In his book, “Every Minute Counts”, David R. Johnson writes:

Students come into the classroom to learn mathematics, so instruction should begin immediately. This lesson was taught to me by a student who was perpetually late. When I asked him why he didn’t get to class on time, he answered, “Why should I be on time? Nothing ever happens in the first ten minutes anyway.” And he was right!

There are many activities that teachers can do for the first 10-20 minutes of class that productively engage the students who are there without leaving latecomers having to play catch up for the entire class.

One option is to give students a mathematical warm-up that stands on its own, or is connected to the day’s content, but not crucial for understanding what comes later in class. This CUNY collection is a great place to find mathematical warm-ups to begin your class.

The warm-ups are broken up into the following categories:

• Visual Warm-ups
• Pattern Warm-ups
• Logical Warm-ups
• Other Warm-ups

If you use one (or have any questions), please let us know in the comment box below.

Happy exploring!