Get some ideas to keep your students learning while you are away with these emergency lesson plans.
As a teacher, it is your responsibility to have a foolproof lesson plan on your desk ready to go should you not be able to come into work the next day. To not have a lesson plan risks confused students, a frazzled substitute teacher and an irate principal. And it is important to remember that a lesson plan must be foolproof. While many substitute teachers are well able to think on their feet and survive any situation, there are those that can barely manage to take attendance. Keep the less efficient teachers in mind when you make up your plan.
The three easiest choices for substitutes are a video, pop quiz, and games. If you are fortunate enough to teach a subject that lends itself well to video, then keep one in your desk ready at all times. This is the easiest method of keeping the students happy and the substitute sane. A quick pop quiz can be a good way for students to be on their toes and best behavior. Be sure your quiz is self-explanatory and current, though. Otherwise your students will hound the substitute with questions that he or she may not be able to answer. A favorite plan for those unexpected absences is the "˜game' plan.
The Game Plan
The idea is to use anything you are working on and make a game out of it. To accomplish this goal an easy method is to make 5 "˜game' cards each day. You can either do this yourself or have your students do it. Explain what type of questions you would like (multiple choice, fill in the blank, etc.) and ask your students to make up one question each day. Pick the questions you like and keep the cards in your desk where a substitute can find them (and the students cannot) along with directions how the game is to be played. There are several different kinds of games you can do with these cards. Following is an example format you may use. This is merely one of many ways to use games to learn. Another possibility is to allow the students to create the game or use the format of a popular board game. Do try a dry run with the students to get out any kinks in the plan.
Example Plan
Using teams keeps the game going faster. Establishing the teams ahead of time can save your substitute time and headache and also keep the students from being mischievous. Have the students count off or divide the class alphabetically. Or establish the teams yourself according to personality and ability. Games work well on days you have pep rallies or before vacation and you know it will be hard to keep your student's attention.
Some questions will be answered by an individual and others may be a team effort. Assign a point value to each question according to difficulty. Mark the cards with the questions accordingly. Save a few cards to be used a competitive questions meaning that the teams each pick someone to answer and whomever answers first gets the point. If you want to use a timer, then purchase an egg timer or use an hourglass. A timer is a good idea to keep the game "˜fair' and also moves things along quickly. Have the substitute keep score and certify the winner. You may use the game points as extra credit or an assignment for the day. It should not be a "˜winner take all' scenario. Make sure the "˜losing' team does get credit for playing.
Do keep your class' 'personality' in mind when assigning new lesson plans. For some groups of students a game may stir up too much competition. It's best to stick with the video for such classes.
