One teaching objective frequently used by administrators and educational evaluators is the old adage “Teach bell-to-bell.” Sometimes, however, this wise advice is easier given than done.

Teachers find themselves with five or even ten vacant minutes at the end of class, and they ask themselves, “What now?” While some may opt to allow students additional “study time” or “early homework time,” such a plan usually goes awry, and students begin chattering, antagonizing one another, and generally become disruptive in the absence of an actual purpose.

A better answer to the “dead time” issue comes in the form of Exit Slips: