I'm not completely inexperienced in the classroom. When I was student teaching, I was teaching in the same classroom three days a week for the whole school year, so I'm familiar with the preparation of lesson plans. I'm just worried since, as a substitute in my district, 90% of the time I won't know what grade I'll be substituting for until that very morning, so there will be no preparation of plans. As long as the teacher leaves them work, it should be fine.
I guess what I'm asking for are some general sites or something that may help for having activities on hand. For example, age/grade-appropriate word searches, crossword puzzles, etc.
I'd also like any other advice or tips you have to offer.Could you advise a new substitute on activities/games to have on hand if students aren't provided enough work?
A substitute in my district uses ';one minute mysteries'; (there are many books available) and brainteasers to help her transition from one activity to another, and to take up extra time she finds. Kids in grades 3-6 really like this.
It also helps to have some books on hand. Not just any book will do, of course. I think that funny or surprising will win the day for your situation. ';Diary of A Worm'; is a current favorite with my fourth graders, who also like ';Dear Mrs. Larue: Letters from Obedience School'; and ';The Stinky Cheeseman.'; Wordless books can also grab students' attention, like ';Zoom'; or ';Flotsam';.
Puzzlemaker.com can help you to make your own custom wordsearchers. If you are in a building several times, you can make one with teacher's names and trivia. There are also mazes that kids like. And Scholastic.com is a nice source of all sorts of resources that could help you out.
I think the best way to look at subbing is like doing a show. You have to work the crowd by going around the room, talking to kids and letting them know that you know who they are, shaping student behavior with a constant patter of ';Let's see who can get out their yellow folders. Yes! I see yellow folders up at the front. Are there any more out there?...'; and other stuff like that. You may also request at one of the schools to spend a day observing in kindergarten or first grade. They do things very differently at these young ages, and it would help to watch someone first. (For example, you may need to consult the bus chart to find out how the children are getting home, help children get their lunches, lead recess games, and so forth!)
And, of course, keep listening for the gossip on who might be pregnant and where the next long-term sub position will be!
Even though I didn't substitute very long (I took a full time job at a daycare center until I found a full-time teaching position), the experience of seeing in other teachers' classrooms was so valuable. So my last piece of advice is to soak up everything--in every classroom, look for what you do want to do and what you don't want to do.Could you advise a new substitute on activities/games to have on hand if students aren't provided enough work?
crosswords word puzzles, word searches, and sudoku puzzles teach a variety of conceptiualizations. You write a word on the board and see how many four letter words they can create from it?
and then there is one of my favorites, they start reading the NEXT chapter in their textbook and then their teacher will be so happy when she returns and they have moved on without her. Just make sure they comprehended the previous material before you do.
about 5% of the time you get plans left for you -- and then the kids are great -- you learn who the good teachers are.
my best advice is keep the noise down and don't do anything too fun or too rowdy -- crabby old bitties in the adjoining rooms get nasty.
i used to like having open forum discussions -- more informal than what they are used to and they like it a lot when you discuss things they are studying but give new perspectives on it and want input from them on their education. also advice on what to do to get into college or get their first job i f you are in high schools -- stuff like that they eat up -- most adults still stay firmly on the other side of the desk. some of the more memorable classes were impromptu acoustic guitar sessions and stuff where kids got to entertain their peers and times that were a little too breakfast clubby -- where everyone learned something new about each other.
i would usually start with ';hi i am your sub -- so i have no plans -- what are you guys studying'; and take it from there. ';how do you like studying that'; ';what do you like best/worst'; all that stuff. sometimes you can wow them with your knowledge and sometimes you have to agree that what they are doing is really boring. explaining things like labor history so they can understand it really helps a lot though.
I agree with the person who suggested edhelper. Also,when I was a substitute, I bought some books called Brain Teasers for $2.95 each. They are published by Teacher Created Materials and come in grades 1-6. I got one for first grade, one for third, and one for fifth. I also got a middle school version from another publisher. The pages are reproducible, but some could be done on the board as a class. I didn't need them often, but I found the middle school ones to be the most useful because the elementary teachers usually left lots of things to do. Good luck!
There is a website called edhelper.com that has lots of printable things. Another thing you could do is a basic search for lesson plans and print things out a different grade levels/subject areas that you could use. There are MANY great resources out there! You can also go to your local teacher supply store and get a book just for subs with lots of ideas in it. Good luck this year, and I hope you are able to find your own classroom for the next year!
Good luck subbing. I have had some wonderful lesson plans left for me and others, not even a class list or seating chart. Do a search on Amazon for any books by Helen Hume. She has ready made lessons for art, history etc. that are all grade level appropriate. When you find out what you are teaching, take one of the books with you for emergency lessons.
Try not to feel bad if you get ignored in the teachers lounge, most of the teachers are so frazzled, they may not notice you. After you have subbed for awhile, they'll warm up to you.
Learn to say no. There are some grade levels, schools and classes I will not sub in. It's not worth the $65 after taxes to ruin my day.
Good luck!
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