#5 Failing to Hook...
Your students need a reason, a WHY, to invest the time and effort necessary to learn the information presented in a lesson.

A mistake teachers make, all too often, is forgetting to set a hook in the students’ minds and give them a BIG reason to learn the lesson. A hook is used to grab and hold students’ attention at the beginning of a lesson.

Researchers tell us within 30 seconds of the beginning of the lesson you sell it or it fizzles. Without the right hook, your students and their minds will simply drift away.

Many teachers assume students know the importance and the need to learn the information being presented in the lesson. This assumption can result in lack of effort on the students’ part and a disastrous lesson outcome.

Give your class a BIG WHY at the beginning of each lesson. Sell the sizzle of the lesson.

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To set the hook in your students’ minds and make them feel the need to participate and learn the lesson, you must hook them within the first 30 seconds of the lesson.

A key to clarify your thinking is to ask two simple questions:

1. Why is this lesson important to my students?

2. What story, exercise, or activity can I use to demonstrate the importance of this lesson to my students?

Stop! Pause and think!

The answer to these questions, for most lessons, is not simple or easy. Giving your students the down-to-earth and gut level reasons for learning the lesson takes thought and effort on your part.

Remember to sell the sizzle of the lesson; then the content will take care of itself. The best method I’ve found to hook students’ attention is through the use of stories that paint vivid word pictures. When sinking the hook, use words that allow the student to see the size, shape, movement, and color. Make the story come alive by making it dramatic and specific.

Hooking with a story is fun and effective. Story telling is the best way on earth to hook and hold your students’ and their darting attention. One of the major mistakes teachers make when telling a story is they hurry their delivery. Slow down and enjoy the journey.

Develop your own "hook book" as a depository of your best gems. Stories are everywhere. The key is to capture them... in your own "hook book"....

Try this tomorrow... with the first words out of your mouth... Say, "Today, I have a story to tell you." You've got!

Start a lesson with Story Stuff...