Math and Science Bellringer Ideas: 6 Bell Work Ideas and Tips

We’ve talked to actual Teachers who are using our app, and we put together a roundup of a few of the ways they use it in their classrooms. TeacherMade is an online interactive worksheet maker that makes it easy to take trusted handouts and turn these materials into online digital activities. Try it out for free today.

1. Recall questions are perfect for bellwork 

Regina B., a math Teacher, loves using bell ringers for work that requires basic recall knowledge. She explains that it’s the best time to get basics down, “Learning the basic facts with automaticity saves time and effort that can be devoted to solving the problem as a whole.” She loves using TeacherMade because, “Using the short answer feature in TeacherMade, answer keys can be easily created for fact drills, and incentives could be given for different criteria on different days to keep the students engaged to do their best.”

2. Multi-step problems for higher-order thinking questions

Regina finds that TeacherMade is also great for throwing in more complex problems as well. She uses it for multi-step word problems. She loves TeacherMade for more complex math problems because, “The more practice they have visualizing and looking for clues within a problem, the better they become at solving them.” She explains how she uses TeacherMade’s features to break down more complex problems for her students:

“Using TeacherMade, they can be supported on different levels. You can record video or audio to remind them of the things that they need to remember when solving the problem. You can insert text or short answer boxes labeled with the information that they will need to find for each step. You can even require them to walk you through the steps that they will need to take to solve a problem, without actually requiring them to solve the problem. This could be helpful if they struggle more with deciding which operation to use, rather than calculating the answers.”

3. Draw diagrams and symbols on online worksheets

Theresa D., a chemistry Teacher, loves using TeacherMade to ask students questions that involve diagrams. She no longer has to make copies of diagrams, and instead can have students answer questions on an easy-to-make online worksheet. 

She reviews atoms, elements, and molecules using particle diagrams. She loves using TeacherMade because “students can use the shape feature in TeacherMade to draw their own models.” She creates a quick worksheet using our app and adds examples such as 2HCl or 3NH3. Then she has her students use different circles for different elements. From here, she just adds guiding questions such as, How many elements are present? How many atoms? How many molecules? “Once you have your template, just make a copy and you can change the examples you give the students as needed! It becomes such an easy thing to use every day,” she explains.

4. Quick feedback before a test

Students want to know they will succeed before they take a test. Give them good peace of mind with TeacherMade. For example, Theresa D.’s students are learning the elements in her chemistry class because chemistry class goes so much smoother with elements under their belt. She wants them to try out some practice before the big test. She uses TeacherMade to “write the name of the element, create a drop-down menu and have them pick the symbol.  With auto-grade, you can let them see the correct answers when they turn in the bellwork so they know what they need to study.”

5. Online graphing questions

Does your math and science class have a lot of graphing? TeacherMade can help. Just upload graphing paper with an axis. Our draw function makes it easy for your students to construct parabolas, line graphs, and other equations right on their screens in a completely digital format. You can also embed questions that go along with the graph. Theresa D. uses TeacherMade for Kinematic graphs. She explains how she uses TeacherMade’s features:

“Use a worksheet with questions with graphing axes and a link to a video.  Have students watch the videos and draw a line on the axes representing the graph that would result from the motion. If you have motion sensors, you can recreate the motion seen on the video and view the graph that is produced.”

6. Pre-lab review with instant feedback

Isn’t it the worst when students come to class unprepared for a lab? Make sure they are ready with a quick pre-lab review. Theresa D. always makes sure her students complete a quick assessment on the purpose and procedure of the lab. Then she can quickly scan over her student answers before beginning the lab to make sure everyone is on the same page.