Kids. They’re so great, but boy can they get LOUD.
I like to maintain a fun, exciting, interactive classroom environment, but with exciting activities comes excited voices. As you know, students get louder and louder in order to be heard over each other until they are no longer using inside voices.
I have an easy tool for you to have students self-monitor the volume of their voices in the classroom. This awesome management trick was a fabulous idea that I saw on Pinterest way back before my first year teaching!
I love to play music in my classroom. Music is a great way to help students manage the volume of their voices, especially when used with the NOISE letters for support.
When students get so loud that we can no longer hear the music, I ring my bell, and take down a letter.
Students have three opportunities. If they lose the E, then the S, and then the I, the letters will spell NO. That means no more talking for a set amount of time. I usually set a timer on the board for five or 10 minutes depending on the situation.
It’s simple. It’s quick. It’s visual, and it’s effective.
It’s worked for me for seven years now!
The concept is also cheap!
I bought the foam letters that spell NOISE from Hobby Lobby. I put magnetic tape on the back of the letters so that I could display them on my board.
Happy new school year!
Pin me!
