Tena, THANK YOU! I have beating my head against the wall for a solution to my overly talkative group this year. I love your idea of allowing students to earn 5-15 minutes of free time. I think it will work well for my group.
I agree with your observation. At this level, the students need more social and physical interaction than they are getting. Even our lunch time has a business tone to it. Students must sit on one side of the table (cut down on talking) and must focus on eating. No wonder they want to talk, write notes, and squirm in class! I always try and incorporate activities that get students out of their seats and moving. Even if it is simply an activity that students are required to walk to the right side of the room if they agree with a statement or the left side of the room if they disagree. It gets them moving and their blood flowing. Thanks again! Melanie Davis 7th Grade Language Arts Ritchie County Middle School Ellenboro, WV [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.Blazerbuzz.org -----Original Message----- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of TLP Sent: Sunday, September 23, 2007 10:43 AM To: MT; Lit Site Subject: [LIT] From a Student's Perspective ( Thanks Gayle!) Gayle reminded us in an earlier post that looking at your classes from the student's perspective is a great technique to determine ways for improvement. I think we are so busy prepping and assessing that sometimes we tend to overlook that excellent suggestion. One thing I had noticed about my students is that they never have a 'break." Developmentally, kids this age need social interaction. In the morning my students hit the ground running! They have morning band, chorus, club activities and the like, then they come to homeroom for the first 30 minutes and begin their day. Except for 20 minutes of a hurried lunch they have one class after the other. Occasionally, they may have a study hall. I decided to buck the entire "silent homeroom" to allow my kids to "socialize during the first 15 minutes. Group projects and discussion also are often part of regular class time. Into my Stop and Think program, I embedded a component in which classes can earn 5-15 minutes of "Friday Fun time," by making sure the week progresses with less than 5 infractions. (I developed this as a way to give instruction and ensure active listening.) Initially, I was uncomfortable because Stop and Think was negative. It involves a warning and then 3-strikes-your-out type of behavior management. I finally realized that a perk, something positive, was needed and incorporated the Friday Fun time. It works well So Middle talker's, what have or could you change to better your practice and benefit students by viewing your classroom from a student's perspective? Tena _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive _______________________________________________ The Literacy Workshop ListServ http://www.literacyworkshop.org To unsubscribe or modify your membership please go to http://literacyworkshop.org/mailman/options/lit_literacyworkshop.org. Search the LIT archives at http://snipurl.com/LITArchive
