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The Dig is a newsletter for teachers and parents who want their kids to learn and have fun doing it. We dig into what makes kids learn, what makes it fun, and how we can make those the same thing.
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Hey {{first_name}} ,
Before I jump into our content today, do you have a quick moment to let me know what resources are missing from your classroom? If so, click here to share. I am working on my product planning for 2027 and want to try to include what you need.
Engagement and entertainment are not the same thing.
I think we’ve started to confuse the two.
When we talk about making learning “engaging,” it can start to sound like every lesson needs a game, a competition, a room transformation, or some elaborate activity that takes longer to prep than it does to teach.
But kids don't need us to put on a show all day.
They need a reason to care about what they're doing.
Sometimes that is a game.
But sometimes it’s giving them something they have an opinion about.
A problem they actually want to solve.
A choice that makes the work feel like theirs.
A connection to something they already love.
Or even just a question interesting enough that they genuinely want to know the answer.
Some of the most engaged I’ve ever seen students were during incredibly simple activities.
When I taught ELLs, one of the simplest things I did was give my students a question at the beginning of class and a few minutes to respond.
Would you rather own a zoo or an aquarium? Why?
Nothing revolutionary.
But suddenly they had opinions.
They wanted to tell me their answers. They wanted to tell each other their answers. They were talking, writing, disagreeing, explaining, and using English because they actually had something they wanted to say.
That's engagement.
The activity wasn't impressive.
They were invested.
And I think that distinction matters, especially when teachers already have more than enough on their plates.
You don't have to become an entertainer to get kids engaged.
You don't necessarily need a more elaborate activity, either.
Sometimes you just need to ask:
What's going to give this kid a reason to lean in?
A little something to try this week
Before one lesson, pick one of these:
Give students a choice.
Start with something they already have an opinion about.
Turn the content into a problem or mystery to solve.
Connect it to an interest they already have.
Let them talk about it before asking them to write about it.
No room transformation required. 😉
Wishing you a wonderful week,
Sammy
P.S. Got someone heading back to school? The free Back To School Bundle has resources for children, parents, carers, teachers and homeschool families to help make the transition a little smoother. Take a look and see what catches your eye before September 10th.
Hi! I’m Sammy Bohannon.
As a former teacher and the creator behind Unearthed Learning Roots, I believe we have to figure out what it is that kids love so that we can use it to really get through to them. I create resources to engage kids in the learning process without them even realizing it.
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