Engagement Strategy

I usually type my lessons for the day into a smart notebook.  While this takes a good twenty minutes each morning, I think it helps our day flow smoothly.  I like to start my morning with everything fully prepared and loaded, leaving my prep free to conquer any numerous tasks or handle unforeseen emergencies without panic.

However, sometimes when I have a lot of instructions typed on the board, my students zone out.  They're ten, I get it.  I still go over the purpose for each activity and imbed some spiral review to remind them what they're learning and why.

So I switched up my strategy:

I read what's in black font and they read what is in another color.  This way they're actively engaged in the directions and if they forget what to do, the key parts of the instructions or directions practically jump out at them.

Plus, by only giving them a few words or a phrase to read, they aren't shouting over each other and they are able to read together (most of the time).