Standards-Based Bell Ringers for Civics & American Government – Quarter Four

Students and teachers alike love these Standards-Based Bell Ringers for Civics and American Government. These Bell Ringers provide curriculum-focused enrichment for middle and high school Civics and American government students. This final collection, Quarter Four, covers everything from Domestic & Foreign Policy, World War I and World War II, Korea, Vietnam, and the Gulf Wars, and International Organizations, as well as two weeks of review, a week of test-taking strategies to preview for the End of Course Exam, and an End of Year Course Reflection! Use these bell ringers to prompt great class discussions!

This resource is available as a non-editable PDF for printing, as well as accessible digitally through TPT Easel. 

The Full Collection of Civics Bell Ringers:

Quarter One | Quarter Two | Quarter Three

With 10 Weeks of daily prompts for Civics and American Government students, these Bell Ringers provide rigorous and engaging enrichment for American Civics students — full of critical thinking, creative prompts, test prep, and reflection questions, you can use these Bell Ringers as hooks for lessons, to launch discussions, review materials, and prepare for the Civics End of Course exam!

Here are the weekly topics with their compatible Florida State Standards: (Which should be easily relatable to other states, as well.)

1. Federalism & Obligations of Government | SS.7.CG.3.4 Federalism. Students are introduced to the concept of federalism and asked to reflect on why the President isn’t in charge of local issues, like trash pickup or potholes. Students identify which level of the government various public figures work for, such as Governors and public school teachers, learn about delegated, reserved, and concurrent powers, and even consider what the different federal, state, and local governments’ responses might be in the event of a Category 5 hurricane. 

2. Domestic & Foreign Policy | SS.7.CG.4.1 Domestic and Foreign Policy. This week, students match key events in United States history to the five goals of foreign policy, illustrate those five goals, and reflect on a quote from former President Jimmy Carter about how human rights relates to United States foreign policy.

3. America at War: World Wars I and II | SS.7.CG.4.3 International Conflicts. This week dives deep into the World Wars. Students match tools of foreign policy to actions America took in the wars, analyze a quote and, as they learn about alliances, consider who is their closest friend. 

4. International Conflicts | SS.7.CG.4.3 International Conflicts. Topics covered this week include the Korean War, the Vietnam War, and the Gulf Wars as students consider presidential powers, constitutional rights, and the effect growing up in a time of war has had on themselves and their community. The Cuban Missile Crisis is also briefly touched on as students reflect on why diplomacy is the first and most important step of United States foreign policy. 

5. International Organizations: We’re All In This Together | SS.7.CG.4.2 International Organizations. This week, students learn about International Organizations such as the United Nations and the Red Cross, and they even create their own International Organization to solve an issue in the world that they care about. 

6. Civics, Citizenship, and Independence: A Civics Year-End Review. Exams are almost upon us, so the next two weeks are all about reviewing key concepts from earlier in the year that students might need to brush up on. Among the prompts this week, students identify the steps of the Naturalization Process, put together a timeline of the American Revolution, and, reflecting on the Declaration of Independence, they respond to a short answer prompt asking them how the United States Constitution and Amendments protect our “unalienable rights”.

7. We the People: A Civics Year-End Review. In this second week of review, students identify the levels of the federal court system, write creative newspaper headlines for landmark Supreme Court cases, and consider how the Bill of Rights protects our nation’s most vulnerable citizens. 

8. Test-Taking Strategies. These Bell Ringers are useful for the week before your final exam or EOC! Students make a pledge to study for their exam and reflect on topics from the curriculum they still struggle with.

9. How Can You Get Involved? Students reflect on a quote by Barack Obama about their power to change their country, write a letter to a government representative about a problem in their community they want to see fixed, and, using what they have learned in Civics class this year, craft a response to a friend who thinks there’s no point in voting when they turn 18. 

10. Civics Course Reflect. The year is over, and our Bell Ringers are almost through! This final week of Bell Ringers asks students to recall their favorite memories from class, and reflect on what lesson from Civics class they found most important.

This resource comes as a non-editable PDF, and also contains an optional Bell Ringer Cover Sheet and Student Contract, as well as a handy grading sheet with student and teacher reflection!

There is also a digital version available through TPT Easel! Assign to your Google Classroom or generate a link you can email to your students or assign directly to your school’s LMS!

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