The way we start class sends a strong message to students about the culture, purpose and expectations of the community they are entering, so teachers should be intentional about it. We want students to engage in productive and high-quality work that interests and challenges them right away, and over time we want to make a habit of this, so they expect to be meaningfully engaged any time they enter our classrooms. We want them to know we are prepared and value their learning. They will not be passive and there will be very little down time.
So consistently starting quickly and with a quality task is important. A predictable familiar activity that students know how to do and that is waiting for students as they enter the classroom or transition to a new subject....a Do Now.
