Rural village 1st year teacher seeking advice

[Yakutatteacher2008]

My classroom is very chatty. I find myself asking them to quiet down before I teach every lesson. Oh yah, I am a 6th grade teacher. Another thing, the class is 9 students. You think it wouldn't be that hard but it is. I have a chatter box on the board to help eliminate the chatter so everytime I give them a warning, and they continue talk, I take a minute of their 15 minute break at the end of the day. It could be their PE time aswell, but one of those two. Slowely, but surely, their break or PE diminishes and it kinda worked and it kinda didn't. Does anyone out there have a different strategy to reduce chatter??:wowee:

Added info to my situation. Since I am a rural village teacher, I teach all subjects for the 6th grade and transitioning is where my problem lies.

[seastarmath]

Maybe have an assignment on the board they need to have done before class begins. Set a timer when they enter the room. Anyone who has the correct answer gets a piece of candy. You will be surprised at what middle schoolers will do for a piece of candy. Maybe make a competition of it.

[mercygate]

My class has a set of procedures to follow and a "get ready" assignment for every session. My procedures are on a handout sheet they keep in their class folder. Someone with a real classroom could have a poster. My kids come to the room from outside, so here's what the procedure looks like:

When you come in, put your coats on the chairs by the window.

Take your seat.

Get out your blue folder. Take out your name card and set it up in front of you.

Take out your Latin sheet and place it in front of you.

Get out your paper and pen and write out your memory assignment.

When you have finished, you may look up the memory assignment for the next session.


They have responded very well to knowing what the procedures are. While they are working on the memory assignment, I am taking attendance. Works beautifully.

I also have 9 kids. This makes for a tight-knit group that WANTS to chat. Procedures have really helped me. I got a lot of great help from Harry Wong's book, The First Day of School

[Yakutatteacher2008]

Thank you, I have to remind everyone on my concern that I teach all subjects all day. Transition for me is very important and it is everyday for every subject. I love your idea, I will do it for the next quarter. Thank you. If anyone else has an idea, I would love to hear it err read it....

[Yakutatteacher2008]

Great idea! Thank you!

[Liz/AK]

Yakutat, cool another Alaska teacher! I have this problem too, but my students have been trained to come in each day and do some of the same procedures that the others have outlined.
Good luck with your position in the village. I've never taught in one, but I know that it has its challenges that go beyond normal 6th grade hormones and sassiness. :-)

[Ms.Champion]

never heard of rural village teaching? What is that??

I am a 2nd year teacher LA and Science 6th grade. My students have a daily journal for warm-up and I keep their journals in a basket in the front of the room. I have "Helpers of the Week" that pass out the journals and then each kid drops the journal off at the end of the period as their "ticket out the door."

I think giving jobs to the students really helps with the chatter. I also reward them with candy and stickers. I have a chatty group as well, but I just take their break away. As long as I keep them on task, they don't talk as much. My group does pretty good when it comes to transitting from one subject to the other.

[seastarmath]

I teach at a large school and my kids are chatty, too. Do you think its a generational thing?

[High_Five]

Mine, too. Generational, maybe?

[dtrim]

Try to harness the power of the wind. In other words, turn their chattiness to educational use. Teach for a few mintues, then have them turn to their partners and summarize. Instead of calling on a student for an answer, ask the class to answer in unison.

Best wishes for success!