Quiet Learning in a Not-So Quiet Classroom

Let me start by saying my classroom usually isn't quiet. That is exactly why I made "Quiet Learning" worksheets, to give myself, Ms. Chris (the amazing Assistant Teacher) and the kids 15 minutes of quiet. The worksheets are for review and the children have to listen very carefully to every direction. I love them because they are productive and magically make our room quiet. Last year I just passed them around to the other teachers at my school, but now I'm offering them to all teachers on teacherspayteachers.com. I also incorporate "Quiet Time" into our school day and the kids really enjoy it. After lunch, I turn off the lights and play soft music or nature sounds. The kids are only allowed to whisper but are encouraged to just take that time to themselves and listen to the music. They sit at the table and paint, draw, glue, string beads or use play-dough. I'll share some photos this year of ideas for "Quiet Time".

The reason my classroom is noisy is because socialization is so important to me. I want to hear the children laughing, playing, working together and having conversations. Every day I partner the kids with a different friend and they do the centers together. The sounds of laughter and chit-chat are wonderful because those are the sounds of friendships building.

You can click on the image below to view my Quiet Learning Pack on teacherspayteachers.com