Make the Opening Moments Mean More

I have always struggled with bell work. The “Hey guys. Here are a few problems based on information that we have already covered. You need to remember them, so here are three more. Work on them while I take attendance.” approach has never been for me. I think it is boring. Yet, that is what you would find 95% of the time at the beginning of a math lesson in my room. With pending standardized test I feel like we HAVE to keep reviewing this way.

So when I read the first paragraph on page 45 of The Classroom Chef, which basically described the above situation, I drew this face in the book…

I am not alone! There are other teachers out there in the unknown who struggle with this too. It is not just me. I give a quick squeal of excitement and then take a second to look around and make sure no one is looking. I recompose myself and carry on reading. 

As I read the rest of the chapter, I am given a new lease on the opening my lessons. John Stevens and Matt Vaudrey, the authors of the book lay out several better options that can I easily modify to what I need. The craziest part of it all, the first recommendation was something I already do. In my class, to take attendance I would always ask a ‘Would you rather’ question.  However, for some reason I never thought to myself, ‘Hey, let’s tie these two things together to make it all stronger.’

The first unit on my district’s pacing guide is exponents. A quick Google search and boom, I have my first anticipatory set of the year. “Would you rather get a million dollars or double your money everyday for 30 days starting with a penny?” A little further searching and I find my way to a Which One Doesn’t Belong website. Man, I am in business and rolling. My whole anticipatory set life has changed and I am so very excited to get the ball rolling next year. There are times and places to review, quizzes or just before the big test. Going forward I intend to make great use of those first few minutes of each lesson. 

As we head into the next year, I want to encourage you not to be afraid to make your opening moments matter as well. It may take some time, but it could be so worth it.

Here are the links for those sites, by the way.

Would You Rather

Which One Doesn't Belong