Submitted by: Anonymous

I have had a problem with my fourth graders being too talkative during lessons so I tried the silent lesson and it worked wonderfully! What I did was plan an entire lesson with lots of visual and tactile aspects. I also wrote the rules on the blackboard:

1. No talking!
2. Work together
3. Write down any questions you have
4. Anyone who remains quiet receives 10 extra minutes at recess

I included that last rule about 10 extra minutes at recess in order to motivate the students to stay quiet. I realized afterward though that I may not have needed to because they found the entire lesson as a game!

This lesson got them involved and focused on learning without focusing on chatting with their friends. I repeat the silent lesson at least once a month as a great exercise for my lesson planning skills and to remind my students that they can enjoy school even without talking to their friends!

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