Hooks (Burgess, 2012)

Teach Like a Pirate

1. The Kinesthetic Hook
a. How can I incorporate movement into the lesson?
b. Can we throw something?
c. Can we get up and act something out? Can we incorporate gestures and motions that students can do from
their desks?
d. Can we do line-ups or human opinion-meters?
e. Is there a game (i.e. Human Tic Tac Toe, Around the World, Taboo) that incorporates movement?
f. Can I use a museum walk or discussion walk?
2. The People Prop Hook
a. Can I use students as props or concepts?
b. Can we create a human map, graph or chart?
c. Can students be assigned a step in a process or event?
3. The Safari Hook
a. Where is the best place on campus to have this class?
b. Can we have a scavenger hunt for students to discover?
c. Should we go on a field trip off campus?
4. The Picasso Hook
a. How can I incorporate arts and crafts into this lesson?
b. What can students draw or make that would help them retain this information?
c. Can I create an art-based choice of assignment?
5. The Mozart Hook
a. How can I use music to aid my presentation?
b. What song would create the appropriate mood or atmosphere?
c. What lyrics can students relate to? Can they re-write lyrics to reflect academic content?
d. Can students find examples from their music that connect to the lesson?
e. Can I use music during work time, transitions, or to signal closure? f. Can I create a music-based choice of
assignment?
6. The Dance and Drama Hook
a. Can students use skits, role-play or create videos as part of the lesson?
b. How can we incorporate dance?
c. Can they reenact a historic event? Impersonate a historic figure?
d. What can I wear as a costume for this lesson?
e. Can we invent a superhero or super villain for this lesson?
7. The Student Hobby Hook
How can I incorporate the hobbies and interests of my students into this lesson? Do I even know the interests
of my students?
8. The Real World Application Hook
a. How can I show my students why learning this content is important in the real world?
b. How can this content be applied in real life?
c. Is there an authentic assessment that students can perform outside this class?
9. The Life-Changing Lesson Hook
a. Can I use this lesson to deliver an inspirational message?
b. What types of questions will allow students the opportunity for personal reflection and growth?
10. The Student-Directed Hook
a. How can I provide choice in this lesson?
b. How can I facilitate student interest and questions in the process or products of this lesson?
c. How can this lesson use students technology powers and interests?
d. Can students use their cell phones?
e. How can I leverage the power of social media?
11. The Opportunistic Hook
a. What current events are related to this lesson?
b. In what ways can I incorporate currently popular trends, fads, TV shows, and movies in order to make the
content relevant?
12. The Interior Design Hook
a. How can I transform my room to create the ultimate atmosphere for this lesson?
b. Can I change the lighting? Can I decorate the walls, ceiling or floor? c. How should I arrange the desks?
13. The Board Message Hook
a. What can I write on my board or project to spark curiosity when students enter the room?
b. What are opening prompts to use before class starts or to use as bonuses at the end of class?
14. The Props Hook Show and Tell
a. What physical item can I bring in to add to my presentation?
b. What image can I show?
c. Instead of talking about something, can I bring it? Instead of talking about a person, can I show his/her
picture?
15. The Involved Audience Hook
a. How can I consistently keep the audience feeling involved?
b. Can students use certain motions or sounds at key points? Use call and response?
c. Can I use volunteers? Pre-arrange roles?
16. The Mystery
a. Can I openly hide something from the class?
b. Can I have a wrapped package? Mystery items students touch in a bag? Historic or cultural artifacts that
students guess the function?
c. Can we create a Webquest or Treasure Hunt?
17. The Storytelling Hook
a. What captivating story can I tell that would draw student into this lesson?
b. Can I use different accents, or speak in character, as I tell a story?
c. Can I position my topic like it is a secret or little known fact?
18. The Mime Hook
a. Can I use mime techniques and gestures to get my point across?
b. Can I incorporate charades and/or Pictionary-type activities?
 ADVANCED HOOKS
THE MISSION IMPOSSIBLE HOOK
1. How can I design my lesson so that students are trying to unravel and solve a mystery?
2. How can I incorporate clues that can only be decoded by learning or researching the relevant subject? (Think Da
Vinci Code or National Treasure)
3. Can they be provided a treasure map or sent on a scavenger hunt through your content?
4. What fictitious character or role can they play?
5. What crisis must they prevent?
6. Can I change this from a standard assignment to a daring and impossible mission?
THE REALITY TV HOOK
1. How can I design my lesson to take advantage of the popularity of reality TV?
2. Can I create a Survivor-style challenge and divide the class into tribes?
3. Can this be configured as an Amazing Race partner lesson?
THE TECHNO WIZ
1. How can I tap into the technological prowess of my students?
2. Can I create a paperless lesson?
3. How can technology help to connect my students to people from all over the world and help them gain a global
perspective?
THE CONTEST HOOK
1. How can I include a contest in this lesson to build excitement and motivation?
2. What type of review game can I design to ramp up the entertainment level of my class?
3. What kind of in-class challenge can I create that would take advantage of their competitive instinct?
4. Can I be part of the challenge or contest?
THE MAGIC AND THE AMAZING HOOK
1. What amazing principle can I demonstrate as part of this lesson?
2. Is there a magical effect that could help to deliver this message?
3. Can I teach my students an amazing skill that they will go home and show others?
THE CHEF HOOK
(Don't forget our allergy students and nutrition policy!!!! In today's world, you may need to ask permission first...but this
hook is certainly worth sharing.)
1. How can I enhance this lesson by adding food or drinks?
2. What type of food would be perfect for this lesson?
3. How can I use food or drinks to demonstrate a point?
THE MNEMONIC HOOK
1. Are there key bits of information I want my students to know cold?
2. Is there a pattern to point out?
3. Can the point of the lesson be tied to previous knowledge?
4. Does a mnemonic exist for the material?
5. Can I design my own mnemonic to help them remember this material?
6. Can the students create their own mnemonic?
7. How can I embed a mnemonic theme throughout my presentation to aid retention?
THE EXTRA-CREDIT CHALLENGE HOOK
1. What high-interest and motivating challenges can I create that relate to this unit?
2. What intriguing mission can I send students on to allow them to extend their learning in a unique way?
3. How can I provide my students the opportunity for an experience that will create life-long memories? (Not
required, by strictly extra-credit)