It’s the end of chemistry class, you’ve finished your lesson or lab early, and now you’re left with an awkward five to ten minutes. Sound familiar? While it might be tempting to let students pack up early, those minutes can actually be a goldmine for reinforcing concepts, sparking curiosity, or prepping for the next lesson. Here are some creative, practical ways to make the most of those last few minutes.
Quick Vocabulary Puzzle
A quick vocabulary activity is a fantastic way to review key terms. Have a crossword, joke puzzle, or a flash card game ready to go for those extra minutes. This reinforces terminology and keeps students engaged without feeling like “extra work.” You can even make it competitive—first one to finish correctly gets a prize. You can check out my catalog of vocabulary puzzles in this bundle.
Show a Short YouTube Video
YouTube has probably a million videos that bring chemistry to life. Pick a cool demonstration like the reactivity of group 1 metals or a quick explainer about a tricky topic. Videos are a low-prep way to fill time and spark student interest. Just be sure to preview any video to ensure it’s age-appropriate and aligns with your curriculum. I’ve done this in the past with playlists on my Youtube channel, but have graduated to a library of videos I know I like that I post in my Google Classroom to help students study.
Card Sort Activity
A card sort activity is a hands-on way to solidify concepts. I have quite a few card sort activities. You can check out “Atom or Ion?” for free. Students can work individually or in pairs to complete the sort. I printed the same card sort around 12 times on different colored paper. This way when one card falls on the floor, I know where it belongs. I also laminate mine so they can be used again and again. I typically like to use them as the practice activity of a lesson, but because they’re so quick I like to bring them out again. It’s an easy trick to get some practice with current content or review some old content.
Open Q&A Session
The end of class is a great time to let students ask questions. Give the opportunity to clarify the day’s material or explore something they’re curious about. I think this is a great way to encourage students to ask questions in your class. If you have some time blocked out where you ask for questions you’re likely to get them. Plus I’m sure with enough practice, your more quiet students will join in!
Write a Test Question
Hand out index cards and ask students to write one question they think should be on the next test. This not only helps them review but also gives you insight into what they consider important or challenging. Bonus: You can include some of their questions on the actual test to get out of writing chemistry test questions yourself. Or maybe you just use their mediocre questions as a starting point. Either way, you’re not starting from scratch, and that’s a win!
Chemistry Riddles or Trivia
Ask Google, or AI for a chemistry-themed riddle or trivia questions when you have five minutes left in class. Ask a question and let students shout out answers or discuss in small groups. Here’s an example I got from ChatGPT.: “I’m a gas that’s vital for life but makes up less than 1% of Earth’s atmosphere. What am I?” (Answer: Carbon dioxide.) You can even ask for riddles and trivia that surround your specific unit of study, instead of chemistry in general.
Exit Tickets
I’m not a huge fan of the “exit ticket.” So this isn’t one that I’d personally use often. But you can give it a try. I’ve used it for some lessons here and there. Ask students to reflect on the day’s lesson. Prompts could include:
- “What’s one thing you learned today that surprised you?”
- “What’s one question you still have?” (This is a good thing to write down and start with tomorrow!)
- “How would you explain today’s topic to a friend?
For a project, I once allowed students to submit a one minute video in a TikTok format. They LOVED it. (I obviously didn’t have them actually post it. They just uploaded it to Google Drive and shared it with me.) You could have a student “perform” the TikTok recapping today’s lesson in front of the class. Then each student in the class needs to “leave a comment” on an index card. That would certainly be a lot of fun!
Quick Group Challenge
Divide the class into small groups and give them a lightning challenge. For example: “Name as many elements as you can in two minutes,” or “List five examples of chemical changes.” This can bring out the competitive spirit and use up a lot of “Friday Afternoon Energy” if you need it. Plus, it’s chemistry practice, so that’s a plus. Use AI to help with some prompts.
Sig Figs Race
I teach sig figs at the beginning of the year, but we don’t really use it until we get to the stoichiometry unit, where the math starts to come into chemistry. (Then heat equations, gas laws, molarity.. and it doesn’t stop). For this reason, I like to make sure we come back to significant figures a few times throughout the first semester to make sure I don’t have to entirely reteach later on. In this fun significant figures race activity, students have 10 simple math problems. They use a calculator to answer. But the answer to question 1 becomes part of question 2, so they need to be super accurate as they answer the questions. I have 10 versions of this worksheet, so there’s enough for one a month. But I’ll usually front-load these in my course since they’re REALLY good by the time we get to the end of the year.
Preview Tomorrow’s Lesson
Use the last few minutes of class to build anticipation for your next class. Share an intriguing question or fact related to the upcoming topic. Have your students brainstorm an answer, or ask you questions regarding the fact. This is something I’d choose to do with 3 minutes left in class, not five.
Quiet Reflection Time
Sometimes, your students just need a moment to breathe. Give them a task for this time though. Because otherwise the phones will pop out. Have them organize their notes, jot down thoughts, or simply take a few deep breaths. You can provide a quick checklist for them to review: “Do you have all the notes you need? Have you marked any questions for review later? Did you put your upcoming test in your calendar? When was the last time you checked your grades in your student portal?”
Why These Activities Matter
Don’t let those last five minutes of class go to waste! I know that some times, you just need a breather. Sometimes it’s perfectly okay to just end the class and rest for a few minutes. That’s okay too! But if you’re looking to maximize every minute, try out some of these activities. I usually like to have some of those print outs ready to go, like the vocabulary puzzles or the sig figs race. Having those in my desk drawer really helps to “have a back up plan.” (They’re also good for sub plans!)
When you plan for those last few minutes, you’re maximizing every moment of class time. And with how much nonsense fills each day as a teacher (and slowly chips away at your school year) you need all the time you can get. These activities not only reinforce what students have learned but also create opportunities for curiosity, connection, or creativity.
