Getting Past the Exciting Intro

I just recently watched "grown-ups" with Adam Sandler and a slew of other comedians and I felt as though the beginning was fairly entertaining but the slap-stick humor that each comedian usually brings to a film alone was too much and did not blend together after they were all together on the screen. I feel this way in classes that I have taken before. So how can teachers get past the exciting lure that bring the students in and keep their attention the entire term?
I don't know that I have a great answer for this problem, if I did I am guessing I would make a fortune by teaching others how to conquer this problem in movies, music, and the classroom. My short suggestion would be that teachers need to know that this is a problem in most classrooms. Students may sign up for a literature class because the course description sounds alluring with suggestion of romantic love stories, or battle stories, but what is not mentioned are the long hours of tearing into shakespeare line by line, or trying to decipher old english. I don't think these things need to be mentioned in the course descriptions. Students need to get past their fear of doing course work, but not by force of a bad grade. Instead teachers need to work on creating exciting and attention grabbing lessons once the students are already in the classroom. I don't have a template or something easy to pass on to a teacher, but I can say that if each person works on creating a draw each and every day within the classroom the students will benefit greatly and will want to learn instead of being forced to learn or fail based on doing the work.
This is of course a humble opinion from someone who has only taught in one classroom for one term so far. I have taught many other classes, but not in a formal setting in which I needed to find additional ways to draw and keep my students interested. I would be interested in hearing what others might have to say on this topic.
Sabrina~

Japan in Crisis

I am not here to post about the tragedy of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Instead I wanted to make mention of the fact that while this nation was trying to pull all of its assets together to solve the problems with the disaster a group found courage to leave families and friends at home and travel 5000 miles across the ocean then 3000 miles across our nation to get to Washington D.C. and share their culture with us in tribute to their people. This is an NPR story about the NHK Orchestra's visit to the US. Listen to the pieces of music that the story has within it to hear the feelings of those playing come through their instruments and bleed into the audience.

http://www.npr.org/2011/03/17/134633189/NHK-Orchestra-Plays-Tribute-To-People-Of-Japan

Hooks: Do Teachers use these in the Classroom?

After listening to Tom Ashbrook and Robert Kapilow discuss music I was immediately drawn back into my younger years of High School band followed by the Metropolitan Youth Symphony. In those days I truly understood what Kapilow spoke of with the notes and words of songs grabbing the attention of the person playing it or listening to it. Looking back at those experiences and thinking about how to take Kapilow's knowledge into the classroom I have had an epiphany - teacher's use these techniques of hooks everyday in the classroom.
What is a hook? According to Wikipedia a hook is a "lyric or phrase that sticks with you and is easily remembered." Throughout my Army Helicopter Pilot training I have been given many hooks to remember pieces of information. They are given a different name when used to remember information, but in reality they are nothing more than hooks like in a song. For example - an easily remembered Christmas song has repeating words that are tied to unique sets of notes, making the chain of words not only memorable, but also catchy to the listener. (Kapilow - What makes holiday music great) In the Army we are given acronyms or phrases to remember pieces of information such as TOMATO FLAMES. It is a phrase - a hook - easily remembered, but it also stands for something else that is very important with regard to FAA rules for day flight. Each letter holds onto another word or phrase that is now easily remembered because of the original hook that was given. This is a simple example of a hook  used by a teacher, but are there more?
I think that a teacher in a classroom develops ways for the students to remember many things. Hooks for remembering Shakespeare such as the famous phrase in Romeo and Juliet "O Romeo, Romeo! wherefore art thou Romeo?" I do not believe this phrase is intentionally given to students, but phrases like it or ways to remember Shakespeare or other plays are the hooks that teachers are developing on a daily basis to help students learn. If more teachers realized this and used the hooks like songs do there would be a better understanding on how to bring students into the classroom and out of their iPods. Developing critical hooks could be the way to develop a positive and fun environment for students to learn in. 


Does anyone have any experience on this that they would like to share? I know very little about true examples but I truly felt that the use of hooks is happening within the classroom unannounced to the teacher or the student.