Building engagement starts at the beginning – with the hook. Only then are our students ready to tackle the difficult (and exciting) work of learning.
Equipping students with the prior knowledge and vocabulary they need to succeed doesn’t have to be boring! Rigor and engagement are beautiful complements to one another when lessons are designed with both in mind. Pique students interest from the start and give them the language they need to comprehend, and they will be equipped to dive deep into the content of your unit.
Want to learn just HOW to hook your students? Grab the FREE training and FREE template HERE!
You’ll discover:
–> How to use hooks to activate students’ curiosity and build momentum for learning.
–> How to level up any topic with increased interactivity and inner motivation.
–> How to build a Mystery Match activity in PowerPoint that you can reuse over and over again.
–> How to get 100% participation (for real!)
The Mystery Word Vocabulary Matching activity is a quick and fun review of words and definitions that allows students to practice pairing the two while also engaging them in the hunt for the mystery code word. Gamification is a great way to engage students in what can otherwise be a rote task. This activity builds on the recognition aspect of flashcards while also asking students to solve a puzzle. Engagement win!
A great hook invigorates students and gets them excited to engage in learning. Why is this? First, activities that put the students in charge build their confidence. Before you begin instruction, you are communicating with the students that they are capable of “going beyond the information given”. Students are challenged to form their own thoughts and draw their own conclusions; they are given the chance to be wrong in a safe and constructive way. Other students will benefit from success early in the unit; they will feel confident in what they already know based on their performance on the pre-learning activity.
Second, great hooks are an opportunity for constructive conflict. When students fail at a task, they face an inner conflict. Facing this in a pre-learning activity is much less discouraging than later on in a unit when students are expected to already have grasped the knowledge. Perseverance past such small failures allow students to see how mistakes actually aid learning and promote a growth mindset. Constructive disagreement can also happen between students in the form of partner, small group, or whole class discussions about the hook. Students can learn to disagree with one another respectfully and to critically examine their own thinking processes as they discuss their reasoning.
Third, great hooks tap prior knowledge of students. Integrating prior knowledge is a crucial step in the learning process. Students who struggle with working new information into what they already know are more at risk of struggling throughout the unit and losing motivation.
- Start with a question: Pose a thought-provoking question related to the topic you’ll be discussing. This will encourage students to think critically and engage with the material.
- Use real-world examples: Connect the topic to something that is currently happening in the world or to a current event. This will make the material more relatable and relevant to students.
- Use storytelling: Use storytelling to create an emotional connection and help students understand the material better.
- Use visuals: Use images, videos, primary sources, and other visual aids to help students understand complex concepts.
- Use hands-on activities: Encourage students to get hands-on experience with the material to make it more engaging.
- Relate it to students’ interests: If you know that a student is particularly interested in a certain subject, try to relate the material to that interest.
- Use games and competitions: Incorporate games and competitions into the lesson to make it more interactive and fun.
- Use technology: Incorporate technology into the lesson, such as videos, interactive quizzes, or virtual reality.
- Provide choices: Give students choices about how they want to learn the material.
- Allow for student-led learning: Encourage students to take ownership of their learning by allowing them to lead discussions or present their findings.
- Add an element of mystery: Provide an “end result” that encourages students to want to finish the activity. Maybe it’s a mystery word, maybe it’s a 4-digit code.
Here’s a bonus reason to use hooks: They give the teacher a chance to assess where students are starting from. Reviewing questions students have after a hook can help teachers gauge how successfully students are integrating the new information with their prior knowledge or highlight those who have a lack of prior knowledge. Activities like an anticipation guide before and after reading a short passage can help teachers see students who may benefit from extension activities because they already have a lot of knowledge on the topic. This type of early assessment also provides indicators of students who are struggling with reading or vocabulary deficits.
