Sometimes I use a quote to begin small group discussions regarding what the quote means and how it might be applied to the students' lives. I print quotations on 3x5 cards and lay them all out on my desk. Then I ask my College Success Seminar students to come and choose one that speaks to them. Then I have them affix the card inside their journal notebooks, asking them to look at their quote frequently. On the first night of class when I have my students introduce themselves to one another, I march them to the library, introduce them to the quote section, and tell them to record their favorite quote.
Later students read their chosen quotation to the class.
This exercise introduces students to the library, gives them practice in oral presentation, and makes their personal introduction more interesting. If I taught in a computer lab, I'd have students search for quotes on the computer. In my writing classes , when teaching introductions and conclusions, I have my students write an intro and conclusion using a quotation. I tell students that including quotes in introductions gets the reader's attention while quotes in the conclusion make the paper memorable.