Students Won’t Participate? 5 Quick Fixes

If your students won’t participate in class, give minimal answers, or seem completely disengaged, you’re not alone. Low student engagement is one of the most common challenges in middle and high school classrooms, and it shows up in frustrating ways: blank pages, surface-level responses, off-task behaviour, and silence during discussions.

When students are disengaged, the problem usually isn’t your lesson. They’re stuck, overwhelmed, or unsure how to respond…and pushing forward rarely fixes it.

What you need in those moments are quick, effective classroom strategies that re-engage students without starting over.

Here are 5 quick fixes: simple, in-the-moment moves you can use to get students participating again, improve focus, and bring your lesson back on track fast.

Quick fixes for students who won’t participate:

• Run a quick “Support It” challenge

• Shrink the task

• Use a turn-and-talk

• Add a fast - but focused - energizer

• Build in time for chat and tech breaks 

1. When students give vague, surface-level answers

What it looks like:

You’ve asked a question and all you get is:

• “I’m not sure… it just shows he’s nice.”

• “Because that’s what happened.”

• “I dunno…”

• Crickets…

What to do: Run a quick “Support It!” challenge

Stop the class and say:

“Okay, folks. We’re going to do a challenge right now. I am going to give you a hot take about a character, and you have to support it - or not. You can choose to disagree, as long as you support it with evidence - and not with something vague. Not with ‘because I think so.’ With real evidence. That’s the challenge.”

Give them:

• A simple claim you provide OR

• One based on a response a student already gave

• Two minutes to find one piece of evidence

• The choice to do it on their own or with a partner

Then model or prompt:

• The character is ___

• For example, she ___

• This shows ___ because ___

This strategy works because there’s an expectation to use a structure, the task is clear, and framing it as a “challenge” makes it more interesting.

I would suggest you try this the first time with something relatively easy: an obvious character trait, for example. This will allow students to practice and get in the habit of quickly finding evidence. Then, the next time, make it more interesting by picking something about the character that could be debatable.

• Learn how to teach students to support claims with evidence

• Try this ready-to-use (and free!) lesson plan for teaching textual evidence

2. When students are staring at the page, not working

What it looks like:

You have given your students a task, and some are working. But there are also:

• Heads down or eyes anywhere but on the task

• Blank or unfinished pages 

• Distracted, off-task students

What to do: Shrink the task 

For example, you have given students a writing or thinking task, and you have someone unable to get started. Say:

“Forget the whole paragraph for now. Just do this one thing.”

Then, give them a micro-task. For example:

• “Write ONE sentence about how the character feels.”

• “Circle one word that stands out and explain why.”

• “Add just one more example to support this point.”

This strategy works because it allows the student to focus on one thing at a time. Yes, I know they should be able to do more, but if they are staring at a blank page, you need to get them jump-started. Shrinking the task reduces overwhelm, gets them moving, and can build momentum quickly.

However, you must circle back soon and give them another small task to do once they’ve completed the first!

3. When the discussion is flat, or no one is participating

What it looks like:

• You ask a question… crickets

• The same 2–3 students do all the responding

• Everyone else checked out

What to do: A turn-and-talk

Say:

“I’m going to give you something to think about...”

Give a clear prompt:

• “Do you agree with the character’s choice? Yes or no - and why?”

Set a timer for 1–2 minutes to allow students to consider their answer. Then set it again for another 2-3 minutes and have them share their answer with a partner. Then pull a few responses from volunteers.

This strategy works because it allows students time to think, it lowers the risk, it gets everyone thinking and talking, and it can build confidence quickly.

Learn how to use this strategy!

4. When the energy is low and students are mentally gone

What it looks like:

• Slumped posture

• Slow responses

• That end-of-day (or mid-winter) fatigue

What to do: Reset with a fast, structured energizer or brain break

These give students a quick reset with activities that allow them to refocus.

Use them anytime to:

✅ Provide a fun, energizing “break” after a content-heavy lesson or period of work

✅ To refocus attention after transitions

✅ Wake students up whenever you think you’re losing them

✅ Review skills you’ve already done

✅ Warm-up at the beginning of a class

✅ Fill in the last few minutes of a class that has finished early

✅ Instill some fun that focuses on learning

✅ Show students that learning CAN be fun

This strategy works because it re-energizes students while still keeping them focused on learning.

If you’d like some energizers that are ready to go when you need to pivot, you’ll love my ready-to-use ELA Energizers & Brain Breaks -  read more about how to use them in your classroom.

5. When Phone Use and/or Chatter is Constant

What it looks like:

• You are battling for students’ attention

• Student phone use is preventing them from working

• Chatter and misbehavior is disrupting learning

What to do:  start by trying breaks and, if that doesn’t work, create a code of conduct.

Sometimes students just need a break; it’s hard to sit and listen all day - you know that from PD days, right? 

I found that giving my students a 2-3 minute break in the middle of class (or when it makes sense) made all the difference in the world. They could chat, check their phones, or just check out. Then knew they had to earn the break, and that really helped too. 

• Read more about that here.

But what if the break doesn’t work? What if you can’t get them off their phones or to stop talking? 

My greatest successes came when I had a heart-to-heart talk with students, and we worked together to create solutions. These solutions became agreed-upon codes of conduct that I could use as a reference and that allowed students to feel they had a voice in the climate of the classroom. Read more about them in the links below:

• How to control a chatty class
• Creating a cell phone code of conduct

This strategy works because you are showing students that you care about the fact that it can be hard to focus and that you will work with them to come up with solutions.

If you feel like your students have checked out

The instinct is to push through, but when students are checked out, pushing harder usually doesn’t work.

Pivoting to a re-engagement strategy can be just the thing you need to keep things on track. These quick fixes aren’t extra, though; they’re the moves that help you get your lesson back without starting over.

These are 5 quick fixes you can use when students won’t participate or seem completely disengaged.

Want Some Quick Fixes Ready to Go?

If you want these kinds of quick pivots already built for you—with prompts, structure, and student-friendly formats—you might love my ELA Energizers & Brain Breaks.

They’re designed for exactly these moments:
✔ When students are stuck
✔ When energy is low
✔ When you need something that works right away

Thanks for reading!

Jackie, Room 213

Check out these Brain Breaks from Presto Plans

Creative Methods to Make Reading an Enjoyable Experience in High School English

If you've ever found your students' eyes glazing over a reading assignment or saw your chosen texts met with a collective, "meh," you're not alone. Before we even get started on this blog post I will be honest. I was not interested in reading when I was in high school. For this reason, I feel quite passionate about finding creative and fun ways to engage my students during any reading task. If you love reading, it might be difficult to understand why some people find reading to be a chore. Let's face it, when students are required to read assigned texts, their enthusiasm dwindles quickly. The information in this blog post will hopefully help to keep students engaged in the adventure of reading and help teachers create connections, foster participation, and critical thinking skills. 

 

Integrate Multi-Media 

One creative way that I have found to encourage literary excitement is through the use of audio, film clips, podcasts or music related to the text that we are reading. Reading sometimes leads to wandering minds. I, however, have found that listening to an audio book in addition to reading a physical text helps students to stay focused. If your school library does not have a copy of the audio book, you can always try to locate it on YouTube. I have done this many times. The best part? It's great for different learning styles. For auditory learners, hearing a text read aloud can turn a boring piece of text into a vivid experience. For visual learners, hearing the text being read helps to make connections between the sound and the script. I have never had any students complain about listening to the audio book, while we read a class novel study. For this reason, integrating multi-media into my classroom reading experiences is a win-win. 

Offer Choices & Encourage New Genres

When students are able to select their own books, they are a bit more invested. So, empower your students by offering them more choice. Instead of assigning a single book to the whole class, give your students a curated selection of books, or even a bit of free choice (with parameters). While offering choice, you can also expand their reading repertoire by using stations. This is a great way to introduce new choices to students, based on the different choices available within your school library. I created these genre reading stations (see image below). 

 Make Reading Visible and Social 

Classroom culture plays a huge role in shaping attitudes towards reading. You can do this easily by displaying books around the classroom, creating a mini-library, a cozy reading section, or by modeling your own enthusiasm for reading. Believe it or not, students do like to hear what teachers are interested in and what books they are reading. This might even spark a classroom discussion! When reading comes a part of the classroom conversation, it shifts from a boring task to a shared experience, which can be very motivating for students (especially the students that don't particularly enjoy reading). 

Reading Games

Classroom reading games offer structure, motivation, and of course, friendly competition. This can make a reading experience more enjoyable and rewarding. For this reason, I created a Book Tasting Reading Escape Room, which allows students to experience a variety of books, authors, genres, characters and more. This escape room was designed to be similar to a 'book tasting,' where students are encouraged to find books that pique their interest and that they might enjoy reading. 

Challenge #1: Author trivia 
Challenge #2: Literary characters
Challenge #3: Genre scramble
Challenge #4: They were books first
Challenge #5: Notable quotes

The goal of this reading game is to encourage students to work together and discover some new things, while also using their previous reading knowledge to assist their team to win challenges. You might consider using this escape-style game when you are leading up to a classroom novel study, an independent novel study, or as a fun way to encourage team-building in an English Language Arts classroom. 

 

 Make Real-World Connections

Sometimes, making reading relevant is just a matter of connecting it to the present and the lives of students. Try framing texts with contemporary themes or social issues to spark curiosity and debate. Making reading fun isn't about lowering your expectations of the reading material; rather, about reigniting a natural interest of stories, ideas and language. It's about giving students permission to approach any text with curiosity, to explore personal responses, and to enjoy discovering what they enjoy reading about most. 

Here are a few ways to make real-world connections when reading:

• Text Connections: This is a really easy way for students to connect with their book and relate to something that they are reading to themselves, their peers, other texts, or the real-world. 
• Current Event Pairings: Link themes from the text to news stories or societal discussions. For example, a novel that explores injustice can lead to conversations about current or civil rights movements.  

•  Author Backgrounds: Sharing interesting information about authors' lives or their social context can help to humanize a text. 

• Project-Based Learning: Upon completion of reading a text, ask students to research a topic related to their reading, such as historical periods, cultural practices or ethical dilemmas. To reach an even wider audience, have them present their findings to the whole class.  
  
  

I hope that these ideas have inspired you to change up your classroom routine and inspire your young readers. Try to remember that encouraging reading in high school is less about forcing pages turned and more about creating an environment where stories feel alive and relevant (this is what was missing from my high school English experience as a teenager). When students are empowered and engaged, their relationship with reading transforms in ways that will extend beyond the classroom walls. 

 

Here are some other creative writing ideas:

Creative Activities for ANY Novel or Short Story 

5 strategies to boost critical thinking & preview AI use  

 

How to Differentiate Without Extra Work

 

Do you struggle with the concept of differentiation, either because you aren’t sure how to do it well - or how to do it without committing to hours of work? The desire to help our students is real, but so is the fear and confusion around differentiation. Because let’s be honest: it can seem daunting when you assume it requires you to triple your workload. 

Another worry around differentiation is that some students might feel bad because they know got the “easy” version.

But here's the good news: Differentiation doesn’t have to require different versions, just carefully designed ones. In this post, I’ll show you how to differentiate without extra work.

A Differentiated Approach That Works for All

One effective way to differentiate is to use tasks that are flexible enough to meet each student where they are while still targeting the same learning goal. In fact, a well-designed lesson and activity can often meet the needs of learners at multiple ability levels.

This works when you:

• Use one task with multiple entry points
• Provide extension prompts instead of harder worksheets
• Offer optional scaffolds like sentence starters
• Assess the quality of thinking, rather than the quantity of writing (you can assess writing in another assignment)

What This Looks Like in Practice

Let’s imagine this is your learning goal: students will analyze how authors reveal character through intentional choices. You provide students with approximately five short texts that they will close read and give the same directions for all:

1. Choose at least two of the following passages.
2. Do a close read of the passage
3. Note, in the margin, what the passage reveals about the character.
4. Underline or highlight at least two specific details from the passage that reveal this trait

Then, you add something like this:

IF YOU FINISH EARLY…

• Choose another passage and complete the above steps, and/or
• Go back to a passage that you already read and underline or highlight more details that develop the character
• Offer a different interpretation of a character’s trait than the one you initially suggested.

With a selection of passages to choose from, ones with varying complexity, every student can access the task at an appropriate level without changing the assignment itself.  Also, students who need more of a challenge can choose to either analyze more of the passages or go into more depth for the ones they already did.

Regardless of which passage a student chooses, they can respond in a manner that allows them to work on the skills they are ready for. Some will focus on an obvious trait. Others will connect several details or explore subtext. Some will just hit the target while others will show great insight. The task stays the same, but the depth of the response changes.

This is one way to differentiate without extra work.

Let’s look at an example:

PASSAGE: Jacob sat at the kitchen table long after his cereal went soggy. His backpack leaned against the wall, gaping open. Every few minutes, he looked over at it, picked up his phone, then put it back down again. When his mother called, “You’ll be late for school,” he said, “I know,” but didn’t move. He just kept staring at the backpack.

Developing reader:
Jacob is nervous about something. He is not eating and keeps looking at his backpack and phone.

On-level reader:
Jacob seems anxious because he keeps staring at his backpack and picking up his phone instead of eating and getting ready. Maybe something in the backpack or on his phone is bothering him. When his mom tells him he’ll be late, he says he knows, but still doesn’t move, suggesting that he may be nervous about something he has to face at school.

Advanced reader:
Jacob's actions suggest that he is feeling anxiety over something. His repeated glances at the open backpack suggest that it contains something that carries emotional weight, such as a test, an assignment, or a reminder of what waits for him at school. Likewise, the way he keeps picking up and putting down his phone implies he may be waiting for a message or replaying something he has already seen. Even when his mother tells him he will be late, Jacob does not move, which shows that his hesitation is driven by internal tension rather than distraction. The soggy, uneaten cereal suggests he may be too nervous to eat, reinforcing the idea that anticipation of what is coming is bothering him.

With this approach, students can read the same passage and instructions, but illustrate different levels of thinking.

HOW DO YOU ASSESS THIS?

If the goal is: Students will analyze how authors reveal character through intentional choices, assess whether or not the student can

• Make a reasonable inference about a character
• Identify relevant evidence
• Explain the connection

You can use a simple rubric like the one above to give students feedback. Better yet, get them to assess themselves before you do. 

Or put a class list on a clipboard and circulate while students are working. Ask them to identify a trait, make an inference, and show you a piece of evidence. Note if they are developing, meeting, or exceeding expectations.

Creating groups for differentiated skill building:

Another effective way to differentiate without extra work is via stations. The information you collect will allow you to create some tiered stations activities that provide students with the help they need.

You will have five groups, but only three levels. Depending on the makeup of your class, it might look like this:

Group 1 - Developing (low):

Group 2 - Developing (high) 

Group 3 - Meeting Expectations (low) 

Group 4 - Meeting Expectations (high) 

Group 5 - Exceeding Expectations 

Next, choose five short passages that can be read during the time groups are at the stations. 

Now you set up your stations in a way that allows each group to work on the skills they need to work on. Your station rotation will include a teacher-led one where you can adapt your instruction based on each group’s level.

Station 1: Teacher- Led Station: You will use this station to give each group the instruction and skill-building they need based on where they are.

Station 2 - 5 will have a passage that reveals character, and each group will have different instructions to complete while there. This way, they can work on the skills that they most need to work on. The lowest groups continue to build the skills they need to master the task, while the more advanced groups will move on to more complex tasks.

The Developing Group gets these instructions:

1. Carefully read the passage
2. Identify one character trait.
3. Find a detail or quotation from that text that best illustrates this trait.
4. Complete the sentence frame. (You can provide multiple frames to choose from)
   {The character’s name} is ___ . For example, __________.

The Meeting Expectations Group gets these instructions:

1. Carefully read the passage
2. Identify at least one character trait.
3. Choose one quotation that best supports the trait.
4. Find at least one other detail or quotation that illustrates this trait.
5. Write 2–3 sentences explaining how the details you chose support the trait.

The Exceeding Expectations Group gets these instructions:

1. Carefully read the passage
2. Identify anything you learn about the character
3. Select the best evidence to support your analysis of the character.
4. Write a short paragraph that explains what you have learned about the character and the methods the writer uses to develop them.

Using the teacher-led station to differentiate easily

Let’s look at an order you can use to best help the students. Your lowest group will start with you at the teacher-led station. You will have a passage for them that is relatively quick to read and easy to analyse.  You will work with them on close reading, identifying evidence, and analyzing that evidence. You will have sentence starters for those who need them.

Your second lowest group will come to you next and you can look at the work they did at Station E and correct any misconceptions. Then, you can repeat what you did with the first group.

When other groups get to this station, you may look at their previous work or switch out the passage and or work on different aspects of the task. With stronger groups, you may be discussing the nuances of analysis and pushing them to improve their writing. Each of the top two groups will get another station after they have been with you, allowing them to apply what they learned and to do a better job as they do.

If you have followed this order, I would ask each group to pass in the work they did at the last station. This allows you to see, hopefully, their best work. You can start your assessment during your last session with group #3.

After this station rotation, you will have a much better handle on where your students are. You may be ready to move them all to a more complex assignment. When you do, hopefully, each student will be ready to meet expectations while others will continue to exceed.

THE SAME TASK CAN HELP YOU DIFFERENTIATE WITHOUT EXTRA WORK

Differentiation can reduce barriers for students without increasing workload for teachers. With thoughtful design, the same task can challenge and support every learner in your room. Hopefully you know feel like you can differentiate without extra work.

If you love this idea but don't have time to create the materials, click below because I've got you covered!

 

Check out these strategies for scaffolding skills:

Strategies to teach the elements of fiction

Strategies to boost critical thinking

Scaffolding the process of literary analysis

And from Tracee Orman: Creative activities for any novel or short story

 

Strategies to Teach the Elements of Fiction

Let's talk elements of fiction, those building blocks for literary analysis.  You've got some fantastic mini-lessons that you deliver with enthusiasm, and the students who stick with you can parrot back definitions like plot, setting, character, and theme. However, the minute you ask them to apply those terms to a story, to actually analyze them, things go south. Why is that? Could it be that the mini-lesson, no matter how expertly presented, is not enough? What if you had some creative strategies to teach the elements of fiction, ones that lead to deeper learning and engagement?

Read on, and I'll share some that do.

The Traditional Approach Doesn’t Always Stick

Here's the thing: When we rely on definitions, charts, and quizzes to teach the elements of fiction, students might learn the words, but they rarely internalize the meaning. They can tell you what tone is, but not why it matters. They might identify the setting, but they can’t explain how it's important to the conflict or to the message the author wants to impart.

That’s because these methods ask students to just name story elements rather than explore how they work in a narrative. And when learning stays at that surface level, it fades fast. I’ve seen it happen a hundred times: students ace the “elements of fiction” test in September and struggle to analyze short stories in October. They know the terms, but they can’t transfer the knowledge.

Look at it this way: imagine an artist learning how to mix colors by reading a handout and doing a quiz, but they never touch any paints. Or, picture a baseball player memorizing terms like line drive, pop fly, and grounder, but they never pick up a bat. This would never happen, of course, but yet...that's what often happens in school: students memorize terms without actually using them.

Does that mean we skip the minilessons? Absolutely not. Students need a solid foundation before they can build on it, so starting at the beginning doesn’t just make sense; it’s necessary. I am not encouraging you to skip the traditional approach, just that you add to it. After you do those opening lessons on the elements of fiction, try some of these creative ways to help your students understand how they work. 

Let Students Play with Story Elements

When we give students opportunities to play with the elements of story, we actually open the door to deeper learning. I've had the greatest success with using activities and challenges to engage and drive home meaning. These challenges aren't distractions from academic rigor, either; they’re how it happens.

Let me explain.

Instead of giving a test on the elements of fiction, get students to manipulate story elements to illustrate their understanding. You might ask your students to change a setting, rewrite a scene from another point of view, or craft a short piece of fiction that builds tension. When they do tasks like this, they engage in complex and creative thinking. They analyze cause and effect, evaluate choices, and synthesize ideas. They’re doing the kind of high-level reasoning that leads to genuine understanding, as well as more engagement.

And you don't get this from worksheets and tests.

Here are some strategies you can use to try this approach, and if you're looking for ready-to-use resources, you can find them here.

Elements of Fiction Write-a-Rounds 

Remember those stories you used to write in school where the teacher would start a story and then each person added a sentence? It often devolved into complete silliness, but everyone was engaged and giggling. 

You can harness the fun part of this activity and teach your students about the elements of fiction, too. After they have learned about setting, for example, put them in groups of four or five. Give each student in the group a different starter sentence and the task of creating a setting. After each student writes the next sentence, they pass their sheet to the student on their right, who adds a third sentence. You repeat this process until each student has written at least on sentence on each sheet of paper.

Once they have all done this, students retrieve their original sheet to read over what was written. They need to ensure that each sentence their groupmates added is on topic: does it help to create the setting or not? Did they capture the point of view? They can debate this within the group and spend some time revising the paragraphs. 

Next, they can choose their best paragraph to share with the class, and you can have a little competition, something that often sparks more interest in the activity. This write-a-round also lends well to a gallery walk. 

👉🏻 Grab my Elements of Fiction Write-a-Round Activity here.

Stations Activities for Exploring Elements of Fiction

 

Stations are one of my favorite activities because they help students focus on a task, and they provide opportunities for movement, which is always a good thing.

For example, my Scary Story Stations had an amazing effect on my students’ understanding of how the elements of fiction work together to create meaning. It’s a fun activity to do in the Halloween season, but it can be done at any time of year; I don’t think Stephen King is only read in October!

You can use stations to zero in on one element of fiction as well. Create a different task at each station that allows students to focus on one aspect of the element. For example, if you're working on tone, you could have different excerpts from fiction at each station, and students would have to identify the tone. They could also use the mentor texts to do some of their own writing.

My new Creating Character Stations ask students to pick a character "type" and then they rotate around the stations, creating short scenes that help develop the character. They are given a handout with strategies for creating character and time to experiment with the process.

Teach the Elements of Fiction with Plot Surgery

Plot surgery is another fun way to get students to think about what they have learned about the elements of a story - and to do some critical and creative thinking. 

To do this, give them a story that falls flat for whatever reason. It could be a breakfast-to-bed story with no focus, one with no conflict or resolution, one with underdeveloped characters, or a combination of issues. Students first need to diagnose the issues and then decide how they can fix them.

This is far more engaging than doing a plot diagram, and can also be done in a stations format, by individuals or groups. Check the activity out here. 

Another activity similar to plot surgery is one that has students choose their own ending to a short story. Give them an unfinished narrative and ask them to write the ending. You can have them focus on any element of fiction that you want - character, conflict, resolution, etc. Or, of course, you can ask them to use a combo!

From Memorizing to Mastering

When students experience narratives from the inside out, everything changes. They start making connections between stories, genres, and their own writing. They notice how tone, structure, and character all work together to create meaning. That’s when you know the elements of fiction lessons have stuck.

Teaching the elements of fiction shouldn’t feel like dragging students through a checklist. When we invite them to create, analyze, and experiment, the terms take on meaning, and students begin to see stories the way writers do: as a series of choices that shape emotion and meaning.

If you want some activities that use these creative strategies to teach the elements of fiction, check out:

• Elements of Fiction Write-a-Rounds
• Creating Character Stations
• Conflict: Choose Your Own Ending
• Plot Surgery Activities
• SAVE and get the Bundle 💰

My friends at the coffee shop have some fun activities you can check out as well:

• Tracee Orman: Elements of Fiction Flip Book
• Presto Plans: Elements of Fiction Escape Room
• The Daring English Teacher: Literary Elements Review Game

Thanks for reading! 

Jackie in Room 213