My Animoto Video. Egg Timer. Classroom Alarm Clock. Classroom Alarm Clock At seminars I've been sharing with secondary teachers the idea of using a short song as a cue to indicate that it's time for students to pack up. (The Mission Impossible theme song that comes on the CD with the book, Eight Great Ideas, is forty-nine seconds long and works really well for this.)
There are several advantages to using a song. Advantage 1: The Certainty Principle Without a consistent cue, students are on their own in determining when to pack up. However, by playing a song to indicate, "It's now time to pack up," the teacher replaces the uncertainty with a predictable and student-friendly cue. Advantage 2: An Accountability Check The song will be a clear, unmistakeable cue to begin the pack up procedure. In other words... Teacher With a smile: Don't even think about packing up until you hear our song. Or something to that effect. Advantage 3: The Fun Factor Music is a more enjoyable cue than the teacher's already over-used voice. Putting It All Together. Remind101 | Text Messaging For Teachers. Timer. My Instant Classroom.