Starting a new unit can either feel like opening night or another Tuesday, and the difference almost always comes down to your student engagement strategies. The first day sets the tone for everything that follows. If students walk in curious, energized, and already wondering what’s going on, you’ve won half the battle. If they walk in confused or indifferent, you spend three weeks trying to earn back attention you could have captured on day one. The good news is that engagement at the start of a unit doesn’t require complicated lessons or dramatic productions. A few intentional moves can create buy-in, spark curiosity, and make your students actually care about what they’re about to learn.

Make Them Wonder

One of my favorite ways to gain student buy in at the start of a new unit is to spark their curiosity. I love to post pictures (usually on my Classroom Screen whiteboard) of relevant images, so they come in the room and immediately wonder what’s going on. For example, for my unit on myths, I used photos of Disney’s Mount Olympus (from Hercules) the Nike logo, and a Pokemon. They immediately get their brains to work trying to figure out how the three images relate, and that thinking is the key. 

After a brief intro, I either explain the connection, or I save it and promise that they will figure out the connection later (which gives them a sense of purpose and an unofficial learning objective). 

Dress the Part

As a part time dance teacher, I’m all about costumes, and I will absolutely dress up as Alexander Hamilton to teach the American Revolution. In reality, it doesn’t even take that much! Just a themed shirt will do enough to signal to you students, “This is important. She even dressed up.” 

So while I will be in colonial era clothing for my American Revolution unit (because it’s my FAVORITE!), I’m cool with a cheap Chicago Bulls t-shirt when I teach my unit about effort and hard work (through the lens of Michael Jordan). Either way, I’m sending a message to my students that “this is big.”

Make it Meaningful

Remember when you were in school? How many times did you think, “When am I ever going to use this??”

Your students are *currently* wondering that. Find a way to connect the lesson to their actual lives and make it relevant. I designed a unit with the goal of teaching students why school was important. Now, if I called it, “Why School is Important,” at least 70% of them would have checked out. Instead, I used their own language and titled the unit, “Is School a Prison?” Then, I took it a step further and brought in local stories, like the Little Rock Nine to continue to build relevance. 

Teaching is performance, and it’s marketing. Like any other product, you have to make your consumer care about what you’re selling.

Get Yourself Excited

There’s a reason why you wake up every morning and decide to teach. Even if that reason feels almost out of reach. Find ways to connect back with that (which, I hate to say is…your “why”). Students feed off your energy, and if you’re excited about a topic, they feel it and also become intrigued. As I mentioned, I LOVE teaching the American Revolution, not just because of the history (which is so interesting to me), but also because of the parallels with current life. I love seeing the wheels turn in their mind when they start to form their own opinions about current events. I love watching them become thinkers and knowing that I aided in that transition. As a result, when I show up to teach, it’s different, and they can feel it. 

Making the lessons relevant feels easier. Connecting the topic to their everyday lives feels effortless. And in the end, their understanding is incredible. Even when I’m not naturally excited about a unit topic (hello, circulatory system!), I try to find ways to pique my own interests, so my students can match my energy. 

Take it Easy

Imagine your first day on a new job. You’re probably expecting some training, maybe some light activity. Most likely, you aren’t expecting to fully dive in on Day 1. Your students have the same expectations. In order to spark curiosity and build interest, we should try to lighten the cognitive load for the first day. Start with a “notice & wonder” activity or a video to build background knowledge. Let them begin with a related creative activity. Whatever you choose, design an opening bookend that doesn’t immediately wear them out.

To Sum Up Student Engagement Strategies for Starting a New Unit…

Starting a new unit doesn’t have to feel like pulling teeth. With the right student engagement strategies, you can capture curiosity, build relevance, and create an atmosphere where students lean in instead of tuning out. Whether you spark wonder with surprising images, dress the part, connect the content to real life, or simply show up with genuine excitement, small intentional choices add up. And when you pair these strategies with a classroom that runs smoothly and minimizes the “What are we doing?” interruptions, your engagement efforts go even further. If you want support creating that calm, structured foundation for higher engagement, my free Teach More, Talk Less workshop will walk you through the systems that make all of this easier for you and more meaningful for your students.