Sub Survival Kit - Tutorial

Two of my best friends just graduated. They are facing the facts that they will probably not have their own classroom come fall. They are both planning on subbing. For graduation, I gave them both Sub Survival Kits. I put a lot of thought and reflection into them looking back over the last 6 months at the things I had used and wished I had in the classroom with me.



Step One - Find a cute bag

You want something that is big and sturdy but not something that you don't want to get messy. Sometimes the classrooms are dirty and you never know what the students might do. This bag came from Dollar Tree. I have several of them that I use for Girl Scouts, Teaching, and carrying my laptop. They are big and strong.





Step 2 - Make a treat jar

I bought a three pack of these left over containers and decorated it with reward stickers that I already had. The containers aren't super sturdy but they will work. Again, you don't want to put too much money into them. I can't tell you how many times I've left my jar in a classroom. Luckily,all of the teachers have saved them for me but you never know.





Step 3 - Fill it with candy!

In this case I basically just took candy out of my own treat jar...But I made sure they had a selection. Whey buying candy, make sure you think about the age of the children. I try to give softer candy or safety pops to the Kindergartners. Also, think about the rules at the school, can the kids have gum? My own treat jar also has small toys, pencil sharpeners, and cap erasers.







Step 4 - Stickers

This step is pretty self explanatory. I cut up some sheets of stickers to split between them and made sure they had a good variety.









Step 5 - First Aid

Now for the basic first aid items: tissues, Hand Sanitizer, wipes and band aids







Step 6 - Note pads

I like to have several types of notepads. There's always something to write down. Behavior problems, other notes to teachers, hall passes etc. I also added safety pins.





Step 7 - Office supplies



A pencil pouch with all of the "little" items. Pencils (sharpened), pens (several different colors), erasers, paper clips, a highlighter, pencil sharpener, and a dry erase marker. Don't assume you'll be able to find these things in the classroom.



Step 8 - Whistle

This is to bring the kids in from recess.



Step - 9 - An activity book

Add an age appropriate activity book. This is great for kids who finish early. You can give them a page to work on quietly.



Step 10 - a game

For the final step I added a copy of my 6 in 1 bingo game. I featured this game a few months back as a give away. It is good for children in kindergarten through 5th and covers math skills from number recognition to division.



Would you like a copy of my bingo game???

Leave me a comment telling me what you like about my blog or how I can improve. Be sure to leave your email address and I'll send you a copy :)



I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!



JoAnne

Sub Plans

I've posted before about the different behavior plans in the classrooms where I sub. Today, I want to write about sub plans. Since every teacher is different and has a diffrent teaching style, it is expected that teachers will have different styles for their sub plans. What amazes me is the vast difference in the amout of details teachers leave.

Since I am a teacher I can pretty much go with the flow no matter what the sub plans, or lack there of, look like. However, I do appreciate plans that give lots of details. When I enter the classroom I want to accomplish everything the teacher has planned for the day. I don't want her to come back the next day to a mess or to find out nothing was done the way she had imagined. With that being said, I am not a mind reader. If you want things done a certain way, please let me know.

Monday I subbed in a Fourth and Fith grade classroom. The teacher had known for over a month that she would be out I know because I had scheduled the day a month in advance. I enter the classroom to find Hand written (or more like scribbled) sub plans that took up 1 1/2 sheets of paper. In fact, I copied them down with this post in mind and in my writing they took up less than one page.

Sub plans for

Monday, April 25

7:30-8:00 Read silently

8:00-8:30 Read Health Pg289-297 answer questions on pg 297

8:30-9:20 Computer Lab/ Special Area

9:20-10:30 Math packets

*Complete and when done read. NO games

10:30-11:20 Science Weekly and finish Health from this morning

11:20 Switch classes

_______________________________________________

11:20-12:05 Math complete Math packet

12:05-12:45 Recess or Lunch

12:45-1:15 Finish Math from ths morning

1:15-1:45 Science Weekly

1:4-2:20 Health Read pg 282-287 discuss and answer ?'s on page 286

That was it. That and a stack of worksheets. Oh yeah and the bus evacuation drill schedule (guess when, right during my planning) No classroom procedures, I had to hunt for her behavior chart. No roster. No seating chart. Not even a "thanks for coming." Obviously her plans left me with a few questions. Especially what she meant my recess OR lucnch. I can only imagine what it would have been like if I wasn't a certified teacher, or if it was my first day subbing. So, I would like to give all of you teachers out there some tip from a sub on what helps us have a productive day.

1. 
   
   Typed sub plans are normally easier to follow double spaced also gives us room to write notes about how the activities went.


2. 
   
   Please leave a list of the classroom procedures (things like entering the classroom, unpacking, sharpening pencils, classroom rules and disipline...)


3. 
   
   Make sure I know what to do about: attendence, homework, tardies, and how to work equipment.


4. 
   
   Make sure I know where to find a roster, dry erase markers, paper, pencils and the emergency kit and procedures.


5. 
   
   A seating chart is wonderful because it allows us to immediately call the students by their name. It also helps with attendance. If you leave a seating chart please make sure it is current. (I've seen some where the room arangement isn't even the same)


6. 
   
   
   

   Please give accurate times for special areas, lunch and recess. Also, let me know what my duties are during these times. Should I sit with the kids, do I have recess duty?


7. 
   
   Finally, please give as much detail as possible when writing your plans. There's no such thing as to many details. Am I supposed to read to them or do they read it? Aloud or silently? Should the work independently, with a partner, or as a whole class? If there's part of an assignment they shouldn't do please let me know, even if it's a section they class normally skips.

There you have it. 7 simple steps to helping ensure your sub has a good day. Many of these things could be typed once and left in a sub folder (just make sure they're still there after each sub visit).

I hope this helps. Let me know what you think!

JoAnne

Behavior Management

Over the past few weeks, my subbing has picked up. Each classroom is vastly different which was surprising to me (but probably shouldn't have been) The schools are even more different. When entering a new school or classroom, I'm given the chance to see how each teacher works. Their behavior plans, their rewards/consequences, and their classroom set up. You can also tell a lot about the teachers by the way their kids act when they aren't there. Here is one thing I've observed this Winter.

One really interesting thing I have observed has been behavior plans. At one of the schools I have subbed at several times, many of the teachers us a clip board for their behavior chart. The chart has each child's name listed and columns for each day of the week. Each of the five days are separated into 5 smaller columns (Warning, Lonely Lunch, No Recess, Note home, Office). If a child misbehaves, the teacher marks in a box by the child's name. This is also coded by which rule has been broken. There are 5 school rules (be respectful, be responsible, be safe, be cooperative, be peaceful.) From what the kids have told me they earn weekly points and loose a point each time a mark is put by their name. I haven't quite figured this part of the system out since I'm normally only in their classroom one day.

What I like about this system: At the end of a crazy day, you are able to remember what the student has done, and why you are writing a note home. You are able to identify patterns. If used correctly. There aren't lots of verbal reminders and you mark by there name after the first warning.

What I don't like about the system: The students constantly ask if they have lost any points. Because the teacher is in control of clip board, the kids don't always know if she is or isn't taking points. When a student has to get up to "flip a card", "change a color" or even right their name on the board they have to, at least temporarily, stop the behavior and move across the room. With the clip board system nothing is stopping the student from continuing the behavior. Even when you tell them "I'm taking a point because you are not being peaceful when you talk during independent reading" seconds later most of the children are continuing their conversations.

By observing these behavior management systems for a few days, I am able to see what I like and don't like and I haven't committed to it in my classroom. Hopefully before I have a classroom of my own, I will be able to come up with a system that meets My students, and my needs.

So, how do you manage behavior in your classroom? Does a student's age matter(would your plan be different if you taught K5 or 5th grade)? Do you pull cards? Move names/clothespins/ spoons? Write rules? Write names? Do you manage it all yourselves or do the children take part in it? Tell us how your system works, what you like most and any problems that have occurred.

I hope you have a GREAT WEDNESDAY! I'll be subbing tomorrow and Friday so I'm sure I'll have some more inspiration by the end of the week :)

-JoAnne