In my first few years of teaching, I would lose my voice so frequently from raising my voice to get my students' attention. I wasn't even yelling, just trying to be heard over group work chatter or in the gym. This year, I was determined to keep my voice safe, so I found a few alternatives:
The whistles I purchased from a toy store (although I can't remember which!). The jingle bells were from the target dollar spot, and the other bell is from a local bookstore in Vancouver (Banyen Books, if you are interested), although it is also avaliable on amazon. The bird whistle is from a farmers market - it is locally made. You just need a few drops of water inside and it makes beautiful bird sounds.
The way I use these tools is different - I have my students trained to leave their work where it is and immediately come to the carpet when I tap the bell three times. This is super helpful when I need to have them regroup to review expectations or clarify instructions. For the other ones, they immediately freeze and put their hands on their head when I use them. I mix it up to keep it fresh with them. :) We make it into a game at the beginning of the year, and a few weeks in they are quite good at it.
Other things that I would like to get to try for next year (all are available on amazon):
These wooden frogs are percussion instruments, but they sound so neat! When you roll the stick up or down it's back it sounds just like a frog croaking.
When I was a practicum student, my cooperating teacher had chimes hanging from the ceiling in her room (at a height that only she could reach). I just love the sound of wooden wind chimes - I think this would be a super calming way to get kids' attention.
As a side note - once I get their attention, I never use a loud voice. I find they listen more the quieter my voice is - even when I start whispering, they are all curious to hear what it is I am trying to say. :)
What are your favourite ways to get students' attention?
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