This document summarizes strategies for engaging adolescent students in learning. It discusses features of high-engagement learning environments, including opportunities for student control, collaboration, discussion, and meaningful activities. It provides examples of lessons that incorporate these features, such as a science lesson on atoms that uses brainstorming, group work, and exit slips. It also discusses the use of literature circles, choice novels, and discussion groups to develop understanding and empathy. Test preparation strategies are mentioned, such as a social studies lesson using a "people search" activity and timeline.

1. Engaging Adolescents
Quesnel Middle and Senior Years
Faye Brownlie
Slideshare.net/fayebrownlie/
quesnel.engaging

2. Who is doing the cognitive work
in your class?

3. Features of High-Engagement Learning
Environments
• available supply of appropriately difficult texts
• opAons that allow students more control over
the texts to be read and the work to be
accomplished
• the collaboraAve nature of much of the work
• the opportunity to discuss what was read and
wriDen
• the meaningfulness of the acAviAes
• Allington & Johnston, 2002; Presley, 2002; Wigfield, 1997; Almasi & McKeown, 1996;
Turner, 1995

4. Background knowledge has a greater impact on
being able to read a text than anything else.
-Doug Fisher, Richard Allington

5. • Universal Design for Learning
• Backwards Design
• Low floor, high ceiling

6. Grade 9 Science – Starleigh Grass &
Mindy Casselman
Electricity
• The Challenge:
• Many of the students are disengaged and
dislike ‘book learning’. They acquire more
knowledge, concept and skill when they are
acAve, collaboraAve and reading in chunks.
• Starleigh and Mindy in It’s All about Thinking (Math and Science), 2011.

7. Essential Question
• If we understand how materials hold and
transfer electric charge, can we store and
move electric charge using common
materials?

8. • Individually, brainstorm what you can recall
about the characterisAcs of an atom.
• Meet in groups of 3 to add to and revise your
list.
• Compare this list to the master list.
• …(word derivaAons, label an atom…)
• Exit slip: 2 characterisAcs you want to
remember about atoms.

9. The Atom
• All maDer is made of atoms.
• Atoms have electrons, neutrons, and protons. Electrons
move, protons and neutrons do not move.
• Atoms have negaAve and posiAve charges.
• Electrons have a negaAve charge; protons have a posiAve
charge.
• Protons and neutrons are located at the centre of the atom,
in the nucleus.
• Electrons orbit around the outside of the nucleus, in energy
“shells.”
• An object can be negaAvely or posiAvely charged,
depending on the raAo of protons and neutrons.

10. Choice Novels &
Literature Circles
Entry points for
digging deeper
and developing
empathy.
Dave Giesbrecht, Richmond
Nancy Sharkey, Librarian

11. Learning Outcomes
• KNOW
– I can analyze ficAon for common elements and explain how they
help to develop the story and message of the novel.
• DO
– I can prepare for and parAcipate in small group discussions to
develop
• My understanding of the novel
• My ability to communicate my thinking
• UNDERSTAND
– I can demonstrate and deepen my understanding of
• The novel I read its context
• The issues facing children in other parts of the world
• Empathy – what it is and how it is developed

12. Guiding Questions
• How is the world where the story is set
different from your world?
• How do human development issues affect the
characters and society in your novel and how
does this relate to the world?
• How do discussions circles help you develop
your thinking?

13. “The danger of a single story”

14. The Plan: starting
• Introduced and selected books.
• Modeled the types of thinking to use while
reading with a shared text, “Thank You
Ma’am” by Langston Hughes. Created group
placemats:
– ConnecAons
– QuesAons
– Conclusions
– Judgments

15. ConnecAons QuesAons
Conclusions Judgments
Thank You, Ma’am –
Langston Hughes

16. The Plan: working in groups
• Students worked twice a week for 3 weeks.
• Groups created their own reading plan.
• Arer each 20 minute literature discussion,
students completed one of:
– Hot Seat
– Double Entry Journal
– CSI (colour, symbol, image – Making Thinking
Visible – Richart)

17. Final Assessments
• Reading response based on a quesAon generated by
the group and a personal response/recommendaAon
of the novel.
• Group presentaAon on context of the novel and how
this impacts their character.
– Research on real world context of novel
– Chose 3 most significant factors from the sesng that
affected characters and their quality of life
• Ongoing feedback and addiAonal instrucAon based on
conversaAons, observaAons, and products created
during the 3 weeks.

19. Test Prep – Socials 11
Canada in the 1930’s with Melanie Mattson
• People Search – 12 boxes
• Students made notes for each quesAon
• Coached and listened to see if there were any
challenging areas
• 2 quesAons were most challenging
• Melanie explained her ‘answer’ to each, using a
Ameline and associaAons
• 2 addiAonal areas to study
– With a concept map
– With a chart

20. Canada in the 1930’s
People Search Find someone who:
…can describe 3
differences between life in
the city and life in rural
Canada during the Great
Depression
…can paint a vivid picture
with words of relief camps
…can tell the story of the
beginning of the labour
movement in Canada
…understands the
difference between
totalitarism, socialism,
communism, and fascism
in the 1930’s

21. Test Prep – Math 10
Measurement with Jennifer Paziuk
• People Search
• Inside/Outside Circle