Do Now / Bell Work¶

Strategy · All strategies
Evidence · 2 claims (2 for) · 7 studies (3 causal, 3 quant-synthesis, 1 review), q3–q4 · 5 of 7 report an effect size

Description¶

A Do Now (also called bell work, bell ringer, or warm-up) is a brief task — typically 3–7 minutes — posted or distributed so students start working without teacher prompting as class begins. Common formats include retrieval questions on prior material, a problem to solve, a quick write responding to a prompt, or a prediction about the day's topic. The task is deliberately short, doable independently, and connected to the lesson that follows.

Design Implications¶

Do Nows serve two functions at once: a classroom-management routine that establishes an academic tone from the first minute, and a learning event — most powerfully as retrieval practice on previously taught content Retrieval practice produces durable learning beyond restudying. [+S]. Because the task occupies the opening minutes, its content choice determines whether the time is spent consolidating memory, activating relevant prior knowledge Activation improves learning. [+M], or merely filling time.

Context¶

Requirements¶

• A task visible or distributed before students enter, so no transition time is lost
• Content students can complete independently — no new instruction required
• A consistent routine: same location, same expectations, low-stakes accountability (e.g., checked for completion, not graded for accuracy)
• A brief follow-through: reviewing answers or connecting the task to the day's objective, so the work is not left dangling

Constraints¶

• Novel-content Do Nows defeat the purpose: tasks requiring new instruction leave students stuck and generate off-task behavior [-M]
• If never reviewed or referenced, Do Nows become busywork; students calibrate effort to whether the task "counts" [-M]
• Daily grading creates a heavy teacher workload and shifts student attention from thinking to compliance [-W]
• Repeating the same format daily reduces engagement; novelty and format variation sustain attention [~W]

Implementation Variability¶

• Retrieval Do Now: 2–4 questions on material from a previous lesson, days, or weeks — spaced retrieval Retrieval practice produces durable learning beyond restudying. [+S]
• Activation Do Now: a prompt or question that surfaces relevant prior knowledge or misconceptions before new content (Activation)
• Quick write: a 3-minute written response to a provocative question, priming discussion (Class Discussion)
• Prediction Do Now: students predict an outcome or generate a hypothesis, creating curiosity for the lesson
• Spiral review: rotating coverage across the term's topics to distribute practice over time

Target Learners¶

• All ages; the routine is especially valuable for students who struggle with transitions or self-regulation at lesson start
• Struggling learners benefit from the low-stakes retrieval format, which surfaces gaps without test pressure
• Advanced students may disengage from overly easy Do Nows; difficulty should sit at a "can do with effort" level [~M]

Target Learning Goals¶

• Long-term retention of previously taught content through spaced retrieval
• Activation of prior knowledge in preparation for new learning
• Fluency building: rapid, accurate execution of foundational skills (facts, conventions, procedures)

Instructions¶

1. Choose the function first — retrieval, activation, or priming discussion — and write 1–3 items students can complete in under 5 minutes.
2. Post the task in a fixed location before class begins; students know to start without direction.
3. Keep stakes low: completion-based credit or none at all; accuracy feedback comes during review.
4. Circulate and scan responses while students work, using the task as a formative check (Assessment, Check-In).
5. Debrief in 2–3 minutes: confirm answers, address surfaced misconceptions, and explicitly connect the task to the day's objective.
6. Vary format across the week (retrieval, quick write, prediction) to sustain engagement.

Related Strategies¶

• Activating Prior Knowledge — the activation Do Now is a compact, routine version of this strategy
• Exit Tickets — the bookend strategy; exit ticket results often feed the next day's Do Now, closing the retrieval loop
• Spaced Retrieval — Do Nows are the most practical daily vehicle for distributing retrieval across lessons

Examples¶

• Retrieval Do Now (secondary math): Two problems from last week and one from three weeks ago on the board; students solve in notebooks while the teacher takes attendance, then pairs compare solutions.
• Quick write (ELA): "Is Shylock a villain or a victim? One paragraph." Responses are read aloud to launch discussion of The Merchant of Venice.
• Teach Like a Champion "Do Now" technique — Doug Lemov's codification: posted before entry, 3–5 minutes, no instructions needed, in the same place daily.
• Elementary morning work: spiral-review math sheets (e.g., Every Day Counts calendar math routines) completed during arrival, reviewed as a whole class.

Key Sources¶

• Roediger, H. L., & Karpicke, J. D. (2006). Test-enhanced learning: Taking memory tests improves long-term retention. Psychological Science, 17(3), 249–255. doi:10.1111/j.1467-9280.2006.01693.x
• Rosenshine, B. (2012). Principles of instruction: Research-based strategies that all teachers should know. Phi Delta Kappan, 93(6), 12–26.
• Emmer, E. T., & Evertson, C. M. (2013). Classroom management for middle and high school teachers (9th ed.). Pearson.
• Lemov, D. (2021). Teach like a champion 3.0. Jossey-Bass.