Connect students directly to the concept in a personal way. Capture students' attention by initiating a group problem-solving activity before delivery of instruction. Begin with a situation that is familiar to students and builds on what they already know. Construct a learning experience that allows diverse and personal student responses. Facilitate the work of cooperative teams of students.

What's the Difference? Compare consequences.

Objective: The student will experience a situation in which academic outcomes are related to on and off task behaviors.

Activity: Students are divided into five groups which are then seated together. Each group is given a special set of directions to follow while the teacher instructs the class in a vocabulary lesson. These directions ask four groups to engage in off-task behaviors during instruction by talking to each other, writing notes, working on homework, or daydreaming. The fifth group is asked to pay close attention to the skill lesson. The lesson is then conducted and all students are given the same quiz at the end. These are scored and each group determines its average. Averages are written on the board as each group reads its directions to the rest of the class. Scores of each group are related to the behaviors displayed during the skill lesson.

Assessment: The student's ability to relate different on and off task behaviors to different academic outcomes will provide the basis for the evaluation of the effectiveness of this activity.