sound and gesture technique

why it works

KINESTHETIC LEARNING
When you teach concepts with sounds and gestures, they stick. For example, this is why some people can still sing songs they learned in elementary school.

VISUALIZING CONCEPTS
Every sound and gesture helps students visualize the subject matter, which helps them understand and retain the material. This is a great tool for teaching new vocab, especially for English language learners.

IT'S FUN
When students have fun, they are more likely to engage and stay engaged. It’s more fun to rock back and forth in an imaginary rocking chair than to hear the teacher talk about it.

COMBINES WITH LET'S ALL SAY THAT
This strategy is nearly always used in tandem with “let’s all say that.” This is because it’s most effective when it’s interactive.

  • Why? When sound and gesture is performed only by a teacher, the technique is entertainment. When students are asked to join in, the technique becomes an important teaching tool.

COMBINES WITH QUESTION AND INCORPORATION
This technique, as demonstrated in the video, is mostly teacher-directed as opposed to student centered. This has great merit, especially when your class is easily distracted or still developing listening skills. However, to make it more student centered, combine it with the Questioning and Incorporation Technique.

when to use it

The sound and gesture technique is not just for literacy lessons. While it’s an effective tool for learning new words and bringing a book to life, it can applied to any subject. For example:

  • Science: When learning about the environment, teach "reduce, reuse, and recycle" with three distinct gestures.
  • History: Help students remember who George Washington is by saying his name with a confident voice and your arms raised like his famous pose in “Washington Crossing The Delaware.”
  • Classroom Management: When asking students to sit in "a perfect circle," draw that perfect circle with your hand. See this in action in the “Let’s all say that” classroom management video.

This technique is one of the pillars of interactive drama strategies, along with the "Let's All Say That" Technique and the Questioning and Incorporation Technique.

Once you are familiar with all three techniques, you have the basis of every interactive strategy.

how to come up with sounds and gestures

A QUICK WORD OF COMFORT
You're about to read a lot of explanation for something that will become second nature with practice. Take heart that this is easier than you think.

PRACTICE
Look around a room and make up sounds and gestures for everything you see. Practice it when you read books. Practice with other teachers. Practice in conversation with your family. (Yes, everyone will think you’re weird. It’s worth it.)

PLAN OUT AND WRITE IT DOWN
While you’re getting comfortable with this technique, plan out the sounds and gestures you’re going to use in class. It doesn’t hurt to write them down on a cheat sheet.

what makes aN EFFECTIVE SOUND AND GESTURE?

IT HAS EXPRESSIVE SOUND
While most of us don’t normally speak as expressively as Helen does in the video, it’s a fundamental skill of this technique. Start by just exploring how your voice can change. Play with volume, pitch, speed, and rhythm. 

  • For example: Consider how you would say “chocolate cake” vs. “dirty socks.” How would you change your voice to say each of those phrases?
  • Notice: When Helen says “tall,tall, lady,” she raises the pitch of her voice on “lady.” It’s a subtle way to make the sound more descriptive.

IT HAS AN EXPRESSIVE GESTURE
Your gesture can demonstrate the shape of the object, the feeling of it, or the rhythm. Most gestures use the hands and arms. Make sure your gesture isn't so big that it disrupts the class's focus.

  • For example: For “chocolate cake,” you could rub your belly. For “dirty socks,” you could hold your nose.
  • Remember: As always, be mindful of the different bodies in your class! If you have students with limited arm mobility, make sure that your sounds are just as interesting as your gestures.

IT HAS RHYTHM
Notice that every phrase Helen repeats has a clear rhythm. Many of them, like “tall, tall forest” and “nice, little shack” have the same rhythm.

  • Why? When you give your phrases rhythm, you help students retain them. This is why songs are easier to learn than paragraphs of text.

IT'S SIMPLE
Notice that when Helen gestures, she only uses one gesture per phrase. For example, when she says “nice, little, shack,” she doesn’t use three separate gestures for each word. Instead, she concentrates on making the shape of a house with her fingers.

  • Why? Especially for early learners, gestures that are too complicated can be frustrating and disruptive.

IT'S FUN
The most engaging sounds and gestures are ones that are fun to do. You’ll know you’ve made a great sound and gesture when your students repeat it without being asked to.

IT'S CONSISTENT
This technique only supports retention if you are consistent with your sounds and gestures. Notice that every time Helen says “nice, little shack” she makes the exact same sound and gesture.

  • Why? Consistency is the key to helping students retain the material.

IT HAS A DESCRIPTIVE PHRASE
Try to add in as many descriptive phrases as you can. For example, instead of “chocolate cake” try saying “delectable chocolate cake.”

  • Why? This is a great way to teach your students new vocab words.