Rebus Puzzles
	Fun-with-Words Puzzles- Hink-Picks (Rhyming word puzzles)
	"Hink Pinks" and other Word Play - Education World- Anagrams (Word or phrase rearranged to make a different word or phrase)
	"Everyday Vocabulary Anagrams" - Range of difficulty
	"Anagram Site" - Organized by theme

Brain Teasers

	Discovery School's Brain Boosters - Organized by Thinking Skills
	Daily Dose of the Web - Daily Questions, Problems, and Quizzes
	NIEHS Kids' Pages - Easy-to-Use Collection of Puzzles