Sub Plans in Case of Emergency: Don't Leave School Without Them!

It is 3AM and the sound of a child's feet bolting to the bathroom and barely making it to the toilet before vomiting, wake you from a dream you were too tired to even know you are having because you are a teacher!

It is 3AM and you bolt out of bed and race to the bathroom, barely making it to the toilet before getting rid of everything you ate the day before!  Yuck!

As a teacher you don't stand over the toilet rubbing your child's back, wiping a pathetic face, or your own for that matter, and think, "Looks like a sick day tomorrow."

Instead you go into panic mode!  You get the floor/your child/yourself cleaned up, and you race to your computer.  You shakily put in for a sub, and pray to the sub gods that someone is able to cover your class in a few short hours.  Then you get frustrated with yourself because you should have gotten things together before you left the day before.  You should have sensed that you or your child could possibly get sick and planned better.  Ugghhh, I know that feeling.

I also know the feeling of driving to school at 4:30 AM after getting a sick child settled back into bed and putting in for a sub, so I could race to my classroom, make copies, set out my sub plans, all to make sure my students' learning would not be interrupted in my absence.  As teachers, it is more of a hassle to be out for a day, which is why so many of us tend to "warrior-it-out" when we are sick and come and teach anyway.  You can't do that when you are throwing up or when you have a sick kiddo, however.

As organized and prepared as I think I am, I still get caught off guard.  In order to be as prepared as possible, I always have a binder on my desk with Emergency Plans.  In this Emergency Binder I keep:

• the names of my teammates so that they have a go-to person all day
•  a schedule for the day: times for each class, specials, lunch, recess,dismissal, and any duties I have
• up-to-date seating charts
• lunch count and attendance lists
• lesson plans that match the copies and work materials that I have left so the substitute knows exactly what needs to be completed, turned in, etc.
• specific directions about lining up, dismissal, etc.
• reward bucks for students to earn (yes, I bribe while I am out)
• info about how I want the classroom left-chairs pushed in, garbage off of the floor, desks lined up.  This may seem jerky, but here is how I word it, "At the end of the day, please have the students organize the classroom exactly how it appeared when they entered in the morning."  I despise walking into a classroom that looks like a hurricane swept through upon my return, so this is how I try to fix that.

Despite having my binder with random student work, I wanted something even better.  So I created  Print and Go Emergency Language Arts Sub Plans for Grades 4-8 resource to make my life a bit easier.  I plan to make about 4 more of these to cover myself in case of any future-sick-kiddo years.  Depending how long your ELA class periods are, this CCSS resource will last for 2 days of instruction.  It includes:

• 4-page high-interest reader’s theater script-Estimated Lexile Measure:800L
• Reader Response Questions
• Context Clue Word Work
• Summary Strategy Organizer
• Story Map
• Text-Based Journal Prompt
• Word Work Word Search
• Story Cover Makeover
• 3-High Interest Journal Prompts for Writing

You can grab it here if you are interested...

I would love to hear what you do to prepare your classroom for your unexpected absence.  In the meantime, here is to healthy thoughts!

Jumpstart January Blog Hop and $50 Target Gift Card Giveaway

My Lesson Delicatessen friends and I wanted to make sure that you were set and ready to get back in action with your students, so we are giving you the Jumpstart January Blog Hop and GIVEAWAY.  Follow through each of our 10 posts for an AMAZING FREEBIE, personal blog giveaway, and at our final stop, enter to win our $50 Target gift card giveaway and find the links to all of our $1 deals! 

My January always seems like a bit of a blur...the students come back from the break tired, but excited, and I need to get them right back into the swing of things because we have a TON to accomplish!  In order to meet their needs to share, along with my needs as a persistent teacher, we begin with writing.

Jumpstart your January with Me...in 2015!  This self-relection writing resource will engage your students and encourage them to get right back into the swing of things.
 
When my students return from the winter break inspiring them can be very overwhelming tricky.  They have been out of the school routine for just long enough to need redirection and motivation.
In addition the school year is almost half over, and I want to engage my students and get them thinking about what they are hopeful to accomplish in this New Year, but remaining time of the current school year.  I often refer to my students at this point in time as 6 ½ graders!  So I created this Me…in 2015! resource.

Directions...
This writing resource is a tool I print out for each student, hole-punch, and help them navigate through to complete.  It is a tool that we then place in our writing binders as a reflection of what we hope to accomplish. Grab it here and check out the other great uses...

Here are a few more perfect ELA resources to Jumpstart January in your classroom for only $1...

 

  

Enter my giveaway and then check out another amazing FREEBIE from my Lesson Deli friend, Karen, and the other grab and go resources from my other teacher friends.  Best wishes for 2015!

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Blasting Back to School: Giveaway and 5-Back to School Classroom Decorating Tips for a Time-Challenged Teacher

Are you ready for Back to School? I'm joining several other upper grade teachers to help you get ready for the next school year, and to give away some AWESOME prizes! You'll have the opportunity to win something different on each blog in our group, so make sure that you visit the next blog in the blog hop at the bottom of this page. To enter to win the HUGE gift certificate to Teachers Pay Teachers, visit our group blog, Lesson Delicatessen. Make sure you hop through all the blogs to read all the great back to school tips and be entered to win over 20 different prizes!

Everyone thinks teachers have it so easy...ten months of teaching and two months off!

Yeah, right!  Unless you have been an educator in a school building awaiting the arrival of a homeroom full of students, you truly have no idea what it is like to get a classroom ready for another school year!  Many of us are moved grade levels, classrooms, or to different buildings during the summer months, some right before the first day arrives, and the task of organizing an entire room is daunting.

On top of that add the fact that many of us have kiddos that we are juggling while we are tackling this endeavor.  Working for 10 months, and relaxing for 2 months is truly a legend.  I know my summer months are always filled with preparing for the next year, so here are a few tricks to help you get started and feel excited about the arrival of the new year...

#1:  FABRIC:  Use fabric on your bulletin boards.  I leave mine up for the year or longer and find that it doesn't show staple holes, or fade.  You can purchase inexpensive fabric at JoAnn Fabrics or Walmart.  Teacher discounts are available at Jo-Ann Fabrics, which is perfect for all of us who spend a fortune on supplies for our classrooms.

This is just a piece of red gingham fabric that cost a few dollars.  We have to post our CHAMPs procedures, so this is the perfect board to keep this classroom must-have in place.

#2: CLOTHESLINE:  Use a clotheline with clothespins for hanging student work, anchor charts, classroom posters, etc.  It is inexpensive and requires only hooks to hang. 

The clothesline serves a dual purpose...it holds all of our anchor charts for quick reference, as well as blocks some sunlight from our faces during the sunny morning hours.

#3:  ART WORK:  Use inexpensive IKEA frames to showcase thoughtful messages for your students around the classroom.  I downloaded these from:  http://www.technologyrocksseriously.com.  Click the image to find some of your favorites.   Here are a few of mine:

I place these on bookshelves and in windowsills as reminders for my students.  The frames were $2 a piece and I printed out the colored copies on my home printer.  I have heard of people finding frames at yard sales and spray painting them as well.  If you want to reuse and recycle, that is a great plan, but I found this to be easier.

#4:  BOGGLE BOARD:  Have a spot in your classroom from the very first day where students can find something to work on when they finish early.  I find that in those very first days, I am really getting to know each of my new learners and some work much more quickly than others.  While I have a library FILLED with books, reading isn't always a task that my upper elementary kiddos are seasoned to do.  I have this...a Boggle board which for the first few weeks I utilize as an early finisher word work tool!

I found the letters on http://www.technologyrocksseriously.com  Click the image to find letters for you!  I printed them, took them to Staples to be laminated, backed them with Velcro, change the letters weekly, and I have a permanent spot in my room for students to find an extra task.  It is a hit because my students are always on a quest to find the most words.

#5: "NO NAME" BOARD:  Back to IKEA for this necessity!  I used an IKEA 8X10 frame and attached clothespins with superglue.  I created a simple "No Name" design and drilled it into the front of my classroom.  Students that don't get an assignment back can check there to find it, write their name, and have it entered for credit.  I find that I only have a few each year that have a hard time writing their name...

While there are about a bazillion other things needing done at this time, room order is key!  I can't stand a disorganized or unwelcoming space.  After all it is where we spend a huge portion of our time.  I would love to hear about any perfect tips you have to organize your classroom for the upcoming school year!  

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Tips to Begin the Year: Music, Procedures, and LESSON IDEAS

Ready for another school year?  Here are a few tips and tricks to get started....

Do you play music in your classroom?  Music is an essential in so many aspects of my life, but especially in my work with students!  I have blogged about it before, but here are some ideas for your classroom playlist for the year...

Brain Break Songs for the Classroom-each song on this list has only lyrics that are appropriate for the classroom!  These are a few of my old and new favorites. 

A Sky Full of Stars by Coldplay
Find You by Zedd
Sweet Disposition by Temper Trap
Pompeii by Bastille
Rude by Magic
Wake Me Up by Avicii
Team by Lorde
Tennis Court by Lorde
It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday (yes, the old Boys 2 Men song) by Jason Mraz
Girls Chase Boys by Ingrid Michaelson
Be OK by Ingrid Michaelson
Count On Me by Mat Kearney
Raging Fire by Phillip Phillips
Gone, Gone, Gone by Phillip Phillips
Stop This Train by John Mayer
Never Know by Jack Johnson
Umbrella by Marie Digby
Wishing Heart by Lisa Loeb


Silent Working Music-I found this gem on Rhapsody, but I have added the link on Amazon in case you want to make the purchase. I am obsessed with finding the perfect music while my students are working.  I find that if they know the words, some can still work, but others get distracted from the singing.  This is all instrumental, which is ideal for those that just like to have a little background noise to enhance concentration.  Also, I find that playing music in the background while I am working with small groups tends to keep the noise level down if students are also working in partners or small groups.

Procedures:  Here is a peek at how I give parents and students an idea of what to expect on our 6th grade team.  I find that the first day is LOADED with procedures that help the students learn all about how the classroom is run and what it is like to be a 6th grader.  It is a fun day, but also when where routines are established and students realize how they will function in this exciting grade.  This is an "Ins and Outs" tool that I was inspired by my son's kindergarten teacher to create to share a ton of information.  In addition, we do an interest inventory that gets students up and socializing.  CHAMPs is utilized in our building, but by 6th grade except for going over a few small differences, the students are already familiar, so there is no need to go over every component of that behavior management plan.

Lesson Ideas:  I like to get the year off to a consistent start, so by the second day we are doing legitimate work that would be completed any other day of the school year.  Here are a few tools I have created and utilized with my students in order to engage them from the first week of school.

We begin our writing notebooks right away in the first week of the year.  The second day is ideal so that the students can get an understanding that we will be writing on a consistent basis.  I begin with the first journal prompt of the week in order to gauge where my students currently are as thinkers and writers.  The prompt is posted, the students copy the prompt, I give some basic directions, and the students begin writing.  It is after this first writing that those willing-share what they have written.  I also collect the journals, which are composition notebooks or 1/2 inch binders with filler paper, and respond to their work.  I will seek out a few students that I will check with first, but I will take a picture of their response and post it so that others can see a sample of my expectations as a 6th grade writer. 

Ashley organizing her binder and getting ready to write.

Writing is an essential component in our students' work with common core.  Because I struggled to find an editing tool that I could use with my students in just minutes a day to improve their writing, I created this to use as a morning starter.  Simply post the sentence on your SMART board, have students copy the sentence into their writer's notebook, edit te sentence with editing marks, copy correctly fixing all errors, and finally go over as a whole group.  I even have students volunteer to come up to the board to facilitate the corrections.  The rest of the class participates as they are called upon by the student facilitator.

I utilize reader's theater scripts with my students on a consistent basis because they are the PERFECT tool to enhance fluency, work on comprehension, and my students LOVE to perform.  This is the perfect tried and true script to share with students in those first days of the year.  It is a high-interest read that will engage your students, as well as begin your work with common core. With comprehension questions, context clue word work, a summary organizer, and clear directions for implementation, your students won't even realize they are "doing work."

Students in action performing the script.

I would love any tips and tricks you find useful for getting ready for your school year!

Do you have reading pals? Interactive Notebooks for Reading Pals...Summer Stock Up on this perfect tool!

Each year my sixth graders are teamed up with the first graders as a way to connect our diverse groups of learners.  The idea began about six years ago when I realized that many of my sixth graders needed practice to enhance fluency, and my first grade teaching pal, Mrs. Eshman, had students that really needed practice listening to reading.  We decided it was the perfect match!  We brought the students to the cafeteria with books in hand, paired them up, and prepared for them to sit together and read.

My 6th graders have always loved reading with their reading buddies.  It is a treat each week to see a special little person that looks just as forward to spending time with them.   For the first few weeks it is a novelty and everyone seems to be on their best behavior, but as the first weeks of school turn into months, focus eases up and merely reading is no longer an activity that keeps everyone’s attention. 

Over the last few years I have found that the reading time seems to go very quickly and my sixth graders are trying to find the best way to fill up the rest of their time.  The little ones can get off task easily, which can be a challenge for my sixth graders to manage.  In addition, my sixth graders that are supposed to be the role models can have issues of their own at times.  Despite teacher re-direction, the time wasn’t being utilized the way we had envisioned.

After one week of far too much re-focusing of our students, we began planning and coordinating what was read from that point on.  It was ideal.  The sixth graders were armed with more than a book, and wanted to take ownership over not just reading, but also helping their first grade pal develop a skill.

Teachers are busy and have minimal time for extras, and so this interactive notebook was born.  Instead of having to plan each week for reading pals, this is the tool that will allow your older and younger students to thrive when working together.  The work is done for you!  Simply print, grab student book boxes/baskets, cut, glue, and go!  Your students will be more than excited to work together and there is enough fun to keep your reading pals engaged.  There is nothing like seeing the older students guiding the younger learners.

Check out this tool in action and grab this sampler...any summer time you had scheduled to plan for reading pals is no longer needed.  Grab this sampler and get back to some fun in the sun!

Here is a pic of one of the activities that helps the old pal and younger pal get to know each other.  It leads into the perfect tool to enhance understanding of compare and contrast and Venn diagrams.

Here is the entire Reading Pals Interactive Notebook Tool Kit for Grades 1-6.