Have you ever had one of those incredibly chatty groups of kids? You know, the kind of group where they are really sweet, smart, and fabulous individually, but....as a group they just can't quit talking long enough to get through any lesson? Well, that's this year for me. Great kids, but incredibly chatty!
I decided that today was the day. I had tried everything else under the sun...moving cards, walking at recess, competing for best behavior for team points, fining kids classroom money for "disturbing the peace"....nothing seemed to work this year. So today I told the kids that they were moving into neighborhoods. There are limited lots in each neighborhood. Once the lots are full, students can negotiate buying and selling of lots on their own to trade neighborhood locations.The could choose from the following:
Whisperville ($50 per lot): Students can whisper in this neighborhood with the exception of during tests. There are 4 lots in Whisperville.
Uptown ($25): Students are closest to the teacher and the board. Their lots are closest to the "entertainment district." There are 6 lots in Uptown.
Downtown ($20): Students are closest to the real-aloud and daily calendar rug in the back of the room. These lots allow students to participate in real-aloud and daily calendar from the comfort of their desks, if they so choose. There are 5 lots in Downtown.
Suburbs ($10): Students are away from it all in the suburbs. It offers a more spacious area. There are 5 lots in the Suburbs.
Freeville ($0): As the teacher I can place students anywhere I see fit. There are no perks in Freeville. Lots are unlimited. Class tax dollars take care of the lots for students living in Freeville.
During this transition we happened to have our amazing class volunteer, Ms. Schaefer, in the room who works in real estate. She was FABULOUS! She even helped Tyra with her mortgage for her Downtown lot. It was a really cool experience.
And so far, so good. We made it through our math lesson without disruptions today. Whew-hew!
Love it!
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