Focus Cue
A focus cue provides the initial "attention getter" for students. Pointing to a word on the board, asking a question (e.g., "Is this a noun or a verb?”, or giving a direction (e.g., "First you're going to sound out the words. Then you're going to say them fast.") all can serve as focus cues. They orient students to the task at hand.
Think Time
Following the focus cue, think time (also called wait time) should be provided. The duration of think time (illustrated with the light bulb) is either longer or shorter, depending upon the stage of learning (acquisition, proficiency, maintenance, generalization). For example, if we are just learning the sound /p/, we would give students more time to think about their response before they had to produce it (acquisition stage of learning). If /p/ was introduced earlier and is now being reviewed, we would give students less think time to respond (proficiency or maintenance)."
Verbal Cue
Following this think time, the teacher provides a verbal cue such as "Sound it out" or "Get ready" or "What word?" This verbal cue should have a little "lift" to it; in other words, we should provide some voice inflection to the last word as a cue that students will need to respond.
Signal
The final part involves the teacher providing a signal. The signal can be auditory, such as a clap, tap, or snap. It can be visual, such as pointing to or tapping on the board. Typically, if the students' eyes are on their materials rather than on the teacher, an auditory signal should be used. If, on the other hand, students' eyes are on the teacher, he or she should use a visual signal such as a hand drop. If the students' eyes are on the board, a tap on the board could be used. Some teachers choose to use voice inflection rather than any kind of formulated signal. The point to remember here is that no matter what signal is chosen, students should be coming in together and answering correctly. If students are not responding together it may mean that the signal is not clear enough for them.
To illustrate the entire sequence of a signal corresponding to the prior figure, we provide the following example. Say students are looking at a column of words in their textbook. The column of words is marked "B." The teacher says, "Touch column B. You're going to read each word. First word." (focus cue). [Think time is provided following this focus cue and is longer or shorter depending on when the words were introduced (first time or reviewed over several lessons).] "What word?" (verbal cue). Teacher snaps her finger (signal). Again, an audible signal such as a finger snap is used because students' eyes are on their own materials.