Summary
In this session, participants will gain a deeper understanding of meaningful Bell Ringers through the modeling of interdisciplinary instructional strategies. Participants are asked to a) address superficial uses of Bell Ringers and more meaningful uses of Bell Ringers, b) actively engage in authentic instructional strategies that support Bell Ringers to increase the number of students using higher-order thinking, as defined by Bloom’s Taxonomy, and c) reflect on possible application of literacy-based, authentic Bell Ringers in their own classrooms.
Essential Questions
How can literacy be used to engage students?
In what ways can bell ringers support authentic learning?
Snapshot
Engage
Participants will use the Chain Notes instructional strategy to discuss the definition of bell ringers and how they are used in the classroom.
Explore
Participants will follow 4 of the 5-day bell ringers’ model, using four instructional strategies to experience how they work in the classroom.
Explain
Participants review the Bloom’s Taxonomy chart and discuss where bell ringers fit on the chart and how they can impact the procession of learning.
Extend
Participants discuss how day 5 of the 5-day bell ringers’ model would work in their classroom.
Evaluate
Participants will discuss the Authenticity Framework and how it fits in the 5-day bell ringers’ mode. They will wrap up their Instructional Strategy Notecatcher and discuss how each strategy was used in the session and future implementation in their classrooms.
Materials List
Session Slides (attached)
Instructional Strategy Note Catcher handout (attached; one per participant)
Chain Notes handout (attached; one per group of four)
CER/I Think, We Think handout (attached; print two-sided; one per participant)
The Sit-in Movement article (linked; one per participant)
Bloom’s Taxonomy/Authenticity handout (attached; print two-sided; one per participant)
Colored Paper (cut into quartered sheets; one quarter per participant)
Notebook Paper (one per two participants)
Laptop or tablet (optional activity; one per participant)
Learning Goals
Explore bell ringers as a way to engage students at the beginning of class.
Identify levels of scaffolding to support higher levels of literacy.
Apply instructional strategies that encourage authentic learning.
Preparation
15 Minute(s)
Explore: You will find an article on the topic of the Sit-in Movement linked under materials. (This article covers the following Oklahoma standards OKH.6.1C, USH.4.1D, USH.7.1B and C, and S.6.2.) This article is located on CommonLit. You will need to create a free account to access and print this article. If you would prefer that the participants focus on another topic or prefer not to create an account in CommonLit, prior to beginning the Bell Ringers modeling, print an article that will be used throughout the week of instruction.
Engage
20 Minute(s)
Display slide 2 to introduce the session. Inform participants that several instructional strategies will be introduced to them throughout the session. Pass out the attached Instructional Strategy Note Catcher and encourage participants to use it to jot down ideas for personalizing a strategy to be used as an instructional tool in their classrooms. Give participants time to reflect on the Note Catcher after modeling each instructional strategy.
Display slide 3. Have participants get in groups of four. Pass out one Chain Notes handout to each group. Explain to the participants the Chain Notes instructional strategy and that their task is to finish the statement “A Bell Ringer is . . . .” Each member of the group will complete the first section of the handout. Start the one-minute timer on the slide. After one minute, ask participants to pass their paper to the person on their right. This time, participants will read the statement(s) that the first participant wrote, then add a new statement to the paper. The statement should be a stance that agrees or disagrees with or expands on the previous statement. Allow one minute to complete this round. Repeat the process until the handout is back with the original participant.
Ask a volunteer from each group to share any statements that are important to them from the handout with the entire group. Allow time for participants to share any significant statements they found helpful, intriguing, unclear and need clarification, or that gave them new ideas.
Display slides 4 and 5 to briefly highlight the essential questions and session objectives. This will provide a roadmap of where you will go together during the session and will let participants know what to expect from the session.
After participants have completed their statements, have them pass their papers to the person on their right. Participants will read the statement on the paper. Then, they must add a new statement to the paper in front of them. The new statement cannot be a repeat of what they wrote previously, nor can it repeat anything that is already on the paper. The new statement should be a stance that agrees or disagrees with the statement already on the paper. Give them 1–2 minutes to complete the new statement.
Once participants have written a new statement about Bell Ringers on the paper, they will again pass it to the right. At this point, the paper in front of them should have two statements about Bell Ringers written by their peers. Once again, they should add a new statement, but it cannot be one they have previously written. It can be completely unique or add to the conversation already on paper. Give them 1–2 minutes to complete the statement.
Explore
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 6. Explain to participants that they will now experience a model of five days of Bell Ringer strategies in a classroom. As we proceed, consider how the level of complexity in the learning process changes over each day.
Day 1 - Today we are going to use a strategy called Thinking Notes to help better understand a text. Pass out The Sit-In Movement article (or another article of your choice) to each participant. Ask participants to mark the main idea of the article with a star. Have them add an exclamation point to anything that they loved in the article. Instruct them to add a question mark if they have a question about something in the article. Finally, have them add two question marks if something is unclear or confusing in the article. Allow time for participants to complete this activity. Explain they will use this article again the next day. Provide participants 30 seconds to record information about the Thinking Notes strategy on their Note Catcher.
Day 2 - Display slide 7. Pass out one quarter sheet of colored paper to each participant. Explain to the participants that they will be using the Commit and Toss strategy. Each participant should then choose one question from the Thinking Notes activity on Day 1 to write on their colored paper. Instruct them to crumple their paper when they are finished writing their question. When everybody has crumpled their paper, ask them to throw them to the middle of the room. They should then pick up a color they did not originally have and read the question. Allow time for participants to partner up and discuss the questions and possible answers. Ask for volunteers to share their questions and answers. Provide participants 30 seconds to record information about the Commit and Toss strategy on their Note Catcher.
Day 3 - Display slide 8. Ask participants to find a partner. Introduce the Claim, Evidence, Reasoning (C.E.R) instructional strategy and pass out a CER/I Think, We Think handout to each participant. Explain that partners should discuss the main claim of the article, record two points of evidence from the article to support that claim, and write a sentence or two that connects the evidence to the claim with reasoning. Allow partners to work collaboratively, if necessary. Once the partners have written their C.E.R., ask for volunteers to share out to the whole group. Provide participants 30 seconds to record information about the C.E.R. strategy on their Note Catcher.
Day 4 - Display slide 9. Have participants flip their handout over to the I Think, We Think T-Chart side. Explain the I Think/We Think instructional strategy. Ask participants to look back at their C.E.R. from the day before and consider the question:
Which component of the evidence was the most significant/influential?
Have them write a statement supporting that decision in the “I Think” column of the chart.
Display slide 10. After allowing enough time for participants to write their sentence under “I Think,” ask them to get into groups of three or four. Ask them to share their “I Think” statements with the group and work together to synthesize their answers and record it under the “We Think” column. Ask for volunteers to share their group statements. Provide participants 30 seconds to record information about the “I Think, We Think” strategy on their Note Catcher.
Explain
25 Minute(s)
Pass out a copy of the Bloom’s Taxonomy/Authenticity handout to each participant. Give them time to look over the Bloom’s Taxonomy chart.
Share the following information with the participants: “Stearns Center recommends thinking about all levels of this taxonomy as crucial to student learning in the 21st century: information recall is necessary but not sufficient for students to move into post-collegiate professional fields.”
Display slide 11. Developed in the 1950’s, Benjamin Bloom’s system for classifying types of learning remains a popular tool among educators for outlining and illustrating students’ learning objectives. It categorizes cognitive skills into three tiers: basic comprehension (“remember” and “understand”), practical application (“apply” and “analyze”), and higher-order thinking (“evaluate” and “create”). The classic model places foundational learning at the base and positions “create” at the apex—suggesting it’s both more advanced and less frequently incorporated into instruction. However, the Stearns Center argues that all levels are essential for learners in the 21st century; although recalling information is foundational, it’s insufficient preparation for professional success beyond academia.”
Display slide 12. Ask the participants to think back to the Bell Ringer activities they have just experienced. Where on the Bloom’s chart would each of those fit?
Extend
30 Minute(s)
Display slide 13. Inform participants they will now participate in day 5 of the 5-day Bell Ringers’ model. Explain that Day 5 is the culmination of the work done throughout the week. Have participants get into groups. Explain that each group will discuss which of the genres they would choose and why. Encourage participants to discuss how this activity would work in their classroom. Provide the groups with 5-7 minutes to discuss. Once time is up, allow participants to share with the group what genre they chose and how it would work in their classroom. Ask the participants where this particular activity would fit on the Bloom’s Taxonomy chart.
Evaluate
15 Minute(s)
Display slide 14. Ask for volunteers to share their thoughts about the Bell Ringer activities and the components of authenticity. If needed, prompt them with “Tell me about the progression of learning you have noticed.” Discuss as a whole group. Invite participants to review their Bloom’s Taxonomy handout to view the Authentic Learning and Teaching chart. Remind participants of the essential question:
“How can Bell Ringers support authentic learning and promote student engagement?”
Explain to participants that Bloom’s Taxonomy depicts all of the components of the Authenticity Framework. Invite participants to look through the chart and consider how the Bell Ringers we looked at can support authentic learning and teaching. Allow a few minutes to look over the chart and ask for volunteers to share their thoughts. If needed, the facilitator can go through each component and ask participants to point out at which times in the strategies the components were embedded.
Have participants record the component of Authenticity on their Note Catcher handout.
Display slide 15 and ask participants to look at the Instructional Strategy Note Catcher that was handed out at the beginning of the session. Go through each strategy and discuss when it was used in the session. Ask for volunteers to share their thoughts on the instructional strategies.
Research Rationale
Embedded literacy components in all content areas can assist students in achieving higher academics at the secondary level and can also assist in their preparation for higher education. Literacy has shown a significant and positive correlation with higher levels of discipline-specific mastery and overall academic achievement (Israel & Williamson, 2013; Wendt, 2013; Shanahan & Shanahan, 2012). One way of embedding literacy into the curriculum in a meaningful way is through Bell Ringers. Rather than passively entering the classroom, students are engaged immediately with opportunities to construct knowledge (Ueckert & Gess-Newsome, 2008). Bell Ringers can scaffold authentic strategies that empower students to work toward higher-order thinking. Through Bell Ringers, teachers can create a stable environment that supports critical literacy skills in any discipline or content area.
Resources
Israel, M., Maynard, K., & Williamson, P. (2013). Promoting literacy-embedded, authentic STEM instruction for students with disabilities and other struggling learners. Teaching Exceptional Children, 45(4), 18-25.
K20 Center. (n.d.). Bell ringers and exit tickets. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/125
K20 Center. (n.d.). Claim, evidence, reasoning (CER). Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/156
K20 Center. (n.d.). Chain notes. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/52
K20 Center. (n.d.). Commit & toss. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/119
K20 Center. (n.d.). I think/we think. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/141
K20 Center. (n.d.). Newsela. Tech tools. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/tech-tool/649
K20 Center. (n.d.). Thinking notes. Strategies. https://learn.k20center.ou.edu/strategy/178
Makinen, J. (2015). In Myanmar, bike sidecars give people a cheap ticket to ride. Los Angeles Times.
Shanahan, T., & Shanahan, C. (2012). What is disciplinary literacy and why does it matter? Top Lang Disorders, 32(1), 7-18.
Ueckert, C., & Gess-Newsome, J. (2008). Increasing student involvement in learning. The Science Teacher, 75 (9), 47-52.
Wendt, J. L. (2013). Combating the crisis in adolescent literacy: Exploring literacy in the secondary classroom. American Secondary Education, 41(2), 38–48.