Grade K 

Attention Strategies 
2/28 

Strategies That Work  Strategies That Do Not Work 

   
- Verbal Signals  - Verbal Signals 
- Hand on Top  - Bambarabaram 
- The teacher would say  - The teacher would say 
the phrase “hands on  the phrase 
top” while putting her  “bambarabaram” and 
the students would 
hands on his head and 
respond back “bum 
students would respond  bum” however, it took 
“that means stop“ this  the teacher multiple 
grabbed the students  times to get the students 
attention fairly quickly  attention with this 
since it is a fun rhyme  phrase. 
that students remember  - I think this is the case 
because the phrase was 
and enjoy saying and  uninteresting to them 
shows a physical signal of  after hearing it used 
putting their hands on  multiple times 
top  throughout the year 
 
 
3/7 

Strategies That Work  Strategies That Do Not Work 

   
- Verbal Signals  - Verbal Signal 
- Clean Up  - Shh-Shh-ShhShh-Shh 
- Teacher sings the clean  - The teacher would say 
up song and the students  the phrase 
pay attention to cleaning  “Shh-Shh-ShhShh-Shh” 
up and getting ready to  and the students would 
finish class. This works  respond back with the 
 because of the repetition  same phrase. This does 
and fun rhyme of the  not work because the 
song.   sudents do not catch 
- Mhm, Oh yeah, Uh huh  that this signal is 
- Teacher says “If you can  happening as easily. 
hear me say Mhm” and   
students respond with 
“Mhm”, if students do 
not pay attention on the 
first attempt, teacher says 
““If you can hear me say 
Oh Yeah” and students 
respond with “Oh 
Yeah”, etc. This works 
because it engages 
students to say the 
phrase and helps other 
students pay attention. 
- Hand Signals 
- One hand on nose and the other 
hand holding a two up in the air 
- Teacer holds hand signal 
and students do as well 
while staying completely 
silent. This works 
because it is a clearly 
visible sign to the 
students and helps 
students become aware 
 to stop everything and 
pay attention.  
- Thumbs Up 
- Teacher says “If you can 
hear me give me a 
thumbs up” and 
students respond with a 
thumbs up. This works 
because it engages 
students in using the 
signal and helps other 
students pay attention. 
- Auditory Signal 
- Bell 
- Teacher rings a bell three 
times to grab students 
attention. This works 
because it is a loud signal 
that easily catches the 
attention of students. 

 
3/21 

Strategies That Work  Strategies That Do Not Work 

   
- Verbal Signals  - Auditory Signal 
- “Check your feet, Check your  - Silent Treatment 
arms”  - Teacher would remain 
- Teacher says “check your  silent until the class gave 
arms” as student respond  their attention to the 
 with “1, 2” and if  teacher. This was not 
necessary to grasp  really effective with 
attention once more,  younger grades as they 
teacher says “check your  tend to do as they please 
feet” and students  if there is no call to 
respond with “1, 2”.  attention. 
This grabbed the  - Hand Signal 
students attention fairly  - Shush Pose 
quickly since it is a fun  - Teacher would hold one 
rhyme that students  finger to mouth and 
remember and enjoy  teacher would wait for 
saying.  students to give 
attention to teacher. 
This was not really 
effective with younger 
grades as they tend to do 
as they please if there is 
no call to attention and 
the sign is not too easily 
visible to grasp the 
attention of the students. 

3/28 

Strategies That Work  Strategies That Do Not Work 

   
- Verbal Signal   
- “Roll on the table and work on 
the paper” 
- As teacher was doing a 
 clay unit, students would 
be distracted by clay so a 
signal was needed to get 
their attention. Teacher 
would sing “Roll on the 
table and work on the 
paper” and students 
would respond the same 
way. This was effective 
since the teacher made 
the phrase into a song 
and the students enjoyed 
saying it.  

 
4/4 

Strategies That Work  Strategies That Do Not Work 

   
- Positive Reinforcement    
- The teacher would specifically 
point out positive 
behavior/action of student in 
order to grab the attention of 
other students and make sure 
they would do the same (Ex. 
standing in line, doing work 
quietly, etc) This works because 
it causes students to want the 
same positive feedback back 
from teacher an also cause a 
feeling of guilt  
 
 
 4/11 

Strategies That Work  Strategies That Do Not Work 

   
- Auditory Signal   
- Claps 
- The teacher would clap 
“tap tap taptap tap” and 
the students would 
respond back with the 
same clap. If students do 
not pay attention on the 
first attempt, teacher 
claps in a different way 
until students give full 
attention. This works 
because it is loud enough 
for all students to hear 
and catch their 
attention. 

Interview 
- Science Teacher

- Positive Reinforcement works very well for both lower and upper grades because

instead of telling students to stop doing what they’re doing, you can compliment

students that are doing what they’re supposed to be doing and use them as a

model for everyone else in the class so that other students do what they’re

supposed to
- Art Teacher

- For Grade K any attention grabbers, call and response, match me, simon says sort

of technique works well. It is easier to grab their attention if the signals used are

like games like using repetition or rhythmic signals. Since they have low attention

spans, changing signals is necessary but signals can be recycled and used from the

past to grab their attention since they already knew the signal but find it fun since

it has been used in such a long time. Also good to have a variety of attention

grabbers to make it more fun for them