Five Jamboard Bellringers to Start the School Day

Jamboard is such a good tool for creating quick, interactive activities to warm up students’ brains at the beginning of class. I can’t think of a better time to jump into a Jamboard than when the morning school bell chimes. Here are five bellringers that you can copy and run with! 

1. For the Rest of Your Life

This bellringer will really get your students thinking about making a choice. Similar to “Would you rather…”, options include: 

• If you could only have one utensil, would you choose a fork, knife, or spoon?
• If you could visit only one landmark would you choose the Statue of Liberty, the Eiffel Tower, or the Great Wall of China?
• If you could eat only one fruit, would you choose an apple, banana, or orange? 
• If you could eradicate a species of animal, would you choose alligators, snakes, or spiders?
• Would you rather live in a skyscraper in a large city, a hut on the beach, or a castle in a foreign county? 
• Would you rather only eat tacos, pizza, or hamburgers for every Saturday meal?

2. Picture of the Day Bellringers

Students will take a look at a picture and be challenged to consider what they see, what details they notice, and what they think is happening in the image with this bellringer. The Jamboard comes with a selection of post-it-notes that include the prompts:

I notice . . .

I wonder  . . .

This makes me think . . .

Photos include:

• Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo
• Snow scene
• Breakfast time
• The Girl and a Bubble
• A Road in the Desert
• The Crown Fountain in Chicago
• A Maker Costume

3. Color Jam Bellringer

Each slide is a different color. Students think of one item for each color (banana for yellow, sky for blue, etc.) and either type it on a sticky note or in a text box. For a challenge, see if they can come up with different items for each color without any duplicates.  When finished, they could also find an image to go along with the items they listed for an extended bellringer.

4. Quick Debates

Share one of the quick debate topics, and students can pick a position and defend their decision. It’s always interesting to hear the different arguments for and against! The 10 topics include:

• Is a hotdog a sandwich?
• Does a straw have one hole or two?
• Is your thumb a finger?
• Eat rice with a spoon or a fork?
• Is chess a sport?
• Should you eat ice cream in a cup or a cone?
• Is cereal a soup?
• Does a snake have a tail?
• Is cheesecake a cake?
• What is the correct way to put on socks and shoes? Sock, sock, shoe, shoe OR sock, shoe, sock, shoe.

5. This, Not That

There are 12 “This, Not That” puzzles to choose from on this bellringer. How does this work? Each frame gives five statements and you have to figure out from those statements what a person likes. For example, let’s take Emily. 

1. She likes minutes, not hours
2. She likes the Seven Dwarfs, but not Snow White.
3. She likes poems, not novels
4. She likes power naps, not dusk to dawn sleeps.
5. She likes skirts, not jeans.

If your reasoning led you to believe she likes things that are short – you are CORRECT! Sometimes these puzzles can be a little tricky. So teachers, if you do not have time to figure out the answer, email me at preimers@tcea.org, and I can send you the answers. 

I know that educators are always looking ideas for bellringers. Please feel free to drop a link or comment in the chat if you have any to add. Let’s ring that bell!