Deep Dive into ⭐️ WARM UPS ⭐️

On Monday we took a deep dive into notes, and today we are going to look at Warm Ups / Bell Ringers.

I firmly believe every math class needs to begin and end with at least one focused question. For warm ups, this question can relate to a pre-requisite skill or a question that will get their gears turning about a new topic that will be introduced that day. For exit tickets, the question should focus on the skill that was taught / practiced / reviewed in class that day.

There are so many options for Warm Ups / Bell Ringers that you don’t need to purchase something new. Your curriculum probably contains more questions than you can fit into your class periods, so you can simply reserve one or two questions each day to use as a warm up the following day.

Math Talks, or Math Chats, are a great idea to use for quick bell ringers. They really should be done without paper/pencil and are quick and easy discussion items. Many have one single answer but some are open to different possibilities – making them great discussion starters.

If you prefer structured warm ups, you can check out these printable or digital options. They are pulled directly from the curriculum (warm ups and exit tickets come with each grade level curriculum) and are for those of you who may already have a curriculum, but need that extra piece to start class. Your warm up / bell ringer time should take up no more than the first 5 minutes of your class (you can take up to 10 minutes if you teach in 90 minute daily blocks) and be something manageable. I often keep warm ups to 4 questions or less.

Lastly, if you have a fully digital classroom, you can opt for Beginnings and Beyon​d. These activities are in google sheets and include mazes and picture reveal pages. They are longer than traditional warm ups, making them better suited for daily 90 minute block classes, station activities, or beginning/ending bell ringers on assessment days.

I’d love to hear how you warm up!