A classroom countdown timer the whole room can read
This page opens with a three-step lesson routine: five minutes to settle in, twenty minutes of work time, five minutes to pack up. Press Start and the disk shrinks through each step, chimes at each change and flashes red at the end. Press Full screen before the lesson and the display is the disk, the step name and the countdown, nothing else.
A visual classroom timer does two jobs a digital clock does not. It answers "how long do we have?" without anyone asking, because the wedge is the answer. And it makes transitions predictable: students can see the work period ending for the whole of its last few minutes, so the change of activity is not a surprise.
Set it up for your room
- Change the steps. Open Routine link, edit the code and press Use.
10m-Warm_up.30m-Independent_work.5m-Clean_upis a longer block;2m-Transitionon its own is a two-minute changeover. - Bookmark each lesson shape. The routine is in the address after the
#, so one bookmark per lesson type on the classroom machine brings the right timer up in one click. - Kid theme for younger classes. Bigger shapes, rounder buttons, pink-on-lilac disk. Add
~kidto a link so it opens that way. - Quiet room option. Press Sound off to drop the chime and rely on the red last tenth and the flash.
- Chromebook friendly. No install and no extension; it is a static page that works in Chrome on a managed device.
Timer ideas teachers use
- Silent reading:
15m-Silent_reading - Think, pair, share:
2m-Think.3m-Pair.5m-Share - Stations rotation:
8m-Station_1.1m-Move.8m-Station_2.1m-Move.8m-Station_3 - Test with a warning:
40m-Test.5m-Check_your_work - End-of-day pack up:
5m-Pack_up.~go(starts the moment the page opens)
The full link format is on the online visual timer page, and the classroom visual timer guide covers where to put the display, how long steps should be and how to introduce the timer to a class.
Other preset timers
Teachers: the guide to using a visual timer in the classroom covers placement, step lengths and introducing the timer to a class.
Questions
How do I make the classroom timer full screen?
Press the Full screen button or the F key. The disk, the step name and the countdown fill the display and the controls fade until you move the mouse. Press Escape to leave.
Can I run several timed activities back to back?
Yes. Open Routine link and type the steps separated by dots, for example 5m-Settle_in.20m-Work_time.5m-Pack_up. The timer runs them in order with a chime between steps.
Does it work on a Chromebook or an interactive whiteboard?
Yes. It is a plain web page that runs in Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari, with no install or extension, so it works on managed Chromebooks and on the browser built into most smart boards.
Can I turn the sound off?
Yes. Press Sound off. The last tenth of each step still turns red and the screen flashes red at the end.
Can students see how much time is left from the back of the room?
That is the point of a disk rather than digits. The wedge scales to the screen, and in full screen on a 65-inch board it is readable from across a classroom.