Free Do Now and bell ringer generator
TeacherHero's Do Now generator writes three five-minute openers that retrieve what students already know rather than previewing today's new step. Below is real output for a Grade 8 maths lesson. Inside a full lesson the Warm-Up is generated knowing what your class actually did last time.
Three five-minute openers that pull yesterday forward instead of introducing today — the version of a warm-up that actually earns its minutes.
Do Now — two-step equations
Three openers at rising difficulty. All three retrieve one-step solving; none of them teach today's new step.
Option 1 — fluency
Solve. Show one step per line.
1) x + 7 = 12 2) 4x = -20 3) x - 9 = -3
Why this one: everyone starts moving within ten seconds. Use it if yesterday was shaky.
Option 2 — error analysis
A student solved 3x = -18 and got x = 54. Find the mistake and write one sentence telling them what to do instead.
Why this one: it surfaces the sign error you flagged yesterday without you naming it first.
Option 3 — bridge
Solve 5x = 45. Then look at 5x + 3 = 48. What is the one extra thing you would have to undo? Do not solve it.
Why this one: it makes today's new step a student observation instead of your announcement.
Post it before the bell, let them work silently, and circulate reading over shoulders. Do not teach or correct during a Do Now — you are collecting information about who is ready.
Frequently asked questions
What is a Do Now?
A short task students begin the moment they sit down, before instruction starts. Also called a bell ringer or warm-up. Its job is to get every student working immediately and to tell you what they still hold from previous lessons — not to introduce the day's new content.
How long should a Do Now be?
Three to five minutes of student work. Longer and it starts eating the lesson it is supposed to prepare; shorter and slower starters never get moving. The test is whether the whole class is writing within about thirty seconds of sitting down.
Should a Do Now review or preview?
Review, almost always. Retrieval of prior content strengthens what students already learned and shows you who is ready for today. A preview asks students to work with something they have not been taught, which tends to sort the class by confidence rather than by readiness.
How does TeacherHero know what my class did yesterday?
Every generation receives the earlier lessons in the same unit, not just the current one. That is why a warm-up can revisit Monday's misconception by name instead of opening on a generic prompt about the topic — the previous days are part of the request.
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The words that actually block comprehension, defined in language students can use — plus the mix-up each one tends to cause.
See the outputThis is one section of six.
A whole TeacherHero lesson generates all six with your course, unit, and week in context — along with the packet, slides, printables, and answer keys.
Plan a whole lesson free