Middle School Student Engagement Strategies for Today's Classrooms

Engaging middle school students can be a battle inside the classroom. They face a whirlwind of social, developmental, and emotional complexities that can overwhelm their ability to focus on the academic topic at hand. That’s why it’s imperative for us as teachers to find ways to engage our students.

Master Your Middle School Curriculum for Better Engagement

Before we can make our lessons fun and engaging, we must know the curriculum. I mean really know it. Identifying the end goal is the most essential part. Otherwise, we can’t adequately prepare to reach every one of our students. 

To start, read the lesson(s) from start to finish. Then, read again, and again, and maybe . . . again. We must become experts on each topic before executing it within a lesson. Trust me, students will ask all the questions, so we must know our stuff. Then, annotate away. Mark up pages. Break each section down to the minute. It’s a lifesaver. But be sure to know the most important information students need to meet their end goal—not the most interesting. This is critical.

One of the most common misconceptions among teachers is thinking that we can eliminate elements from a lesson because time ran out or because the topic is difficult and students “won’t get it.” Do not sell students short. They are far more capable than we often give them credit for. 

Knowing the curriculum is the first step to making it our own. 

Creative Middle School Teaching Strategies That Work

Time and again, I have heard teachers say, “It’s hard to find engaging activities for middle schoolers.” This is where we can take time to reflect. Is it really that hard, or do we just need to get more creative—or even get back to the basics?

Owning the curriculum doesn’t mean eliminating or adding elements. Instead, use the foundation and information provided but tweak it to make it more engaging for your class. Throw away those worksheets. Middle school students like to have fun too. Try incentives. They don’t have to be fancy or expensive—a piece of candy, a marshmallow, or even a sticker can work. My students love a piece of chewing gum! Those hands start flying up when they see me reaching for the bucket.

Pull out your classroom management plan and stress procedures and expectations with your class. I promise, your students will surprise you!

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Ideas to Spark Student Engagement

By owning the curriculum, you put a personal touch on it that helps better engage your middle schoolers.

Here are some more ideas to spark engagement:

• For Graphic Organizers 
  Place the graphic organizers at different stations and ask groups to work together to turn it into a poster. This will encourage students to talk about the concept at hand, engage with learning, and further cement their understanding.
• For Dense Books with New Characters and a Historical Fiction Storyline Full of Flashbacks 
  Group students together and then print cards with pictures, character names, and a poster of a family tree. Allow students to manipulate and create their own family tree together. This doesn’t take a lot of time, but it’s interactive and engaging. I can almost guarantee that after that, students will be able to recite the entire family lineage. 
• For Students Needing Support with Prefixes
  Go outside with chalk and review the definitions of prefixes already covered or being covered. Then, have students write down as many words with the added prefix they can think of. What kid doesn’t prefer to be outside instead of in the classroom? 
• For Preparing for a Big Test
  
  Play Connect Four®. Put students in teams with a buzzer for each and read the passages of a practice test together. Allow students to answer the questions and hit their buzzer when they’re ready for the answer to be checked. If it’s correct, students can add a sticky note to the Connect Four board (where checkers would normally go) displayed on the Active Panel. The goal is to get four in a row.
• For Reviewing for a Unit Test
  Play Pick a Tab. Divide students into small groups. Each group starts with 100 points. Display a question that all groups must answer. When time is called, groups show their answer. If it’s correct, one group with the right answer is randomly entered to pick a tab. Prior to playing, kids create different tasks with different point values for each tab. If the group picks the O tab, it may say, “Sing the ‘Chicken Dance’ song for 50 points.” There’s no better way to engage students than to let them come up with the best ways to embarrass their peers. Kids are highly motivated by points!
  
• For Bringing Out Students’ Competitive Side
  Buy four different types of candy or chips. You will also need a random name generator to keep it fair. If students answer a question correctly, they can write their name under any treat they want. Here’s the catch: they can erase someone else’s name and claim the treat they want. It’s always a fun time with very little effort from us!

The Key to It All: Building Middle School Student Relationships

One of the most important elements of owning the curriculum is taking the time to build appropriate student–teacher relationships by really getting to know each student. Only then will all the components mold together beautifully.  

Students will let us know quickly what they like and dislike, which is helpful for finding engaging activities they love. They will happily work hard for a teacher who they know loves them and values them for who they are. Our students are human too. They have bad days. Life happens to them just like it happens to us. Have and show grace with them. Make the best of the teachable moments. Students will remember that for many years to come. 

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More Middle School Resources:
How i-Ready Pro’s Essential Lessons Transformed Learning in My Classroom
Building an Ideal Middle School Classroom for Learning 
Math Motivation in Middle School
i-Ready Pro Webinar

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