Start Here

New to Bell to Bell? These are the best posts to read first.

Welcome to Bell to Bell. This is a free newsletter for grades 6–12 teachers, written by a working classroom teacher. Everything here focuses on the two moments that decide a class period, the first five minutes and the last five, plus the classroom culture that holds the middle together.

If you're new, start with the posts below. Each one is practical: something you can use tomorrow.

Start here: bell ringers

The first five minutes of class set the tone. These posts show you how to make that opening run on its own.

• The Bell Ringer Routine: Display, Collect, and Reset in Under Five Minutes

• How to Write Bell Ringer Questions Students Actually Answer

• Math Bell Ringers That Build Number Sense Without a Worksheet

• Science Bell Ringers: Phenomena Students Can Explain in Five Minutes

• Bell Ringers for Sub Days: Keep the Routine When You're Out

See every bell ringer post →

Start here: exit tickets

The last five minutes tell you who got the lesson and what to do about it tomorrow.

• 40 Exit Ticket Question Stems for Any Subject

• What to Do With Exit Ticket Data in Ten Minutes

• ELA Exit Tickets: Five Minutes That Show Who Understood the Reading

• Digital vs. Paper Exit Tickets: Which One Fits Your Room?

• Exit Tickets for Group Work and Projects

See every exit ticket post →

Start here: classroom culture

Routines, relationships, and positive reinforcement that hold up all year.

• Positive Phone Calls Home: The Five-Minute Habit That Changes a Class

• The Talkative Class: Management Moves That Work

• Building Relationships With Students Who Don't Want One

• Classroom Transitions: How to Win Back the Minutes You Lose Every Day

• The January Reset: Procedures to Reteach After Winter Break

See every classroom culture post →

Free tools from the same teacher

• Daily Bell Ringers: fresh bell ringers every school day for grades 6–8 and 9–12, plus a free AI Bell Ringer Creator.

• Daily Exit Tickets: a new exit ticket every day, with board mode, a timer, and printable slips.

• Elevate the Norm: positive reinforcement and classroom management for grades 6–12, with a free resource library.

• SubstitutePlans.com: sub plans by subject and free emergency sub plans.

• Teacher Emergency Toolkit: ready-to-use packs for de-escalation, work refusal, behavior documentation, and sub plans.

Who writes Bell to Bell

I'm Clay Shumate, a World History teacher with a Class A certification in Social Studies and History for grades 6–12 and an M.Ed. from the University of Montevallo. Read more about me and the newsletter →

Bell to Bell is free. Subscribe to get new posts and the weekly newsletter, and reply to any email with a classroom problem you'd like covered.