Verbal cues can be used in the classroom to direct focus and attention. They can be call-and-response, emphasis, and organizational cues. There are a variety of example verbal cues below.

Verbal cues are used for many purposes and can be incorporated strategically in the classroom to direct focus and attention as part of your classroom management strategies.

Note: Since younger elementary school students are still learning social cues, verbal cues can be more effective than nonverbal ones. Older students may perceive verbal cues as childish, so be thoughtful about how you bring these into the room. Instead of using a verbal cue, you could focus on providing older students with a clear sense of how an activity benefits them, as well as its related consequences. You can also share the history of the call-and-response technique with older students, as it is a form of communication that can be traced back to African oral traditions.

Verbal Call-and-Response

A verbal call-and-response is when the Teaching Artist (TA) says something aloud to the class to which students collectively respond. The goal of a call-and-response could be to get everyone’s attention, refocus the group, cue students, or help them process information and build understanding. (Read more about call-and-response here.)

Pre-plan the call-and-response before your program begins. Since students will be repeating this phrase over the course of the program, find a way to connect it to your curriculum, to your or the students’ cultural background(s), and/or find ways for students to respond verbally and physically.

Examples

• Related to Arts Education
  • Call: “Mic check, mic check.” Response: “One-two, one-two.”
  • Call: “Mona.” Response: “Lisa.” The Teacher or Teaching Artist can explain, “Mona Lisa is a very patient student! Wherever I am in the room, her eyes are always on me. She waits calmly for her turn with her hands in her lap.” When students say, “Lisa,” they should pretend to be like the Mona Lisa. It is helpful to keep a picture of her in the room throughout the residency to refer back to.
  • Call: “Tableau please.” Response: “Everybody freeze.”
  • Call: “A hush fell over the crowd.” Response: “Hush.”
  • Call: “Actor’s Neutral.” Response: “Ready to go.” Students also respond by standing in Actor’s Neutral.
  • Call: “Three, two, one.” Response: “Action.”
• Non-Arts Specific
  • This is a great opportunity to create and use culturally responsive activities. For example, the two activities below share the same function and framing, but reference different environments.
    • Teacher: “Waterfall, waterfall.” Students: “Shh.” Students mimic a waterfall with their hands as they freeze or take a seat.
    • Teacher: “Tire pressure, tire pressure.” Students: “Shh.” Students pantomime a circle with their hands that they shrink as they settle quietly.
  • Similarly, this is a terrific opportunity for accessing and celebrating different languages. Here are several examples, each in a different language.
    • English: “Ready, set.” Students: “You bet!”
    • Spanish: “Otra cosa.” Students: “Mariposa!”
    • Ghanaian Akan: “Ago.” Students: Ame!” Ago is a call for attention, like saying, “I would like your attention.” And the response is, “Yes, you have my attention.”
    • Indonesian: “Satu, dua, tiga.” Students: “Kami duduk juga!”
    • ASL: Stand and sit.
• The Classic: “If you can hear my voice…”
  • Option 1: Say and model an action. For example, you can say, “Put your hands on your head,” while putting your hands on your head.
  • Option 2: Say one action and model another, to see if students are listening.
  • Option 3: Get funky with it! For example, “Give yourself a mustache,” “Put on a tiny hat,” “Look at me with your monocle.”
• More examples
  • 50 Fun Call-and-Response Ideas to Get Students’ Attention.

Emphasis Cues

The TA incorporates phrases to help focus attention on important information.

Examples

• “This is important.”
• “This is key.”
• “Listen carefully.”
• “You need to remember.”

Organizational Cues

The TA incorporates phrases to help the class understand the order, sequence, or relationship of information.

Examples

• First, second, third…
• Then…
• Next…
• In the following order…
• To recap…
• To review…
• To go back over…