Secondary Comprehension Strategies
ACTIVATING AND BUILDING BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
Bellwork: Journals – Activating Prior Knowledge
There are two sessions included in this discussion protocol. Session One includes analysis of a
classroom model, reflection on instructional practice, and development of an action plan. Session
Two includes analysis of the evidence from the action plan and determination of next steps.
SESSION ONE
PART 1: BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE
INSTRUCTIONS:
Read the Description and Purpose. Then discuss the questions in Build a Knowledge Base.
Description
Bellwork can be used to support content literacy by providing regular opportunities for students
to focus on reading comprehension strategies, writing, vocabulary, or reviewing concepts. Once
bellwork routines are firmly in place, the teacher can use bellwork time to take care of daily
administrative tasks, such as attendance, while students are actively engaged in learning. One
bellwork activity - the Bellwork Journal - is used as part of the daily classroom routines to help
establish a community of learners and promote effective classroom management.
Bellwork Journals include sections on reading comprehension, writing, vocabulary, and review.
Students utilize Bellwork Journals to record their daily warm-up tasks (posted on the overhead or
whiteboard), quick-write response to prompts, and other start-of-the-day activities. The Bellwork
Journal provides a structure to the start of the classroom session and helps promote a smooth
transition for students as they enter into the new learning environment. In addition, responding to
the bellwork in writing activates students’ background and prior knowledge so that they are primed
for new content.
In this segment the teacher guides students to access their prior knowledge about a cell and apply
that information to decide if a chicken egg is a cell. The students write their personal definition
of a cell and their decision about the chicken egg before sharing ideas. Because of the bellwork,
the students are actively engaged early in the class period. The teacher provides structure to the
activity and maintains a time limit to ensure that the bellwork does not extend into the primary
instruction for the day.
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PART 1: BACKGROUND KNOWLEDGE (continued)
Purpose
The purpose of teaching journal writing as bellwork includes:
• Providing an effective transition to the classroom environment
• Helping students access their prior knowledge
• Showing how to apply background knowledge to a novel question to build new knowledge
• Serving as an anticipatory set to prepare students for the day’s instruction
• Establishing routines to promote an effective learning environment
Build a Knowledge Base
• What do you already know about using bellwork to apply background knowledge to new
learning?
• If you have used a similar strategy with your own students, please describe your experiences.
• If you haven’t used bellwork, in what ways do you encourage students to grapple with
conceptual questions? How do you help them to use what they already know to learn
something new?
• Now think about the start of a typical classroom period. How do you support students to
smoothly transition into educational activities? How much of a typical instructional period is
spent on non-instructional activities? Do you ever use this time to reinforce something you are
currently teaching? If so, how?
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PART 2: OBSERVING AND ANALYZING MODELS
INSTRUCTIONS:
Review the following focus questions before watching the video. You will discuss the questions in
Part 3: Reflection and Review.
Focus on the Teacher
How does the teacher’s instruction support all learners?
• Has journal prompts on the board and reads the question as soon as class begins
• Uses a timer to limit bellwork to the first five minutes of class
• Encourages students to share ideas after two minutes of writing
• Rephrases students’ answers
• Following bellwork, immediately moves into daily instruction
• Uses wait time
Focus on the Student
What are some examples of student engagement and understanding of the task?
• Anticipate bellwork and quickly get started
• Have journals ready for bellwork
• Listen attentively during instructions and while other students share
• Look as though they have not considered the question about the chicken and egg before
• Have an opportunity to pair-share and then revise their answers
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PART 3: REFLECTION AND REVIEW
Reflecting on the Collaborative Learning Group (CLG) Members’ Observations
• What are your initial reactions to this video?
• What examples did you see of effective use of instructional time?
• What were some examples that the students understood the task and were actively engaged?
• What was the purpose of breaking the egg? Did this further the students’ thinking? If so, how?
• In what ways does this bellwork extend background knowledge?
• Have you had similar experiences? What impact did it have on the learning environment?
For Struggling Readers and Writers or English Language Learners
• In what ways does this bellwork provide a safe environment for students to practice writing and
speaking in English?
• How does a structured learning environment support students who are new to our country?
• How did the teacher support students as they read or listened to English?
Reflecting on the CLG Members’ Practice
• How could the use of bellwork support learners in your classroom? Which students struggle
the most with settling into the instructional activities?
• What opportunities do students have to wrestle with difficult conceptual questions? Do
students feel comfortable voicing their ideas?
• In what ways could you use bellwork to extend material in your classes?
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PART 4: NEXT STEPS
Identify an Action Plan
CLG members select or create one or more action steps to try before the next meeting.
WHAT WILL BE TRIED
For a week, monitor the start of instructional
periods. Record notes on how each period begins
and the time in which most students are engaged in
instructional activities.
→
→
WHAT WILL BE COLLECTED AS EVIDENCE
Notes, times, and reflections on the transition to
instructional activities in class. Include reflections on
which students struggled with the transitions.
Make a plan for how bellwork routines will be
introduced. Generate a list of possible activities
that could be used for bellwork. Highlight those
that extend students’ background knowledge and
provide complex conceptual questions.
→
Copies of bellwork activities and the plan for
implementing the new routines and procedures.
Provide students with bellwork activities and
practice establishing this classroom routine. Have
students complete a Bellwork Journal Rubric or
complete one for a sample set of students.
→
Reflections on the effectiveness of using bellwork.
Include changes in the learning environment.
Anecdotal notes on students’ willingness or
reticence in sharing ideas about novel applications
of conceptual knowledge. Completed rubric by
teacher or students.
Stop here. After implementing the Action Plan, the CLG will meet again in Session Two to
share evidence from the plan. A rubric for assessing the impact on student learning is located in
Appendix A: Bellwork Journal Rubric. A Classroom Observation Tool is located in Appendix B:
Classroom Observation Tool.
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SESSION TWO
PART 5: SHARE EVIDENCE
Share Evidence and Determine Next Steps
The purpose of this session is to analyze the evidence from the action plan to determine its
effectiveness and identify next steps for instruction.
Classroom Implementation
• How did it go the first time you tried the strategy?
• Did you find students engaged during most of the instructional period?
• How did the use of Bellwork Journals affect your teaching experience during the beginning of
each class period?
• What types of journal prompts did you choose? Why?
Frequency of Application
• Did you implement bellwork consistently enough for it to become a routine?
• Describe any changes in how the strategy was implemented.
• Did you use similar journal prompts each time you used journals for bellwork? Why or why
not?
Impact on Students
• How did the journal writing impact students’ learning?
• How did the use of bellwork impact the learning environment for the students?
• How did the opportunity to revise their entries after sharing impact students’ knowledge
construction?
• Did the use of journals during bellwork improve students’ ability to engage quickly in the
instructional topic of the day?
• Were there student groups for whom this strategy was particularly beneficial or particularly
challenging (English language learners, struggling readers and writers, highly capable students,
students with disabilities)? Describe.
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PART 5: SHARE EVIDENCE (continued)
Assessment of Evidence
Using the agreed upon assessment tool developed to measure the impact on student learning,
analyze the student work, behavior or product:
• Can the CLG conclude that there was an increase in the amount of learning, rate of learning, or
quality of learning?
• Was the student learning something that was measurable using the selected assessment tool?
• Was the assessment tool the appropriate indicator of student learning or does it need to be modified?
Determine Next Steps
Should CLG members continue with this focus or move on to another strategy?
• What did CLG members learn from implementing this strategy?
• What long term impact or benefit can this strategy have on student learning and student
success?
• How will CLG members continue to use this strategy in the future?
• Is there more information that CLG members want to know about this strategy?
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APPENDIX A: BELLWORK JOURNAL RUBRIC
Student uses journals to complete bellwork activities that expand background knowledge.
INDICATOR
BEGINNING
DEVELOPING
ACCOMPLISHED
EXEMPLARY
Student begins
bellwork
immediately at the
beginning of class.
Student only begins
bellwork after
repeated prompting
by the teacher or
requires teacher to
provide materials.
Student begins
bellwork with some
prompting by the
teacher or struggles
to find materials.
Student needs
minimal prompting
and minimal time to
find materials before
beginning bellwork.
Student is prepared
and begins bellwork
with no prompting
by the teacher.
Student is able to
stay on task for
the duration (5-10
minutes) of bellwork
activity.
Student is only
able to stay on task
for the duration of
bellwork activity with
repeated prompting.
Student is only
able to stay on task
for the duration of
bellwork activity with
some prompting.
Student is able to
stay on task for the
duration of bellwork
activity with minimal
prompting.
Student is able to
stay on task for the
duration of bellwork
activity with no
prompting.
Student is actively
participating and
supporting peers as
appropriate to the
activity.
Student writes
entry but does not
acknowledge peer
input.
Student
acknowledges
peers, but does not
share own journal
writing.
Student engages
on-topic with peers,
but does not actively
support other
students’ learning.
Student actively
participates, shares
ideas, and revises
journal entry;
supporting learning
for all.
STRUGGLING READERS AND WRITERS AND/OR ENGLISH LANGUAGE LEARNERS
Student is
increasingly able to
complete bellwork
journal entries,
applying prior
knowledge to novel
situations.
Student is unable to
respond to bellwork
journal prompt.
Student is able to
complete some
bellwork entries but
does not expand.
Student is able to
complete bellwork
entries and attempts
to apply prior
knowledge.
Student is able to
complete entries
and cogently applies
prior knowledge to
unfamiliar situations.
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APPENDIX B: CLASSROOM OBSERVATION TOOL
OBSERVER: DATE: SUBJECT: TEACHER:
CRITERIA
OBSERVED?
COMMENTS
Bellwork is used daily at
the beginning of each class
session.
Y N
Bellwork is connected to
content and is used to
foster discussion, access
background knowledge, or
make connections.
Y N Bellwork is used as a
formative assessment to
inform instruction and gauge
what needs to be re-taught.
Y N
Bellwork activities are
designed to increase
content literacy skills.
Y N
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