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Two Ready-to-Use “This, Not That” Jamboard Bellringers

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

To start off the 2022 school year, I designed five Jamboard bellringers to begin your school day. Out of all five bellringers, I received the most feedback and requests for answers to the “This, Not That” bellringer puzzles. I even had a couple of emails appealing for more. So, ask and you shall receive! I’ve made two new versions with 13 “This, Not That” puzzles each. 

Five Jamboard Bellringers to Start the School Day screenshot of linked blog article
Read Five Jamboard Bellringers to Start the Day

How does a “This, Not That” puzzle work? 

Each frame in the Jamboard bellringer 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 sleep.
  5. She likes skirts, not jeans.

If your reasoning led you to believe she likes things that are short, you nailed this bellringer! Here’s another example:

This, Not That Bellringer Frame

Sometimes these bellringer puzzles can be a little tricky. So teachers, if you do not have time to figure out the answers, email me at preimers@tcea.org, and I’ll send them to you!  

Five Steps to Making These Bellringers Yours

Step 1: Sign into your Google account.

Step 2: Click the link to the bellringer you’d like to access.

Image of the title frame of This, Not That Bellringer Edition 1
This, Not That- Edition 1
Image of the title frame of This, Not That Bellringer Edition 2
This, Not That- Edition 2

Step 3: When the page loads, click the “snowman” in the top right corner.

Step 4: Select “Make a copy” in the dropdown menu.

Jamboard Google Menu to make copy of bellringer

Step 5: Rename your copy.

Now, you’re ready to go!

Additional Tips

Have your students try their hand at creating a “This, Not That” puzzle. It is harder than it looks, and it really stretches the mind to create five statements.

If you need a different platform, I can provide the puzzles in a PPT or Google Slides version, just email me! 

Are “This, Not That” bellringer puzzles your thing? I’m working on a third edition, so stay tuned! 

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Five Jamboard Bellringers to Start the School Day

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

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

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

Picture of the Day

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

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

Quick Debates Bellringer

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

This, Not That Bellringer

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!

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Activities Games
Good Teaching

Four Fun Activities for Zoom-ers (and Class-roomers)!

by Peggy Reimers
written by Peggy Reimers

We all know the main reason to attend school is to gain the skills and education needed to live a successful and productive life. But in my opinion, it is not just about reading, writing, and arithmetic; it’s also about creating a fun, safe, and comfortable classroom. The classroom environment means as much to students as it does to teachers, especially these days. One of the silver linings of the pandemic is the focus on self-care, emotional well-being, and social-emotional learning (SEL). Luckily, there are many ways to infuse these three elements into the classroom. I’ve got a few templates and activities to share with you today, and here are a few additional ideas to help everyone bond and have a good time:

  • Playing classroom games
  • Giving students voice and choice
  • Making lessons interactive
  • Playing a Kahoot
  • Sending students on a Goose Chase
  • Solving a breakout
  • Taking virtual field trips

Below you will find four fabulous pre-made activities to use as bell ringers, ice breakers, or warm-up activities in your classroom. I had a great time designing these for Zoom, Meet, and Teams virtual meetings. However, you could easily modify the activities for in-person learning.

Make a copy of each linked slide deck and check out the speaker notes for directions.

Magnifying glass image with I Spy beginning slide of the deck
Created by the author

I Spy!

This is a super easy activity with no planning. All you need to do is “find” an object. And you can also throw in adjectives to spot items by using color, size, or type. I pre-made four different scenes: the park, school supplies, ocean animals, and black/white. Start by checking out the speaker notes for directions.

A read and blue stock cars on a race track.
Image by mibro from Pixabay

Three for Speed

Thanks to LEGO Robotics with Mr. Hino, I incorporated a little twist on Mr. Hino’s Three for Speed activity. This outside-the-box-thinking game is centered on a theme which has several topics given out by the instructor, followed by students typing their responses in the chat. Then, points are awarded to the first three students who have three different answers. For example, the theme is food, and the first topic is “pizza toppings.” Responses are entered in the chat feature, and you award points before the next topic is announced. Topics could include utensils, citrus fruit, foods that are green, etc. Four themes with eight topics are found in the slide deck.

An abacus with the title of the activity.
Image by Rudy and Peter Skitterians from Pixabay

1-2-3 Addition

Simply put, these are just numbers on a background. Students count the numbers on the slide and enter the answer in the chat. I thought this was an interesting spin on having students count. You can change the activity by having one of the numbers in a different color be subtracted. Also, to switch this up, I would encourage students to find interesting backgrounds through Pixabay or insert images through Google Slides to create their own 1-2-3 Addition slides. I have created eight slides to get you counting.

Revolving door with "are you in or out"
Created by author

In or Out

The instructor says a word or a phrase, for example,  chopsticks, and then asks, “Are you in or out?” Glitter, are you in or out? Roller coasters, are you in or out? Students type “in” or “out” in the chat. Then, conversations or questions can be a good follow-up. I have included a lengthy list to use with everyone and a teacher-oriented list.

Need More Ideas

Looking for more templates and fun activities? Be sure to take a peek at these:

Wishing you the best for the 2021-22 school year. If you have any questions on these activities, please feel free to contact me at preimers@tcea.org. AND, I am always looking to share ideas with as many educators as possible, so if you have an activity, please share it in the comments below.

*Header image attribution: School vector created by pch.vector – www.freepik.com

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