DISCUSSION QUESTION #13: Choose ONE (or more, if you like) of
the HOOKS from below. How have used this HOOK or how do you plan to use a
HOOK in the future to engage your students?
Be specific by giving examples.
(If you haven’t used any of these hooks, try one out and share with us.)
The Mission
Impossible Hook
The Reality
TV Hook
The Techno
Whiz Hook
The Contest
Hook
The Magic and
the Amazing Hook
The Chef Hook
The Mnemonic
Hook
The Extra
Challenge Hook
The Chef Hook is a great way to get students attention. A reading I had to teach was a sequential informational recipe. This was just cooked a week before Halloween. The text recipe was really for spring, making a bird's nest, but there was also an option for autumn time, making a hay bale. The students had to put the recipe in sequential order and when they figured it out they got to make either one, nest or hay bale. Groups of students cooked the recipe and they constructed their product. Did they remember the lesson? Yes they sure did. They could tell others the steps in the recipe and it made the lesson much more interesting and special.
ReplyDeleteThese sound like an interesting recipes...never heard of nests or hay bales. Tell me more about what the are.
DeleteI have used this hook alot in the past but not so much now. Whenever I did it was always succesful! I need to use this more, I actually have somewhat forgotten about it!
DeleteGreat idea!!
DeletePutting things in sequential order is a challenge for many students. But quite a few know how to cook simple things and could do that as an intro. Awesome
DeleteGreat idea and food is always a hook.
DeleteI use the Chef Hook often. I'm fortunate to have a kitchen in my classroom. Again, referring to ready the book Night, three of the boys and I made potato latkes for their class. I also, have used it as a reward.....pick out a recipe and we'll make it. Little do the students know they are practicing reading, math, problem solving and sequencing !
ReplyDeleteThe chef hook seems to be a very popular one...of course kids always want to participate in anything that involves food. I envy your kitchen!
DeleteThat's nice that you have a kitchen in your classroom. Cooking is a life skill that alot of kids do no know how to do anymore.
DeleteThat is really great that you have a kitchen in your classroom. You can teach so many things at one time and the kids don't even know that they are lerning somthing that they can take with them into adulthood.
DeleteI would love to have a kitchen in my classroom.
DeleteLucky you! A kitchen in your classroom! Food is a wonderful tool to teach students. I like to cook with my young students. They are excited and engaged when I cook with them...and they remember! Yay!
DeleteI love the Chef Hook. When I taught a lesson about making ice cream, we made ice cream and ate it. When I taught Spanish I, we did cultural lessons. The lessons always involved food. We tried Chicha, arroz con leche, and chorizo con huevos. When we did these activities, it wasn’t because they hadn’t had the foods before. We did it because it added another dimension to their learning. That, and it’s always fun to eat
ReplyDeleteKids love when you can cook and add food to a lesson. It helps students learn about different cultures and nutrition too!
DeleteThat's cool! I bet the students love those days!
DeleteFood is always a good hook, kids love to eat and try new things!
DeleteI'll bet they all enjoyed that activity.
DeleteOne of our English teachers uses the contest hook regularly for test review. She's always coming up with games that the whole class can get involved with. She puts questions into a Jeopardy board up on her SmartBoard, or Let's Make a Deal, and many others. Students are always engaged and competitive. It is a wonderful review tool.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like fun! With the teams, I bet students are supporting each other and helping their team mates learn answers. What a great way to review!
DeleteNot only are the games a nice review, they also engage everyone.
DeleteWhen I taught 5th grade I saw this a lot in the general ed classrooms. The students were always exited about the contest hook. The smart board is a great tool for this.
DeleteThese are great ideas. They sound like fun!
DeleteI recently observed an American History class, and the teacher used the Kahoots program as their test review. When the bell rang, the entire class was still very engaged in what was going on, and some even verbally expressed their disappointment that the period had ended. I guess the hook worked! I haven't seen that type of reaction many times from a HS history class, haha!
DeleteSounds like a fun way to review!
DeleteI often use the contest hook; but in a way that "winning" is not importance of the lesson. We will often play a game where we have to "win" together. I love to make board games or other kind of games out of concepts being taught. For example, one is called, "Power Tower." I wrote sight words on a bunch of cups. The students had to pick a cup, read the word, and make a sentence with the word. Then, they put the cup on the bottom row. We made a tower. The goal was to make the tower all together without it tipping over. By making the sight words into a group game the students were way more engaged.
ReplyDeleteThat is a cool idea! A nice cooperative game with the contest of how tall can we get it.
DeleteWhat a great idea, helps build motor skills as well and learning sight wordsl
DeleteI like the tower of power idea through building vocabulary.
DeleteThe tower of power.....wonderful idea for vocabulary or maybe even math fact families....
DeleteThe kindergarten teacher I work with does a time race as a class to get the alphabet in order. Each child gets one letter and some get 2. She starts the timer and the kids run up to place their letter in the chart when it is time. The kids love it and they are doing it as a class so there isn't any hard feelings. It gets really loud and the kids say the letter that is up. It adds some fun to the skill of learning the alphabet.
ReplyDeleteI have also brought in a muffin for a student that kept calling a picture of the muffin a cupcake. It is now cemented in his head since he got to see it, touch it and eat it.
Both activities sound like great engagement activities. The first one sounds very cooperative with the students putting the letters up!
DeleteI really like the idea of a class lineup and not competing against each other.
DeleteI have used the techno whiz hook- but did not use that name. My high school students all use chrome books and most assignments are done and emailed in to teachers, so a fairly paperless method. They love showing, demonstrating and talking about areas of tech that are coming about, so I listen and learn from them. Research has so many new areas that they can access and be on top of what is going on that it is mind boggling! I am amazed by them every day.
ReplyDeleteI think this is so cool! We are a one-to-one school, so I would love to do more of this. So far, we are working in one project a semester in my seminar. I hope to do more as I build the program.
DeleteI have just really started using Google classroom with my students this year. I am amazed with all the different things I can do with it and paperless tests and assignments are certainly a plus!
DeleteEach student has access to chrome books at the secondary level here in Ulysses. I think that it is a great tool since teenagers are so technology oriented. I coach Cheer leading and am always learning something new technology wise from them !
DeleteIt's great working with students who are 'in the know' about everything technological. I'm sure not! I think they get a kick out of trying to teach their elder (Me!) how all that stuff works, haha! Fun times for all :-)
DeleteI, too, like the chef hook. It seems students are always hungry and food encourages engagement. Food, drinks (other than water), and candy are taboo in our classrooms - so we spend quite a bit of time in the commons area during class. I try to bring in 'food' items the students can make for snacks that tie into the lessons being learned.
ReplyDeleteFood always seems to motivate students. I joked that it was amazing what power a starburst could hold! Food is especially valuable when you can tie it into the lesson, and not have it as an unrelated "goodie."
DeleteAs part of my Polar Express unit, I make the kiddos hot chocolate and pass out candy with nougat (most don't know what that is!) while they watch the movie. Then, I send them home all sugared up!!
DeleteI personally love using the contest hook! We play for candy on smaller classwork and homework activities, and food items during tests. For example, in my math class I told the students that whoever scored highest on the test would get to pick the breakfast for the next morning. This motivated them to study, and still rewarded them for trying on the test.
ReplyDeleteI tried doing candy as a contest reward. My kids got a little sour. So I switched to those plastic tokens you can put on necklaces etc. my kids will work their tails off to earn a "zing point" so they can have a chance to win the amazing token on Friday. Contests are great!
DeleteI use this with progress monitoring. I tell my students if they score high than the last time they get a piece of candy. They then get to compare their scores with the others in the class and get a reward.
DeleteI support a couple students in regular education science and social studies classes. I have seen those teachers use several of these hooks. One that I really liked was the contest hook used during a Pilgrims Interact unit. The class was divided into teams and each team had to write down their names and the names of family members and friends to come up with a list of 102 passengers (original number of people on the Mayflower). As the unit progressed and they encountered difficulties during the activities and they made the wrong decision, someone on their list was crossed out (they died). Also, if they weren't working as a team, or weren't following directions, another name was crossed out. This continued to the end of the unit and the team with the most survivors won. It was a really interesting way to teach the unit, I thought. The kids really got into it and I think they will definitely remember it!
ReplyDeleteStudents really do like to compete and this hook is great for that. I have used it some and I get really good results when I do! I see other teachers using this hook for review games before tests.
DeleteI agree, students really do like to compete and this hook is perfect for them! I have always seen positive results when I have seen it used too. :)
DeleteI also see the general education teachers that use the contest and techno wiz hooks when I'm in the classes with my students. I like the way they use them.
DeleteI like the "Survivor Spin" . Sounds like one that would work in social studies and history class
DeleteI use the Techno Whiz Hook more than any of the these others. My students love when they can get on the Ipads or computers as part of their lesson. It is something that they are completely comfortable with. My challenge often is to find techno things that they are not familiar with. Students make graphic organziers on the IPads, take tests, make projects on computers, and so many other things! My 8th graders made 2 bubble maps on the Ipads when reading "The Black Stallion". I made one too on my Ipad and mirrored it so we could all work together. At times they are teaching me techno type things and that is good! Learning goes both ways. Students need to see that teachers continue to learn also, that learing is not confined to being a student sitting at a desk!
ReplyDeleteThe techno whiz hook is a good one. So many of my students are so smart in the technology area. They can often help teachers when things go wrong with their computers or iPads. I think it is fun to find different activities for them to do on the computer or iPad.
DeleteThis is a great way to keep students engaged and to encourage learning!
DeleteThe techno whiz is something I want to get better at. This is a weak area for me and I think the students can learn so much using technology.
DeleteOne of the classrooms that I spend part of my afternoon in uses the contest hook frequently when reviewing for a test. The students in that class absolutely love it and they learn so much while doing it. It is fun for me to watch the kids strategize how to use points and what to do on their next move. I think that they will remember this teacher and their year in her classroom years from now.
ReplyDeleteI love the contest hook because it teaches/reviews so much more than just content. The kids have to use their upper level thinking skills and social skills as well.
DeleteThat is great to hear that a teacher is using that in the classroom. The kids try to use strategy in order to get their points. I hope they do remember this teacher. He / She is making an impact on their lives.
DeleteI also use techno wiz frequently. My students are obsessed with SumDog... If they are struggling to do their math work or sometimes just as a reward they get to do SumDog and work on their math that way. They enjoy it and are so engaged in it that we have been late for lunch a few times because we are working so hard!
ReplyDeleteI have used the techno wiz hook a lot in my classes. The students love to get on the computer and create projects to go with the lessons they are working on. This allows them to be creative and use technology in ways that they aren't quite sure of but since they are all great with the ipad or computer they pick it up fast.
ReplyDeleteTechnology is such a great motivational tool. I think the kids get a lot more out of their own projects.
DeleteI have used the Contest Hook many times. I have always played a variety of games to review for tests, including Jeopardy, board games with test review questions and games that I made. Also, I have had students create games over major units and play them in class.
ReplyDeleteWe used to play a Jeopardy game when I was in middle school. We thought that was the coolest thing. It was fun plus we were learning at the same time. The contest hook is a good one to use.
DeleteThe contest hook I've seen used by many elementary and middle school teachers. It creates a lot of insight as well as effort to learn the subject matter. It's good to use as review before test so you can see what the students know for that subject matter. Mission impossible hook I have use that in the past in order for kids to think on their feet in order to solve a puzzle or riddle. The techno wiz hook is one that we used quite a bit through Google classroom because now most of their assignments or bellringer activities can be done and turned in digitally. For the most part it has eliminated a lot of constant copies of paper and waste. Although we are not 100% paperless the digital assignment can be turned in for the most part on time and the teacher will be able to see who has and who has not turned in any given work.
ReplyDeleteI incorporate the chef hook into my instruction. Each year I teach a unit comparing and contrasting apple and pumpkin pies. The students get to sample both pies and then compare and contrast them. We create a bar graph and use thinking maps to display the data and use higher level thinking skills.
ReplyDeleteYUM! What a great idea for compare and contrast.
DeleteAs a school psych, I have not utilized any of these hooks. However, as a parent with an 8 year old and a 10 year we use the contest hook. There is nothing better than a little friendly competition to spark motivation. We will have a contest to see who can complete homework first or who can answer the multiplication fact question. They are both learning these facts and it makes learning them fun. When driving in the car, we will have a math fact contest and they will make a buzzer sound if they know the answer. The one who has the most points when we arrive at our destination is the winner of that round. Back to the professional side of things, I observed an eleventh grade history teacher use a contest to do a study review. I was only planning to stay and observe for twenty minutes, but I was so engaged watching the students I stayed for the entire hour. He created a basketball game review. He assigned three captains. The captains took turns picking their teams. This was the first time that the smart kids were chosen over the athletic kids. The teams wanted the smart kids because the more questions they got right the more opportunities that got to shoot and earn points. I learned more about history that day than I ever have before.
ReplyDeleteWow, this is awesome, family bonding a little bit as well :)
DeleteI have always been a little too competitive so I am good at the contest hook. This is easy with behavior such as who can sit still the longest, how many times can you get caught being good. I have a briefcase with magic tricks that I got from an uncle so second would be the Magic and the Amazing hook, last week I used the disappearing handkerchief to engage a student.
ReplyDeleteI love his extra challenge hook! What amazing ideas he has!!
ReplyDeleteI have definitely used the contest hook and it always seems to work!!! Even as simple as, who ever clears of their desk first and most quietly earns a dollar! :) haha its awesome. (We use fake money as reward system in my room). I would like the extra challenge hook, I need to continue to ask myself how to do this. Reading this made me want to work with older kids a little bit :)
I have barely used the chef hook.. just m&ms for math. Last year the teams I worked with made an earth model with a red hot for the core, marshmellow and oreo for the crust. The kids loved this, made it themselves, then got it eat it!
I like the contest hook also. Sometimes it gets too competitive with my kids, so I don't always use it. I do use m&ms as a reward though, it doesn't have anything to do with the actual material.
DeleteStudents get very motivated whenever there is a contest involved.
DeleteI use the mnemonic hook. I am always trying to point out and show kids the patterns that will help them to know and memorize whatever skill we are working on. I want to implement the chef hook more. I think that using all those senses (taste included) will help the kids with knowing and understanding the material.
ReplyDeleteAs I read these hooks I thought okay which ones could I use or have I used. The Techno Whiz hook would be very disruptive in my class because we would have to all go check out an ipad or computer. Students are not allowed to bring their own devices no cell phones tablets or laptops. The popular chef hook draws students in. I Think it would be fun to do food around the world with students,I know many of mine eat the common meal of meat and potaoes.
ReplyDeleteI use the contest hook. I often post a question or questions outside my door and it draws not only my students but other students into my classroom. The questions range from history to just trivia. I have even notices gifted students looking to see if i put a new question up.
I would have a hard time incorporating lots of technology into my classroom also, I like the idea of doing food from around the world. It would be an easy way to incorporate some diversity into a lesson.
DeleteAt the beginning of the school year we do a scavenger hunt with Pete the Cat. We read the book Pete the Cat Rocking in My School Shoes then we read them a clue using Pete the Cat and go looking for where he might be. We use this as a way to introduce kids to the office secretary and school nurse, to find the lunch room and where they will be eating lunch, and so on. Then we come back to the class and we talk about all the places we went. The kids LOVE it. They are so excited to find the next clue and have it read and figure out where we will go next.
ReplyDeleteI like to treat my kiddos to treats whenever possible. I have done several fraction lessons with food, one of the classroom teachers in my school has used food to make cells and other models. It's a fun and appetizing way to get students to remember the different parts of something.
ReplyDeleteI like to cook with my students. "The Chef Hook" is one I enjoy. One of the activities that I enjoy teaching is the letter P for Pizza Pigs. We make small pizza's out of English muffins. I use pizza sauce and cheese and the I use a slice of black olives for the eyes, a piece of pepperoni for the nose, a slice of red bell pepper for the mouth. I bring my small toaster oven to class and toast the pizza. The students love it and remember the letter and sound.
ReplyDeleteThis lesson also doubles for the older students. When a word ends in an A it has an uh sound in pizza, Santa, etc.
I think a great hook that everyone’s probably utilizing is the Techno Whiz Hook. HPEC’s created an environment where keeping up with technology (Or even being on the cutting edge!) is a high priority. Not only is this beneficial in that it provides SO MANY MORE options for working with our students currently, but it also benefits their future, as they’re learning to use resources that they could potentially still access after they’ve left us.
ReplyDeleteI've used the contest hook with my personal children, in things like, "let's see who can find both of their shoes in time for the bus first", but seriously, they enjoy beating their own time using Quizlet or Facts in a Flash, we'll record their personal best. I'm using Techno Whiz with teachers and even parents more and more this year, in attempts to go paperless with any scales that aren't copyrighted.
ReplyDelete