# data[].attributes.body
A big thing I do in resource is giving options of manipulatives always. That really helps students engage with more confidence. They always use them and I am surprised to see how much they know when they have a choice in how they do something.

# data[].attributes.body
I think that using the Open Up games is a great resource to keep engagement in a classroom math lesson. They have a lot of fun looking tools but also activities that the students want to try out. I have notice in my class that if I ask them to all work on an assignment before they can engage with the math game helps students to work with each other. Students that are confused ask their friends for help.

# data[].attributes.body
I use popsicle sticks to call on students to read when we are doing a read aloud. I have some students that are not comfortable reading so I do allow them to pass if their name is called. To make sure they are engaged and following along they are allowed to pass if they can read the first word of where we are at first.

# data[].attributes.body
I can't give too much away, but I have an upcoming lesson that I have made more engaging by partnering with community stake holders, adding in a meaningful competition element, and including a community event.

# data[].attributes.body
I love cold calling and doing sticks, but I am HORRIBLE at providing enough wait time. What helped me last year is I had one student who would count on their fingers for me to encourage that wait time. I hope to use more of that to help the students who need a little extra processing time. One thing I love is the fist to five response activity, where instead of thumbs up and thumbs down, they show me from 0-5 how much they understand, that why its not just all or nothing.

Group work is important same with giving scaffolds to the group time so they know how to get along.

# data[].attributes.body
Something I like to add to my math lessons to make them more engaging is having each student use a whiteboard to show their work, and then I choose students to show the different strategies they used in front of the class. This ensures that each student is participating, and gives students a chance to see different ways of thinking.

# data[].attributes.body
There are a few things that I have done to encourage engagement in my class. One thing that I try to do is include partner talk and have multiple talking partners for my students.

In future lessons, I want to incorporate more movement because I have seen that movement encourages engagement automatically.

# data[].attributes.body
After introducing concepts in science I've had students create a slide where they can insert images to show examples and non-examples. they are always highly engaged and I can see quickly which students understand. It's low pressure language output.

# data[].attributes.body
I'm pretty good at wait time, but I only wait 3-5 seconds. I'm going to work on upping my wait time to 10-15 seconds, so that more students have time to process.

In the past I've used equity sticks, I should bring those back. I like the idea of pairing it with letting all the students write down their answers first so that they are prepared.

# data[].attributes.body
I really like the idea of having students pre-write their responses to my questions before calling on volunteers to read aloud. This gives them time to think and really have an answer. I want to add this to my engagements strategy of "Turn and Talk". I have my students listen to one another and then they can "steal" what their table was talking about as their own answer.

This works well for me ELL students that haven't come up with their own response but can rely on what they learned from their peers.

# data[].attributes.body
One thing ive tried to do more frequently is during my small groups, I will read the next days passage with the lower or MLL students and give the a thought or question to think about. And then when we gather for group discussion, they’ve had some time to think before hand. This has help with confidence with some of my students.

# data[].attributes.body
This year I have worked really hard to make my lessons more engaging than they were last year. One of the number one strategies I employed to do that is adding in way more collaboration and group work. It has made such a difference and I see students getting excited for lessons that, last year, they were hating because of that added collaboration element. Even if it is just a quick 5 minute conversation with their neighbor, a chance to talk to their peers really helps with engagement. I have definitely seen that firsthand this year.

# data[].attributes.body
I like the idea of having students write their answers before calling on anyone. Also, this could work as a think-pair-share then in theory everyone has said something about the topic and heard someone else share about the topic before being called on in front of the class.

# data[].attributes.body
I feel that one thing that I can do to make the lessons more engaging is to facilitate more structured discussions and think-pair-share activities when I am presenting material in a lecture format.

I want to facilitate more student talk time and discussion time to help in the synthesis of the material.

# data[].attributes.body
I am going to add a thumbs up and thumbs down response so that all student can feel engaged without feeling the anxiety of raising their hand.

# data[].attributes.body
I often have them think of an answer for 1 minute. Share their thoughts with a partner for 1 minute and then share with the group.

# data[].attributes.body
I teach middle school Language Arts. Reading good literature naturally connects to students lives, since literature is about the human experience. In Q1, we are reading short stories. Currently, we are reading Washington Irving. As I introduced him to my students, I emphasized his lasting cultural contributions that they would recognize: Christmas, Gotham, and Knickerbocker.

# data[].attributes.body
In an upcoming lesson, we will be discussing the different types of conflict that existed at in the colonial period.

I will be facilitating a structured discussion to help students brainstorm the different types of conflict that a person can encounter in their lives. I would then use the think-pair-share strategy to have students work together to determine the categories of different types of conflict.

I would ask each student in the partnership to share a conflict that either they know of or have experienced within the categories with each other.

I then would lead a classwide reflection and conversation and made connections from the present and the past.

# data[].attributes.body
We are discussing the circulatory system in our Wit & Wisdom lessons and there is a lot of new (medical) vocabulary for all students. It has been helpful to spend time on the root words which often have cognates in the home language. Illustrating the system and relating it to roadways makes the input accessible.

# data[].attributes.body
In 4th grade math we are learning fractions and equivalent fractions. I could bring in a cookbook and measuring cups to see that fractions are used in cooking. Then have them 'double' one of the recipes they find.

# data[].attributes.body
We are currently talking about fall. Showing students fall leaves, going on a walk outside to find leaves, seeing pictures of all the signs of fall. For example colder weather, ripe garden veggies, fall holidays. Seeing if the country they come from have any of these fall signs in their country.

# data[].attributes.body
I like the idea of giving them a visual connection. The first module of wit and wisdom for my grade is the ocean. It can be hard for some students to make connections to the higher think questions because they don't have pervious knowledge about the ocean. I think that if I added a few visuals to words that some of my ml's are would be a great idea. They might know the ocean animals but knowing what an aqua lung is a lot harder.

# data[].attributes.body
One way to connect to students background is to use literature that is related to them. This is also a good way to build background with the students that don’t know much about their classmate’s culture.

# data[].attributes.body
Being a language arts teacher, it is pretty easy to connect content to students’ lives by offering choice projects or selecting literature that explores a variety of perspectives. An example I can think of is when I taught fairytales last year, I tried to select fairytales from the various cultural backgrounds of my students rather then just sticking with the “Americanized” versions I grew up with. Something I can to do build background is to just never assume something is common knowledge. Again, going back to my fairytale example, I brought up the movie Frozen one time and I had a couple of students who had never seen it. I should not have assumed that movie was popular with everyone. I should have given some background context/knowledge.

# data[].attributes.body
This week during our Wit and Wisdom lessons we have been discussing slang and how it is used in writing to help us understand the setting, time, and place of the story. I connected that to some of the slang that the students use today. We then discussed slang words from different decades and how those words had the same meaning.

# data[].attributes.body
In Module 3 of Wit and Wisdom, we talk about immigration and the process of coming to a new country. I can have students go home and talk to their families about their family story coming to the country. We can make a immigration map and have students share if they are comfortable about their families stories.

# data[].attributes.body
4th grade, math, equivalent fractions, partitioning fractions.

I was thinking about connecting to students by including an anticipatory set involving dividing a common dessert, and then more students showing up, and having to divide it into more pieces. I could ask students what their favorite desserts are, and choose one of the rectangular ones to connect to fraction strips

# data[].attributes.body
I feel as though my 6th grade students have to be constantly engaged with the learning or they will not take anything away from our lessons. I am trying so many different engagement strategies to make sure they are driving their education. Specifically in math, I have to capture their attention and move them forward. I can do this by igniting their previous background knowledge and show them that they can do this already.

# data[].attributes.body
I work in 6th grade science. We are learning about populations and ecosystems. I like to connect it to students lives by using examples of ecosystems near where the students live. Often using animals they are familiar with.

# data[].attributes.body
Using "real life" anchoring phenomena. That way all the students have common background and they see how the science concept applies to their life.

# data[].attributes.body
Resource K-3 Reading Skills

As I learn about my students interest I try to incorporate that into the content that we read. Both reading stories that students have interest in or expanding to new similar topics can increase the engagement of my students. I am only with them a short amount of time and we do the work that is hardest for them, so the more engaging it is the better!

# data[].attributes.body
One way I try to connect the content to students' lives is by personalizing story problems. I use my students' names, and I try to make the story problems relevant to their hobbies and experiences.

# data[].attributes.body
We are learning about comparing fractions- have them work with a partner and then they share their responses and students give thumbs up if they agree.

Have two fractions written on papers around the room and student write their response of greater than or less than on the papers.

# data[].attributes.body
Using discussion boards like this is engaging in the classroom, too!

# data[].attributes.body
The new math open up program has the students silently think about a response first. Then they turn to a partner to answer. Then they share whole group. I know this has helped make lessons more engaging to let the kids have opportunities to think before they share and feel more comfortable to share. I also like the idea of having students write responses on post it notes.

# data[].attributes.body
I work in preschool and our students need things that are engaging while doing our lessons. I would say just making sure that there are a variety of materials and materials that are authentic and that they can relate to their personal life's as well as fun kid games that teach the concept that you are wanting to teach.

Lacey Erichsen

# data[].attributes.body
I have been thinking about how to make my wit and wisdom lessons more engaging. I plan to have students do a walk about where they can write on the large dry erase poster what they think the main idea is, what do they think a supporting detail is and what questions do they have. Then discuss what was written on them. I want to use this instead of filling out the graphic organizer with direct instruction. Once we finish the discussion, students will fill out their graphic organizer themselves.

# data[].attributes.body
I could give the students lots of opportunities to look at materials that show concepts concretely and then give them the opportunity to work together to show what they have learned and to be creative in the way they express and show.

# data[].attributes.body
I have students show me a simple sign that I can notice but harder for peers to notice. This also then allows for longer wait times for students that need it.

# data[].attributes.body
I liked the suggestion in the video to introduce the learning goal/objective with an activity. I think that sometimes I briefly go over the goal as a matter of formality, but I feel like if the students truly understood what the goal was with a fun activity, we would have better understanding of our objective.

# data[].attributes.body
Kindergarten: In science we are learning about trees. One way to make it more engaging is to take the kids out to the playground area and look and feel the different trees. Gather different leaves, look at the shapes and colors. Go back in and draw what they observed and label the picture.

# data[].attributes.body
Giving students more talk time with their peers to share their ideas and to just talk in general. Also make things more hands on so they have something to do.

# data[].attributes.body
Using response card for my students who are a little nervous to speak during math. This will help me to see which students are understanding but don't necessarily want to share as opposed to students who are having a hard time understanding.

# data[].attributes.body
Our school includes various cultural clubs in our school wide assembly. This encourages students to share their traditions while allowing the larger student body to understand the significance of their culture.

# data[].attributes.body
Grade 6- Add games/activities that get students out of their seats and interacting with peers.

# data[].attributes.body
Lots of games or challenges to keep students engaged. We are a competitive classroom, so anything that can be a competition engages them.

# data[].attributes.body
Last year when we had a novel study on "No Talking," we had a class challenge of coming up with a story by only using 3 words at a time, just like the book. This was an engaging activity and lesson as they all had to listen and be creative to come up with the next 3 words to continue the story. They had to make sure it had a beginning, middle, and end and had to work together as a team.

# data[].attributes.body
We made our lesson engaging today by using a floor lamp as the sun and using multiple students to model being the earth, as we rotated and tilted ourselves slight to show the axis as well and discussing what side of our face was experiencing sunrise/sunset.

# data[].attributes.body
I think you could connect the content by using authentic learning by having guest speakers come in and talk to the students and using visuals. You could ask what some of their favorite holidays they like to celebrate and the reason why and in preschool we like to use a lot of peer interactions and help direct the conversation.

-Lacey Erichsen

# data[].attributes.body
In a future unit we are reading a book that takes place in Romania in 1989. We have shown the class pop culture and historical documents and images. I could share music or popular food items that were smuggled into Romania.

# data[].attributes.body
During our new unit on the Sun and Earth in 4th grade we created a paper and golf tee sun dial to visualize shadow changes throughout the day, by going out multiple times during the day and showing them how shadows are changing in real life.

# data[].attributes.body
I teach 6th grade- can connect ELA vocabulary words with visual pictures, and graphic organizer for students to create a definition in their own words.

# data[].attributes.body
I try to incorporate a lot of games to engage students.

# data[].attributes.body
Incorporating things that like. Like characters from movies or sports they play into our lessons to have a better understanding of real world connection.

# data[].attributes.body
When teaching bring in real life experiences about yourself or things you found online in a short video. Also bring in objects they can relate to. Invite people with experiences come in and share with students.

# data[].attributes.body
Talk to families to gather info about previous experiences. Do show and tells that encourage families to share familiar ideas and concepts that they are familiar with.

# data[].attributes.body
I could show some pictures of different shapes and ask students if they know what they are called. After talking about the shape names we talk about where in the world we've seen the shapes or show pictures of the shapes in the real world.

# data[].attributes.body
For reading, we are reading a story about a boy with a coin collection. I could bring different coins for them to look at and hold and ask which ones would be more interesting to collect. I can also share images of coins from different countries and the countries of my ML students.

# data[].attributes.body
When teaching I always have live translations which helps the students to be able to connect what they already know with what we are working on building on.

# data[].attributes.body
Every day right after the starter, I have a "would you rather" question (very student friendly options). The students can do turn and talks or sometimes we vote. Takes just a minute, but they really look forward to it.

# data[].attributes.body
I teach 5th grade and we are currently learning about Nez Perce cultures in ELA. Having students talk about their culture, how their values impact their daily life etc can help ML students connect with other students by sharing cultural practices that are familiar to them.

# data[].attributes.body
For school wide videos/presentations, we have added captions. It has been a good way to start a discussion with students about how different words have different meanings depending on the context.

# data[].attributes.body
We're learning about volume so I could bring different objects and talk about what's in them and what they're used for.

# data[].attributes.body
I like to give students a lot of say and choice. Voting on how we want to do things, some ideas or suggestions of what they want to write about, etc. I also like to connect with them personally.. I know this students plays baseball so we will talk about baseball stats in math or whatever.

# data[].attributes.body
I am a big believer in building a relationship with the student and talking about personal likes. Hobbies are a great way. Also, using visual aids to converse with those ESL students to build that relationship and trust.

# data[].attributes.body
I am teaching about fall. Showing pictures and having students share story of what they have done or noticed during fall. I could even take students outside to look at leaves or things that relate to fall.

# data[].attributes.body
When teaching on creating and comparing box plots we could give the students the opportunity to gather information from their hometown to their current city. Such as comparing the temperatures or sports team scores.

# data[].attributes.body
Kindergarten: Reading Wild about Books in Wit and Wisdom. Talk about if they've ever been to the zoo and what animals have they seen there. Also taking a field trip to the zoo will help make connections to the animals we are reading about.

# data[].attributes.body
I always try to find a lab for my students that relate to the topic, sometimes it is very simple. We also do a lot of group discussions with whiteboards instead of paper to reduce the anxiety of it needing to be perfect.

# data[].attributes.body
Choice Boards with list of hobbies

# data[].attributes.body
Share my personal experience of some languages misunderstanding.

Let the students choose 5 vocabulary words that are personal to them; example for unit on food instead of them memorizing all the names of vegetables they choose 5, 2 they love, 2 they hate, etc.

# data[].attributes.body
For engagement in my class I have implemented a round robin write. In doing this I will give a question and have each student answer it, pass their paper to a peer, and that peer will then read their response and respond back to them. I will continue the process a couple of times. In doing this it helps all students be accountable for their work and it gives them a chance to hear from others that they normally wouldn't work with.

# data[].attributes.body
I want to add participation cards to lessons to get all students involved, and not let the same students take over answering questions.

# data[].attributes.body
I could make my math lessons more engaging by having the students create their own story problems in groups. Then passing their problems to other groups to solve.

# data[].attributes.body
To make my lesson's more engaging, I could do more hands on approach to subjects. We could take a field trip to the library and do a Book Talk. This is where I will have students select a book they find interesting and give a brief presentation or discussion about why it caught their attention.

# data[].attributes.body
I like to keep my students engaged by involving any kind of movement. For example, cutting up an assignment and turning it into a scavenger hunt.

# data[].attributes.body
In a lesson about finding the length of sides of a triangle we can create right triangles from different materials for them to measure and then use the formula to calculate the hypotenuse before measuring to check their answer.

I can use a random generator to put them in new groups to work together.

# data[].attributes.body
One thing I can do to make lessons more engaging is make sure each student has the opportunity to participate by utilizing popsicle sticks.

# data[].attributes.body
We do constructions with string along with compass and other methods. Once they master string then we go out with chalk to make pictures as a group using only string. Everyone is needed to make the string work as a straight edge and a compass with their chalk.

# data[].attributes.body
In math, we can add movement and song to our lessons. It sounds silly, but the kids totally remember when i add a sound byte to it.

# data[].attributes.body
Psychologist— I like the idea of participation cards because often my group times go by quickly and some students do not always get to share their answers so this could further engagement.

# data[].attributes.body
We use a Question/ Answer Chart a lot. Students write questions on sticky notes, and as we learn more about the topic, they move their sticky note toward the "answer" column.

# data[].attributes.body
I could make my math lessons more engaging by have the students look around the school for different shapes

# data[].attributes.body
2nd Grade Math, learning about geometry and shapes. I could do a scavenger hunt around our classroom or potentially outside where they have to find a certain amount of objects that represent a shape we have learned about.

# data[].attributes.body
I do the popsicle sticks but I want to also try response cards to help the students that are shy.

# data[].attributes.body
I could make a lesson more engaging by making connections to students' lives and using equity sticks when calling on students.

# data[].attributes.body
Starting with a discussion about a short video or picture to introduce a concept.

# data[].attributes.body
Equity sticks throughout the day - not just ELA

# data[].attributes.body
10, 11, 12 grade math. When teaching percentages, we could relate it to sale prices students see when they are shopping. Having them bring in sales ad they get in the mail could help them start thinking about it beforehand.

# data[].attributes.body
In today's Walk to Read session, each of the five students represented a letter in a word. When spelling out the word, each student had to say their "spelled" letter.

# data[].attributes.body
6th grade- In math when we are talking about statistics, I had the students ask their classmates a variety of questions. Then they created graphs based off the real data they gathered. After, they had to calculate the mean, median, mode, and range from the data.

# data[].attributes.body
In my class I have a daily check-in. I always find a question that my students would be interested in and have them answer it... For example, the question I asked today was: Where does your name come from? Are you named after anybody?

# data[].attributes.body
Lauren Gehrke

4th grade general education--in our wit and wisdom lessons, when introducing vocabulary, we could have students share ways they connect to the words from own lives

# data[].attributes.body
I have students come up with writing prompts and put their ideas in a box and draw from the it.

# data[].attributes.body
For a first grade social studies lesson on state and national symbols, we compare our state flag and our national flag. I could also include the flags of students from other countries/ states. We can compare how the flags are similar and different.

# data[].attributes.body
I'm teaching trig graphing and we are comparing music and frequency to the wave of the function.

# data[].attributes.body
When teaching about volume of a cylinder I can ask each student to bring in an object that is a cylinder. We can use these to compare how changing the radius and height affect the volume.

# data[].attributes.body
One of my upcoming lessons is about finding the volume of rectangular prisms. Instead of doing everything on a worksheet, I will bring in different items that we can find the volume of. In addition, I could build on students' background knowledge my introducing the objects and asking, "what is this object?" and "what is this used for?"

# data[].attributes.body
I like to connect to student lives by seeing seeing if students have done things that our characters in wit and wisdom have done. For example the book we are reading about talks about traditions, so I ask what type of traditions they have