Attention Getters are
must-haves for young learner classes.
Think about it: You've sent students to work in small groups or with
partners. It's time to call their attention back to you for further directions
or a change in activity. How will you get their attention? This seems like such
a small issue, but it's NOT! You need multiple tools in your toolbox in order
to handle this smoothly because you will do it multiple times every day.
Below you find a selection of nice
chants to grab attention for young learners:
Teacher: Hocus pocus – Students:
everybody focus
Teacher: Macaroni and cheese –
Students: everybody freeze
Teacher: All set- Students: you
bet!
Teacher: Hands on top – Students:
everybody stops
Teacher: ABC –Students: Easy as 123
Teacher: Scooby Dooby
Doo – Students: Where are you?
Now, some other handy techniques:
The quiet spray!: you spray the
ROOM to signal children to get quiet. Or you can just leave the bottle empty
and spray a child!
Give me five: raise your open hand
in the air without saying anything. Your students then put their hand in the
air too. Start counting down on your fingers (not saying anything, just moving
your fingers) and your students will follow along just moving their fingers.
Teach them that by the time your are making a fist (representing zero) everyone
should be quiet and looking at you.
