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

 

Student-Created Playlists: An Engaging Reading Strategy for ELA Teachers

By Tracee Orman

 Are you tired of giving chapter check quizzes with terrible results or seeing blank stares when you try to stir up a discussion about your current literature unit? 

One of my favorite ways to combat this is using an activity I created when iPods became popular in the early 2000’s: creating playlists related to the text. It does not matter what we are reading, whether it is Shakespeare or The Hunger Games, students absolutely LOVE incorporating music into class.

Here are four ways you can use my playlist idea in class:

1. Chapter (or Section) Review

After students read a chapter(s) or section of the text, have them choose 1-3 songs that relate to the text. It can relate through a character (personality, dialogue, actions), an event, or even through a theme, symbol, or abstract idea. 

This can be done as a bell-ringer, exit slip, or anytime throughout the class period. The key is to make sure students can EXPLAIN how the song relates to the chapter. 

Here’s an example from To Kill a Mockingbird, chapter 7, by Harper Lee:

Mr. Radley cements the knothole at the end of the chapter, thereby ending the connection the children have to the gift-giver. The song “End of Beginning” by Djo can relate to this because their communication with the gift-giver was just beginning, and now it has ended, just like the speaker in the song reminisces about how things were before.

2. Character Analysis

Have students do a deep dive into characterization by assigning them to choose 1-3 songs that describe or encompass the character. They may find a song that seems like it would be perfectly sung by the character themselves. Make sure they explain the relevance between the two.

An example for Romeo Montague in Act I of The Tragedy of Romeo and Juliet by William Shakespeare:

“Perfect” by Ed Sheeran includes the lines “I found a love for me, / Darling just dive right in...I found a girl, / Beautiful and sweet” which seem rather appropriate for Romeo to sing about Juliet. In scene 5, Romeo says of Juliet, “"Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight, / For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night.”  

This activity forces students to reread the text to find connections between the lyrics and the character. When you require them to use quotes from both the lyrics and the text, you get them to read double the material, but in a way that they don’t mind at all. 

3. Review of the Plot/Events

You can assign the same thing, but instead of finding a song that relates to a character, have students choose a song that embodies one (or more) of the important events in the text. 

Have them copy down the lyrics to a song and, line-by-line, compare it to the events of the novel, story, or play.

Look at this example from The Tragedy of Julius Caesar by William Shakespeare using Taylor Swift’s song “Look What You Made Me Do”:

  “I don’t like your little games / Don’t like your tilted stage / The role you made me play of the fool / No, I don’t like you” from the song can express Cassius’s feeling toward Caesar’s growing popularity with the people and rise to authoritarianism. From Act I, scene ii, Cassius says to Brutus “Why, man, he doth bestride the narrow world / Like a Colossus, and we petty men / Walk under his huge legs and peep about / To find ourselves dishonorable graves.”

 

  Later in the song, the lines “...all I think about is karma...but one thing’s for sure / Maybe I got mine, but you’ll all get yours” could be straight from Marc Antony’s mouth when he vows to get revenge on all the conspirators for killing Caesar. “Woe to the hand that shed this costly blood” (Act III, scene i).

4. End of Text Review/Summary

At the end of the book, story, or play, have students create a movie soundtrack. Each song they select should reflect a certain scene from the story. Have them explain the scene and why they chose it. They can include quotes from the story and the song to relate the two.

This is an example soundtrack from Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (see image):

This activity allows students to replay the story in their mind, setting it to music. It’s a fantastic way to review the story or as an end of the unit project.

Another way to summarize the story is having students create the album artwork for their playlists. You can have them include symbols from the story, recreate a scene, or touch on one of the themes.

My students always want to share their playlists with the class. Of course, it’s impossible to share all of the songs during class, but I have let students choose one song from their playlist and play it in class (as long as it’s appropriate). You can do this while they are creating the album artwork.  

You don’t need to purchase anything to implement this idea, but if you want the handouts and online shareable activity already done for you, you can check out my pack Character Playlists for Any Book or Story. It’s highly rated and teacher-tested. It is included in my bundle of creative worksheets to use with any text found here: 

You might also like these creative activities to use with any story:

One-Pager Assignment for Any Book by Presto Plans

Theme Park Literary Analysis Activity for Any Book by The Daring English Teacher

Thanks for reading!