When considering the prompts & the info about anticipatory sets, a lot of the hooks in my lessons that came to mind came from science lessons that I taught. I teach 3rd grade and our science lessons not only focus on developing the kids’ Scientific Practices, but simultaneously developing their literacy skills. In order to do so, there’s a lot of balance & transition throughout a lesson. It takes a lot of practice to make sure the objective doesn’t get lost throughout the teaching. One awesome thing about science is that it lends itself to an engaging anticipatory set.
One lesson in particular that stood out to me with a great ‘hook’ was during the beginning of a Physical Science unit. I was introducing the cross cutting concept of Cause & Effect and the Scientific Practice of Problem Solving & Asking Questions. The kids were presented with a challenge to get a coin into a cup without touching the coin or cup. I presented the problem to the students and didn’t offer solutions. I modeled a few ways I thought I could be successful in the challenge (I purposely failed) but just the materials alone and a hands on ‘challenge’ presented to the kids was enough to have them locked in. If I could do it differently I might start by slowly revealing the materials just for dramatic effect & because I love to have fun with the kids. But overall, the hook has been successful in pulling the students in each year that I’ve done this so I’m excited to keep going with it!
One lesson in particular that stood out to me with a great ‘hook’ was during the beginning of a Physical Science unit. I was introducing the cross cutting concept of Cause & Effect and the Scientific Practice of Problem Solving & Asking Questions. The kids were presented with a challenge to get a coin into a cup without touching the coin or cup. I presented the problem to the students and didn’t offer solutions. I modeled a few ways I thought I could be successful in the challenge (I purposely failed) but just the materials alone and a hands on ‘challenge’ presented to the kids was enough to have them locked in. If I could do it differently I might start by slowly revealing the materials just for dramatic effect & because I love to have fun with the kids. But overall, the hook has been successful in pulling the students in each year that I’ve done this so I’m excited to keep going with it!