What are
Cognitive Hooks?

A cartoon letter A with a pink, glossy, fleshy texture, animated eyes, a smiling mouth, and tiny arms. The letter is wearing an ornate gold crown adorned with red and purple gemstones, and has small, black boots at the bottom.

The Secret Lives of Letters approach to utilizing cognitive hooks in learning includes the elements: personal relevance, novelty, and surprise. The series uses these tactics to pique interest, make connections, and tap into the learner's existing knowledge by actively engaging their attention and mind.

Personal Relevance:

Connecting new information to the reader's own experiences or situations, making the content feel more meaningful.

Novelty:

Introducing fresh perspectives, unexpected twists, or innovative approaches to a topic.

Cartoon letter E with a pink glossy appearance, dressed as a princess with a golden crown adorned with red and purple gemstones, smiling with expressive eyes, and waving with one hand.
A cartoon illustration of the letter 'L' designed as a friendly, blue, water-themed character with a face, arms, and legs, waving and winking.

Surprise:

Using unexpected elements or information to grab attention and stimulate cognitive processing.

A cartoon illustration of a sad, anthropomorphic water droplet with arms, legs, and a worried facial expression.
A cartoon pink donut with a face, arms, and legs. The donut has heart-shaped eyes and is standing with hands on hips.