Classroom screen templates that open on your board

On this page
- Click a layout: it opens on your board
- Featured templates
- How to open, edit and save a template
- Templates by routine
- Templates by grade band
- Printable substitute-teacher sheets
- Build your own template
- More free classroom resources
- When a template is the wrong tool
- Accessibility and privacy
- FAQ

Click a layout: it opens on your board

A classroom screen template here is a starting board. Each one is a normal link, for example myclassscreen.org/board/?template=bell-ringer. When you open it, the board loads that layout: a timer with its length already set, a text box with sample directions, and whichever other widgets the routine needs.

That is the main difference from a slide deck or a downloadable file. The timer still counts, the name picker still picks, and the traffic light still changes colour. You edit the sample text, swap in your own names, and keep teaching.

All 22 templates are free. You do not need an account to open, change or save them. Saved boards stay in the browser on the device you used, which the how-to section explains.

Featured templates

Six templates cover most of a school day. Each card below shows what is on the board when it opens, so you know what you are getting before you click.

Each card on the live page uses a real screenshot of that template as its thumbnail. The full list of 22 is in the routine and grade band sections.

All 22 templates

Each card opens that layout on the board. Edit the sample text, then press Save Board. The layout stays in this browser. Copy link opens it on another computer.

Morning Meeting

Widgets inside: clock, timer, text, names, traffic

When to use it: The first ten minutes, when the class needs a greeting and one share.

Adapt it: Start your day with a structured morning meeting setup. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Classroom Agenda

Widgets inside: text, clock, timer, names

When to use it: Any day the schedule should stay on the wall.

Adapt it: Help your students grow with a clear daily agenda. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Topic & Task Organizer

Widgets inside: text, timer, group, traffic, qr

When to use it: A unit block with an objective, groups, and a link.

Adapt it: Show all your key resources in one place. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Daily Gratitude

Widgets inside: text, poll, names, clock

When to use it: A short SEL open when you want one gratitude question.

Adapt it: A quick and meaningful template for daily gratitude reflections. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Bell Ringer

Widgets inside: timer, text, clock, sound

When to use it: The minutes before the lesson starts.

Adapt it: A retro-themed bellringer screen to kickstart your class. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Soft Start

Widgets inside: clock, text, timer, traffic

When to use it: Classes that arrive over several minutes.

Adapt it: Gentle morning entry with calm activities. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Bucket Filler

Widgets inside: text, poll, names, clock

When to use it: A kindness check, not a behavior chart for the whole day.

Adapt it: Encourage kindness and self-care in your students. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Zones of Regulation

Widgets inside: text, poll, traffic, clock

When to use it: Classes that already use Zones. This is a check-in, not the curriculum.

Adapt it: Help students identify and manage their emotional states. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Feelings Check-In

Widgets inside: poll, names, text

When to use it: A five-choice feelings poll at the start of a block.

Adapt it: Quick emotional temperature check for your class. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Dance Party

Widgets inside: text, timer, dice

When to use it: A three-minute movement break.

Adapt it: Turn any classroom into a mini disco! Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Red Light, Green Light

Widgets inside: traffic, text, names, timer

When to use it: Practice reading the traffic light before you use it as a voice cue.

Adapt it: A movement-based classroom game using a traffic light widget. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Would You Rather

Widgets inside: poll, dice, names, timer

When to use it: A two-minute partner talk with a vote.

Adapt it: Fun decision-making brain break for the whole class. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Game Day

Widgets inside: dice, names, timer, traffic

When to use it: A review game where teams take turns. This is a template, not a dock widget.

Adapt it: Play classic games with your class using random tools. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Math Challenge

Widgets inside: dice, text, timer, names

When to use it: A short math warm-up with dice.

Adapt it: Engaging math practice with dice and timers. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Roll a Word

Widgets inside: dice, text, timer, names

When to use it: A spelling warm-up built from a dice roll.

Adapt it: Word game with dice, timer, and vocabulary challenge! Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Story Starters

Widgets inside: names, dice, timer, text

When to use it: A ten-minute writing start.

Adapt it: Spark creativity with random story elements. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Science Lab

Widgets inside: text, timer, group, stopwatch

When to use it: A lab block with stations and a stopwatch.

Adapt it: Organize your science experiment stations. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Drawing Prompts

Widgets inside: names, dice, timer, draw, text

When to use it: A drawing block with one prompt and a timer.

Adapt it: Creative drawing challenges for art time. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Exit Ticket

Widgets inside: poll, timer, qr, text

When to use it: The last three minutes. Paste your own form link into the QR.

Adapt it: Quick assessment before students leave class. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Station Rotation

Widgets inside: text, timer, group, names

When to use it: Groups moving on a timer.

Adapt it: Manage learning centers and station rotations. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Quiz Time

Widgets inside: names, timer, text, traffic, dice

When to use it: A short review with a contestant picker.

Adapt it: Interactive quiz setup with timer and name picker. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

Classroom Timer

Widgets inside: timer, clock, text

When to use it: When you only need a countdown.

Adapt it: A large countdown timer for transitions, tests, and brain breaks. Replace the sample names and times before you project it.

Open this board

How to open, edit and save a template

This replaces our old template help page. It takes about two minutes the first time.

1. Open the template. Click any "Open" link on this page. The board loads with the layout in place. You can also start from the Templates link inside the board.
2. Change the text. Click a text widget and type your own agenda, prompt or directions. Keep it to a few short lines so it reads from the back row.
3. Add your class list. Open the name picker's edit box and paste names one per line. Press Save Names. The group maker works the same way, with a "Per group" number for group size.
4. Set the timer. Use Set Timer to choose the length you use for this routine. When it reaches zero, it shows "Time's up!".
5. Move, resize or remove widgets. Drag a widget to move it, and drag its bottom-right corner to resize it. Delete anything you will not use; empty space helps students find what matters.
6. Choose a background. Pick one of the built-in styles (Dots, Grid, Lines, Navy, Cream, Rose, Teal, Sky or Dark) or upload your own image from the board settings.
7. Save it as your board. Press Save Board and give it a clear name, such as "Period 3 Bell Ringer". It appears under My Boards next time you open the board in this browser.
8. Project it. Press the full-screen button so the browser toolbars disappear.

Sharing with a colleague. Use Copy link on the board toolbar. If you have not changed anything, it copies the template link. If you have, it copies a link that rebuilds your edited layout on their device. A board with an uploaded photo may be too large for a link, so share the photo separately.

Moving between devices. Saved boards live in your browser's local storage, so a board saved on your classroom laptop will not appear on your home laptop by itself. Clearing browser data or using a private window also removes them. Copy link is the simplest way to carry a board from one computer to another.

Templates by routine

A school day often repeats the same five or six moments. Pick the routine first, then the template.

Morning and arrival

• Morning Meeting. The agenda follows the four parts of a Responsive Classroom morning meeting: greeting, sharing, group activity and morning message [1]. Use the name picker to choose who shares, and the 10-minute timer to keep the meeting from swallowing the first lesson.
• Soft Start. A calm entry board on a sky background: a clock, a 15-minute timer, a traffic light and a choice list (read a book, draw in a journal, puzzle station, build with blocks, quiet conversation). It suits classes that arrive over several minutes.
• Bell Ringer. A warm-up prompt with a 5-minute timer and a sound meter. The sample prompt asks students to write three sentences using the day's vocabulary; replace it with your own question.

Agendas and organising a lesson

• Classroom Agenda. A full-day schedule in one text box, plus a clock, a long timer and a picker for class jobs. Edit the times to match your bell schedule.
• Topic & Task Organizer. The sample shows an ecosystems unit with a learning objective and key vocabulary, a 15-minute timer, a group maker set to pairs, a traffic light and a QR code. Swap in your unit and point the QR code at your class page.

Transitions and timed work

• Classroom Timer. One large timer with a simple "when the timer ends" routine beside it. This is the template to open when you only need a countdown for clean-up, a quiz or independent work.
• Red Light, Green Light. A traffic light, the game rules, a "light controller" picker and a 5-minute timer. It doubles as a movement break and a way to practise responding to the traffic light before you use it for behaviour cues.

Stations, groups and labs

• Station Rotation. Five stations, five groups and a 15-minute timer. Press the group maker to shuffle groups, then reset the timer at each rotation.
• Science Lab. A plant-growth experiment with a question, a hypothesis and four stations, a 20-minute timer, a group maker and a stopwatch for timing trials.

Check-ins and social-emotional learning

• Feelings Check-In. A five-option feelings poll, a share-time picker and a reassuring message. Count raised hands or table signals and tap them into the poll.
• Zones of Regulation. A four-zone poll, a short description of each zone, a traffic light and a clock. The Zones of Regulation is a published curriculum [2]; this board is a simple check-in for classes already using it, not a replacement for the programme.
• Daily Gratitude. A gratitude question, a "how are you feeling" poll, a clock and a picker you can fill with student names for sharing.
• Bucket Filler. Four kindness ideas, a "how full is your bucket" poll and a picker for "kindness hero" and "helper of the day". CASEL's framework is a useful reference when you plan how check-ins like these fit your SEL goals [3].

Brain breaks and games

• Dance Party. A 3-minute timer and a dice roll that picks the move: jumping jacks, spin around or freeze dance.
• Would You Rather. A four-option poll, a die, a debate-leader picker and a 2-minute timer for partner talk before the vote.
• Game Day. Two dice, a picker with four team names, a 10-minute timer and a traffic light. Use it for any review game where teams take turns.
• Quiz Time. A contestant picker, a 30-second answer timer, quiz rules, a traffic light and a die.

Subject boards

• Math Challenge. Two dice with prompts to add, subtract, multiply, make a fraction or compare with a partner, plus an 8-minute timer and a partner picker.
• Roll a Word. Three dice mapped to letters A to F, a 5-minute timer and a player picker. Students build the longest word they can from the letters rolled.
• Story Starters. Two pickers, one for characters and one for settings, plus a die and a 10-minute writing timer. Add your own characters and places before class.
• Drawing Prompts. A prompt picker (a dream house, a three-eyed monster, an underwater city and more), a die, a 15-minute timer and a drawing area.

Exit and wrap-up

• Exit Ticket. A four-level self-assessment poll from "teach it to someone" to "need more practice", a 3-minute timer and a written prompt. Before you use it, replace the QR code's link with your own exit form, such as a Google Form, using the QR widget's Generate button.

If you only try one, open the Classroom Timer template, set it to your clean-up time, and use it for a week.

Templates by grade band

Every template works at any age, but some fit certain classrooms better. These are starting suggestions, not rules.

Classroom examples

These are examples of how a teacher might use the templates. Adjust the minutes to your schedule.

• Example, second grade, 8:15–8:40. Open Soft Start as students arrive and let the 15-minute timer run. When it ends, switch to Morning Meeting, use the picker for two sharers, and finish with the message.
• Example, seventh-grade science, 50-minute period. Bell Ringer for the first 5 minutes, then Science Lab for a 20-minute investigation with the stopwatch for trials. Finish with Exit Ticket for the last 3 minutes.
• Example, high school English, 90-minute block. Classroom Agenda on screen all lesson, with the timer reset for each chunk. Story Starters for a 10-minute writing sprint after the break.

For a longer look at each age group, read the guides for elementary, middle school and high school.

Printable substitute-teacher sheets

A guest teacher walking into your room has a few minutes to learn your routines. A saved board helps, but only if they know how to open it. Pair each board with a one-page printed sheet.

What to put on the sheet

1. The board's exact name as it appears under My Boards, for example "Period 2 Math".
2. The link from Copy link, printed as a QR code or short note, in case they use a different computer.
3. What each widget is for: "Timer: 5 minutes for the warm-up. Traffic light: red means silent work."
4. Two lines on what students already know: "When the timer ends, students freeze and look at the board."
5. Where the name list lives and whether students are used to being picked at random.

How to set it up

1. Open the template you use most and save a board for each class period.
2. Name each board so a stranger can read it. "Period 2 Math" works; "P2M-v3" does not.
3. Copy each board's link and paste it into your sub plans document.
4. Print the sheet and leave it on top of the keyboard.

For ready-written routines you can print, use our 10 ready-to-project classroom routines sheet. It describes ten boards in plain language for a guest teacher.

Build your own template

When none of the 22 layouts fits, start blank. A good custom board usually has three to five widgets.

1. Open the free board and add widgets from the menu. A common core is a timer, a text box and one cue such as the traffic light, work symbols (Silence, Whisper, Ask Neighbor, Work Together) or the sound meter.
2. Add what this routine needs and nothing more: a poll for a check-in, a group maker for stations, a QR code for a link, or a visual timetable for the day.
3. Put the most important widget in the top half of the screen. The bottom of a projected image is often hidden behind heads in the front rows.
4. Stand at the back of the room and read every word. If you cannot, make the widget bigger or cut the text.
5. Save it with a clear name, and copy its link into your planning document.

Got a layout that works in your room? Send us a short description through the contact page. We review suggestions for the library and only add layouts we can build on the real board.

More free classroom resources

Our old resources page now lives here. These pages go deeper into the tools inside the templates.

A simple rule from teachers who use projected boards every day: start with one routine, not every widget. Add the next tool only when students already respond to the first one.

When a template is the wrong tool

Templates save time, but they are not always the right choice.

• For content-heavy teaching. If you need many slides of diagrams, readings or worked examples, a slide deck is better. Keep the board for the timer and cues, or open a slide deck beside it.
• For assessments you need to keep. The poll and exit ticket show counts on the screen; they do not store individual student answers. For graded work, use your learning platform or a form.
• For private feelings data. A projected check-in is visible to the whole class. Students who are struggling may not want to show it. Offer a private option, such as a sticky note or a quiet word.
• For computers that wipe each night. Shared or managed machines often clear browser storage. Keep the template link in your plans instead of relying on a saved board.
• When the class is already settled. A busy screen can distract. If the room is working well, a single timer or nothing at all may be best.

Accessibility and privacy

Accessibility

• Contrast. Choose a background that keeps text readable on your projector. Dark text on Cream or light text on Navy usually projects well. WCAG recommends a contrast ratio of at least 4.5 to 1 for normal text [4].
• Text size. Resize text widgets so the smallest letters can be read from the back row, and cut words before you shrink them.
• Colour plus words. The traffic light uses colour. Add a text label or work symbols so colour-blind students get the same message.
• Sound. Warn students before a timer runs out if sudden sounds upset anyone, and consider muting your computer for sensory-sensitive groups.
• Movement breaks. Offer seated versions of Dance Party or Red Light Green Light moves so every student can join.
• Predictability. Keeping the same board in the same place each day helps students who rely on routine. The Universal Design for Learning guidelines are a good reference for planning options like these [5].

Privacy

• Boards you save are stored in your browser's local storage on your device, not in an online account [6].
• The sound meter in Bell Ringer measures volume through your microphone in the browser and does not record or upload audio. If you block the microphone, it switches to a manual slider.
• Polls are tallied by the teacher, so no student device is involved.
• Use first names or table numbers in name pickers, especially in boards you share by link, because the link carries the names.
• Students do not need accounts to see any template.