Let’s talk about the last 5 minutes of class.
You know—the part where students think the learning is over… and suddenly discipline problems start bubbling up.
If you’re not teaching bell-to-bell, you’re giving them a gap—one they’ll fill with noise, phones, or mischief. Even giving them unstructured time to complete work can send a class off the rails.
The good news? You don’t need fancy plans. You just need a few low-prep go-to activities ready to roll. Here are three of my favorites:
🧠 1. One Word, Many Questions
Pick a high-frequency word—like go, has, eats—and ask 6–10 rapid-fire questions around it.
Example:
- Who eats chocolate?
- What do you eat in the morning?
- Who is always eating in class?
Massive input. Lots of smiles. Zero prep.
🐻 2. Stuffed Animal Backstory
Pull out a random stuffed animal (yes, really). Ask students to help you build its identity:
- What’s its name?
- What does it love?
- What does it hate?
- Where does it live? What music does it like?
Students will beg to do this again—and you’ll sneak in loads of vocabulary and question-answering practice.
🎯 3. This or That
Stand up, move to one side for pizza, the other for tacos.
Or sit/stand for yes/no, I like/don’t like etc.
This gets energy out while keeping it in bounds. It’s perfect for those final 3–4 minutes.
Every one of these keeps students engaged to the end—so you’re not losing ground or classroom control right before the bell.
Remember: The end of class matters just as much as the beginning. Give them structure, and they’ll give you calm.