One of the biggest classroom management challenges a teacher has that I get asked about all the time is handling students who disruptively blurt out in class. Now, believe me, there are definitely times when speaking without being called on is absolutely appropriate and even expected, but then there are times when it is not appropriate. Helping our students learn when it is appropriate and not appropriate to share is something we have to explicitly teach. Picture books are a great way to help our students learn about classroom expectations in an enjoyable way. Also, you are able to hit learning standards as you teach your classroom expectations, such as determining the lesson or moral of the story, problem-solution, and how characters overcome challenges.
Here are some of the best books that have connected the most with my students:
My Mouth is a Volcano by Julia Cook
This book is about a boy who can’t control his “volcano” and blurts out every chance he gets. Then he realizes how it makes others feel when it is his turn to share and he is inappropriately interrupted. Once he sees how it feels, he works on controlling his blurts and sharing at appropriate times. This book is great to read then have a class discussion about. It is also something you can talk to a student one on one about (“Remember, when we read My Mouth is a Volcano and the boy was so hurt that others were interrupting him…”). I like this approach because it takes the spotlight off of that one kid whose mouth is a volcano in your class so that they are not defensive when discussing it as a class.
Interrupting Chicken is about a father and son reading at bedtime. The father tries to read his little interrupting chicken bedtime stories, but the interrupting chicken continues to blurt out during each story. This is a great read aloud to stop and talk about the actions of the interrupting chicken and discuss how the father feels. The father eventually becomes so exhausted from being interrupted that he falls asleep. This might be an inference that your students have to be led to make.
Decibella and her 6-inch Voice by Julia Cook
Uhhh! I love using this book so much to teach voice levels. If you have a school that operates on a voice level system then you NEED this book. If you want your classroom to operate on voice levels (which I strongly recommend for clear communication of expectations) then you will also need this. The girl, Isabella, in Decibella and her 6-inch Voice,
What If Everybody Did That? by Colleen Madden
If you would like to know how I manage the blurting out that once ruled uncontrollably over my classroom please visit this blog post where I share 9 guaranteed ways to help students stop blurting out.
Happy teaching!