It’s certainly not uncommon for young students to not understand appropriate voice levels during certain activities. We have 20 plus kiddos in a room and they really need to be taught when it’s appropriate to speak at a normal level, when it’s appropriate to whisper and then when silence is required. Teaching appropriate voice levels at the beginning of the school year is certainly the best, but you can introduce the chart at any point in the school year. Once all students learn your expectations, then it’s likely you can fade the chart away.
It’s pretty easy to assemble the voice level chart. Simply print the chart and arrow on card stock and then hot glue the arrow on a clothespin. You then move the arrow to the expected level per the activity. For example, for indoor recess, you may allow a level 3. For direct instruction during whole group, you may want a “0” or “1”.
To download the classroom chart just click the following link: Voice Level Classroom Chart
I created mini voice level charts for student desks. When a student is a little too loud, you can walk by the desk and point to the expected number without interrupting your instruction.
To download the student desk voice level chart click the following link: Voice Level Student Desk Charts
Some of my little friends need added support so I created the voice level book. It’s pretty simple, but it explains when and where you can typically use each voice level. Your students can even brainstorm other situations in the school and identify which voice level would be appropriate. Especially when you are initially teaching the voice chart, extra practice and is often needed.
Click the following link to download the voice level book: Voice Level Book
Enjoy the freebies!
