TL; DR; Here’s the list and links to bell ringers
Click a link below to jump to a screenshot of that game and a link to play. All games can be played on a Chromebook or other computer with a browser and don’t require a login.
- All that Math Jazz – Learn music history and use math to find the number of beats in a note (ratio)
- All that Jazz Music -Learn music history and vocabulary. (Beginning of this game is the same as All that Jazz Math
- Bake-a-palooza – Divide fractions by integers to get the correct recipe and win a baking contest.
- Bake-a-palooza (Español) – Same game as above but in Spanish
- Follow the Bubbles – Teaches about primary sources and the Lewis and Clark expedition. Math is at the fourth-grade level. Developed to 100% accessible to screen readers.
- Healing Journeys – Tells the story of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American doctor.
- Minnesota turtles – Learn about indigenous and endangered species and also Minnesota turtles.
- The Greasy Door – Teaches the Lakota value of generosity with some fractions thrown in.
- Seed race – teaches about endangered seeds
- So You Think You Can Vote – A quick view of poll literacy tests and their impact on African-American voting.
If you just want a page of game links where you can send your students, click here. (This takes you to the Growing Math site)
Bell Ringers Increase Student Engagement
Over the past few years, we have interviewed hundreds of teachers, principals, after-school staff and other experts in education – 100% cited maintaining student attention as a challenge. Across the classes we observed and teachers we interviewed, from Title I schools, from 15-50% of students were not turning in their work.
To help catch student attention, either at the beginning of a lesson, or to apply a concept as attention starts to wane, we’re building a series of “Warm-up Games” that can be played on a Chromebook.
One reason that I like bell ringers is that, as a middle school teacher, I found that if you didn’t give students something to do, they would find something, and it probably wouldn’t be what you want. I’ve also found that having a routine makes life easier all around, in planning lessons, in classroom management. Students come in knowing the first thing they are going to do in class is some kind of short assessment, assignment or activity.
While students like routine, they don’t like TOO MUCH routine
I know that some teachers have a math word problem or writing three sentences using a new word as a bell ringer. Those can be fun and interesting and maybe you’re one of those brilliant people who have accumulated a treasure chest of just that type of assignment. Personally, though, I find it helpful to have a variety, and this is where our warm-up games come in.
Warm-up Games
Because we know that sometimes you need an attention grabber or a change of pace, Warm-up Games are short games, less than 10 minutes, addressing a single standard. All of these can be played online, free and without the need for students to login. We designed the games this way so you did not need to take time assigning student logins, downloading on to a device.
All That Math Jazz
Learn some of the famous names in jazz history and how math factors into jazz. Address the standard “Understand ratio concepts and use ratio reasoning to solve problems.”
All That Jazz Music
This begins with the same history as the Jazz Math game, but rather than discussion of beats per note, this warm-up assesses music history vocabulary.
Play All That Jazz Music
Bake-a-palooza
Taylor and Alex have to divide fractions by an integer to compute the winning recipe for the $10,000 Bake-a-palooza prize.
Play Bake-a-palooza
Follow the Bubbles
This game teaches about primary sources and includes practice of fourth-grade math standards in multiplying and dividing by one-digit numbers. It is included here because many teachers have asked us for differentiated instruction options. Not every middle school student is at middle school level in math. The game play should still be of interest to sixth-graders. A unique aspect of this game is that it is 100% accessible for students with visual impairments.
Play Follow the Bubbles
Healing Journeys
Designed for grades 6-8. This short game, tells the story of Dr. Susan La Flesche Picotte, the first Native American doctor, can be played in 15-20 minutes, maybe a little less if your students don’t hit too many buffalo with their train.
Play Healing Journeys
Minnesota Turtles
This short game introduces the concepts of indigenous species, thriving, threatened and “special concern” in the context of the nine species of turtles indigenous to the state of Minnesota. It can also be used in lessons on converting fractions to decimals.
Play Minnesota Turtles game
The Greasy Door
Teaches the Lakota value of generosity and addresses Oceti Sakowin Essential Understandings Standard 2.3 – Recognize that there is a continuum of tribal identity, ranging from traditional to contemporary lifestyle that includes the challenges of living in two worlds and also includes fractions in context.
Seed Race
Learn about endangered seeds. Made as part of a New Zealand – US women in game development weekend game jam.
Play Seed Race
So You Think You Can Vote
A quick view of poll literacy tests and their impact on African-American voting.