what a do-now (or bell ringer) is: an activity students do as they walk in the door. it sets the tone for the class–this is a place where we work. there’s a nice story here that suggests that do-nows are particularly effective on the first day of school because they set the tone for the whole school year.
what makes a good do-now?
in order for students to be able to do a do-now as they walk in, it needs to be a clear task that students can do with no input from the teacher. that means the directions should be available and obvious, whether it be on the board or on 