Yelling at my 7th/8th graders

[Adrienne]

This semester I've been assigned a combination 7th and 8th grade English class, totalling 30 students. This is way more kids than I'm used to (last semester our classes averaged at around 12), and I have never had this young of an age group before. They are completely different from my 11th and 12th graders, and I still haven't figured out how to treat them, what to expect, how to teach, etc.

The big issue is just the sheer noise. With so many kids crammed together in one classroom even whispering gets loud. And of course whispering quickly gets out of hand and escalates into louder talking. I have to raise my voice to be heard over them and when they continue to talk I eventually have to scream to get them to quiet down and listen.

It's only the 3rd day of the semester and already I feel like we've been fighting major battles. I am physically and emotionally exhausted at the end of the class! And my poor 11th grade Journalism class has to suffer because of it.

I'm still learning their names and I certainly don't know their voices yet, so it's hard to pick out individuals who need some kind of punishment.

There's got to be a better way. Is there a better way? Words of wisdom are needed at the moment.

[Boxcar]

Here is what I would try:

Don't try to fight the noise. Simply stop teaching when they start getting out of hand. What you don't cover is homework. If they don't understand it, that is unfortunate. If they complain, explain that they couldn't have heard you anyway. So, why waste your breath? When they are ready to listen, you wll teach. Until then, they can expect homework. Grade the homework.

Another technique is giving detentions. I had a teacher who did this, and it worked. He would write of a week's worth. I'd give a warning first. The student may or may not hear. Even if he doesn't, wait a bit. If he doesn't stop talking, write out the slip. When he complains, explain that had he been listening he would have heard the warning or not even needed one.

While you don't know names, I'd go with the first blanket punishment. If the majority of the class "gets" it, you can focus on the leftovers.

[Clix]

You've got a weekend here... I don't know how well you know Powerpoint, but it has SAVED MY BUTT as far as noise control goes. I've made a PPT that goes over the state standards for my class & then BRIEFLY introduces the first unit. Then I hand out two worksheets: one is a student/parent info survey, and the other follows the PPT but has blanks. There is ZERO need to talk. This sets the tone of the term: you talk when given permission. Period.

We also begin EVERY class period with self-selected reading, which again, sets the tone & gets them settled.

[MissTeach]

I teach seventh and eighth graders. Each day I have an assignment on the board when the students enter the room. It is always a 'quiet' assignment. On the first day of school, students are given the rules and one rule is no talking or moving around the room during the beginning assignment. I have found that this assignment sets the tone for the class period When a student talks during this time, they sign 'the book'. The third time they sign, they get a referral to the office.

[dsmms]

I do the same thing that MissTeach does. When my students enter the room, they have something to do before I ever open my mouth. I teach reading, so I have a Word of the Day activity for them to do. I pass out sheets that are labeled Monday thru Thursday. We work on a word each day and I give a cumulative quiz each Friday to keep them accountable.

Because the students know they have work to do as soon as they enter the my class, it prevents them getting wound up while I take role and wait on everyone to get settled in. The biggest difficulty I had was getting them to understand that the entrance to the classs is the socialization cut off. I have sent many back outside to try entering again quietly and ready to work.

[littlmare]

I taught 7/8 for many years. The first thing you have to do is remind yourself DAILY that these students are "in progress". They are perpetually caught in between childhood and adulthood in an almost schizophrenic way...one day they want to be loved and nutured and the next day they have that " you can't tell me what to do" attitude. When planning a lesson, aim for a more playful, childlike lesson. It helps if you introduce it by saying "I know this is waaay to young for you, but I think it's really cool, so bear with me, etc" They eat it up...read Dr. Suess and Chris Von Allsburg to 7th graders one day and had to force them to leave my room when the bell rang!

Secondly, don't scream at transition time...use some sort of sound that signals it's your time to talk...chimes, bell, even a staples easy button, it's not too juvenile and they will respond.

Group work that involves some talking, yet holds them responsible. Lots of good books out right now about diffentiating instruction that you could use (see Anne Benninghoff sp?)

Lastly, hold them accountable, if needed. Let them know that you will call home if needed

I've taught everything 5 through 12. 7 and 8 are, by far, the most difficult. Good Luck!

[bigdillpickle]

I'm with the others who have weighed in: the kids should be engaged in something of your choosing the second the bell rings. You can either have a small daily assignment (like the Word of the Day mentioned earlier), or you can simply start instruction the second the bell rings.

If you choose to go the route of a daily starter assignment, in order for it to work you must be consistent -- every day without fail -- and the kids must be aware that there is a limited amount of time to do the job, forcing them to start on it immediately. There should be some accountability tied to it as well, obviously, or the kids will learn quickly that it doesn't matter whether they do it or not.

If you choose to go the route of starting instruction immediately, as I did, it helps to engage the students with action, rather than starting with "Okay, class, today we're going to... blah, blah, blah." (I wouldn't listen, either!) In other words, have them stand to play a quickie round of a vocab review game, direct them to open their books to page ___ and give an extra point to the first person to describe the picture found there, or whip out flashcards for lightning-fast review. I used sign language in my classroom (French/Spanish), so it was easy to get their attention in a nonverbal way -- I would make signs and they'd all respond in unison.

I've seen teachers who wait to start the class until after they've taken attendance, collected the previous day's homework, etc, and by then the class is a lost cause. You gotta establish the expectation that the moment the bell rings, we're working on (content area).