How do you quiet that noisy class and get them back on track? Do you sing, chant, countdown, ring a bell or be still and quiet? Do you have just one single attention grabber or a collection of many? Whatever your style is the end goal is the same, you want to grab students attention, settle them down, and get them back on track to learn! I've always used a variety of attention grabbers and enjoy learning new ones to try out. Some might be considered a little boring, while others are a little more quirky and fun, but either way they work as long as I have clearly taught and practiced my expectations for each. Here are a few of my go to attention grabbers to calm that noisy class...
1. Calling all my Vanilla Ice fans... this next attention getter is fun and you better believe I say it in the same tone/manner as the song. You say "Alright Stop" and students respond "Collaborate and Listen." This one always has me smiling.
2. The one and only "Class... Yes!" Yep, that's right I'm a whole brainer. Not a rigid whole brainer but one that believes in this management style and has used a variety of whole brain teaching strategies in my own classroom. Simply say "Class" and have students respond with "Yes." You can change up the tone and intensity and students must respond in the same manner. Here is a link to the whole brain teaching website where you can learn more about this attention grabber and check out MORE awesome classroom management strategies.
3. The traditional old school BELL! I have used a bell in the past and it always works great. It is loud and definitely stops students. In my classroom when students hear the bell they most stop and freeze with their hands on their heads. I have also heard of teachers using doorbells which I think is a really good idea!
4. A calm modified version of simon says. "If you can hear my voice touch your nose. If you can hear my voice touch your shoulder. If you can hear my voice hop." This attention getter always works but sometimes takes a minute for students to catch on. I like it because it asks them to stop and really pay attention and follow what you are saying. Plus it's done in such a calm tone that it helps you relax too!
5. This one I learned from my mom and use it frequently... "Ready Set... You bet!"
6. When I taught kinder I had the opportunity to see my first grade teacher friend in action and I totally "stole" one of her attention grabbers which became one of my forever go-to's. When her class was a bit noisy she simply started making a "ch" sound in a tune/pattern in which the students then had to respond with the same tune/pattern. It could be as simple as "ch -ch" or more complicated like saying "ch" to the tune of your favorite rhyme. It always seemed to work for me!
7. How about using "Quiet Spray!" This is such a fun idea and a great way to quiet the kiddos down. I found this idea on Pinterest and the label can be found HERE for FREE by the awesome Tiffany Gannon.
 |
| Click here for Original Pin |
These are just a few of my favorites. What do you do to get your classes attention?
No comments:
Post a Comment