I also follow the 5 minute rule plan - works well for me. In my 100+ enrollments, they take the iRAT until 10 are done then I do five minutes. I have students raise their hand (or something) while i stand at the board and add a tally until I hit 10 then I announce. As for something to DO, I have added brain teasers and whatnot to the back of the RAT sheet to give them something to do. Sometimes they are puzzles (like sudoku) or a task like "draw a picture of your plan for spring break." I don't grade these but many students do them and have fun. It burns the few minutes so they don't "sit and stare." For teams, I've given them maps when they finish before other teams and ask to see how many states/nations they can label as a team. Usually tell them that any member can't put down more that X labels at a time. Those are both optional ways for them to engage in something. By mid-semester teams usually don't have a problem waiting - they chat. I also let them start appeals once they finish up/before the mini lecture. If they figure they are wrong they don't turn it in but if they do have a point to make it gets them thinking about the material they want to ask questions about or contest. Erica