The end of the school year is near. As teachers, we are gripping onto the littlest of things to keep our students engaged and interested. Because, like us, they begin to feel the nearing of the end of another great school year. Are you looking for ways to keep that engagement level high? Check out these strategies to make it happen.
The Mystery Box
Start your class with having the students ask yes/no questions to figure out what is in the box. Or, Include objects in the box that loosely connect to the content and have students draw the connection.
Zoom Out
Take a photo or screenshot of something that students will be learning about. Zoom in on that image and throughout the lesson, zoom out until you reveal the object. With each Zoom out, have students guess what the object is.
Reveal It!
Start with a picture and reveal different pieces of it throughout the lesson. Want to see a video I made for a school on how to create one? Check it out here.
Impossible is Nothing!
Pin a twenty dollar bill to the wall. Then, offer to give it to the first student who solves a particular challenge. Here’s the twist: make sure the challenge is impossible. For example, have students build a perpetual motion machine or a two-sided polygon. Students learn to become fascinated by poking and prodding at problems. Make sure to praise them for persevering!
Taboo Tactics
There’s nothing more tempting than forbidden fruit—so use the Top Secret strategy to make knowledge a mouthwatering apple. Before you teach new content, close the door. Tell them you don’t want anyone to find out that you’re teaching them this idea. Take advantage of the fact that people are fascinated by the illicit.
Choice Boards
Increase student ownership by providing students with a bingo board filled with intellectually rich activities. Allow students to choose which activities to complete in order to construct a bingo.
Share What Success Looks Like
Many behavior problems stem from students simply not knowing what is expected of them. So, make this very clear and visible from the start. Identify the learning targets and post them for all to see. Then, use rubrics that incorporate these learning targets and pair this with examples of student work that fit within each category or ranking on the rubric.
If you want some more ideas on how to keep the engagement levels high in your classroom, check out our most recent webinar, Ignite Their Fire!
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*Image courtesy of Gabriel Pollard via Wikimedia Commons.