I love finding and implementing new classroom management strategies! Having anywhere from 20-36 students (depending on my grade level) made it necessary to have strong, positive communication tools in place, to help maximize every minute of instructional time.
I want to share with you three classroom communication tools that I know will be so helpful in your classroom!
The first communication tool that I LOVE, and that has saved me tons of interruptions, are these Hand Signal Posters. These posters are finger signs 0-5, all communicating a different message from the student to me. This way, if I was in the middle of a lesson, working with a small group, or helping an individual child, a student could hold up their fingers and I could quickly see what the student needed to communicate with me. These posters are perfect to display at the front of the class (above the whiteboard) for a quick and easy reference for students. Such a BIG TIME-SAVER!
Another tool that is so handy when working with a small group is the STOP sign. It seemed like as soon as I would sit down to work with a group of students, five other students would raise their hands with questions. So, I taught my students that if I had my STOP sign on display, then they needed to ask three other students in the class their question before interrupting my small group and asking me. Four out of five times this worked like a charm!
Majority of my student interruptions during small groups were from students asking me, “How do I spell _____?” So my solution to that problem was to implement personal Student Dictionaries. Every student would keep their own dictionary at their desk, which includes over 300 pre-printed words. There are also lines for students to add in words, so this way, they could ask three other friends in the class how to spell the word, and not interrupt me during group time. Love the independence this created!
Now, back to the STOP sign for all of those other interruptions…My favorite way to display the stop sign is in a clear, stand-up sign holder shown below on the left. Although, you could also use a picture frame (pictured below on the right), or even just laminate the sign and pop some magnetic tape on the back to display it on the whiteboard. There are so many options and I have included two different sizes of this stop sign which you can grab here!
You can click HERE to see a FACEBOOK LIVE I did all about these Silent Response Cards!
The best part about Silent Response Cards are that they can be used during language arts, math, science, social studies, test prep, brain breaks and class games. This is also a quick assessment tool, because based on the colors being held up, it is easy to spot which students are and are not understanding a concept. My students LOVE these cards and it’s my favorite way to quickly assess student understanding. Click here to grab your set.
I hope these classroom management tools are helpful for you!
Carrie Ingalls says
Would you be willing to email the Stop Sign and the Silent Response Cards? The link does not work. Thank you. [email protected]
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I believe these communication tools will be a great addition in classroom learning environment and will be much helpful for us to communicate in the best way.
Shannon Kimball says
Love the response cards! I definitely plan on using these with my students next year.
Anuj Agarwal says
Hi Inspired Elementary Team,
My name is Anuj Agarwal. I'm Founder of Feedspot.
I would like to personally congratulate you as your blog Inspired Elementary has been selected by our panelist as one of the Top 100 Elementary Teacher Blogs on the web.
http://blog.feedspot.com/elementary_teacher_blogs/
I personally give you a high-five and want to thank you for your contribution to this world. This is the most comprehensive list of Top 100 Elementary Teacher Blogs on the internet and I’m honored to have you as part of this!
Also, you have the honor of displaying the badge on your blog.
Best,
Anuj
Anonymous says
Thank you for these great classroom tools. I was seeking 4 sign language signs to use for those items the kids need without asking verbally.
Faith Richards says
This would definitely help the students. Please navigate here for more great articles.
Candy says
I love this idea as it will minimize the noise levels in the classroom