Bell ringers: the holy grail of classroom management. They get your students settled, focused, and ready to roll — all without you breaking a sweat (hopefully). But what if your bell ringer could also help your students sharpen their critical thinking skills and become annotation wizards? Enter short articles. Adding annotation practice to your bell ringer routine is a win-win. Students engage with thought-provoking texts while mastering the art of marking up, questioning, and analyzing. Here’s how you can pull it off and where to find short articles to keep your class hooked.