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1.  Field Trips

I have planned field trips in a couple of my positions, just not as a teacher (since I am not in that role). I know that planning field trips takes time, preparation, a plan B, isn’t always easy to get extra chaperones, can be overwhelming, and is expensive.  HOWEVER, field trips (if planned right) can provide a hands on experience to information being taught in class.  A field trip that stands out to me is one that my daughter took a couple years ago.  They went to Junior Achievement “Biztown” in St. Paul.  This program is a program that starts with lessons in school, students learn about lifetime success through age-appropriate learning opportunities.  The lesson include educating students on how they impact the world through their individualism, as workers, consumers, and how to succeed in school.  Students then get assigned a “job” and work that “job” at Biztown.  My daughter learned how to manage a checking account, deposit checks at the bank, manage her business, and much more.

https://www.jaum.org

2.  Brainstorming as a group

I think that it’s good for students to brainstorm ideas on what a new topic may be about.  For example, if I were to put the words “Rock Cycle” up on the board, what would this topic include?  Also, what do students want to know about?  Having students start talking and opening up discussion about the topic that is going to be introduced gives them the opportunity to interact and ask questions before they start learning about the topic.

3.  Kahoot/Quizlet

I have used Quizlet for my own school studies, but not in a teaching role.  I know that my children’s teachers use both Quizlet and Kahoot often when studying for tests.  These activities can be done as a class (competition), as a small group, or on their individual time outside of school.

4.  Neighborhood and/or Nature Walks

It is important to use our environment as a resource/tool for the classroom.  Going on a nature walk/exploration not only gets students up and moving, it gets them outside to explore.  This could be searching for different leaves, rocks, wildlife, flowers, etc.

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1.    Jigsaw Partner activities.

I place students into groups and have them each read one article or become an expert on one topic and then share it with the rest of the group. This allows students to get to know one another, and when students become teachers, they learn the material much better. It’s  a good way to keep students accountable as well.

2.    Hands on activities (Labs)

Labs are a great way to get students involved. Specifically anything that students find cool or different will help increase student engagement. Having students work together to solve a problem or tackle a dissection will help improve the engagement as well since they are learning together instead of relying on the teacher for information.

3.    Storytelling

Using Case Studies is another way to engage students. I love talking about real cases or bring in a real world scenario that happened to help tie connection between science and the rest of the world. During my student teaching experience, students particularly enjoyed learning about Typhoid Mary and the outbreaks she caused when we started learning about bacteria. This real world event engaged students and helped them make connections to their own life.

4.    Incorporating aspects of students lives into the lesson

This is by far my most favorite way to add student engagement to the classroom. When learning about anything, I ask my students if they are familiar with the topic and have students teach us what they know- this can be as simple as talking about invasive species and having a student talk about the kudzu vines down south and how they cover everything! I also ask my students at the beginning of the year what some of their favorite things are and then keep those in mind as I plan the rest of my lessons.

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1. Physical Activities
I've used this strategy before. To encourage engagement, build classroom culture and understanding this is a great strategy. I would often start class with a movement activity that relates to the day before encouraging students to move around. I would have students mill to music walking and then stop and talk to a classmate about what they learned the day before. I also had activities of stand on this side of the classroom if sort of questions to see students prior knowledge and assets before starting a unit.
2. Encourage talking
I always try and give students opportunities to talk with their classmates. This is hopefully as it relates to science, but I also just want to encourage students talking in general. I had students work in groups to talk about concepts. I would even encourage students to talk with their classmates about their day or weekend. This gets students more comfortable with their classmates and makes it easier for students to have those more complex discussions.
3.  Be creative
In the middle school there were many students who enjoyed drawing and just creating. I wanted to give students opportunities to shine so I had an assessment where students designed a PSA billboard. Students were asked to draw a picture and write a slogan. I Also had students explain their PSA. This engaged students because it involved something that the students were interested in and enjoyed doing. This was a nice buy in to what I was hoping they would get out which was  effecting wild rice in Minnesota and what can we do to help.
4. Celebrate success
When ever I see students doing well or even just trying I want to celebrate those students and encourage more behavior like what they are doing. I also try to provide opportunities for every student to have success in the classroom no matter how small. This helps students see themselves as an important part of the class. Just praise those behaviors and show your students you care will get them engage and invested. This strategy does take time and energy on the part of the teacher.

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1. Drawing and Artwork
This is something I like to incorporate often into my lessons. I have often found that students who are more drawn to art and less science-minded really thrive off of these projects and show me a new side to them I would have not otherwise seen. Students have shared with me that they love being able to express their creativity within science and show me what they know through art. I have gotten to know students on a more personal note doing posters, working with clay, and using online design tools.
2. Field trips and guest speakers
Students love field trips and getting out of school. However they are really expensive and sometimes not realistic or relevant to students. However, I feel like students really engage when they have the opportunity to leave the classroom. Frequently, we go to the library, flex spaces, and even take a walk outside to get students to experience learning in a different setting. However, I love providing students the opportunity to see how things are learned and studied in real life. If going on a field trip is not an option, I plan on asking a representative to come and speak to our class. I have had research biologists, Medtronic engineers, and college students visit my classroom to discuss a number of topics with students. My classes really engage with these people and often have many questions about what they do, how they got to where they are, and more.
3. Quizlet/Kahoot/Jeopardy
My favorite review strategies are playing review games like quizlet live, kahoot, and jeopardy. I really like the team aspect that some of these games offer. I always tell students a day in advance, so they can "study for the game" when in reality they are studying for their assessments. Students love the competition and this also encourages less social students to interact with their peers. This method also addresses common misconceptions students are having.
4. Manipulative's, Experiments, and modeling.
I use these methods very often in my classroom as both a way for students to experience the learning through something tangible as well as giving the entire class something to relate and connect to throughout the lesson. Students who model their understanding are able to visualize it and conceptualize how processes work in real life.

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1. Get up and moving

Allowing students to move around and break the monotony of sitting in a chair for eight hours can be a great technique to increase engagement in a lesson. Ways I’ve seen this used in the middle school have been going outside for bird and pollinator field studies. In my time in high school, my teacher set up a collection of stations in the school garage and we were able to experience physics concepts first hand. This could also be done at the middle level. Things such as sitting in a chair with a weight and moving it towards and away from yourself. Nowadays, students could also go out in the hallway and use a recording app to take videos of their peers running and then analyze the clip for position, speed, velocity, and acceleration.

An example for kindergarten students, but could be done similarly for middle level:

https://ngss.nsta.org/Resource.aspx?ResourceID=323

2. Object lessons/Be Concrete

Students at the middle level age range are likely to still think in concrete terms rather than abstract, so creating a lesson that makes an abstract concept more tangible is a great way to bridge that. An example could be when discussing density, to actually bring in a tank of water and perform experiments and ask questions about why things happened the way they did.

3. Music, Rhythm, Rhyme, and Rap

I still remember concepts taught to me through song, see School House Rock, and I think it is a great way to convey dense information or key concepts to students in the sciences. For anyone looking to use this method, earlier in the course of our Secondary Science Methods class, we were introduced to a group called They Might be Giants, who post science music videos on YouTube. One example, referenced in the picture seen below, can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DRb5PSxJerM

4. Technology

Technology is an essential piece to learn in order to be on the cutting edge of the physical sciences. Utilized correctly (so as not to distract from the core lesson or detract from using intra group social skills), students can see how professional scientists may actually collect data. This gives them a good stepping stone towards seeing themselves as future scientists if they so choose. One example of how to use this would be to include data capture equipment in labs, such as Vernier probes, as funding allows.

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1. Lab creation.
This is something that I had done during the previous semester. In this activity, you are asking the students a question, and they create their own hypothesis, and together as a class you design a lab/activity that will allow students to test their hypothesis.
2. Scavenger Hunt.
This past week, my students have been working on moving between standard form and factored form of quadratics. So we made an activity where students would take a standard form equation and find the factored form. Once they had the factored form, they would find that solution posted somewhere around the room, and the next problem would be posted with it, and a symbol of some kind.  Once they had completed all of the problems, they would take the symbols and create a story.
3. Real world Emphasis.
In the math classroom I am currently in, students had been asking about why are we learning this (exponential equations), so we created a task where students studied various cars with varying depreciation rates, and ended the lesson with which car would you buy and why) each car had a postive and negative for why.
4. Kahoot.
Students like the competition and easygoing nature of these type of activities over worksheets and lectures.

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1. WebQuests
I've used WebQuests as a way to have students responsible for their learning of a topic, rather than myself going over slides with direct instruction. The interactive online aspect keeps students engaged and you can find fun things for students to explore. I had students work with an interactive geologic timeline.
2.  Humor/Jokes
I like the idea of bringing humor or jokes into the classroom. I enjoyed reading about how students can be designated as a class clown and be allowed to tell an approved joke, I think it would be useful to have it be science related jokes.The class clown role can then be rotated through students who wish to participate.
3. Brain Breaks
I think these are great strategies to help with classes and students who may be feeling antsy. The teacher announces that students will be taking a brain break and either have the students get up and do some sort of physical activity such and jumping jacks and squats, or students can just talk to their neighbor. This can help students take a break from learning but then be focused again once the minute has passed.
4. Quizlet or Kahoot
I've enjoyed using kahoot in order to keep the material engaging to students. Students get very lively and engaged in the questions that are asked, which can either be used as a review or to introduce new topics.

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1. quizlet live or kahoot
These are great ways for students to review the content they are learning in a fun, interactive, and slightly competitive way. It is a way to have the students at the center of their learning and realize the effort they put in is what they will get out. Additionally, I think the students enjoy a little competition and that will lead to them increasing their learning and understanding of the material.
2. Discrepant Events
middle schoolers have a curious mind and love to ask questions. A discrepant event gives the students the opportunity to be curious and ask questions and explain how a real world phenomenon works. It is also a way for students to practice science skills such as making observations, defending their position through argumentation, and understand concepts. Discrepant events are also a great interactive way to address misconceptions.
3. Gallery walks/jigsaws
This is a way for students again to be at the center of their learning and showcase their work or their knowledge of a particular topic. These activities have the students research and communicate their findings in some way, whether it be in the form of posters, slides, discussions, or papers. Then other students would learn about what the students did by observing/reading their work.
4.  songs/videos
If you can find videos or songs that relay the topics and information in a fun somewhat quirky manor students are going to remember it and get stuck in their head. Fossil Rock is a good one as well as others like Emily mentioned.

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1. Brain Storming/Discussion
I would use this strategy in order to introduce a new topic. For example, let us suppose that I am starting a unit on DNA. I would get the discussion/brain storming session started with a warm-up question that asks students to tell me what they think DNA is and why they think it is important to learn about. After students have recorded their answers, I would ask two or three students to share their responses. Once students have gotten their ideas out in front of this class, I would probe students to compare and contrast the differences between their ideas and the ideas of their peers. By doing this, students will begin to discuss with their peers about what they think DNA is and why they think it is important. By having students discuss a topic, I am promoting higher-order thinking skills by moving beyond recall-level questions with one definite answer. A link to the resource on brain storming/discussion is listed below: https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/744/20-Literacy-Strategies-for-Engaging-the-Middle-Level-Brain.aspx

2. Field Trips
I would use field trips as a way for students to experience a lesson in real time. One example I can think of is taking a group of students to a state or national park to learn about ecology. Before the trip, I would have students make predictions about what they think they are going to see on the trip. The predictions that the students make could range from, “I think that I will see a predator/prey relationship.” or  “I think that I will see an example of a keystone species.” Once students are at the state or national park, I will have them revisit their predictions to see of they actually saw what they thought they were going to see. By doing this, I am engaging students in the field trip by having them answer their own question. I firmly believe that experiential learning is highly effective. Research has shown that the brain remembers what it experiences. This is why I chose this strategy. A link to the resource on field trips is listed below: https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/744/20-Literacy-Strategies-for-Engaging-the-Middle-Level-Brain.aspx

3. Games

Through my high school teaching practicum, I have seen first-hand the educational benefits that games can provide. Even if the context of the game is academic, I have seen even my most uninterested students engage in the games I have tried out in my classroom. For example, during the DNA unit I had students play “Codon Bingo”. The game demanded that students use a “codon wheel” to translate a three RNA base sequence that I called out into an amino acid. Once the base sequence was translated, the students needed to find the amino acid that was on their bingo boards and place a chip on the board. Once a student had a bingo, they would receive a prize. I had amazing success with this game. A link to the resource on games is listed below: https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/744/20-Literacy-Strategies-for-Engaging-the-Middle-Level-Brain.aspx

4. Project-Based/Problem-Based Learning
Over the past three semesters I have learned about the various benefits of inquiry-based instruction in science. The mains tenants of inquiry-based instruction are that students are guided by the teacher to pose their own questions and to answer them through research. Since inquiry-based instruction involves solving problems, it can easily be applied to project-based/problem based learning. By having students propose their own question, students are answering questions that are relevant to them. In my classroom, I plan to have students pick a genetic disorder to research during the DNA unit. I would encourage students to choose a disorder that is relevant to them because it would improve student engagement in the project. After students finished researching their disorder, they would need to propose a possible genetic therapy for their disorder. This project will also support higher-order thinking skills by asking students to create a solution to a problem. A link to the resource on project-based/problem based learning is listed below: https://www.amle.org/BrowsebyTopic/WhatsNew/WNDet/TabId/270/ArtMID/888/ArticleID/744/20-Literacy-Strategies-for-Engaging-the-Middle-Level-Brain.aspx

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1. Reading allowed from a book. Students crave novelty in the classroom so reading a story aloud can really hook your students. One of my favorite books that I have read from is, “Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World” by Rachel Ignotofsky. I read passages about female scientist that relates to the current unit of study (Rosalind Franklin for DNA Structure, Mary Anning for Evolution) and afterwards have a turn & talk or discussion post online. (picture posted at bottom)
2. Songs.

Example 1: Pentatonix – Evolution of Music (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lExW80sXsHs):

Play this at the beginning of class and it will catch students’ attention. The singers are good, it’s a fun mashup of songs, and students love music. After the song, have a discussion (whole group or at tables) about how the evolution of music is just like biological evolution. This will help students remember evolution is a slow gradual process and that little changes build up over time to result in dramatic changes.
Example 2: I’m my Own Grandpa (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l3cCl4JKJ28):

Ask students, “Can you be your own grandpa?” and play the song, “I’m my Own Grandpa.” Direct students to draw a pedigree (family tree) according to the song. There is no incest in the song, so it is appropriate for class!

3. Discrepant Events.
Discrepant events grab student’s attention and spark curiosity. Some discrepant events I did during the weather unit for a middle school class incorporated Bernoulli bags, convection chambers, and can-crushing. To engage students in scientific thinking, you can have students do a P-O-E (predict what will happen when I do X, observe and write observations down, explain what you observed) or a CER (claim-evidence-reasoning). It can also lead into a lab investigation where students must collect more data to figure out what happened and why.

4. Academic games.
Learning from play is natural and fun. Two popular games are Kahoot and Jeopardy (using Google Slides). Students are familiar with the rules, they’re point-based, and they can be easily adapted to work for any unit. I often will give winners and note-takers smarties candy for their good efforts.

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1. Mile a Minute
This is a great vocabulary review strategy that can be used as a "Do Now," a break in the middle of class, or as a "Summarizer" for the class. This is a lot like Taboo, if you have ever played that before. Students pair up and take turns being the talker or being the guesser. Students who are the "talkers" describe the vocabulary word without saying the word and the "guessers" need to say which vocabulary word they think is right. The goal is to get as many words in a minute as you can. Then, students switch roles. I've used this in my class and it works to build engagement, add an element of fun, and gets the students talk about the science concepts! (Marzano page 73)

2. Socratic Seminars
In Socratic Seminars, students spend a few days leading up to the seminar researching a topic (perhaps related to bioethics cases). On the day of the seminar, for the first bit of time, half of the students are involved in talking and the other half record what their partner in the circle says. For the second bit of time, the roles are switched. Then, for the third bit of time, students who want to say more can go into the circle and keep the conversation going. We did this in my middle school practicum last fall and it worked really well! The kids were extremely respectful, prepared, and engaged! It worked really well with a talking piece!

3. Reciprocal Teaching
I've been really pleased with how asking the students to teach each other about the material has gone in my class. Students have responded well to taking turns teaching one another about the content. This serves as a way for students to help others and to demonstrate their knowledge. Furthermore, as the saying goes, we learn 95% of what we can teach, so let's get the students teaching! It takes scaffolding and modeling, but I've been pleased with how this increases student engagement with the content and with each other.

4. Field Trips
I know field trips are a challenging and expensive way to engage students, but I am going to strive to take my students on fun adventures. I would really like to bring my students on a field trip to the Bell Museum - it's amazing and such a fabulous natural history museum. I would structure the field trip such that the students need to do a scavenger hunt and actually take in the museum. I will be looking for scholarships to be able to do this and hope to do it in my first 3 years of teaching. Any tips on getting there would be appreciated! https://www.bellmuseum.umn.edu/

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Sam M

1. Hot Seat
To promote engagement in our classroom, I like to have argumentation activities. One of my favorite is called the hot seat. I place signs on different walls of the room representing different viewpoints on a topic. I have students stand by the sign that most accurately reflects their personal stance on that specific issue. I then place 2 hot seats in the middle and students nominate someone from their viewpoint to sit in the hot seat and argue their point. As students think of a new point they can jump into the conversation by tapping the person sitting in the chair and joining the debate. Students have been very engaged when we have done this for topics such as cancer and GMOs.

2. Review games
There are several games that I like to play for review. One of our favorites has students make teams at their tables. Each table sends a representative to sit in the seat of success. I then write a term or vocabulary word above that persons head. Then the teammates from their table have one minute to describe the word to their partner seated in the chair. If the partner seated in the chair guesses correctly in the amount of time then their team receives a point.

3. Movie clips
I have used movie clips from popular Hollywood productions that pertain to the topic we are studying. Students are very engaged by these clips and participate in discussions after.

4. Nature walks
I have not done this yet but I plan to have students going on nature walks. I will incorporate this into biology units on evolution (niches with bird species) and ecology (connections between species and community). I believe that this will be a great way to promote engagement by getting my students outdoors and working with one another in a hands on inquiry.

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1. Group Activities
In order to avoid lots of direct instruction, and get students engaged with their peers, I really like the idea of having students work in groups to learn about certain concepts. Giving them guided worksheets that ask high level bloom's taxonomy questions can spark interest for the student because they are not just being forced to talk about vocabulary. I think it is very possible to structure certain activities so that they are scaffolded in a way that helps students easily build on pre-existing ideas!
2. Quizlet Live
Quizlet Live is awesome because it's a great review for students, while also making it a competitive activity. This can lead to further learning because it engages students to participate in the activity, and interact with their group mates. And I like this because it can switch up teams, and give kids the chance to work with many different members of the class in a fun and cooperative environment.
3. Discrepant events
Discrepant events are awesome because they get students thinking about scientific concepts, while also taking a break from direct instruction. DEs give kids the chance to practice their hypothesis-creation skills, and gives them a chance to talk with their peers in a relaxed environment. I think opening up the room for student conversation lets students feel like I respect their time, and they feel less restricted so they are less resistant to engaging with the material.
4. Simulations
Sometimes, especially within life science classes, there are less opportunities to complete hands-on labs. So instead, I think it's great to give students the chance to still use simulations to learn hands on about different concepts that are hard to model within a class period (genetics, body systems, etc). There are tons of online simulations that we can create activities for, that give kids the chance to practice making predictions, gathering evidence, and manipulating variables while having fun! Tech is fun to use! Some simulations include: Lizard Island: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/population-ecology-game
Picking off the peppered moth: https://askabiologist.asu.edu/activities/peppered-moth

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1. Showcase work!
- During my time in a middle school in the fall and my time in a high school in the spring, my CT's hung up student work throughout the classroom. I love this idea, and would love to implement it in my own classroom! It shows students that you value the work they produce and it also gives students pride in their own work. This can be implemented through self "quilts" where they put pieces about themselves in a mosaic pattern.
2. Labs!
- One of the most common answers to "what do you wish we did in science class" is "labs". Students are always wanting more hands-on experience, and so do I! I would love my students to participate in labs as often as possible because not only does it allow them to learn more about biology content, but it gives them the opportunity to learn more about the nature of science through exploration which is one of science educations made goals!
3. Fun or odd facts!
- Something some of my teachers did throughout different grades was present us with silly facts about the topic we were learning. I love this idea, especially with science because it is SUCH a broad topic that these facts can spark curiosity in. I've been collecting silly books like this that present fun facts about animals, plants, bacteria, and more. It's a great thing for students to look forward to every morning, afternoon, or friday.
I actually just got the book "sad animal facts" which is HILARIOUS. 10/10 would recommend (http://sadanimalfacts.com/book)
4. Increase Tech use!
- The biggest thing I want to include is technology. Whether this be through using simulations, near pod, or various google suites, it's important to incorporate technology into the classroom to help students be 21st century learners. This can increase creativity as well as collaboration in students as well!

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1. Jeopardy
I like the idea of using engaging/competitive games as review tools. I don't think it is something that should be done every time but I think that things like a jeopardy game can really get students excited. I tested this on the science cohort using a google slides jeopardy format I found and it had positive results. It is a good way to get the whole class excited.

https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1N_5IbXUY3y2PCuhFQ0YA7ZuREwC7ew1Q3fyILBnEBQA/edit#slide=id.p

2. Bingo
I used bingo in a similar way. I designed a bingo game for my high schoolers where I had 25 review questions and the possible answers were on their bingo cards. This allowed students who weren't as confident with speaking in front of the class to still participate and have fun. Overall, students got into it and insisted that we keep playing and made me make up new questions.

https://myfreebingocards.com/bingo-card-generator

3. Discrepant Events
I believe that discrepant events, combined with a think-pair-share format can be really great. It can be a really good way to have students confront misconceptions they may have. Especially if you make them commit to what they think will happen. We did this in our density unit with the middle schoolers. Students had to guess what would sink and what would float and then argue why. It was a great way to introduce density.
4. Puzzle Box
A teacher at the high school I am student teaching at used a puzzle box/room to engage her students. It seemed like a really fun and exciting way to engage students. I think that having a tool-box with a bunch of locks and having students solve scientific riddles to find the combinations could be a really fun and engaging thing for students. We had a teacher come in and demonstrate it to the science cohort and it seemed like a really great way to get students talking and working together.

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1. Murder Mystery:

I used this engagement strategy in my middle school classroom last semester to great effect when I transformed a boring lesson on measurement and conversion into a crime scene investigation. On the first day of the lesson, students walked into the classroom to see a crime scene, and they had to measure the evidence and figure out who committed a crime. The students absolutely loved it; they were enthralled from beginning to end! This strategy was perfect for middle school students because it appealed to their desire for novelty, emotional stimulation, and physical activity.

https://www.nsta.org/publications/news/story.aspx?id=50868

2. Breakout Box/Escape Room:

I experienced this engagement strategy in my Technology for Teaching and Learning class, and I have been dying to try it with middle school students ever since. Breakout boxes can be made to fit almost any lesson, especially one that involves solving problems. For example, I could use it for a lesson on conversion between different units. Teachers can order a physical kit or use a digital template, and then start transforming your lesson into an engaging escape room adventure. This is a great strategy for young adolescents because it involves working with and talking to peers, in addition to being a novel activity.

https://www.breakoutedu.com/

https://sites.google.com/view/digitalbreakouttemplate

3. Quizizz:

I have used this engagement strategy with my high school class, and I am excited to try it out with middle school students. Quizizz is a formative assessment tool that lets students go through questions at their own pace, but still compete with each other for speed and accuracy. They even see relevant memes after they answer each question. From a teacher perspective, it also tracks student data, so I can determine quickly where my students excel and struggle. It works great to review any kind of material, including the kingdoms of life. This strategy would be great for middle school students because it is relevant, competitive, and involves technology.

https://quizizz.com/

4. Online Simulations:

I have used this engagement strategy with high school students, but it would be great for younger adolescents as well. Simulations give students the opportunity to personally experience a phenomenon that is too big, small, slow, fast or expensive to see in real life. Some of my favorite simulations demonstrate how disease outbreaks spread and how populations evolve. The students really enjoyed working with simulations, and they even found ways to compete! Simulations would be perfect for young adolescents because they provide a concrete experience that ties to an abstract concept, as well as being hands-on and involving technology.

https://www.learner.org/courses/envsci/interactives/disease/disease.html

http://biologyinmotion.com/evol/

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1. Getting students moving around during class: have students move at least once during class! This increases engagement of the class and prevents other unwanted behaviors. Movement can be as simple as getting students to go from one place in the classroom to another (desks to lab stations), standing up to stretch or be guided through standing yoga poses, or even have students go out the hall to walk and talk about a concept, form discussion circles (inner and outer circles) to talk about a question, or have students use their bodies to act out a process such as cell division.
2. Presenting students with fun facts or unusual information: this works especially well in science since students can be provided with data, numbers, and facts about a certain concept that is related to the learning objectives for the day that seem shocking to students at the beginning of class. You could have this fact on the board at the beginning of class or read a book/article to students to get them engaged. Hint, animal facts are generally a winner.
3. Online academic games: Students love to play computer games so if they are given the opportunity to play games in class, so use what they already enjoy to teach them about a science concept. Some of my favorite games for the life science are "who wants to live a million years", that teaches students about how adaptations effect a population when the environment changes: https://www.ologames.com/Free_Games/Who-Wants-To-Live-A-Million-Years
Another game I like about genetics is "Pigeonetics": https://learn.genetics.utah.edu/content/pigeons/pigeonetics/.
4. Exhibiting student's work in the classroom: Not only does this make your classroom a place students want to be, but it also shows you value their work so they will want to engage in the activity since they know you value their input. This can be done by having students create posters with information, draw pictures of something content-related, or even just write or let students write their ideas on the board.

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DIRECTIONS: Double click on the "pad" or click on the "plus" button in the bottom right corner to post to the Padlet! Label your post with your FIRST NAME, FIRST LETTER of your LAST NAME. You have options of adding video, voice, links, photos and more to your post! You may choose to put all your strategies (4) in ONE post, group them into two or one per post. The approach is up to you! 

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DIRECTIONS: Double click on the "pad" or click on the "plus" button in the bottom right corner to post to the Padlet! Label your post with your FIRST NAME, FIRST LETTER of your LAST NAME. You have options of adding video, voice, links, photos and more to your post! You may choose to put all your strategies (4) in ONE post, group them into two or one per post. The approach is up to you! 

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1. Discrepant Events I enjoy using discrepant events, particular with physics concepts, because students are often challenged in their misconceptions when these are used. And their responses are usually pretty memorable! DE's also allow students to practice distinguishing between observations and inferences.
2. Well-Timed Activities In my middle school placement last semester, I learned that it's best for students to switch up what they are doing about every 10  minutes or so. Even if we are doing an all hour lab, we could incorporate movement, switching, roles, etc. in order to keep the students engaged.
3. Technology Students love to use technology, so I try to build in as much technology use as possible. This could be in the form of online quiz platforms, simulations, using phones to capture video, or even just using computers to graph. This allows students to get that tech fix, but also learn. A great resource for simulations is https://phet.colorado.edu/
4. Labs Getting hands-on experience is something that is both engaging and a great way to allow students to explore phenomena. In physics, we have an almost endless supply of labs that we can explore over many different concepts. Students also learn more about the nature of science, and can practice claims-evidence-reasoning skills when conducting labs.