[susank2]

Hello,

I am a 4th grade teacher (I used to teach 5th and 6th grade). I'm struggling to find out if my expectations are unrealistic. When I taught 5th and 6th grade, my students were able to work quietly in the afternoons, and they could also work independently. Now that I'm teaching 4th grade, it seems that my students are very hyper in the afternoon and cannot sit still for too long or work quietly for too long. We have a two hour block of time in the afternoon. They read silently for 20 minutes, and then I teach for 25 min, where they are quiet. Then, I allow them to work on a partner activity for 30 minutes, but after thirty minutes the noise level is incredibly loud and we have to return to quiet work. However, they don't seem to be able to work quietly the last part of the day. They continue to talk, walk around, get distracted, etc. And I get more and more frustrated.

Am I being unrealistic in expecting them to work quietly the last 35-40 minutes of the day? I would incorporate more partner work, but the noise level gets too loud. I have 34 students. I find that in the beginning of the day, I'm very calm and they are focused and by the end of the day I'm ready to pull my hair out.

Any suggestions? Thank you.

[Katherina]

Model, model, model...the Daily 5 model for Read to Self comes to mind. The authors' suggestion is to choose a student that may have a bit of trouble doing the "right" behavior and have he/she model the incorrect and then correct way of wanted behavior. You are to repeat this daily until behavior is learned.
Another thought is to shorten up the lessons and have "Brain Breaks." An idea that was shared with me was You Tube Just Dance time outs. "Earning" play time etc. after group uses correct behavior could work with this age.
Good luck.

[catapult]

pretty normal behavior... all young kids are like that... I find that partner work/group activities are better at begginnning of day, and at the end it needs to be quiet work otherwise the kids become hyper!!! the small amount of freedom during prtner/group work, becomes out of hand...

[JulieP]

Is there any way you can give them time to do the partner work or activity outside? I know some schools are super strict about this, luckily mine isn't. By the afternoon, they are just so wound up, and seriously, all it takes is one kid to start an avalanche.
When I do reader's theater, we grab our scripts and go outside so that they can read standing, or even walking the field. Some days, they are so wound up, we go to the field and walk/run a lap or run out to the backstop and back.
Sometimes they jsut need to burn off some of the energy.