Ready to get more sub jobs and keep your income steady? Follow my substitute teacher tips to be a requested substitute teacher and make teachers LOVE you!
Here's a free printable Sub Folder you can use for those times when you have to be absent from school. I recently went to a teacher's conference, and had
The Unfair Game is a totally unfair twist on Jeopardy that your students will LOVE to hate! Learn how to play and find sample game boards in this post.
Here are 5 things you can do to simplify prep for substitues plus done-for-you emergency sub plans for when you don't have time to prepare.
When I return to the elementary classroom this fall, I want to share my passion for books and reading. I want to be known as the substitute teacher who loves books. I plan on packing my bag with …
These free printable substitute teacher forms and sub binder template are perfect for teachers! Simply download, fill in infor, print, and you're good to go!
Got a talkative class? Check out these 5 ways to quiet the chatter!
So, we have to turn in three days of sub plans each year and I have been working on gathering my lessons for my this because it's due Friday! I recalled a blog post I saw earlier this year about where your missing teacher has gone and I was inspired to make my own to cater to upper grades too! I snagged the idea from Cara Carroll at "First Grade Parade." Click HERE to see her adorable post about her writing activity! I asked if she would mind if I did my own little spin on it and of course she said, yes! But, she said she saw the idea somewhere on Pinterest! If this was your original idea, please let me know and I will add you to this post! Anyway, here is my version with both primary and upper grades writing pages! In the first one, students write a few sentences about why they think their teacher is out and draw a picture to go with it! Then, I came up with this one all on my own! I was creating the first one and I was inspired to turn it into a newspaper article! Anytime the students can pretend to be someone else, I think it really gets them thinking and their ideas flowing! Click HERE to download your free copy! Here are some other great substitute resources! Rachelle, from What the Teacher Wants has a great download called the Substitute Teacher Survival Kit, which I proudly own! Just click the picture below to go grab yourself a copy! And I also have this awesome collection of printables from Clutter-Free Classroom! You can get it by clicking on the picture! Oh, and here is a fun video from class today! We were playing Place Value War! I just love the excitement in the room! Be warned...It's loud! I hope to post the games from this new unit soon! When I have time to finish them...HAHA!
Get a handle on student documentation with the ideas, FREE downloads, blog posts, and resource linked here. Great for elementary teachers!
I've been blogging about teaching multiplication lately, and have mentioned playing a game called Sparkle as part of our memorization process. Today I thought I would explain how we do this in my classroom. Basically we are skip counting by ones, twos, etc. We call this "Secret Code Sparkle," because we're just cool like that. =) This is a cooperative practice game that requires listening skills. If a student is talking, they will not know the answer. Uh-oh. They learn pretty quickly to pay close attention to what is going on. It also teaches students how to handle the frustration of being out of the game, whether they have made a mistake, or through no fault of their own. (I have students model good and bad ways to respond when they get "sparkled". I have found that third graders also need to learn how to be gracious winners, so we model that, too.) Here are the basic rules: 1. Have your students stand in a large circle around the outside of the classroom. 2. The teacher stands in the middle. 3. NO moving once you have found your spot! 4. The teacher chooses a number from 1 - 10 and points to a random student, saying, for example, "Count by twos to twenty, GO!" (The teacher holds up two fingers while always facing the student who is speaking, in case they forget the factor being used.) Be careful at this point! If they get going really fast, you could get very dizzy! 5. The first student repeats the number, the next student (going clockwise) says the next skip counting number, and so on, until the original number has been multiplied by ten. 6. When the last number is stated, the next student says, "Sparkle!" 7. The student after the sparkle student sits down. They are out of the game. 8. If a student says the wrong number, or takes too long to answer, they must sit down. (Because of Whole Brain Teaching, the entire class says, "It's cool!" when someone makes a mistake - making it much easier for students to handle!) 9. The last student (or students - you decide when to stop) standing get a reward. This can be anything: first choice for centers, an extra minute of recess, first in line to lunch, a reading buddy (stuffed animal) on their desk during quiet reading, a lollipop, etc. Whatever is a reward in your classroom. (I know that many of us have special needs students in our classroom. I have found that my students naturally give more wait time when it's needed, and extra positive feedback for a correct answer, etc. I do allow certain students to "sit out" the game, if they are having a bad day.) There are many variations on this theme: A. Use spelling words every Friday before the test. B. Use vocabulary words, but instead of spelling them, the first student defines the word, and the second must use it in a sentence. (This works best with smaller groups during centers.) C. Use parts of speech. Say, "Give me 5 verbs, GO!", "Give me seven nouns, GO!", etc. We have a lot of fun practicing what we have learned with this game, while learning important listening skills, speaking skills, and social skills. Do you use this game in your classroom? I would love to hear other ways that it is used! Please let me know in the comments. Happy Teaching With Sparkle,
What Makes a Parent Love a Teacher ... and it's not what you might think! Read this terrific post by Jennifer Gonzalez to find out what really matters to parents. Be sure to download her free "deep data" chart for organizing your student data!
Does it ever feel like the last 3 minutes of class can be the craziest? You get students all settled down where they’re learning and following directions with no problems and the second you mention the words “line up” they turn into a herd of cats. Line up time doesn’t […]
Oral Language Story Sticks - A handy tool for explicit oral language teaching! Help your students develop their language and oral story telling skills with these character, setting and event/problem prompts. Your students' vocabulary will be expanding effortlessly! What's included: ⭐Preparation instructions ⭐Ideas for use ⭐30 character prompts ⭐30 setting prompts ⭐30 event/problem prompts Once these are made, they will be a tool you use year after year. We would love to see how you decide to set these up in your classroom and we'd love to connect with you! Please find and follow us on Instagram Thanks for stopping by! Kate and Clare
Got a talkative class? Check out these 5 ways to quiet the chatter!
I want to share an idea that has saved me some sanity in the past two years when many students are demanding my attention at once.
I talk quite a bit about classroom management on my blog. I have to be honest here. I have tried so many different things. I have tried the clip chart, I have tried check marks, I have tried the “flip the card”. NONE of them work for me. The book Dream Class really changed my thoughts on...
10 inexpensive rewards to use in your middle school class.
This EDITABLE Sub Binder is the PERFECT way to get organized this school year!!! Use it as a maternity leave binder OR use it as an every-year SUB binder!!! I love using this binder in my classroom because it keeps me organized when planning for a substitute AND it allows my sub to see all the routines, procedures, lesson plans, etc. EASILY!!!! What's Included: Colorful Covers Black&White Covers Editable Covers Everyday Papers Notes from the sub forms Topics Included: welcome welcome letter attendance allergies staff seating chart specials class roster rewards class notes helpful staff logins lunch info morning info afternoon info emergency drills safety plans student info lesson plans health info behavior notes classroom procedures classroom management schedule student services early finishers things in our room hallway procedures AND SO MUCH MORE!!! This back comes with over 100+ papers included! Follow me on Instagram, Facebook, and TPT: @Lashes and Littles @Lashes & Littles
You are probably familiar with Kahoot as a review game, but my favorite way to use this website is a BLIND Kahoot. The game structure is the same only instead of reviewing a concept, you use it to introduce it! Check this out as a way to mix up your lesson plans, introduce content, and engage your students!
As teachers we all know the stress of leaving our class with a sub, but what can you do when your three year old throws up in the car on the way to school (yep, that’s happened twice) or your…
Today I'm excited to have Corrina from From Mrs. Allen's Teaching Files here to share a really fun and exciting activity to use when talking about self control. Self control is such a hard
My favorite part about teaching is that teachers love to share resources. We are a community. The more I teach methods courses at the university level, the more frequently I find myself sharing some ways I’ve hosted classroom discussions. I did not create any of these ideas below, and sadly, I cannot even [...]
I love teaching a split-grade class. I know this may not be a popular opinion in teaching, but there it is. In reality, many of us teach split-grade
I have officially survived the first two days of school. That first day is always a killer. I'll admit it-I came home and took a nap ...
Preschool age kids should be spending plenty of time in play but these FREE beginning sounds letter worksheets for early learners are....
I absolutely LOVE IKEA and even though the closest one to me is about 3 hours away, I always make a point to go a couple of times a year. A few years ago, I did a post on items from IKEA that teacher
Classroomscreen.com: A Web Tool Teachers and Students will LOVE. Easy way to turn your browser into an interactive board. Digital stoplight, timer, calendar, random name picker, drawing tools, work symbols, text area, QR generator and more are all tools included in this free web tool.
Instructions, videos, and hands on activities to teach a unit on states of matter to grade 4 5 6 upper elementary science students.
I have finally bundled together some of my Excel Hidden Pictures activities. These activities are great for days before a holiday break or d...
20 Positive Behavior Rewards That Aren’t Not Food Teaching a PBIS school, we focus on positivity and creating structures where student choices are celebrated. We love focusing on the gains st…
Hey everyone!! I am just so excited to share with you a secret I have been keeping. A few amazing ladies and I are bringing you a new monthly series called… BOOKS {BLOGGERS} LOVE!! As teachers you know we ALL love books! These fabulous bloggers will be bringing you our favorite read alouds each month!!! […]
The Unfair Game is a whole-class game that can be used to introduce or review any content. The Comprehensible Classroom has been sharing the joy of The Unfair Game since 2015!
I love teaching this fun little folk song, “I’ve been to Harlem” a.k.a. “Turn the Glasses Over,” to my students! I learned the basic version of the song at my Orff Level 1 training a few years ago and have been playing with how to teach the lesson ever since. This year […]
Impress your kids and show them how to make a Möbius strip. Better yet, explore the amazing math art loop by cutting it. Does it make two strips? Try it!
