Quiet Signals

I've come to use quiet hand signals in class a lot.  It makes it easier for me to check for understanding, see what a student needs, and counting votes.  I'm not constantly being pestered with questions and students are not blurting out as much.  Last year should've clued me in to this since my 1st graders LOVED learning about Helen Keller and looking through sign language books.  They were constantly showing me what signs they learned.  

Here are some examples of when I use quiet signals:

• students signal to use the restroom, get tissue, get a pencil, and for help
• students use thumbs up or thumbs down to agree/disagree with a statement during group work
• students use thumbs up when they are finished with a task or are ready to move on to the next question
• students vote on items, such as the read aloud, indoor recess game, or movie using 1 finger, 2 fingers, or more

This just makes life a little more simple.

Image courtesy of Chaiwat/freedigitalphotos.net