# Ring the Bell: a mini whiteboard game where every team answers > A mini whiteboard review game: every team writes every answer, a miss costs a heart, and the last team standing rings the bell for +5. Free, one screen. Source: https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/ring-the-bell/ · Updated 2026-10-30 Ring the Bell is a mini whiteboard game for the whole class: every team writes its answer to every question at the same time, then you tick the teams that got it right. Each team starts with three hearts, a miss costs one, and the last team still standing rings the bell. Nobody waits for a turn. ![Ring the Bell on a little theatre stage: a golden bell above the answer card "camel", four team desks with critters holding up boards, Teams 2 and 3 ticked green, each team with two red hearts left, and a big Done button](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/bell.webp "The answer was camel. You tick the teams that wrote it (here Teams 2 and 3), then press Done.") ## At a glance | Players | The whole class in 2–4 teams free (up to 8 with Oly Pro) | | Time | About 10–15 minutes for 12 questions | | Works with | Every English question format and every subject (multiple choice, true/false, open questions) | | Best for | Checking the whole class at once, test review, spelling, keeping every team busy | | You need | One screen and your phone; a mini whiteboard or paper and a pen for each team | ## How to play Ring the Bell 1. **Make or pick a question set.** Snap a textbook page, paste a word list, type a topic or your own questions, or open a set from the [free library](https://olyclass.com/library/). 2. **Pick Ring the Bell, set the teams and start.** Give each team a mini whiteboard, a piece of paper or a slate. Every team starts with three hearts. 3. **Play.** A question comes up for everyone. Each team writes its answer and holds it up. Show the answer (from your phone, the card, or the R key), and the screen asks you to tick every team that got it right. Tap the teams, then Done. Ticked teams score; every other team still in the game loses a heart. A team with no hearts left is out. The last team standing rings the bell for +5 and the game ends. If more than one team is still in when the questions run out, the most points wins. ## Rules and scoring - **Right answer:** +1 for every team you tick. A double question is +2, a triple +3. - **Wrong answer:** every team still in that you didn't tick loses a heart. Points are never taken away. - **Three hearts each.** A team that loses its last heart is out and its desk goes quiet. It can still write answers for fun, but it no longer scores. - **Nobody got it?** Press Done without ticking anyone (or "Nobody"): the question doesn't count, and no team loses a heart. A very hard question can't knock out the whole class. - **The bell:** when only one team is left, it rings the bell for +5 on top of its point, and the game is over. - **Timer:** set 10 to 60 seconds and boards must be up when the clock runs out. Time's up shows the answer and opens the ticking. - **Also:** hide the score, a seasonal look and calm or no effects. There is no steal in this game, because every team already answers every question. ![A Ring the Bell question over the stage: a cartoon camel, "c _ m e l", "Which letter is missing?" and four answers: a, g, f, h](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/bell-ask.webp "Every team sees the same question and writes its answer. The hint says it: right +1, wrong, lose a heart.") ## What you can teach with it **English:** picture, word, listen, spell, meaning, sentence order and your own questions. - **Spelling at A1–A2:** listen questions, where Oly says the word and every team writes it. You see at a glance which teams can spell "giraffe". - **The missing letter** for young learners, like the camel above. - **Grammar at B1:** your own questions ("She ___ (go) to school yesterday") as open questions; the boards show exactly what each team wrote. **Other subjects:** - **Math:** mental sums, fractions, unit conversions. - **Science:** true/false statements, written T or F, or the name of a part of a plant or the body. - **History and geography:** dates, capitals and famous names. ## Tips from the classroom - **Count down "3, 2, 1, boards up!"** so every team shows at the same time and nobody copies. - **Rotate the writer.** One student writes each round; the rest of the team helps. With a class list, Oly can name the writer. - **Be strict or kind with spelling, but decide before you start.** For a spelling lesson, a missing letter is a miss; for a science quiz, you might accept it. - **Big classes of 40:** use 6 to 8 teams (Oly Pro) so teams stay small and everyone writes. ## Play it without a screen - Draw three hearts for each team on the board. - Read a question; every team writes its answer and holds it up on "boards up!". - Every team that's right gets a point; every team that's wrong rubs out a heart. If nobody got it, nobody loses one. - A team with no hearts is out. The last team left gets 5 extra points. The screen version tracks every heart and point and lets you tick the teams from your phone while you walk round and check the boards. ## Questions teachers ask ### Is Ring the Bell free? Yes. Playing is free with up to 4 teams, with library games and your own typed questions. The free plan also includes 10 AI question sets a month (3 from photos); Oly Pro allows up to 8 teams. ### Do students need devices? No. Students write on mini whiteboards or paper. Only you use a phone, as the remote, and even that is optional: the keyboard works too. ### What if every team gets it wrong? The question doesn't count. Nobody loses a heart, and the game goes on with the next question. ### Can a team lose points? No. A miss costs a heart, not points. A team that runs out of hearts is out, but it keeps the points it has. ### What if more than one team is still in at the end? When the questions run out, the team with the most points wins. Use a bigger set if you want the hearts to decide it. ### Can I use my own questions? Yes. Paste them as `question | answer | wrong, wrong`, type them in the editor, or edit any set before you play. For another game where every team plays on every question, try [Team Bingo](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/team-bingo/). For a game the whole class wins or loses together, try [High Water](https://olyclass.com/classroom-games/high-water/).