NEA Students & Strategies:

Attention Codes
I have found a way to capture my students' attention at the beginning of class while I'm taking attendance.

Every day, I put the agenda on the board. I used to start by writing, "Hi," but that got old. So I tried a coded message.

Now the students are hooked and expect a new message every day. I can't believe they can figure it out, but they always do. Here's an example: TIMAWAGTSC8. Decoded, it says, "Today is Monday and we are going to start chapter 8."

If you try this, write down the sentence. I have, on rare occasions, forgotten what the message was by the time the bell rang.

My students have no problem with two or three sentences. The bigger challenge is coming up with them!

Soterios Lallas
Westby, Wisconsin