I've used the train call.... T: Choo Choo S: Shhhhh My kids seem to like it. I might have to try something new this year that fits with my garden theme, though. I've never had a theme before, so it hasn't made much of a difference... One more thing to think about!
T: I need your eyes, I need your ears.
S: You have my eyes, you have my ears.
Sometimes I will say Show me now and before I finish every student must have all eyes ears on me. For fun I make it a competition to see which table group is ready the quickest.
When we are lining up and walking down the hallway, I say: "Single File with a Smile." They all face front and grin those usual toothless grins. When in class I'll clap twice and they will clap twice and say SWOOSH while acting like throwing a basketball with two hands (hard to describe) But they love both of those. I also have a train whistle I'll blow sometimes just for something different.
re: the great balls of fire is very cute, however, i'd be nervous using it as the song it comes from is quite sexual.
last year i tried to use "Bengals roar!" and the kids reply with a tiger's growl. (this was actually supposed to be for a wake-up, rejuvenation.) but since it wasn't habit, i didn't use it very often.
(bengals are our mascot)
but i think i'd like do something that goes with my theme (hollywood), like:
"Ready on the set?" "Action!"
hmm wow I'm a bit more boring than all the others. I either clap, or i have this drum thing (i think its japanese). As you twist it it makes a drum like sound. It works. The kids know thats their cue to stop.
Believe it or not, I use these with my grade 8s! They think it's hilarious, and it really works. I've found it especially helpful during noisier activities (drama especially!) because I'll just say the cue word quietly while standing near a group, and they may be the only group to respond. Then I'll do the cue word again, and since the rest of the class has heard the first group, they respond.
Since I have older kids, they would suggest the call and reponse phrases, and we'd switch them up every few weeks. So we ended up with
Sometimes I just use a clapping pattern. T does one, S repeat, I'll do three or four and then they're quiet. This one works well when lining up at the door.
You could get your kids to come up with some verbal ones! They would probably be way more creative than me.
You're right, liketeaching- they could probably come up with some good ones. I would love to have them come from other books we love, but they usually come more from rhyming books. One year we did T: The magic hat, the magic hat S: It moved like this and it moved like that! and T: And the bear S: Snored on! Maybe we can get out some favorite books from last year and look for good lines.
I'll definately also use a couple from these suggestions!!
When I subbed several years ago in a 5/6 combo the teacher had this one...
T: Spongebob
S: Squarepants!
I thought it was neat.
The one I do that is not really a call and response in the way that you all use them is...
T: Kapeesh?
S: Kapeesh!
I do this when I give them a direction or directions for a task and I want to make sure they were listening or understand.
But I really love the McDonald's one and a few others...so I may add another one to my repertoire.
I live in Oklahoma and we have two big universities.
For OSU we do
T: Orange
S: Power
For OU we do
T: Boomer
S: Sooner
They get a kick out of these, but I have to rotate them evenly to keep everyone happy!
I clap the first five claps of the pattern -dah, dah, dah, dah, dah---
then they clap in response-- dah, dah!
It's hard to to type in the pattern, but it's the same one everyone knows and uses to knock a friendly knock on a door.
Just like someone else posted-- Once I clapped my hands to get my students to quiet down in an assembly and my former students in 5th and 6th grade clapped in response and the whole gym quieted down. It was a neat feeling!
I have used the clapping pattern before and I use eyes and ears too. I found this year though, that because I didn't keep the ideas fresh, they wore out fast and it was taken longer to quiet down my chatty sixth graders in the spring.
I LOVE the poster who changed it up every few weeks with her 8th graders to keep it fun and fresh. I never thought of that because this kind of thing had been engraved in my head as something you should keep routine. You are still keeping the teacher/student response as a routine just keeping the saying fresh and exciting.
The Mcdonalds ones and spongebob ones are awesome! Keep them coming..I'm taking notes!!
I think Hocus Pocus, everybody focus would even work with my sixth graders.
Every teacher in our elementary has chimes, and the students learn from preschool what they need to do when they hear the chimes. I'm substituting in that school, now, and continue to use the chimes; but I really like some of these responses. I think I will include some of them this year. The call/responses will be very helpful when we are out of the room and away from the chimes. Besides, I think the students will enjoy something a little different. I will share some of these with my teacher friends. Thanks for all of the ideas. You really CAN teach an old dog new tricks!
a "bell ringer" thing that I got from http://www.yournameringsabell.com. I LOVE it. It makes a quiet sound when you strike it and my kids raise their hands.
In the hallways I used "if you can hear my voice, snap once", "if you can hear my voice, snap twice"... it continues until every student has snapped. Sometimes I use that in class and we clap.
I teach Pre School and I love this idea. Last year I had 18 kids and if were inside it got pretty loud. I would say 1, 2 and then all my kids would reply, my eyes are on you! I would also clap 3 times and then the children would mock it. I really do like you idea, and look forward to trying it.
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07-28-2007, 06:37 PM
I've never had a theme before, so it hasn't made much of a difference... One more thing to think about!
When in class I'll clap twice and they will clap twice and say SWOOSH while acting like throwing a basketball with two hands (hard to describe)
But they love both of those. I also have a train whistle I'll blow sometimes just for something different.
