Student Engagement

     Not surprisingly, the success of students and the quality of their work correlates to the importance we, as teachers, place on the task.  When students are allowed to share their work, the book that they are reading, or just their thinking, they take more ownership for their learning and have a larger sense of community in their classroom. 

     Try this:  Have students do a book talk, share a great part in the book, or read a written response to reading, a writing piece, or even a post it note with their thinking.  We know that time is extremely limited in the classroom, so set boundaries by having them choose a favorite sentence in their writing,  a comment about a character in their book, a quick recommendation why they would want someone to read their book, or why they would not read it.  A minute or two is all that is needed. Do this in between stations or centers to break up those independent learning times.
     By giving the students time "on the stage of the classroom", we are telling them that the work they are doing is important and needs to be shared with others.  This should increase engagement and will be well worth the minutes spent doing it.