Do you have a chatty class this year? If you are feeling like you are constantly saying “Okay, class stop talking,” or “Put on your listening ears,” over and over again, you are not alone! Kindergarten and First Grade students (and really all ages!) LOVE to chat. Anytime there is a second of “downtime”, like when you are transitioning from one activity to the next, taking out your supplies for the lesson, etc, they are most likely talking. And some years you just end up with a super talkative class! If you are searching for some chatty class strategies to try, you are in the right place!
My first few years teaching, I did not have to do much to stop kids from talking. Usually I just had to give them “the look” or ask them to stop talking once and they stopped. Then, my fourth year teaching all that changed!
These kids would NOT STOP TALKING! No matter what I tried, they just blurted out constantly. I went back to the basics and focused on these chatty class strategies, was consistent with implementing them, and it began to improve!
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Use Attention Grabbers
Attention grabbers are simple call to response replies that your students will use for you to get their attention. For example, the teacher might call out, “1, 2, 3, eyes on me,” the students would stop talking and say, “1, 2, eyes on you.” Now you may already use those and it doesn't stop your chatty class. That's okay! I want you to reflect on how and when you are using them.
When are you using attention grabbers? You want to be a little strategic in when you use them. If you use them constantly, students will just start to tune you out when you say them. Try to use them just after transitions or right before you are giving directions. Don't just use attention grabbers because it's getting loud in the classroom.
How are you using attention grabbers? If you are getting frustrated when you are saying them, kids will pick up on that. I am always super calm and collected when I say them, and my students pick up on that and usually it is easier to get them to stop talking.
Sometimes just switching up the attention grabbers will help curb your students talking too much. If you need some fresh new attention grabbers, you can check out the list I used in my classroom from Clever Classroom here.
Give them time to talk
This is a BIG one. Classrooms are not meant to be completely quiet zones all throughout the day. You need to give your students time to talk or else they will be super talkative. Something I realized that year I had a super chatty class was that I wasn't giving them enough opportunity to talk to each other. To change that, I made sure the majority of the day they were able to talk, as long as they were working. Then, there were a few parts of the day- like when I was explaining reading centers or during writing lesson, that they needed to be absolutely quiet and listening. Any time they started to talk during those “no talk times”, I just reminded them that they get to talk to each other so much throughout the day and this was a “no talk time”.
I let my students talk during these times, as long as they were completing their work:
- Morning Work- they could talk with their table only
- Reading and Math Centers- they could talk with their group only
- Phonics, Math, Science, Social Studies Lessons, etc- they ALWAYS had at least one chance (usually more) to talk with a neighbor.
- Recess and Lunch
These were my designated “no talk times”
- Transitions from one activity to the next or rotating centers
- When I was giving directions for an activity
- During a read aloud
- Writing lesson (because there is a LOT of modeling and I need them to really focus)
- When walking in line to specials or recess
Also, make sure you are giving your students plenty of time to talk with each other too. I use the Kagan “Turn and Talk” method often throughout my lessons so that students can share the answer with a neighbor. In my lessons, I always make sure to give my students time to discuss what we are talking about. I use a timer on my Apple Watch to give them 30 seconds to 1 minute to talk. Once it goes off, then I call on a few groups to share.
Try Quiet Critters
Okay, so now you have your designated “no talk times” down, how do you help manage the chattiness during those times? Enter Quiet Critters.
These little pom pom creatures work like MAGIC in Kindergarten or First Grade. I mainly used them during writing time, because students need it to be quiet to help transfer their thoughts to paper.
Here's how it worked:
I put one Quiet Critter on each student's desk. I explained that Quiet Critters like to watch them work quietly and cheered them on when they were doing a great job working. However, if they talk the Quiet Critters get scared and go back into their home- aka the jar. Students are not allowed to touch their critter or play with it because they will lose their magic and have to go back home. If a Quiet Critter lasts through the lesson, they get a point, skittle, ticket, something small! Once one student talks and loses their critter, the rest of the class is silent!
You can read more about Quiet Critters on this post here.
Book Suggestions for a Chatty Class
Reading books is another way I love to have meaningful discussions with my students. I highly recommend picking one of these books to read with your students to start a dicsussion about talking too much in the classroom.
After we read the story, we reflect on how it relates to our classroom. And 9 times out of 10, they make the connection that they are being too talkative. We talk about ways we can do better at listening and respecting when others are talking or the “no talk times” in our classroom.
Here's a list of books I recommend to help tame a chatty class:
I hope that these chatty class strategies are helpful if you are dealing with some talkative students!