25 Ways to Obtain Children's Attention in a

School Setting
By Leah Davies, M.Ed.

There are countless times when educators need their students' undivided attention. The
following methods are best taught during the first weeks of school. These ideas can assist
teachers in providing an ordered and safe learning environment for everyone.

1. Hold up your hand and say, "Give Me Five." The children put their hands in the air and
shout "five!" As they count down to one, they get progressively quieter until "one" is said
in a whisper. Or, after saying, "Give me five," everyone puts their hand in the air and
counts loudly using their fingers from 1 to 5.

2. Teach the children that the five fingers on their right hand stand for the five things they
must do when you hold up your hand. Say, "Give me five," and wait until all the children
hold up their hand. Then lead them in saying the five things together.

(1) Eyes -- look

(2) Ears -- listen
(3) Mouth -- closed
(4) Hands -- still
(5) Feet -- quiet

Later when you say, "Give me five," the children are to think of these five things and hold
up their hand to show they are ready to listen.

3. Clap or tap in a pattern, for example, clap slowly twice and then clap fast three times.
The students are to stop what they are doing and repeat the pattern. If necessary, do it
again until all children have responded and are quiet. You may want to vary the pattern.

4. Shake a shaker, touch a wind chime, ring a bell, play quiet music or use any kind of
sound maker as a signal for students to be attentive.

5. Raise you hand and stand still until the students are quiet. Or, raise your right hand and
put the index finger of your left hand on your lips. The children are to do the same.
Another idea is to hold up three fingers which is a silent signal for "Stop, look, listen."
Then wait until all the children have their three fingers up and are quiet.

6. Say, in a normal tone of voice, "Clap once if you can hear me." Those listening will
quiet down and clap one time. Then say, "Clap twice if you can hear me." More children
respond with two claps. Finally say, "Clap three times if you can hear me." By this time
you should have the attention of your students.
7. When you say, "Voices," teach the children to respond with a quiet, "Shhh..." Use it if
the children are too loud. If you want their attention, say, "Voices" again and they respond
with a quieter, "Shhh..." Say it a third time very quietly, "Voices." All students should be
quiet and ready to listen.

8. Tell your students that they will be playing, "The Still Waters Game" often, and that
they will know the game has begun when you say, "1, 2, 3, 3, 2, 1 still waters has begun."
Ask them to freeze like an ice cube and remain silent when they hear that sentence. Time
the children to see how long they can remain still. The goal is to beat their best time. Hold
your fist in the air and each time you see someone move or talk, put a finger up. Once
you have all five fingers up, check your watch and tell the class how long they were able
to remain still.

9. Practice having the children stop, look at the teacher and listen when the lights are
flicked off and on.

10. Teach the difference between being silly and serious. Tell them that there is room for
both of these behaviors. Then practice by saying, "Act silly!" Let them be silly. Then say,
"Now, act serious." Model this often at the beginning of the year so when you say, "I need
to have serious behavior," they respond accordingly and are attentive.

11. Use a count down or count up system. Say, "You have until five to be ready for....... 1,
2, 3, 4, 5." Start a count down at whatever number you think the students need to be
ready. For example, start with 5, 10 or 15 depending on the activity to be put away.

12. Say, "Boys and Girls…" and then write numbers as a countdown on the board from 5-
4-3-2-1. The idea is that there is a consequence if you reach one before receiving
everyone's attention. For example, a child talking may have to move or lose some free
time, or use some other outcome for the whole class. Another idea is to hold up your hand
and count silently to five on your fingers as you look at a watch. Teach the students if
they do not become quiet by the count of five, their recess time will be cut by the amount
of time it takes them to become quiet.

13. Use an old fashioned desk bell that you can tap. One tap means the class is getting too
loud. Two taps mean that they need to stop what they are doing and listen.

14. Use a target word for a day or week. Have the students pick one that is related to what
they are studying. For example, pioneer, Ohio, or fossils. When you say the word, the
children stop, look and wait for directions. Or, the children could respond with a
definition or short response to the target word; for example, if you said, "Ohio," the
students would respond, "The buckeye state." Other call backs could include "spaghetti"
-- "meatballs," or "Abraham" -- "Lincoln." Let the students suggest new words to be used.

15. Use a piece of poster board to make a noise level monitor. On the left side label it 1,
2, 3, and on the right side, list the type of noise acceptable for each. For example:
 1 - No talking
2 - Whispering
3 - Normal talking

Use a large clip to indicate the acceptable noise level at any given time.

16. Say "1, 2, 3, eyes on me" and the children say back, "1, 2, 3, eyes on you," with their
faces turned toward you and looking at your eyes. Or, say "1, 2, 3, Look at me" in a sing
song voice. Another teacher-child response idea is for the teacher to say, "Hey, oh," and
the children reply "Oh, hey." Or, the teacher says, "Freeze, please." And after giving
instructions, the children say, "Melt."

17. Use, "Teacher Says," like "Simon Says." For example, "Teacher says, touch your
nose," "Clap once," or "Teacher says, look at me."

18. Say in a robotic voice, "Miss Moore to Class - Come in class" and smile! This method
can be used with individual students as well. Or, use a special phrase when something is
really important; for example, say, "Mrs. Brown's class..." instead of saying, "Boys and
girls."

19. Buy a large rain stick at a science store. When you turn it over, it sounds like rain
falling. When the children hear the sound, they are to stop what they are doing and listen.

20. For an assembly of the student body shout the school name and have the children
respond with the name of the school mascot, i.e. the administrator shouts, "Memorial"
and the children respond with, "Bulldog!" After they shout the mascot name they are to
be silent.

21. Let your voice get quieter and quieter as a signal for the children to be quiet. Talk
softer or not at all until they are still. Or say softly, "Tootsie Roll, Lollipop, we`ve been
talking, now let's stop."

22.Teach young children the following chant:

 Teacher says; "1, 2." Children say: "Eyes on you."

 Teacher: "3, 4." Children: "Crisscross on the floor."
 Teacher: "5, 6." Children: "No more tricks."
 Teacher: "7, 8." Children: "Sit up straight."
 Teacher, "9, 10." Children, "Let's begin!"

23. Sing the following words to the Frere Jacques tune: "Are you listening? Are you
listening? Everyone! Everyone! If you are listening, if you are listening, look at me, look
at me." Other ways to end the song are: "Snap your fingers" or "Pat your head."

24. Sit in your chair and start singing one song after another with no pauses. The children
all join in the singing and come to group time. You can do the same thing with poetry.
Start reciting poems that the children know and they will repeat them with you as they
join the group.

25. Use motions like circling your hands quickly, then slow down and clap. You can also
do the motions to a song like the "Itsy, Bitsy Spider.' When all of the children are copying
the gestures silently, sing the song through.

Note: A special thank you to all of the educators on teacher chatboards who contributed
their "attention getting ideas" for use in this article.

25 classroom management
strategies to get silence from a
noisy group of students
chris1 Comment

February 12 2013

71

If you struggle to get your

students’ attention during
lessons I’ve put together a nifty
collection of ideas which may
help. This sample of classroom management strategies has been taken from the full ‘55
Ways to Get Silence from a Noisy Group’ which is available with our Take Control of
the Noisy Class teacher pack. To get the first 30 ideas, see the end of this post…
#31:Call Backs
“If you hear me, clap your hands.”
(Those that don’t hear will stop to see why other students are clapping). If the noise
continues, add other actions:
“If you hear me snap your fingers, wiggle your nose, or wink, etc.”
#32: Sir Yes Sir!
If you’ve seen the drill scenes in ‘Full Metal Jacket’ or ‘An Officer and a Gentleman’,
you’ll know exactly how this one works. You might also want to warn teachers in any
adjoining classrooms!
You: Whenever I need you to listen really closely to me I’m going to say one word:
“atten-tion!”… and I want you all to respond by shouting “sir yes sir!” [John Wayne
drawl] Okay?
Students: Okay sir!
You: Atteeeeeen-tion!
Students: SIR YES SIR!!
#33: Teach them a routine for giving you attention
Spend some time teaching a routine for giving attention quickly so that students get into a
HABIT of becoming quiet whenever you ask…
i. Explain the routine: “Whenever I say, ‘I need you to be quiet right now’(insert a
phrase of your choice – or use a noise-maker), I want you to stop what you’re doing and
look at me.”
ii. Model the routine: Show how this will work in different scenarios. Make it fun by
playing the role of a noisy student (with some eager volunteers) while the rest of the class
give you the instruction.
iii. Practice the routine: Get your students to start talking and then give your signal for
them to be quiet. Do this a few times until they do it instantly. Practice when they aren’t
expecting it – wait until they are engaged in an activity and then give your instruction.
iv. Give them a score each time they practice: Giving them a score adds a touch of fun
to the routine and also appeals to students’ natural urge to want to do better. Having the
class work towards a common goal also builds community.
v. Repeat if necessary: If they don’t manage to quiet down straight away repeat the
routine. Make them go back to talking with each other and then give your instruction
again. Repeat this until they get it right – especially in the early stages.
vi. Praise them for getting it right: During the initial early stages of teaching any new
routine make sure you acknowledge the fact that they are doing as you have asked. Give
them plenty of verbal praise and perhaps a class reward such as a video or early dismissal
– they need to know that their efforts are appreciated.
Variation: At the beginning of class, show them that when you want them to stop, look
and listen in a hurry, you will perform a certain action or make a certain noise. For
example, every time they see you put a finger on your lip and a hand in the air, they will
know to immediately do the same. This is easier and usually more effective than raising
your voice or trying to talk over the crowd when they are busy or off-task. You can also
bring in a rain stick or a small instrument like a harmonica that can be used in this way.
#34 : Settle Down Elvis
We had this created as an example of a fun attention grabber for noisy classrooms. It will
wear thin/drive you mad (delete as appropriate) with over-use but some groups will love
it. You can download your own copy from our Lesson-Ology site and play it on your
whiteboard if you have one: http://www.lesson-ology.com/content/free-stuff
#35: ‘All Stand’
At the first sign of talking or murmuring, pause and say, ‘Stand up please’. Have them
stand behind their chairs while you continue with the lesson. If anyone carries on talking
while standing, write their names on the board and tell them to move to the front desk.
#36: Reward quiet students
Praise quiet students throughout the lesson. Make a list of these students and let them go
slightly earlier than other students. Don’t make a fuss, just let them go early while those
who were talking are kept back for a minute or two. A sanction doesn’t have to be
particularly harsh in order for it to be effective. In this case, two minutes stood behind a
desk while their peers trot out to the bus will be excruciating for some students. You will
only have to do it a few times for the message to get through – good behaviour is
rewarded.
#37. I only ask twice
Give class a clear instruction: “Everyone stop talking and look this way please.”
Acknowledge and thank those who comply. For the rest, write on the board the date and
current time followed by: ‘Asked class to be quiet’. Some more will settle; thank them.
For those that don’t, write the time followed by: ‘Asked class to be quiet for second
time’. Then announce: ‘I only ask twice’.
Then write down the names of any students who are still talking under the heading ‘Still
Talking’.
Tell them it’s a new system – explain that it is understandable for people still to be talking
after the first request (some people might not hear you) which is why you ask twice.
Carrying on after that however is unacceptable and anyone who has their name on the
‘Still Talking’ list will receive a two-minute detention at the end of the lesson (or other
consequence of your choice).
Follow up with them at the end of the lesson. Explain that you want them to succeed and
that if they are to get the best from the lesson they will have to do as they are asked, that
it’s not good for them and it’s not fair on other students. Don’t shouting or display anger
– you’ll lose them that way. Instead try to give the impression that you want to help them
but also that you won’t tolerate them talking over you. They will see you as fair if you
approach them in this manner. Tell them that next time it happens they will have to
choose between full detention with a phone call home or being shot into space without a
helmet.
#38: Zero Tolerance
Give ONE warning and follow up EVERY SINGLE TIME with your stepped
consequences.
Calmly state the name of the student followed by “first warning”.
If they continue talking or start arguing with you, calmly say, “(name), you have chosen
to carry on talking/argue with me. You have therefore chosen to (insert consequence) “.
For a full range of consequence suggestions see Take Control of the Noisy
Class: http://www.takecontrolofthenoisyclass.com
#39: Start the Clock
Write on the board: ‘This lesson is 60 minutes long and you won’t leave this room until
you’ve had the pleasure of 60 minutes of my awesome teaching. I’ll start the clock
whenever you hold up the lesson and add that time to the end of the lesson.’ Then stand
with a stopwatch – start the clock when they are quiet. When they interrupt stop the clock
again.
#40: Whisper
When the classroom noise level is getting out of control, whisper something along the
lines of: ‘If you can hear my voice raise your hand, and you’ll get 5 minutes of free time
at the end of the day’. That way, anyone who is listening will hear and will get the
reward, but those who were not will seethe with jealousy.
#41: B-R-I-L-L-I-A-N-T
Remember, it is better to focus on the behaviour you WANT to see rather than that you
don’t.
Tell the students at the beginning of class that every time they are listening attentively,
staying on task etc. they will get one letter of the word BRILLIANT written on the board.
If they get all of the letters by the end of the day, they get a class reward.
#42: Secret Agent
Tell the class at the start of the lesson that you are going to secretly pick one student at
random to be the Secret Agent (you can put names in a hat or, to save time, just by
picking a number from the class list/register). Important: none of the students must
know the identity of the Secret Agent. Tell the class that as long as this student has a good
lesson (you can formalise this by giving them a behaviour or work target of some sort),
the ENTIRE class will receive a reward.
#43: Remember – your class is your mirror
If you are lively and excited, your enthusiasm and energy will spread round the room and
your students will mirror your behaviour. Similarly if you are calm and relaxed, you will
help create a calm, relaxed atmosphere in your room. I don’t need to explain what will
happen in your classroom if you like to talk…
#44: DJ
Play some nice relaxing music in the background (it’s amazing how many students
actually start requesting classical tunes once they’ve heard them a few times). Turn the
music off when you want their attention or to signify the end of a period of work.
#45: Consequence Cards
Here’s how to turn a simple deck of cards into a classroom management tool that gets
students’ attention right from the start of the lesson:
Get a regular playing card for each student in your class and write each child’s name on a
different card. Shuffle them up and get ready to wave goodbye to unresponsive students.
From now on, whenever your students come to class they are going to be like putty in
your hands – at least for the first few minutes. Why? Because you’re going to assign a
nasty task to the unlucky soul whose card you pick at random from your deck.
Kids love to see their peers suffer so this is a real winner. Don’t worry though, I’m not
suggesting you give them a painful or embarrassing forfeit, just a challenging one.
As an example, I drink wheatgrass juice whenever I want to annoy my partner, Sally.
Despite its many health-giving properties, it has the most disgusting, pungent smell (and
taste) and turns our kitchen into a hazardous area for several hours. A small shot glass of
this dark green, slime-like liquid is enough to send most students scurrying for cover so
the threat of ‘tasting’ it offers the perfect penalty. Indeed, any task which is slightly
unpleasant yet entertaining should get the desired response – a classroom full of cheerful,
wide-eyed, hopeful young people, all enthusiastically waiting to see what happens next.
All you need to do whenever you want silence is to reach for the pack of cards. I’m not
kidding when I say this works beautifully.
Now, I’m not suggesting you turn your lessons into an amusement park – so before
I get accused of putting entertainment ahead of learning please remember these ideas are
to be used sparingly! Unless they work for you as well as they do for me.
#46: Pictionary
An abstract picture sketched on the board with the words ‘Can you guess what this is?’
will catch students’ attention as they walk in the room. Don’t say anything but as soon as
someone guesses what it is, give them a card with a keyword related to the subject topic
and get them to come up and draw a sketch to represent the word on the card. The person
who guesses what it is swaps places with them and is given a new keyword. You can
formalise this game by creating teams, giving time limits etc. or you may prefer it as a
quick impromptu starter.
#47: Black Circle
Draw a circle on the board. Fill part of it in if they keep on talking after you’ve signalled
quiet. When it is filled, there is a consequence, e.g. 5 minutes’ detention etc.
#48: Anchors
This classroom management strategy is a technique from those ever-so-clever NLP
people and it works like magic. It takes a little time to set up an anchor but once
established, they can literally work wonders with challenging groups. Anchors can be
locations, pieces of music, body positions, props, actions etc. and can be used to automate
a variety of teaching processes. Here’s an example of how a location anchor can be used
to get attention from noisy students whenever you want to tell them something:
Step 1: Stick a piece of tape on the floor to mark a location in the room
Step 2: Tell students that whenever you stand on this mark, you will tell them something
of extreme importance
Step 3: Rehearse use of the anchor by walking slowly and deliberately to the mark several
times over the next few minutes so that students get into the habit of quietening each
other down when they see you approaching it.
Step 4: Before the end of the session, use the anchor to get student attention as in step 3
but continue to give them a very important announcement which includes information
which is of benefit to them e.g. “Important announcement everyone; because you’ve all
worked so well I’m going to let you all go two minutes early.”
Do this two or three times with similar messages throughout the lesson and your anchor
will be sufficiently embedded. From this poiint on, you should only need to walk towards
the mark on the floor and the students will suspend talking to hear what you have to say.
Protect the efficacy of the anchor by giving occasional treats to students as you did when
embedding the anchor.
For a more in-depth tutorial on the use of anchors in the classroom, my good friend and
colleague, Pearl Nitsche, has produced a fantastic video. You can watch it
here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vKjzknWxLUo
#49: You can keep your hat on
As above but get yourself a crazy hat rather than a spot on the floor.
#50: Fun Routine
The beauty of this classroom routine is that students get to make as much noise as they
want. It’s a bit of fun and I’ve always found fun to be one of the best ways of getting a
negative group on side in the shortest possible time; especially if it involves allowing
them to make a lot of noise. Explain to students that whenever you sing out certain
words, they must respond as a group.
Example 1:
Teacher calls out: “Daaa da da da… “ (2 second pause) “Daaaa da da da…”
Students respond: “Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!”
Example 2:
Teacher calls out: “Day-Oh, Daaaaaaaaaayyy-Oh!”
Students respond: “Daylight comes and I wanna go home!”
#50: On Your Mark
First pick a spot where you are going to stand and can be seen by the whole class. Tell
students that WHENEVER you stand on this spot they must IMMEDIATELY stop talking
and sit in silence. Try to make a game of this – have a few practices where you let them
talk while you walk around the room and then walk towards the mark. Look at them to let
them know you will soon be on the mark and then JUMP with a smile. Do this a few times
to build it into a routine.
#51: Lights
This only really works in dark rooms or in winter. Switch the lights on and off once or
twice to signal silence.
#52: Tangible reminders
Younger students will appreciate the tangible image provided by a reminder to use their
‘30cm’ or ‘partner’ voices rather than just being told to be ‘quiet’.
#53: The Silent Register Game
Turn reading/taking the register into a game: read their names in silence by slowly
mouthing each name. Students have to guess the name by reading your lips. It gets
everyone’s attention, and they love it.
#54: Teams
Put your students into table group teams. Get them to come up with a team name and
perhaps a logo, graffiti tag or coat of arms to get them working together. Put a score sheet
on the wall and keep a tally whenever you ask for silence or need their attention.
Whichever team is still talking when the others are silent loses a point. Team spirit, peer
pressure and the element of competition tends to make this work quite well with some
more malleable groups.
#55: Get to know them
This is easily the most important strategy of all. The other 54 are, in the main, ‘quick
fixes’. What works with a tough group more than anything else is to get to know your
students and build positive, trusting relationships with them. Once this essential piece of
the teaching puzzle is in place your ability to manage tough, noisy students will improve
beyond belief.
- See more at: http://www.behaviourneeds.com/blog/2013/02/12/25-classroom-
management-strategies-to-get-silence-from-a-noisy-group-of-
students/#sthash.BOCFEhhW.dpuf

Attention Getters
163Share/Bookmark
All Set?

Simply say to the students in a

loud voice “All set?” They
answer, “You bet.” (Beth)

Alligator, Alligator

To get students’ attention loudly say “alligator, alligator” the kids reply “CHOMP” as
they slap their hands like an alligator mouth. (Ruthie)

Attention Gaining Strategies

Four ways to gain the attention of the class.

 When you’re within hearing range of a few children, say in a normal-level voice, “if you can hear me,
clap once, ” “if you can hear me, clap twice,” etc… usually I have the whole class’s attention by the
4th time or so… sometimes I’ll throw in a wierd direction like “if you can hear me, touch your
nose…” the kids enjoy it and it works pretty well.
 I’ve also seen teachers who will do a clapping pattern and the kids copy… again, this gets them
paying attention quickly… something with clapping seems to get kid’s attention fast.
 One of the teachers I student taught with had a little bell she’d ring to get their attention. Simple
solution.
 Another one I’ve seen is simply saying “1-2-3 Eyes on me.” You have to be a little louder, but it
usually works… or simply counting “1, 2, 3, etc” really slowly, but loud enough that they can hear
you.
(clarnet73, Originally posted at the Discussion Forums)

Attention Getters

I use a stirring drum to get the attention in my classroom. I got it through a web site
called Storytellin.com. It is $20 but does the trick every time, I will not teach a day
without it. My own 7 and 11 year old love it too. It is a peaceful little musical nopise but
they stop what they are doing and come to the circle time. We use it when we have guests
and it hushes the entire crowd, even students who do not have it in their classroom all the
time. It saves i=on the voice and can be painted or stained. (Robin Calhoun)

Doorbell

I have a battery operated doorbell that I push when I need the student’s attention. It
chimes six times and allows them that time to hear and respond. You plug in the chime
part into the wall and can walk around with the part that you push, having it at your
fingertips at all times. You can buy them anywhere, Home Depot, Walmart, etc. (Marly
Parker)

Ears

When I want students attention, I simply say “ears”; to which the students reply in unison
“open sir”. They also know that they are to be facing me, not talking, and listening for
further instruction. The students enjoy this, because they get to speak in unison, and those
not responding are easily identified. Grade Level(s): 6-8 (Art F.)

Finding Nemo Attention Getter

Anyone remember the scene in Finding Nemo when Nemo gets initiated into the order of
the fish tank?? This one came from a fourth grade teacher. #1 When students are talking
too much I quietly say, “shark bait…” Those that hear me reply: “Brew ha-ha!” and we
repeat this as many times as it takes for the rest of the class to get in on the cheer. We end
it by getting quieter and quieter until they aren’t talking at all. The kids like the “secret
 code” and it gets their attention without raising my blood pressure from frustration.
(Munchkin)

Give Me 5

Something that I use in my classroom is “give me 5.” All I have to do is hold up one of
my hands with palm facing out like a stop sign. The fingers represent…

1. Stop talking
2. Back against the chair
3. Feet on the floor
4. Hands in lap/on desk
5. Eyes on the teacher
You don’t have to say anything and the kids are immediately “fixing” themselves. If you
teach this at the beginning of the year when you teach your standard procedures the kids
will pick it up in no time. (Carla, Originally posted at the Discussion Forums)

GIVE ME 5

GIVE ME 5! at our school means, “STOP AND LOOK AT ME!” five simple words that
everyone at our school can understand. We practice this in the classroom, lunch room,
assemblies, etc. We all use the same command so that anyone who might be in charge of
a class or group of children can gain their attention immediately. (Marlene Culpepper,
Visually Impaired K-12 Teacher)

Great Attention Getter

When you need your grade-schoolers attention say in a loud voice: “One, Two, Three –
eyes on ME!” Teach them to immediately respond in unison with a loud: “One, two –
eyes on YOU!” After their response they should know to be quiet and attentive. Follow
up can be verbal: “I see Jailen’s eyes… I see Brianna’s eyes…” etc. Thanks for the tip
Mrs. Rorick! =) (Tim Holtzclaw)

If you hear me….

I learned this from another wonderful teacher. It works great K-2. When I want their
attention, I will say “If you hear me clap your hands.” Those that didn’t hear me will stop
to see why they are clapping. Then I will add to it, “If you hear me snap your fingers,
wiggle your nose, or wink, etc.” (Missy Locke)

May I have your attention please?

 I went to a workshop and the presenter used this to get our attention. I use it with my first
graders, and it is amazing how well it works. All I say is “May I have your attention
please?” with my hand raised. They have to raise their hand and stop talking. As soon as I
say it, I start counting. They know that I should stop at 3, but sometimes I have to count
longer. The quiet ones will get on to the people that made me go over 3. It works
wonders!

MONKEY

Whenever I need my middle school students’ attention, or they are getting too noisy, I
have a gorilla that when you push his paw, it plays a song (20 seconds long) After 3
monkey plays, then they are no longer able to do the “activity” and must go back to
individual work. I got the monkey at Target. (Laura Morris)

More Attention Getters

(czacza, Originally posted at the Discussion Forums)

 flick the lights

 clap a pattern
 sing a song
 rain stick
 chimes/bells
 Give me 5 signal (eyes on speaker, mouth closed, ears listening, hands still, feet still- kids hold up
high 5 sign)
 Stop, look and listen
 I can see that (name) is ready because (s)he’s looking at me….
 peace sign
 whisper
 The ‘Eye’
SALAMI!

Kim Smead gets the attention of students and nearby adults by saying, “Salami!” This is
the signal for Stop and Listen to Me. A funny word, but it works! (Kim Smead, First)

1. Sing a song. For the youngest students, use finger plays like the Itsy Bitsy Spider and
Open, Shut Them. Students of any age will respond to simple tunes and call-backs, such
as “Dadadadadada…Da da!” and “Bum, bada bum bum…Bum, bum!” Since Scott R.
loves sports, he starts singing the ESPN tune and has the kids finish it. Bianca G. sings
the Wada Wada Bing Bang song with her class, and says, “If they are singing they can’t
be talking. The goal is not to sing it more than once.”
 2. Play a song. If you’re not comfortable singing with your class, try playing music on
your computer or CD player. You can use kids’ songs, popular music, classical or jazz
songs you want to expose the kids to, songs related to your unit of study, etc. I like to use
clips of shorter songs–just thirty to sixty seconds. Use the same song daily for several
weeks, and teach kids that when the music stops, instruction begins.

3. Use a special sound. Bethany M. uses a zen chime with a long sustain. She told her
students to listen quietly to the chime and raise their hands when it stopped ringing. It
became like a game: “The students would strain to hear it–no one wanted to be the first to
raise their hand. Within two seconds, it was so silent you could have heard a pin drop.”

Here are some other ideas for sound signals: (Note: all links go to Amazon so you can see
a wide variety of instruments and choose the one you like best. These are affiliate links,
which mean I get a percentage of each sale at no additional cost to you. Thanks for your
support.)

 bells
 wind chimes
 buddha bowls
 tingshas
 triangles
 rattles
 rainsticks
 harmonicas
 train whistles
4. Clap out a rhythm. Leigh E. says, “I will walk over near a few students and in a calm,
normal-volume voice say, ‘Clap twice if you can hear me.’ The few students will clap.
Then, I repeat it again. Now, more students are quiet and listening. I will calmly repeat
(changing the number of claps) until I have the attention of the entire room. Typically,
this will quiet a classroom within 20 seconds, and an auditorium or cafeteria of hundreds
of students in less than a minute. I have been using this for years, and it still works!”

5. Get kids moving. Call-and-responses that include some kind of physical movement
are especially effective. Marina T. uses this one: “Drop it [they have to actually drop
what’s in their hands], Zip it [mouths are closed], Lock it [all eyes are locked on the
teacher.] Then we all clap once together.” Stephanie W. uses this: “Take a seat, take a
seat…Take a load off your feet, whoop whoop [raise arms on the whoop whoop].”
Another idea is to play a Simon Says-like game: “If you can hear me, put your hands on
your head” and so on with different directions to get kids moving.

6. Do a countdown. For example, you could say, “When I get to zero, I need you the
room to be completely quiet. 10, 9, 8…” When time is up, move on to the next activity
just like you said you’d do, and let stragglers catch up without acknowledging them
except to help as needed. If you’re consistent with this, students will learn you mean what
you say and they have to keep pace! Diana S. trained her third graders in what she calls
the Five Finger Technique: “Any time I held my hand in the air, any child who saw it
started counting to 5, and by the time we got there everyone should have stopped, faced
me, closed their mouths and opened their ears.” Since she taught on a reservation,
sometimes she did the countdown in her students’ native language, as well.

7. Try a hand signal. Jenni S. shares this tip she uses with her eighth grade class: “I say,
‘Teaching in 5, teaching in 4, teaching in 3,’ all the way down to 1. We rehearse this in
the beginning of the year. I hold up my hand and use my fingers as I talk. By the middle
of the year, I don’t even say it anymore, I just put my hand up and the kids quiet down by
1.”

8. Use sign language. I like to teach students the signs for quiet, stand up, sit down, line
up, and other basic directions. It’s much gentler (and less exhausting) to show a sign all
day long than to keep repeating yourself! When you want quiet, simply show the sign for
quiet and have students mimic it back. Here’s an article on various sign language signs
for the classroom and how to use them.

9. Fill the room with quiet sprinkles. This is a great one for the PreK-2 set, especially if
you have a dramatic flair. Decorate a small container with glitter and sparkles and label it
“Quiet Sprinkles.” Tell the class, “When I sprinkle these imaginary sprinkles on your
head, you will become quiet and freeze, just like magic! Watch how it works!” and
pretend to sprinkle some on a child’s head. Make a big show of gliding around the room
and sweeping the sprinkles over your students. If you use this technique more than once
or twice a month, it will lose its effectiveness, but it’s a lot of fun!

10. Try marshmallows and bubbles. Beth O. tells her students to “pop a marshmallow
in.” Right after she says the words, she puffs up her cheeks and taps them, and the kids do
the same with their own cheeks (which stops them from talking.) She then makes eye
contact with individual children as needed and taps one her puffed cheeks as a reminder.
Elizabeth D. calls does something similar, but calls it “putting bubbles in your mouth”
and says, “Remind students to have bubbles before you leave class and whenever needed!
Works amazingly, and they are so cute when they do it!”

11. Get playful. There’s not much time in the average classroom for play, so attention-
getters can be a quick and easy way to incorporate some FUN in your classroom! Elissa
S. says, “Sometimes I have a code word. At the moment it’s BANANA BREAD and
when students hear it, they grab their ears with the opposite hand crossed in front of
them.” Christopher O. uses a microphone and walks around like a talk show host. Lynda
P. says, “Avengers, assemble for further instructions!” Sharris H., who teaches English in
a computer lab, says “Jazz hands!” to get students’ hands off keyboards so she can have
their attention.

12. Get sneaky. JulieAnn S. says, “Talk softly to one group of students…the rest will
want to hear what you are saying.” Lori S. advises, “Speak in an accent they don’t
normally hear. They will all look to see who came in the room.” Barry G. tells his high
schoolers, “Please don’t listen to what I’m about to say because I’ll probably be fired if
they find out I said it. It gets concert-hall quiet!”

13. Use a concrete reminder. Tracy C. uses a visual. She tells us, “I have a wand and
attached a big check mark at the top (printed from the computer). I trimmed the check
mark in red sparkly garland. I teach the kids on the first day of school when I hold the
sign up that they are to ‘check in’. Whenever someone is chatty or not paying attention, I
hold the sign in the air. The good listeners will inform the student who is breaking the
rule by pointing to the sign. I never have to say a thing. The ‘check in” sign has been one
of my classroom management tools for years.” Toni L. uses a wind up music box: “I wind
it on Monday. Every time the class is noisy, I open it. If there is still music left on Friday,
the class earns a treat.” If you don’t like to give tangible rewards to students, make the
reward a class dance-off: play a favorite song for 2 or 3 minutes on Friday afternoon right
before dismissal and let the kids have some fun!

14. Make it educational. Robert B. teaches math, and tells his students, “Give me a
factor of ___” and the kids hold up the correct number of fingers (i.e. “Give me a factor
of 36″ and the kids hold up 6 fingers.)
15. Change techniques once a month or quarter to keep things fresh. Anne P. advises,
“Practice one attention grabber for two weeks, and praise, praise, praise when students
respond as requested. Introduce another grabber once they have mastered the last, making
it a treat to learn something new.”