“Quiet as a Mouse”

by AnnaMarie Head

 

Purpose: The purpose of this mini-lesson is to allow students real experience as to the effects of a quiet room while reading as opposed to a noisy room while attempting to work.  Students should gain the understanding that they are to help keep the classroom relatively quiet during Reader’s Workshop so that every student can work well and effectively.

 

Materials: Students, Tweetsie whistle, kitchen timer (the school clock will work if you stick by it), overhead and markers or blackboard with chalk, and two interesting sections, one each, from the books: The Giver by Lowis Lowry and The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton (to be chosen at the teacher’s discretion).

 

Total Time:     ~ 35 minutes

                        Discussion and Teacher Instruction ~ 15 minutes

                        Instruction and Group Experience ~ 15 minutes

                        Journaling ~ 5 minutes

 

Objectives:     NCSCOS: 6th, 7th, 8th grade Competency Goal 2.02: “Explore informational materials that are read, heard, and/or viewed by monitoring comprehension.”

                        NCTE: Students participate as knowledgeable, reflective, creative, and critical members of a variety of literacy communities.

Responsiveness: As part of their developmental stages, young adolescents tend be egocentric and generally have a difficult time putting themselves in others’ shoes.  This mini-lesson allows each student the chance to see what it is like to be in “the other person’s shoes.”  Instead of lecturing or insisting on a quiet room without any reason why, students will get to experience why a quiet room is important by experiencing both aspects themselves.

 

Yearly Fit: This mini-lesson is a wonderful lesson to do in the beginning of the year when you are establishing your rules and procedures in the classroom.

 

Script: Good afternoon!  As you know one of the rules in Reader’s Workshop is for every student to maintain and foster a quiet atmosphere in the classroom.  Why do you think this is one of my rules?  (Choose five students to call on individually to explain why this might be.  When necessary [e.g. student gives a one-word answer or expects a phrase to explain what he/she is thinking] ask students to go into more detail as to what they mean.  Shortened possible answers to this question might be: so the teacher and students can concentrate and because a quiet room makes it easier to teach.)  Those were all reasonable answers.  How well would some of you be able to read if everyone was talking in their normal voices?  (Ask five other students, acknowledge their answers and move on to the next student.) 

At this point in time we are going to split up into two groups.  (Teacher divides class in half.)  Speaking to Group A: You will be reading an excerpt from The Giver.  I want you to take notes and be familiar with what is taking place; you will have five minutes once I blow the whistle.  When I blow the whistle after five minutes, look up and wait for my directions.  Speaking to Group B: What is something that happened last night that y’all want to talk about?  (Subjects related to possible answers: the basketball game, TV show, etc.)  Once I blow the whistle, I want you to talk about it within this group for five minutes, however, as soon as I blow the whistle again, you are to get quiet immediately.  (Blow whistle, and then circle among groups keeping them on track.  Once five minutes is up, blow the whistle again.  The roles among the students will now be switched.)  Speaking to Group A: What is something that happened last night that y’all want to talk about?  (Subjects related to possible answers: the basketball game, TV show, etc.)  Once I blow the whistle, I want you to talk about it within this group for five minutes, however, as soon as I blow the whistle again, you are to get quiet immediately.  Speaking to Group B: You will be reading an excerpt from The Outsiders.  I want you to take notes and be familiar with what is taking place; you will have five minutes once I blow the whistle.  When I blow the whistle after five minutes, look up and wait for my directions. (Blow the whistle, circle for five minutes, and then blow the whistle again.) 

I want to hear from several people from both the A and the B group about how well you were able to concentrate and comprehend what you were reading.  (Call on students if needed.  Encourage students to discuss these in depth.  Write down student answers either on the board or on the overhead.  When the discussion has faded, reiterate what students have said.)  I know that some of you actually work better when you have noise in the background, however, for the purposes of Reader’s Workshop, you are responsible to maintain a quiet atmosphere in the room. 

There will be times when you conference with each other about books you have read.  When this is the case, there are conferencing areas I want you to stay in.  (Possible areas for conferencing: a corner of the classroom or in the hall close to the classroom.)  There will also be times when I conference with you on an individual basis.  When those times come, you will join me at the round table.  Whenever a conference is taking place, whether you are having a conference with me or another student, you are to use 12-inch voices.  (Lower voice to 12-inch voice) and then say: When you are working in groups there is no reason to get any louder than this because even now you can hear me well and my voice is not raised.

I realize that everyone did not get to share his/her opinion.  Please get out your journals; you will be writing in response to several questions: In what kind of atmosphere do you work best?  What do you think are the pros to maintaining a quiet room during Reader’s Workshop?  Cons?  Is there anything else you would like to say concerning maintaining a quiet atmosphere in Reader’s Workshop?  (Allow five minutes of journaling time.)  Y’all did a great job today.  Thank you for following my directions and please keep your responsibilities in mind when we begin Reader’s Workshop.