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.

Activities for:

• Content Review
• Reflection & Self-Assessment
• Critical Thinking Skills

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
• Use ISAT vocabulary words (the words used on the tests - How do they compare with the words you're using in class?) (Based on previous NWEA version of the ISAT)
• ISAT Reading Vocabulary List (Word)
• ISAT Reading Vocabulary Jeopardy Game (PowerPoint)
• ISAT Language Usage Vocabulary List (Word)
• ISAT Language Usage Vocabulary Jeopardy Game (PowerPoint)
• ISAT Math Vocabulary List (Word)

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

 

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