There are so many times during a school day when we need to get our student’s attention. In the morning, after a turn and talk, after transitions – these are just a few examples. Talking over the students doesn’t work, and yelling can cause you to lose your voice. Use these fun ways to get your students’ attention without saying a word.
Get Your Students’ Attention Without Saying a Word
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Do you have a talkative class? Is it hard to get their attention when you need to bring them back together or transition? If so, try some of these attention-getters that don’t require you to talk at all.
Wireless Doorbell
This SadoTech Model C Wireless Doorbell is the perfect way to get your students’ attention. It has over 50 different chimes. You can use them for different signals. One could mean that you need their attention. Another could mean to switch centers. Your students will love hearing all the different sounds. You can also control the volume based on the noise level in your classroom.
Chimes
The Woodstock Chimes Zenergy Chime creates a calming sound that will signal your students to stop what they are doing and give you their attention. My teammate uses this in her classroom, and the sound really carries over the student’s voices.
Bell
The I-Mart Call Bell is one of the easiest ways to get your students to freeze and listen for directions. One finger touch is all you need. When your students hear the bell, they should stop what they are doing and get ready to listen. The cute smiley face makes it perfect for an elementary classroom.
Echo
The Echo Dot is a great addition to your classroom. This one requires a little bit of talking on your part but not to your students. You can ask Echo to play a song or make another sound to get their attention. Echo also does a lot of other things. Just make sure you can connect it to your school’s internet before buying it.
Timers
Classroom timers serve multiple purposes. The sound lets your students know when it’s time to stop working. The timer also shows them how much time they have left to complete their task. This pack comes with 3 timers, so you could set different time amounts for different groups or activities.
You could also use an online timer, like the one on Class Dojo. That way, it is projected on the board large enough for the students to easily see.
Eggspert
The Educational Insights Wireless Eggspert is a fun way to get your students’ attention. If they are working in groups, use the “Scrambled Eggs” mode on the Eggspert to randomly choose a group to answer the question. As soon as the students hear the sound of the Eggspert and see the lights blinking, they wrap up their discussions and watch to see which color is chosen. That color group answers the question.
Gong
One tap on the Woodstock Chimes WDG Desk Gong will show your students you need their attention. It is the perfect size to fit on your desk. My husband had one of these in his classroom, and the students loved when he used it.
Other Classroom Management Tips
All of these tools can help with your transitions. Even without talking over my students during transitions, I sometimes lose my voice by the end of the day. This microphone is a great way to project your voice without straining it.
Check out this post for some ideas for end of the day routines.
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What Do You Think?
What is your favorite way to get your students’ attention?
Let me know in the comments below.
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