A new school year usually means a new teacher, new expectations, and new routines, so our students sometimes don’t respond as we’d hoped when we try to get their attention in the early days and weeks. Here are my five favorite ways to get my students’ attention in the classroom.
Music, Songs & Sound Effects
I love using music in my classroom for various purposes, and it can be very effective as a way of getting your students’ attention. Short sound clips saved to your computer or another device can be easily accessed. Try:
- the Mission Impossible theme,
- the Jeopardy music,
- a doorbell chime,
- the whistle from The Andy Griffith Show,
- the Pink Panther theme,
- any other short song, sound effect, or music clip!
Call-Backs and Rhymes
When I started teaching in the primary division, I relied heavily on these. I started my year with “Hands free, eyes on me” and then changed that to something similar that had been working for our other primary teachers for a while and something my students were already trained to respond to. It is a callback that goes like this:
Teacher: “Hands on top.”
Class: “That means stop.”
You can grab a free set of 18 callback cards for your classroom and many other goodies here in my Freebie Library! Click the photo:
Hand Signals
I find teaching really hard on my voice. I know that I’ve suffered some damage over my many years in the classroom. For this reason, I love using hand signals to get my students’ attention. My go-to signal is a simple 5-finger countdown. By the time I’m at zero, I expect my students to have all eyes and ears on me. I use this a lot during partner sharing on the carpet in particular.
Clapping Sequences
This year, I’ve relied more on clapping patterns than ever before. I have a more physical class than in recent memory, and they have required something more kinesthetic to really gain their undivided attention. One of the true benefits of clapping is that the students are forced to empty their hands. Try:
- Have students repeat a clapping pattern.
- Saying, “If you can hear my voice, clap once. If you can hear my voice, clap twice.” etc. (You don’t need to use much volume here. If even one student can hear you, you’ll have everyone’s attention within a couple of clapping sequences!)
Movement
Another great strategy for a busy class is incorporating movement into the attention signal. A game of “Teacher Says” or “Simon Says” is a great way to get your students to stop what they’re doing, empty their hands, and turn their attention to you.
You might also be interested in the ideas in this blog post:
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