It’s hard to speak with an imaginary marshmallow filling your mouth.Īn equally imaginative approach involves filling an empty Windex bottle with lavender mineral oil and relabeling the bottle “ Quiet Spray.” Or you can blow magic “hush-bubbles” for a similar impact.
Beth O., in Cornerstone for Teachers, tells her students, “Pop a marshmallow in.” Next she puffs up her cheeks, and the kids follow suit.
Novelty-such as the sound of a wind chime or rain stick-captures young students’ attention. Fortunately, none of these involve medical hoaxes.īelow you’ll find a collections of lesser known techniques for all grade levels. There’s also the “three fingers” version, which stands for stop, look, and listen. Most teachers use silencing methods, such as flicking the lights ringing a call bell-see Teacher Tipster’s charming video raising two fingers saying “Attention, class” or using Harry Wong’s Give Me 5––a command for students to: After all, should a real emergency occur, it would be better if students call 911 rather than post my motionless body on YouTube. Standing up like nothing had happened, I said, “Thanks for your attention––let’s talk about love poems.” Instantly, dead silence and open mouths replaced classroom chaos. One day, in front 36 riotous sophomores, I clutched my chest and dropped to my knees like Sergeant Elias at the end of Platoon.