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1. Kahoot: I enjoy using Kahoot because it is a great way to review materials while turning it into a game. Students love the competition side of it, too.  It also will show how many people chose which answer.  This way you can see if/where they are getting confused and discuss it.

2. Student Roles: I have always found this to get the students to take responsibility in the classroom.  I use jobs/roles in science experiments such as getter, recorder, reader/reporter and writer.  This makes sure each student has a task through out the process.

3. Morning Meeting: Every morning my students and I start the day together. We great each other, share announcements, talk about the schedule, each student gets to share something and then we finish with an activity/game. It is a great way to start the day and allows me to connect and hear from each one of my students. It is also a great way to build community in the classroom. It starts our day out on the right foot and students enjoy hearing from each other.

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1. Socratic Circles/Seminars
Beating the dead horse here a little? Maybe. But, my take on SCs are to split the group of kids in half and chose which side they are on. In addition, I grade on several points, including engaging others, piggy backing on what others said ( and referencing them by name), using sited sources during replies and statements, and taking turns. This forces students to take positions they wouldn't otherwise chose, they also must learn to listen as well as speak effectively, and they must engage others. I use an "intelligence squared" style debate grading, where the biggest increase in percentage for which point is argued is the winner (i.e. 20% for mining, 80% against it pre-survey, 30% for mining and 70% against it post-survey, for mining would win).

2. Design-Build-Fly
This is a concept I learned during my MS in Planetary Sciences, where much of my education was in aerospace. As a group, we would be tasked with a mission problem (like gathering science data on a moon of Jupiter), and have to create the platform through and through, from the design, building a 3D or computer model, and how mission control would fly/communicate with the spacecraft(s). I double this model for building in the classroom, whether that is designing a water filter, restorative wetland, etc. I have students go through the total design and implementation phase for many areas of science, which helps provide a sense of completion when the finish such an involved task.

3. Appropriate use of Technology
Students have to be trained on technology. Just because they are fluent with one app, doesn't mean that will translate to another. I try to use just a few apps (Kahoot, Peardeck, Google Classroom) and get kids really good on these three (mastery) before gaining confidence to work on others (moving into 3D modeling, SketchUp, or other apps). Giving kids the sense of mastery before blindsiding them with frequent uses of new technology will decrease the overwhelming feeling, yet continue to provide new experiences to foster engagement.

4.Free time
Although it was pioneered first by 3M, Google sited 1/3 of mandatory employee free time to explore something they're interested in results in 50% of the company's patents. I try and find unique ways where students have enough structure to assess and explore a topic, yet have the ability to convey their knowledge about a subject in a gradable way. By allowing a freedom of exploration, students take a different ownership of a topic, and can choose to explore that topic as much as they want. I have not decided, yet, on the appropriate amount of free time to give students to explore nature of science concepts, but I think giving free time in a structured way should continue to be incorporated into the classroom, like it successfully has in many parts of the business sector, to see how students generate new forms of knowledge and relationships to science.

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1. Snowball
My first engagement strategy is particularly beneficial for ELLs that have trouble connecting new vocabulary to the new concept. It can also be used as a review game. To play, project a list of vocabulary words related to the unit on the board. Have each student choose 3+ words they are unsure of and write each word on a slip of paper. Then they will crumple the paper (snowball) and throw it into the middle of the circle (snow pile). The game now begins. Have each student retrieve a snowball and find a partner. They must provided hints to what the word is without explicitly saying the word to their partner. Their partner makes several guesses until the timer stops (2-3 minutes). If they guess the word correct. They keep the paper. If they guess wrong the paper is thrown back into the middle. Play several rounds until all the snowballs are claimed.

2. Quizizz
Quizizz is similar to kahoot; however, it allows students to work through the questions at their own pace if working individually OR it allows students to work through questions in teams (only displaying a few answers on each team member's screen. My student's have loved using this app on review days.

3. Does it _______? Game Show
One strategy I have used to get to students to critically think about a concept in a fun and engaging way is turning it into a game show. For example, when doing a unit on density, we played "Does it float?" in which I would drop an object into a 20 gallon fish tank full of water and the students would have to predict whether the object would float or not. (The more ridiculous the objects the better).

4. Group Modeling
My last engagement strategy is engaging students through movement. I have found that middle schoolers are understandably not big fans of sitting in desks all day. So the more I can get my students up an moving the better. This strategy requires students to model concepts using their bodies, for example, I taught tides by having one student represent the sun, and another student represent the moon, the remaining students formed a circle and linked arms. When either the sun or moon walked past them, they have to lean back, their adjacent partner would also need to lean back. An activity like this does require explicit expectations before and during the activity on how the students should behave as well as the option to opt out (or switch roles) if they feel uncomfortable touching their peer. This activity received the most positive feedback from the students.

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1. Real-world debates: Recently I have been giving my students the chance to apply their scientific knowledge to questions that are of real-world importance, such as the ethics and morality of genetic engineering and the regulation of school lunch nutrition. This has really helped students make connections between the things we've learned and the things that matter to them outside of the classroom.

2. Big Questions: At the beginning of every unit or section within a unit, I give my students a "big question" that is accessible and relevant. I have them give initial answers and then check in throughout the lessons to see how their initial answer is changing. At the end of the unit/section, they give an "informed answer" and reflect on how what they learned changed their thinking

3. Wonder Wander: I post pictures or posters around the room and students silently walk around generating questions. It's simple, but it's really effective at getting students to care (they get to try to answer questions they came up with) as well as gives you a good pre-assessment to see what things they are wondering about. It also gets students up out of their seats and moving around. Can also be used in conjunction with something like a KWL chart.

4. Demonstrations: When a lab is dangerous, complex, or requires complicated or expensive materials, I like to do is as a demonstration. My students especially love ones with fire! I feel like a lot of teachers rule out certain labs due to various constraints, but considering them as a demonstration instead opens up a way to engage your students and show them something without dealing with the logistics of a dangerous or complicated lab.

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1. Kahoot (https://kahoot.com/): An easy way to engage the students to help either refresh their mind or gauge understanding. I have personally used it in SPPS when students already have iPads readily available so it gives students a chance to use technology in an appropriate manner.

2. Classroom Jobs: It is important to allow students to have a shared ownership in their classrooms and one way to do so is through classroom jobs. In the elementary school I am partnering at allows students to take leadership to have the classroom not only run well, but shares the responsibility among the students in addition to the teacher. The students' roles in the classroom include line leader and paper passer.

3. Morning Meeting: A chance to get the day started as a whole class to not only set expectations for the day, but more importantly allow a community within the classroom to form and grow deeper by sharing (i.e. highs and lows). It is vitally important that each child has a chance to be heard during this time.

4. Calming activities: Interactive activities that can engage multiple senses. The elementary school I am in uses it after lunch time. I like the use of this time, because it acknowledges that the students need a transition from the recess and lunch back into the classroom.

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1.  Probes with whiteboards - Recently I have been using Page Keeley probes in class with table discussions.  They have ben great at uncover misconceptions.   Students have fun displaying their groups' responses on the whiteboard and enjoy defending their responses. (http://www.uncoveringstudentideas.org/). This is something that I will definitely continue.
2. Feedback - I had the opportunity recently to introduce the TAG model for feedback.  Tell one thing that you like, Ask one question, and Give one improvement suggestion.  Students seemed to enjoy being able to see and assess others work.  Additionally, it is a good metacognitive task that helps students think about the process surround the work task and helps them get ideas to improve their work in the future. https://education.nsw.gov.au/teaching-and-learning/curriculum/learning-for-the-future/future-focused-learning-and-teaching/Future-focused-resources/t-a-g-peer-feedback
3.  Station work - whenever I need students to explore a concept through text, I make 11x17 "posters" and place them around the room.  Students then need to walk the room to read the poster and get the required notes in their graphic organizer.  Students have told me that they prefer this to lecture and other note taking because they get to be up and moving around the classroom.
4. Authentic and relevant curriculum - tying the science concepts to real-world issues that students have heard about and care about get their attention.  I am starting a unit on mitosis and have mentioned to students that we are going to learn about cancer.  They keep asking me when we are going to talk about cancer....  They remember and are interested.

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1. Real World Problems:
In a science classroom, I've enjoyed providing real world problems for students to work on and solve. This past fall, I was in a 6th grade classroom and had the opportunity to plan a few weeks of instruction. For one of these mini-units, I taught students about the reflection of light through an engineering challenge in which they had to create a "Laser Maze" for their classmates. This type of engineering problem was very engaging for students.
2. Games:
At my placement at Edison High School, I had a lot of success with review games and activities. The EL co-teacher that I was working with in the class, did a very good job of creating activities that would provide natural opportunities for students to talk to each other about academic content. Some of these games included quiz, quiz, trade and numbered heads together.
3. Videos:
I find that short video clips or animations that help students to model and visualize science content can be very engaging. This is especially helpful when trying to understand a complex phenomena. One of my favorite videos that I remember from one of my own high school biology classes is "The Inner Life of the Cell."
4. Labs:
As a science teachers, labs are one of the best ways for students to have the opportunity to observe and investigate a phenomenon in the classroom. This provides an invaluable learning experience for students and is also typically quite engaging. It allows students to talk about material with their classmates while conducting an investigation.

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1. First five activity. The first engagement strategy that I have tried in my class and I would like to share is the first five activity. During this five minutes routine schedule, I could ask students to pick up or turn in their homework, finish the housekeeping things in the classroom, and I also give a guiding question for them to either review for the previous class, or a question for them to think about for the new lesson. This will help students to be efficiently engage in the classroom in the beginning of the class.
2. Kahoot! I would echo with many of my peers that Kahoot is a very effective tool to engage students. I have observed my CT from the last semester to use this in her classroom, often times use it as an exit ticket. It help students to be engaged in the last few minutes of the class, and it's a good way for students to practice what they have learned from the lesson.
3. Circle time. I have observed and run circle time with my classes this semester. I think this is a great engagement strategy for fostering a trusty and positive learning environment for the students. I used it in the beginning lesson of the week, and ask students to share their high and lows during the weekends, so that we all had a good time to chat and know each other better. The supportive environment helped the academic content teaching to be more effective.
4. Concept map. After teaching a rather hard unit (photosynthesis and cellular respiration), students felt a little bit overwhelmed by the content. So I asked students to draw big concept map in groups. They have the freedom to draw, to color and connect all the knowledge content that they learned (I gave them general guidance about what information and vocabulary should be included in the concept map beforehand). They have heated discussions, put intellectual efforts into the project and generate beautiful results.

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1. Physical activity - I try to include some sort of physical activity during the day either before academic activities or as part of academic activities. This can be as simple as running around in the gym for 10 minutes or adapting an activity from a worksheet to an activity where they move around the room to answer questions.

2. Youth voice/choice - I coach my staff to incorporate choices for youth to make in their lesson plans each day. This helps young people take ownership of their learning process more than if an adult makes all the choices. To ensure that we still get the academic content done, adults do typically choose the options they youth get to choose between.

3. Jobs in the classroom - We give kids roles and responsibilities in the classroom. This helps increase ownership and leadership. The jobs can be really simple - checking off the day's tasks on the whiteboard - to more complex - taking notes from the class discussion or preparing materials.

4. Technology - all of our students have ipads from school, so we try to leverage this technology for productivity and engagement. Sometimes this looks like students making videos or documentaries to engage with academic content, taking notes, collaborating on google docs, or reading articles or doing research online. Since kids are going to be using their devices regardless, I like to have them using their devices for learning!

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1. Culturally Relevant Teaching - As an eighth grade math teacher, much of the content I teach is seemingly unrelated to students' lives. Particularly in a school where students are, on average, several years behind, I have to find ways to make the content relatable and interesting for students, while taking into account their own realities, strengths, and cultures.

2. Kahoot - We have a lot of teachers in our building who use Kahoot; they love that it is a relatively fast-paced, competitive way to review major concepts or processes within their respective content area. Many use it for vocabulary activities as well, as we used to have a school-wide math vocabulary intervention period during our morning advisory.

3. Group Work Roles - This is not the most intricate strategy, but it functions as an effective way to make sure all members are engaged during group work. Each person gets a job (recorder, presenter, etc.), and is consequently responsible for something very specific and individualized, so they can hold each other accountable. I found this to be most effective with the younger kids I taught in years past.

4. Technology Integration - This is a pretty general strategy, but I think it deserves a mention simply because students thrive when they are given an opportunity to use technology. Kahoot, Quizlet, IXL, Flipgrid, and various other tech tools can make otherwise mundane tasks much more engaging for students.

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1. Kahoot!  This is a fun tool for incorporating competition into the classroom.  It does tend to work better with middle schoolers, and should only be used so often.  Once in a while I will use it for a test review or for quizzing students on lab directions.  Some students can hack the game, and this is something you have to watch out for.
2.  Escape Room.  I set up some sort of clue and lock scheme for students to figure out.  They must use relevant course information to figure out codes, or where keys are.  Eventually they can open up the briefcase containing the quiz review and candy.
3.  Math/Science related competitions.  On Pi Day, I had the students come up to the board and write out digits of pi.  I promised the top 3 students in each class that they would get extra credit.  This is a great exercise in memorization, and this is an important skill in science classes.
4. Group Tests. I gave the students a test this past week. The scores ranged from 30-100%. I generally try to give students some way to make up points. I am going to give students the same test on Monday, but have them work through the problem as a group. If they do better on their group test, I will give them some some points back.

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1. Open Ended Questions: Whenever possible, present students with chances to describe how they'd do something, with questions that can lead them anywhere based on their experiences. Use pairs first, then whole group discussion. For condensation you could ask, "When have you seen water build up on surfaces like glass windows and cups? Describe the objects, the weather..."
2. Quizlet / Kahoot: I like quizlet more because Kahoot is almost too fast to process for students that don't fully get it yet. These games provide some competitive aspects, but also provide instant feedback on knowledge-level understanding.
3. Accountable timing via students presenting their work to the class. One of the main ways students become disengaged is when they indulge in distraction as they start an activity. Have  a timer in front of the class for things that last longer than a turn and talk, then have students present their work. It also provides students with opportunities to use language, hear student explanations of ideas, and process concepts into their own words.
4. Mix it up! Cut in fun videos, peer/table activities, and online modules (depending on one-to-one) into any days that lean too far towards being teacher-centered. The key is that students need to have something that they DO during class time. Listening is not DOing. Structured online modules (like edpuzzle) often keep students engaged more than traditional lecture, though the cost is often student-student and student-teacher interactions.

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1) The first thing I thought of doesn't have a nice title I can come up with, but I would describe it as telling students to ask me questions. I used to do it in merit badges, but have yet to do it in a classroom. For example, I would say, "Somebody ask me what kind of toad this is," someone would ask, and I would say, "Great question, I am so glad you asked." This could be an easy way to engage a particular student without making them come up with an answer on the fly, so if Tom is off task, just ask him to ask you a question.
2) Games
I finally ran my first Kahoot! I have seen it but never created and ran my own. A lot of students had fun with it and it was a simple formative assessment that helped prepare them for their test. It gave me the opportunity to give a 1 minute talk on anything that seemed confusing for many students.
3) Drama
Being dramatic can be a fun way to engage students. To talk about Lyme disease, I dressed like I was on a hike in the summer (shorts and all in February). This made a lot of students ask me about my outfit before I did my dramatic reenactment of the symptoms of Lyme disease (complete with a marker drawn bulls eye rash). It caught their attention to lead them into their activity.
4) Allow choice
When possible, allowing students options for a project/assignment can help them select content/delivery that suits them better. The more interested they are in their work, the more engaged they will be in the content.

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1. Grudge Ball
Grudge Ball is a team game that can be used in any subject as a review of content. I have never played any game in my classroom that is as beloved as Grudge Ball. I would recommend using longer questions or prompts for the game so the kids are not just "shooting baskets" the whole time. Also be prepared to have clear expectations for what students should do during the "down time" as inevitably there will be some time when kids are done and are waiting on other groups.

2. Quizlet Live
This game is designed for vocabulary but can be used for ANYTHING. I love it for solving equations practice. It needs nearly no explantation time, kids figure it out on their own, and can be made by the teacher in seconds. The benefits are that it gets kids moving, talking to each other, and can be as quick as 5-10 minutes if you'd like. Kids love it!
3. Displaying student work in real time with Air Server

3. GoNoodle
I use GoNoodle for quick, 1-3 minute brain breaks or stretch breaks. The site interface may look a little juvenile, but don't be fooled, there's plenty for adolescents. You simply play the video, have kids stand up and follow along. I especially like that you can filter videos by duration as well as age. For my middle school students I love "Mr. Cat Man" videos. The kids think he is very annoying but they get over it quickly as they become super engaged in the exercises he leads.

4. Displaying student work in real time
While students are working I circulate the room and point out something positive I see in a student's work by snapping a picture with my ipad. Using Air Server, I instantly display it on my board. Don't have that tech? A simple Elmo will serve the same purpose. I do this constantly to show how nicely a student has organized their work, how a problem was solved in a unique way, a common mistake I have seen a lot of students make, even something as simple as "Look everyone! Johnny put his name on his paper! Better make sure you did too!" In a class period I may display as many as 10-15 students' work. Kids LOVE this and are constantly asking if theirs can be displayed. It's a great way to recognize students and if you're intentional you can easily find ways to recognize struggling too. You want to make sure it's never the same "good" students repeatedly.

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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! 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! 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.

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Competition: Although it is not for all kids, competition can make some kids into bloodthirsty knowledge machines. Middle schoolers are often peer driven and its a fun (although sometimes stressful) way for them to interact with their peers. We had a whole school typing leaderboards at a school I worked at. The amount of kids that could not wait to get to their keyboard and do practice drills was amazing.

Ownership: When students own their learning and use their knowledge as the way to understand something - rather than having knowledge handed down, they become engaged and involved. If you can create learning opportunities where students own mental schemas and meaning making becomes the authority in the classroom, they have just flipped the power structure. Even if it is sometimes difficult and requires many revisions, kids want to be the owner and gatekeeper of their own knowledge. In science, I have seen students make models of their understanding. As they go through learning events, they revise those models towards one they are satisfied with. This becomes their assessment or their source of knowledge for the future.

Novelty: You often hear teachers say that students need predictability in their daily life to function productively. And many successful classrooms are built on a repeatable structure. Sometimes, however, if you want to jolt kids into learning, you have to blow it up. Kids love something new. If you can do a demonstration, or especially, use new technology, kids will jump at the chance to interact with these new things.

Using Their Own Lives In Learning: If you can find a way for students to be able to use their own life, experiences, and background in learning, you are making the learning relevant and tapping into their background knowledge. You are also assigning value to their lives in a way that, depending on the student's background, it may not be in mainstream society. This can be a powerful and engaging feeling for students. I have seen this done in a middle school classroom by having students do specific math around starting a business in which they can sell food, goods, or games that they and their families use.

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Gamification: One of the things I love to do in the classroom is make games for the kids to play or just make a game out of anything that we are doing in class. One of the games we used in class was called “Survivor” and we used it for review games. There are four teams in the class. Each is a suit from a card. Groups of four come to the a set of desks to play the game during each round. Who ever gets the question correct wins immunity. The other three are then forced to vote people off the “island” to the “dead pool.” If there is a tie, the person with immunity casts the tie breaking vote. This is just one of the games I play with the kids. Many  times, we use variations of old playground games to teach historical concepts.

Going Outside: Simply put, we go outside and do our reading under the sun when the weather is nice. Kids are excited to get out into the sun and partake in learning. There is something about fresh air, the breeze, and cut grass that makes learning more enjoyable. Many times, we take our games outside and play them.

QR Codes: When it is not so nice outside, like a Minnesota March, we use QR codes to go on indoor adventures. These QR codes are read by iPads and then are used by the kids to go to their next place. It is similar to geocaching. The variations to the technique are numerous. You can use QR codes as a scavenger hunt, put them around the school, or use them to have students access documents digitally.

Emulation: Kids love using technology, but they also love working independently and creatively. So, one of my go to moves is to have kids make skits or pretend to be something they are not. Emulation is a tool I love to use in the classroom because kids can really get behind and get into pretending to be radio host, tv host, or in some cases, mocking a teacher. Whatever gets kids to learn works with me.

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1) Movement Activities. Middle school students are full of energy and letting them use that energy is a great way to keep them engaged. Four corners, agree disagree and vote with your feet are movement activities that I use frequently in my room. They allow students to move and walk to the side of the room or the corner of the room that is associated with an answer to a question. It is also a great way to assess students without them feeling the formal pressure of a quiz.

2) Choice. One of the best ways to engage students is to give them a choice. This is particularly useful in middle school when students are anxious for more autonomy. I often build choice into class activities or homework. For example, giving the students the choice between using an illustration or writing a sentence when taking notes in class, making two to three versions of the homework and letting students select which one they want, asking students if they want to play this review game or that review game.

3) Magic Box. At the beginning of every we unit I place items that are related to the upcoming unit into my magic box (an empty printer paper box I took from my school's copy room).  At the beginning of class I get the class quiet and silently pull out the objects one by one. Students than shout out their best educated guess as to what the next unit will be. This may sound corny, and it is, but students love it. Even the students who are way too cool for school love it.

4) Story Telling. Sometimes as a teacher you have to bring out your inner entertainer. When I know a given topic isn't naturally engaging to students I act as if it is the most exciting topic I will teach all year long. I talk up the activity and make it so students don't want to miss out. I might market the activity as a game and let students know that we will play it tomorrow so the need to be on time so they don't miss out! The activity might be a card sort about graphing distance vs. time but if you call it a game and build it up to be a fun competition students get excited to play!