Guest Blogger: Drawing Attention

Please welcome guest blogger Lee Reed.

Last week I was told there was an opening to fill in for an art teacher. Of course, I accepted the assignment and walked down to the art department to talk to Mary, the art teacher. What I saw and experienced there brought back old memories. There wasn't a surface anywhere that didn't have a paint or marker stain on it. Not only that, it smelled like an art department with the faint smell of turpentine permeating the air. Mary is an attractive woman in her fifties whose hair is completely gray and always a bit disheveled. She told me that she normally left a video for the kids to watch. For some subs, this might seem like a dream assignment, but I don't care for it. I would much rather teach something. Studies have shown that the average student spends an entire year under the tutelage of a substitute between kindergarten and high school graduation. We simply can't afford to waste that time.

I explained to her that I had some background in the arts and would like to try to teach something. She liked the idea, knowing her students really didn't like videos any more than I did. She told me she would leave the decision up to me and suggested I email her with my ideas.

Over the weekend I thought a lot about what I would do. My thinking took me back to my early days in the art world. I took a course in photography my first year in college and fell in love. I wanted to make it my major but was intimidated by the amount of art courses I would have to take: drawing, painting, sculpting, and more. With little experience in those areas, I worried I couldn't hack it but was willing to give it a try. What I learned and what I hoped to pass on to the kids in class, was that there were things that could be said through art that are nearly impossible to say with words. I was hooked, and I hoped I could hook a few of the kids in class.

The question that plagued me was this: how was I going to help these students see that in the space of one 50 minute hour? I remembered a lesson plan I had seen created by Ray Appel. Ray is a math teacher at the Rochester Elementary School. When he isn't busy teaching math and creating products to help other math teachers, he loves to cartoon and has put together a series of lessons on cartooning that he offers for free on his website.

I ran the idea past my wife, who loved it. (She's a university professor with a doctorate in education, so I value her opinion highly.) I also ran the idea by Mary, who was also in favor of the strategy. In my opinion, it was a strategy I could teach in a short period of time that might just spark an interest in the arts at a new level. Cartoons are relatively simple to draw even if you have limited artistic skills, and they can easily be manipulated to express a great many emotions. It looked like a good strategy for getting some kids involved in the arts that might normally feel welcome there.

The day of the sub assignment came and I told my story. Mary had written my name on the board up front under the heading “Guest Artist.” I explained why I thought cartooning was something they might really enjoy. I showed them how simple it was to make a face and how to manipulate the features. Then I gave them the rest of the hour to draw six faces representing six different emotions. Then I walked around the room to see what they were doing and offer encouragement.

I was pleasantly surprised at what I saw. Most were taking the assignment seriously. Some students clearly had some skill and were doing some amazing things. Others were doing the bare minimum to meet the requirements so they could go back to socializing with their friends. What pleased me most, however, was the few that did not have a lot of talent but saw this as a kind of back door to the art world. They had paid attention to my instructions and were working hard to make images they could be proud of. These were exactly the students I had hoped would benefit most. As far as I was concerned, the lesson was a success regardless of the results. However, if I was happy at the beginning, I was happier still when I saw what the class created. Some of the work was truly outstanding. Enough so that I was happy I had taken the risk.

My experience is that there are a lot of remarkable resources available on the Internet these days. I do my best to seek out the good sources, particularly the good free sources of information for teachers. Ray Appel is but one example of what is available. I can't promise that everything will work as well, but I think you'll be impressed with what is out there if you know where to look.

Lee Reed is a father, grandfather, and substitute teacher working on his credentials to become a full time teacher. Mostly though, he is a patient observer of life's ironies and loves to write about his experiences, especially those that have taught him important lessons. You can see more of his writing at Teaching a Day at a Time or check out his new book, The Substitute Teachers Toolkit.

The Gingerbread Man Is Not Just for Christmas

The holidays are over, and I've been back at school for a week. I wanted to take some time to share with something my class did leading up to the holidays. Although holiday-ish, it is my no means limited to holiday time. Many of you may be able to use this in your classroom. And even for substitutes in a long-term position (or even a day or two), this can be a great reading and writing activity.

When deciding what to do in the month of December, I was a little worried since over half of my students do not celebrate Christmas. I wanted to do something that brought the feeling of the month of December, however. I ended up using The Gingerbread Man.

I started the unit by reading as many different versions of The Gingerbread Man as I had. Here are a few I used, but there are so many great ones out there.



We discussed the story structure, analyzing all the parts. We even used a Story Map I found on Teachers Pay Teachers for the students to write out all the parts.

Then I gave them blank copies of that same story map to start planning out their own versions of The Gingerbread Man. The students then used that map as their plan to write their rough draft. They finished off the writing process by revising and editing and writing their final copy on clean notebook paper (fronts only) and stapling the pages together at the top.

To publish the project, I had the students create their main character. I had bought fun foam gingerbread shapes at Michael's that they could use if they chose a gingerbread character. And I just made lots of different colors of construction paper available for decorations or character creating if it wasn't a gingerbread character. Finally, it was all glued on a large sheet of red construction paper. The results were awesome!

Here are some of my favorites. Now, don't look too closely at grammar and spelling. I have mostly ESL students, so those are not their strengths.

First, meet Cheesey Cheese Man.

And this is Gingerbread Cowboy (as in Dallas Cowboys) with Eli Manning and other professional athletes such as Tim Duncan and Tony Parker making cameos in the story.

This is Gingerbread Fisherman. I really loved how this students brought her own interests into the story.

Here is Ninjabread Man. Although, this was an example I gave, so it may not win super creativity points, I thought the student's execution of both the story and the costume were excellent.

And finally, let me introduce Pizza Man. My favorite part of this story was her refrain of, "I'll run and I'll run with my pepperoni twist. You can't catch me. I am the Pizza Man." OK, it doesn't rhyme, but I sure loved that "pepperoni twist" part!

The Power of Storytelling

Yikes! It has been forever since I blogged. I sure hope I remember how. Things are going great in my first year of teaching, but as expected, things are crazy busy. I feel like I am desperately treading water, and the time just flies by each day. I look back each day, hoping that I taught the students something, but hardly remembering all the lessons we did. The good news is that I do feel like I am keeping my head above water... I am certainly not drowning, but it's not a leisurely swim either.

I had a realization this week about my style of teaching. I have a student who goes to the extra help room for every independent work assignment. So, he is with me for the lesson, and then goes to do the work in The Learning Center, or TLC. This week I sent him with a math workbook page practicing multiplication with zeroes using mental math and turning them into 2x1 multiplication problems.... things like 80x2,100 or 90x500. The teacher in TLC called me to ask how long we'd been doing 2x2 multiplication because the student wasn't getting it. I explained to her that the way I had taught it was not as a 2x2, but as a 2x1, adding the zeroes at the end. And I told her the story I told my students... the story of ghost zeroes.

As I was teaching how to work the problem 80x2,100, I concocted a story of ghost zeroes. I suppose I was inspired with Halloween approaching. I wanted the students to set the zeroes aside, but not forget them, so I told the students they were ghosts who flew away temporarily so that we could work the 2x1 problem of 8x21. And then the ghost zeroes flew back at the end to give us our final answer. I even rewrote the problem with dotted zeroes instead of solid ones.

That's when I think I really realized the power of storytelling. Students who had been struggling to grasp the concept caught on right away. Even my true strugglers who joined me at my small group table for independent work time, caught on. All I had to say was where are your ghost zeroes, and they wrote the problem just the way I had and got the correct answer.

Then I thought some more and realized, I tell A LOT of stories when I teach. Whether I am weaving them to "explain" a concept, telling the story of something that happened in history, or telling a personal story to help relate a concept or bring it to life for the students, I tell stories. And I don't just stand there droning on. I TELL the story... I am really quite spazzy. I think it helps hold my students' attention and keep them interested in what we are talking about. And hopefully the end result is that, not only do they learn the concept, but they remember the story and take it with them forever.

Whether you are classroom teacher, substitute teacher, specialist, or support teacher, you can always use storytelling to help your students understand anything. All it takes it a little creativity and some energy to tell it.

Attention, Please!

One of the most important skills a teacher needs to have is the ability to get the attention of the class. And, that is no less important for subs... in fact, it might even be more important. Classroom teachers typically have their go-to attention getters, and they know that it is vital to teach these attention getters at the beginning of the year. It's no good announcing, "Give Me 5!" And then the students are confused about what that means.

As a sub, I usually try to figure out what attention getters the students are familiar with... and especially what ones the classroom teacher uses. Those will be the easiest ones to use since the students were taught how to respond to them. Some ways to figure that information out are to ask another teacher on the team, or ask a reliable student. If finding out is proving difficult or if the one used is not one you are comfortable with, then I highly recommend choosing one of your own and spending the first moments in class teaching that skill. How do you go about teaching students to respond to an attention getter?

1) Tell Them. They need to know what attention getter you will be using. Tell them you will use Give Me 5, a quiet sign, a bell, or whatever you choose. And post that information somewhere so the students will be reminded.

2) Teach Them. Then you must let them know what you expect them to do when they hear the attention getter. I like to use students as examples. Little ones often respond to using a stuffed animal as a model. Walk the students through the expected behavior. For example, in a call and response attention getter, the students need to know what to say to say after you give the cue. And they need to know that after they give the response, then they must look at you and be ready to listen.

3) Practice! Finally, you must practice. Give the students something to do, then after a few minutes use the attention getter. Be sure to give feedback like "Not bad. Let's try again." Or "I love the way the red table came to attention immediately. Let's keep trying." Practice multiple times until you feel confident that every student knows what to do. Keep in mind, you may have to remind them throughout the day.

Here are the Attention Getter Posters I made. I did a set in a Polka Dot Theme and a set in a Monkey Theme. They are only $1.50 for nine posters that have the sayings of:
• Give Me 5: The teacher says this and holds up 5 fingers that stand for stop talking, sit up straight, feet on the floor, hands still, and eyes on me.
• 1, 2, 3 Eyes On Me: The teacher says this, and students respond "1, 2 Eyes on You."
• Hocus Pocus Time to Focus: The teacher says "Hocus Pocus," and students respond with "Time to Focus."
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom: The teacher says "Chicka Chicka," and the students respond with "Boom Boom." This one is good one for kinder and firsties since it's based on the alphabet book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.
• SALAME: This is pronounced like the Italian lunch meat. The teacher says SALAME, which stands for Stop And Look At Me. I usually accompany this one with my hands around my eyes like binoculars.
• All Set You Bet: The teacher says "All Set," and students respond "You Bet"
• If You Can Hear Me (Follow Directions): The teacher says, "If you can hear me, put your hands on your head" or whatever action you choose. The students follow the directions to show they are listening.
• Class Yes: This one is from Whole Brain Teaching and has lots of variations. The teacher says "Class," and the students respond "Yes." 
• Blank poster for you to write a favorite of yours if it is not included.

I have my favorites laminated and carry them to my sub jobs. Then I can just pull out the one the teacher uses or I plan to use and post that on the board.

One last piece of advice. Don't use the attention getter too much or the students will tune you out. If they are having trouble coming to attention, then you probably need to practice more.

Therapeutic Thursday and Freebie Friday

OK, I know it's Friday and I missed Therapeutic Thursday, so I thought I'd combine the two. First for the therapy. Teaching is hard, and substitute teaching can be even harder in many ways. It is very important that you remember to take time for yourself to decompress and remind yourself of the positives.

Here are some things I do:

• Focus on my own family. I have a supportive husband and delightful children, so when I need to be uplifted, I look to them. They always can make me laugh, give me a hug, or listen to me whine.

• Food and drink. I know, it's not the healthiest of responses... chocolate and wine. But, a good ooey gooey chocolate dessert will do wonder to lift my mood. And a glass of wine in the evening always helps take the edge off and help me relax.

• Focus on the positive. I keep a gratitude journal and try to write in it every evening. I try to list at least five positive things about each day. Sometimes, I have to reach to come up with a positive, but I promise they can always be found. One day I had to reach so far as to write, "I am thankful that the puddle of water I just stepped in was not a dog mess." Ha! It was true, though.

• Soaking in a bubble bath. I a bath kind of girl. Running a hot bath full of coconut-scented bubbles and reading a good book does wonders.

• Getting enough rest. This can be a hard one sometimes too, but I promise that being tired obscures your perspective. It is truly amazing what a good night's sleep can do for your spirits.

• Having a good cry. Sometimes you just have to let it out.

• Quote mongering. I love to read quotes. Somehow, they let me know that I am not alone in what I am feeling. Here is one of my all time favorties (I have even turned the "dance in the rain" part into my mantra):

Now, for the freebie part. Yay! Those of you who have been following me for a while know that I love to post freebies! Just take a look in my Teachers Pay Teachers store under the FREE category to find 18 (and growing) products for free. Sub plans for grade K-5, a gingerbread unit for the holidays, and plenty of other holiday and other activities. So, go grab all your free stuff and enjoy!

To find plenty of other freebies or link up a post yourself, visit Blog Hoppin'.

Where I Teach (Sub) Wednesday

Wednesday on Teacher Week from Blog Hoppin' brings Where I Teach Wednesday. Since I am a sub, I teach in multiple places. But, where I teach is in San Antonio, TX in the largest school district in the city. and the fourth largest in the state of Texas. And before you ask, no, we don't ride horses to school. And yes, the Alamo is right smack dab in the middle of downtown, not out in a field somewhere like you'd imagine. And yes, I do actually get asked those questions. :-)

I sub in K-5 classes where class sizes are usually 20-24 students. Texas is one of the few states who has not adopted the Common Core State Standards, and I don't think the state ever will. In true Texas tradition, the state does its own thing and curriculum is driven by the TEKS or Texas Essential Knowledge and Skills. As I have become familiar with both, there is quite a bit of crossover, but the TEKS are more specific and detailed... and they are available for every subject.

An elementary school day is from 7:45 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. Students are taught all the regular subjects, plus go to special rotations every day. The specials alternate with PE every other day, and the others of computers, art, and music on the non-PE days.

Recess is usually about 15-20 minutes long, which if you ask me is not nearly long enough. Students who qualify can also be pulled out to receive speech therapy, gifted education, and extra help from the reading or math specialist.

Someday soon, I hope to have a classroom to call my very own, but until then, I am proud to sub in best district around!

To see where others teach or link up a post yourself, visit Blog Hoppin'.

Teacher Week: Technology Tip Tuesday

Happy continuing Teacher Week from Blog Hoppin'! Today is Technology Tip Tuesday, which is a little tricky for subs. Sadly, many subs don't have access to the computer or other of the latest  technology. I don't unless I am in a long-term position. So, I will leave the computer tips to other Blog Hoppin' bloggers. And today I will give you a couple of simple tips using the old school technology of the overhead projector and the CD player.

My first tip is for the overhead projector. I am guessing if there is one in the room, a sub probably has access to it. I personally am not a huge fan of the overhead projector, but I have learned a few things that make it more useful. First, DO NOT turn off all the lights. You are asking for trouble. I turn off one set of lights at the front of the room if possible to make the screen more visible, but keep enough light in the room. Second, get the students involved. They have to have something to do, whether it's completing some work as a whole class, solving problems on white boards or in journals, or taking notes. My favorite thing to do using the overhead is to not just give the students something to do, but to get them involved. If I am doing math problem solving, I put the problem on the overhead, and give the students some time to do the first step in their math journal. As students finish, I give them a sheet for the overhead and an Expo pen and have them copy their solution on that. Then I give students a chance to come up to the overhead and share their solutions. It's amazing how much they love writing and sharing on that overhead! It definitely helps keep them engaged!

My second tip is for a CD player. Again, if there's one in the room, the sub probably has access to it. Anyway, I am a believer in the power of music setting the mood. I like to have a CD with various songs on it. Then I can pop the CD in a play appropriate music to set the mood as I want. It's truly spectacular how much more calm and focused students are if you play some classical music. I use it during writing time especially. Transition times are a great opportunity for music. And, of course, to use a few songs here and there for a brain break. Giving students an opportunity to get out of their seats and move a little does wonders for the wiggles and lack of focus.

To see other technology tips or link up one yourself, visit Blog Hoppin'.

Teacher Week: Must-Haves Monday (The Sub's Take)

At Blog Hoppin, we are celebrating teacher week, and today is Must-Have Mondays. Of course, I will be putting a sub's spin on it.

As a sub, I absolutely, positively cannot live without my cell phone. It's how I get jobs. Now, mine is not fancy, but it doesn't have to be. It just has to answer and make calls.

The second thing I can't live without is my alarm clock. How else would I be able to get up at the crack of dawn to make it to a school across town to sub?

Finally, I must have my sub bag filled with all the things I will need during the day.

What do I carry? Everyday, I have my coffee. I would be nothing without that. Ha! I also bring my own pens, pencils, sticky notes, etc. 

Classroom management items are a must for any sub. I carry some Caught Being Good forms, my punch card positive behavior system, and my treasure bag.

I also have business items. My calendar is important because often teachers stop me in the hall or lounge and ask if I am available for another day. My calendar allows me to answer and schedule more jobs right then and there. I always have my handy dandy notebook... just in case. And I make sure to have a Daily Summary Form to report to the teacher how the day went.

Finally, I make sure to have on hand some extra activities and plans for those just-in-case moments. There are those times when plans don't take as long as expected or the teacher had an emergency and was unable to leave to plans. If you have meaningful things for the students to do, you will never have to panic. I love to have a picture book or two with a couple of graphic organizers that would work for any book. Laura Candler has an amazing book filled with graphic organizers.

If you need emergency sub plans, check out my store. I have a set of free plans for grades K-5.

I have a set of Just Add Paper plans for grades K-5 for those true emergencies... you don't even need to make copies for these plans.

And there is a set of CCSS Emergency Sub Plans for grades K-4 that have a day's worth of lessons based on one picture book and aligned with the Common Core.

Go check out Blog Hoppin for other teachers' must-haves. What are your must haves?

Subs, Never Fear... Back to School Is Here

Or is coming soon. It can be a really long summer when you are a sub, and there is no income... only outcome. But, don't worry! Classrooms will soon be (or possibly already are) humming. And with that humming comes the need for subs.

I used to think back-to-school time would be slow for subs. But that is not necessarily the case. While I have never met a teacher who really wants to be out as school starts (at least seriously... lots joke about it), those unforeseen absences have no idea that it is just the start of school. Emergencies don't know teachers are trying their best to build relationships with students, establish procedures and routines, and overcome the summer slide so they can get to work as quickly as possible helping those students grow, learn, and reach this year's potential.

So, teachers, make sure your emergency sub plans are ready and that a teammate knows where they are. And, be ready as a sub! One year I even got a call for the first day of school! And this year I have already been asked to cover a day in the first week of school even though school doesn't even start for my district until August 27.

If you are an established sub, just make sure you have done what your district requires to renew your subbing status.

Check your wardrobe. If you are like me, your weight may not have stayed the same over the summer, so double check that you have professional, school-appropriate clothing ready that fits.

If you are a new sub or a sub wanting to expand your schools or jobs, then you may want to print up some business cards and visit your target schools. Check in at the office to see if they will distribute them for you, or better yet, ask if you could visit classrooms to introduce yourself to teachers. If a teacher has met you and has your business card, they will be much more likely to call on you.

Finally, make sure you have your sub bag ready with all your necessities. You can see what I normally take in my sub bag in this post. One thing I am going to add this year is a pencil sharpener. One of my biggest challenges each day is students' broken pencils. And it seems that every classroom I am in has a pencil sharpener that doesn't work. I broke down last year and bought a $70 electric sharpener from an office supply store. That works great when I have long-term jobs (although it is not quiet by any means), but there is no way I can haul "the big mama pencil sharpener" on a daily basis. I have found one that is small enough to be portable for a sub to tote, works great, and is so much cheaper than those other fancy sharpeners! You may have seen it on other blogs because lots of teachers love it.

It's the Classroom Friendly Pencil Sharpener. It sets up easily, although it took me a minute to figure out how to set it up. But you don't even have to set it with the provided clamp. Because of the nifty pull-out, pencil-holding contraption, you don't even need to hold the pencil while it sharpens. You can use that hand to hold the sharpener steady while turning the handle with the other. And, let me tell you, it sharpens the pencils perfectly! None of that caddywampus, one-sided sharpening like so many others do. It even comes in a sturdy, reuseable plastic box that makes it easy to transport without making a mess.

It's not totally silent, but it is one of the quietest sharpeners I've ever heard. And I know you've been in the middle of teaching and heard that annoying whir or grinding or traditional pencil sharpeners. I think it's possible for a student to sharpen a pencil during a lesson and not being overly distracting with this one!

It would be nice if it came with instructions, but like I said, it wasn't terribly hard to figure out. One other possible downside is that there is only a one-size hole for the pencils. So, if you sub in classrooms where they use the thicker chunky pencils, this wouldn't work.

But overall, I feel this sharpener is definitely worth the money. I will most certainly be carrying mine every day that I sub since the pencil issue is a huge pet peeve of mine. There's one subbing problem easily solved!

Happy Birthday to Sub Hub!!!

Awwww! My baby is one year old today! They grow up so fast. It seems like just yesterday when Sub Hub was just a little bitty baby, and now it's grown into a bumbling toddler. Ha! Where did the time go? Starting Sub Hub has been such a good experience in my life. I thought to celebrate my cute little blog's birthday, I would do two things. First, what I know you all love... a freebie! I made (what else) a birthday freebie.

This is my You Are Special Classroom Birthday Card to celebrate your students' birthdays. Print one out (the two pages, front and back) and fold the card in half. Then the birthday kiddo's classmates can sign the card saying something that they like about the birthday kiddo. Now, the birthday kiddo has a special momento of their day.

The second thing I wanted to do to celebrate Sub Hub's birthday is to take a look back... a sort of Sub Hub retrospective. I have chosen my favorite post from each month that Sub Hub has been around. So, take a look back at the first year in the life of Sub Hub.

August 18, 2011 Give Students a Punch... No, Not That Kind. This is a quick and easy classroom management system that works well for one-day subs.

September 5, 2011 Easy Classroom Birthday "Presents." Of course, I had to choose another birthday post to give you another option to celebrate.

October 29, 2011 Easy (and FREE) Multiplication Lapbook. This is one of my all-time most popular posts. This lapbook template has been downloaded thousands of times. And I love that it has been able to help so many!

November 20, 2011 Run, Run, Run As Fast As You Can... And Catch These Gingerbread Lessons. Another super popular freebie, great to use in those last couple of weeks before Winter Break.

December 18, 2011 Filling Holiday Downtime with Snowman Stumper. A holiday twist on Hangman.

January 13, 2012 Need Tips of Getting Sub Jobs? I offer suggestions from my experiences that have earned me a good reputation as a sub and keep the calls coming in.

February 8, 2012 You Need a Thneed... and Some Free Lorax Lessons. By far my most popular post/freebie/lesson I have ever created!

March 5, 2012 Personal Word Walls. Classroom idea for differentiated personal word walls inside file folders.

April 9, 2012 Discover the Natural World for Earth Day. A hands-on idea perfect for Earth Day.

May 15, 2012 Let This Year's Students Help You Transition Next Year's Students. A freebie advice book template for the end of the school year.

June 25, 2012 When Subbing, Set the Tone Early. A helpful tip to get your subbing off on the right foot.

July 17, 2012 Feeling Swamped. A free Swamp Powerpoint Presentation.

Well, there you have it. Twelve months of blog posts highlighted. I have to close by saying thank you to everyone who has helped me and follows me. I owe a big shout out to Lorraine at Fabulous Fourth Grade Froggies. She is my friend in real life who started her blog around the same time as I did. She was gaining followers way faster than I was, so I asked her for advice. And she gave me the best suggestion ever. She hooked me up with Charity of The Organized Classroom Blog and so many more, but also Teaching Blog Traffic School. Between her blogging course, her friendship and support, and the collaborative connections I made within that group, my little baby blog grew up to be a healthy toddler. Also big shout outs to all the teacher-bloggers and Teachers Pay Teachers sellers. So many have helped Sub Hub along. It would certainly not be the blog that it is without the support of countless teacher-bloggers. I count myself lucky to be able to be a part of such a supportive and helpful community. Here is my Pinterest board listing this great community. Teacher-bloggers rock!

We All Fit Together

As it gets closer to back to school (some of you may even have started already), all teachers must keep in mind how to create a caring classroom. Laura Candler at Corkboard Connections has some fantastic ideas and has even created a linky party for others to share.

So, I thought I would share an activity I have often done to help foster a classroom community. I have even done this activity as a long-term sub. I call it the We All Fit Together Puzzle Classbuilding Activity. Each student decorates and cuts out a puzzle piece. I always tell them to make sure they include their name and something about them. Then I mount all the puzzle pieces together on a poster board with the title "We All Fit Together." Students love seeing how the pieces fit together and how the other students have decorated their pieces.

Love a Good Deal!!!

My husband and daughter headed off this morning to see "The Dark Knight Rises." So, I wanted to do something special for my son who in my opinion is too young to watch Dark Knight. He requested we head to the mall. Any trip to the mall is not complete without a stop at Barnes & Noble, so of course, that's where we ended up. While he headed into the children's section, I perused the 75% off display... just in case. And I was not disappointed! Look at these cool books I found ranging from $2-$4! How could I pass up these gems?

Immediately my teacher brain started thinking of how I could use them in a classroom. I can see them used as a springboard for a whole class writing warm-up, in a writing center, or as a creative outlet for early finishers. I'm sure there are so many more ways they can be used.

The one on top is called Yamodo Monsters and Aliens. It is a spiral-bound book with perforated pages. It comes with a pen. On each page is a nonsense word that sounds like it could have something to do with a monster or an alien. Also on each page is a squiggle and a sentence to complete. For example, the first page says "romatoid" and has a squiggle of two rectangle. The object is to decide what the word means and to turn the squiggle into a picture of the meaning. Then write out the definition.

The large blue book is called Squiggle Monsters. Open this one up and it has three spinners — one for a squiggle that you draw and two for monster characteristics such as "big bug eyes," "hairy toes," and "2 tongues." There is a small dry erase board in the center with six markers hidden underneath and a dry-erase fact sheet on the right. You spin the spinners, incorporating your three things into a monster, and then complete the fact sheet about it.

The smaller Squiggle Mix Up book is very similar to Squiggle Monsters, except the squiggle is drawn for you, and the drawing happens using paper and pencil. You spin the top spinners that each list different kinds of animals. Then you morph the two animals into one using the squiggle already provided.

With all of these, I think the next step in a classroom would be to write a story about your new creation, tell about its adventures, and describe its challenges. My son is currently working on his third monster in a group of monsters destined to become friends and have many adventures. My son has never been excited about writing, and he is busily telling me about all the things these monster friends will accomplish. What a wonderful outlet for creativity in thinking, drawing, and writing, while at the same time practicing some writing skills. How often do students really get to explore their imaginations anymore?

If your Barnes & Noble does not have these books and you are looking for them, here is an Amazon link. And I discovered, there are also several other versions of each available.



What a fun time filler for subs too. I think at least one of these will be coming with me everyday I sub.

Blog Swap and Hop: Have Some Time to Fill? Mandy Has a Freebie for You!

A big Sub Hub welcome to Mandy of Mandy's Tips for Teachers!

You can find my Blog Swap and Hop at Lessons with Laughter.

I am so excited to be posting over here at Sub Hub! We are participating in the Top Teachers' Blog Swap and Hop. What a great opportunity to find new ideas and new blogs to follow!  

Before getting started, I want to take the time to introduce myself. My name is Mandy and I am the
author of Mandy's Tips for Teachers. I am getting ready to enter my 10th year of teaching. Typing that amazes me. I still feel like I am learning so much sometimes!! This year I will be teaching second grade, but I have taught second, third, and fourth grade in the past.

Here is a picture of my baby girl and me!

And, this is my blog: 

My post today is about time fillers and killers when subbing. Before I started teaching in my current district I was a a substitute in a different district.  Even though I had spent a good time with the kids in the class I subbed in, I hated when the plans ran short or when there was an odd few minutes. I have put together a few simple games that require very few materials (if any) to fill the time. Some are just for fun and can be a reward and others can be academic.

The three activities in the packet are:

Silent Ball. This game is a great way to end the day as a reward or spend a rainy day recess. Both boys and girls love it! The only material needed is a soft Nerf or squishy ball. I used one of those stress balls that was shaped like an apple.

Four Corners. Classic game with an academic twist.

Guess My Magic Number. This is a math game that kids love and develops number sense! Win-win situation!

Click on the picture to get a copy of all the three games and directions!

Also, a few months ago I blogged about how I organize all of my emergency sub materials into a handy binder. I didn't want to recycle an old post (it just didn't seem nice!), but thought it might be of some interest here.  If you would like to read more about it here.

I hope you enjoyed my post and find the games meaningful and useful. If you are not yet a follower of my blog, I am formally inviting you to come over check it out! Thanks so much for being with me here today. Enjoy the rest of your blog hopping adventure!

Thanks for having me, Rachel!

Top 3 Things To Make a Sub's (and Your) Life Easier

It may never have crossed your mind. Or you may not even care. But there are some simple things you can do to make a sub's life easier. And if the sub's life is easier, then your return will be easier as well. So, it is in everyone's interest to try a few things. Here are my top three things a teacher can do to make a sub day go more smoothly.

1. Lesson Plans! By far the most important thing to me is to leave meaningful lesson plans. Make sure your lesson plans cover your curriculum and don't include too much (if any) busy work. Students know when an assignment is busy work, and I guarantee it makes classroom management much more difficult. Make sure the lesson plans fill the time allotted for each subject or class and even include some extras for those just-in-case times. Yes, good subs will be able to wing it, but as we all know, you are not always guaranteed to have a good sub. Make those lesson plans as detailed as possible. Note things such as where students are to turn in assignments, if they are allowed to work in pairs or groups, etc. And please, please, please don't ever write the sentence: "The students know what to do." I guarantee you students either don't know what to do or pretend not to know when a sub is there. In my experience, free time and unknowns are the times when things can turn disastrous, so eliminating those two things with good lesson plans go a long way toward things running smoothly.

2. Leave a seating chart. It makes attendance easy, and helps the sub be able to learn names easier. And if possible, have nametags on desks (I realize teachers of higher grades don't do this). It makes it more difficult for students to pull the old desk switcheroo trick.

3. Leave helpful names and phone numbers. Make sure to list which students are dependable helpers and a list of helpful teachers as well as other names and numbers such as the office, nurse, discipline person, etc. That way as problems arise, the sub will know who to ask for help.

I know that if an absence is unexpected, these things aren't always possible. But if you know ahead of time that you will be out, then doing these three things will solve many of the problems that could and do arise when a sub is in the room. And remember, the easier you make things for the sub, the better shape your students and room will be in when you return.