Primary Possibilities: October 2016

Saturday, October 22, 2016

Spiders, Bats, and Halloween... Oh My!

This past week, my students discovered spiders and enjoyed every minute of it! We used Stephany Dillon's Spider Unit. I think spiders are so cool..... but also super creepy!

These are some of my favorite spider books to read during spider week.

The Spider Unit was perfect for my kindergarten students learning about labeling. This spider diagram was included in the unit!

I just love this time of the year. There are so many nonfiction topics to teach!

Stephany also has a nonfiction Bat Unit. I also have purchased it and plan to use it next week!

If you are looking for a fun Halloween emergent reader, check out this one in my store!

Happy Teaching,

Monday, October 17, 2016

Super Simple Sub Plans: Making Life Easier!

Nothing is worse than dragging yourself in before sunrise to do sub plans when you are sick (or you have a last minute emergency)! So many teachers are guilty of forcing themselves through the day when they should have stayed home, simply because writing up lesson plans seems to be more hassle than just going in for the day.

I created these lesson plan packets to help with those mornings. These have been a life saver! You can get them prepared ahead of time and then just pull them out that morning!

Step 1: Create a space for your sub plans. This space could be a filing cabinet drawer or a crate.

Step 2: Purchase the books. You can find all of these books at either Scholastic (points!) or on Amazon. I purposely chose popular books or new books that would be easy to find and purchase.

Step 3: Figure out your schedule for the coming year. For each day, make up a schedule with your lunch, recess, special classes and arrival/dismissal procedures. Divide your instructional time into "chunks" of teaching time. Label each chunk of time as an "Activity #" Here is an example of my really simple sub plans for Wednesday. All of my "other" information that doesn't change (procedures for dismissal, discipline, emergencies) so I keep a copy of that printed and in a binder where it is ready to go.

Step 4: Copy the materials that you feel best suit your classroom. Label them with the activity number cards included in the packet.

Step 5: Place the materials, your lesson plan, and a copy of the book in the file. When you need it most, this plan will be ready and copied for you! Just pull it out for the sub and you are ready to go!