do now assignment

Do Nows: Benefits, Uses and 30 Example Questions

Ellen, leading teacher.

In today's fast-paced educational landscape, teachers are constantly seeking effective strategies to maximize student engagement and promote active learning. 

One tried and true method is the implementation of "Do-Nows" in the classroom. A Do-Now, also known as a warm-up or bell-ringer, is a short activity or question presented at the beginning of each class session. 

In this article, we will explore the benefits of using Do-Nows, discuss various types of activities, and provide great questions to use for Do-Nows that settle students into learning.

Set the stage for learning

A Do Now sets the tone for the entire class period. By immediately engaging students upon entry, teachers establish a routine that signals the start of learning. This quick exercise not only focuses the students' attention but also serves as a transition from the distractions of the outside world to the focused learning environment. As a result, students become more receptive to instruction, enabling teachers to maximize valuable class time.

Promote critical thinking and problem-solving

Do Nows provide an excellent opportunity for teachers to challenge students' critical thinking skills. By presenting thought-provoking questions or scenarios, students are encouraged to analyze, evaluate, and think deeply about the subject matter. These activities not only stimulate their minds but also foster a sense of curiosity and inquiry that carries over into the rest of the lesson.

Reviewing previous learning

Do-Nows are an effective tool for reinforcing previously taught concepts. Through brief review activities, students can recall essential information and build connections between new material and prior knowledge. This process helps solidify learning, making it more likely for students to retain information in the long term.

Assessing understanding

As a formative assessment tool, Do-Nows provide teachers with valuable insights into their students' comprehension levels. By observing how students approach and respond to the activity, teachers can gauge their understanding and identify areas that may require additional reinforcement. This real-time feedback enables educators to tailor their instruction to better meet individual needs.

Fostering collaboration and discussion

Do-Nows can be designed to encourage collaboration among students. Group-based warm-up activities promote teamwork and communication skills, fostering a supportive learning community. Moreover, students often share their responses with their peers, leading to lively discussions that enrich the learning experience.

30 Questions to use for Do-Nows

These tasks can vary widely depending on the subject and grade level. Here are some questions you can use for do-nows across different subjects and grade levels:

Critical thinking/general:

• What is one thing you're curious to learn more about in today's class?
• Imagine you could interview a historical figure. What would you ask them?
• Reflect on a recent news article and share your thoughts.
• Brainstorm as many uses as you can for a common household item.
• Solve a riddle or lateral thinking puzzle.
• Remember, the goal of a do-now is to activate students' prior knowledge, get them engaged, and set a positive tone for the lesson. The questions you choose should align with your teaching objectives and the content you're covering.

English/Language Arts:

• Define the literary term we discussed in the previous class.
• Write a sentence using today's vocabulary word.
• Summarize the reading assigned for homework in two to three sentences.
• Identify a simile or metaphor in the passage provided.
• Write a brief response to a thought-provoking quote related to our current unit.

Mathematics:

• Solve a simple equation or math problem related to the topic we're studying.
• Identify geometric shapes in the given diagram and name their properties.
• Calculate the area/perimeter/volume of the given shape.
• Simplify the algebraic expression provided.
• Solve a word problem that applies concepts we've learned recently.
• Describe an experiment you conducted in the previous class and its results.
• List three characteristics of living organisms.
• Explain a scientific concept using your own words.
• Draw and label the parts of a cell/molecule/organ system.
• Predict the outcomes of a simple chemical reaction based on the reactants involved.

Social Studies/History:

• Identify the main events we discussed in the last class.
• Describe the significance of a historical figure we're currently studying.
• List two causes and two effects of a specific historical event.
• Compare and contrast two different civilizations or time periods.
• Analyze a primary source document excerpt and discuss its implications.

Foreign Language:

• Translate a sentence from English to the target language.
• Write a short paragraph about your weekend plans using vocabulary we've learned.
• Conjugate a verb according to the provided tense and subject.
• Identify the correct gender and article for a given noun.
• Create a dialogue using key phrases related to a specific scenario.

The integration of Do-Nows in the classroom offers a range of benefits, ranging from increased engagement and critical thinking to improved collaboration and time management. As educators, we have the power to shape our students' learning experiences, and the strategic use of Do-Nows can significantly impact their academic journey.

Ziplet creates an easy way to conduct Do-Nows. Create your free Ziplet account and try out one of these questions with your students. Having all student responses in one place makes it easy to review and take action for the class ahead.

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Teach Like a Champion

Kristen felker.

Technique 29: Do Now

"The Do Now means that students are hard at work even before you have fully entered the room. They are both productive during every minute and ready for instruction as soon as you start."

                          -Doug Lemov (p152) Teach Like a Champion

1) What is this strategy?

The Do Now strategy is to immediately engage students as they walk into the classroom. As students arrive in the classroom they will all have an activity to finish that is posted directly on the board in the same spot every day, or a slip of paper on the desk, which should take roughly two to five minutes to complete. By having the activity each morning posted on the board it will help the students develop a routine daily. By doing so, as the school year goes on they will know what is expected of them each morning before class even begins. During the beginning of each morning or period you will have them engage in some type of problem in regards to the work or material they were working on the day prior or have the students prepare for the upcoming lesson. This is good for a review and also a way to ensure that the students all understand what they learned. Do Now is a great way to jump start the activities you may have planned for the day as well. Do Now is an effective strategy because it is having the students be productive during every minute of class and they are fully ready to be engaged for the day of class to begin. There are four things as a teacher you can do to be sure that the Do Now develops in a way you would want it to.

1.     The Do Now assignment is fully independent work. In order for this strategy to work, students need to not ask for help from either other students or from the teacher. This is designed for a quick assignment and to reel them into classroom mode not to be as challenging as possible. 

2.     The assignment is to be completed within a three to five minute time period. After the assignment is completed on their own they may check with another student or have to teacher go over the answer(s) with the class.

3.     Make sure that the students have pencil to paper action of some sort. By having the pencil to paper it makes to students be more engaged and more motivated to finish the task rather than just thinking about the answer.

4.     A Do Now could also be a way to introduce what material they will be going over that day which can show how much they already know and do not know about the topic. If the unit you are currently going over has come to an end you could use the Do Now as a review as well. 

2) Why will this strategy work?

Researchers have said that students with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) or children who fall under the Autism Spectrum Disorder need routine and consistency to perform well in the classroom. By starting out the day with a Do Now activity it does provide consistency for those who need to have that routine from a day to day basis. Having consistency in a classroom is very important in education, and can be continued using the Do Now activity. By having the Do Now activity during the first five minutes of class every day the students will become use to the routine and will expect to do so every day. By having the short activity in the morning to review material leaner previously which will lead into the next lesson will benefit the students with a low self-efficacy, whether or not a person believes he/she is good at a particular task.  Having the teacher provide problems to solve before moving onto the next material will encourage the students with the low self-efficacy to become more motivated about their school work. While the student sees that they got the correct answer on the Do Now activity will motivate them to try harder with the new material.  To be sure that the students are finishing the activity teachers can offer a positive reinforcement; something that may be worth rewarding the students for who answer the question correctly.

3) How this will work in the classroom?

Before I began anything I would clearly explain my expectations of the Do Now activity every morning before we got started with our lesson. There are many different ways teachers to incorporate this strategy into their classrooms. Teachers can choose to give students a slip of paper with the assignment as they walk in the door, have the paper on their desks, or even have the assignment written on the board. The way you present the Do Now does not matter however it does need to stay consistent throughout the class year. I will use positive reinforcement to encourage the students to complete the activity in its entirety to the best of their ability with result of a classroom participation grade for the week.   

For the example for your ninth graders, you just got done teaching them about how to find the equation of a line in point slope form. I will give 5 questions having them explain what point-slope form is then 4 other examples of given points with given slope putting it into point slope form and forming a line.