EduGirl 2.0

Sub Tubs and Missing Persons

Back in February I participated in a #kinderchat on Twitter about preparing for absences and planning for subs. In discussing how some of these teachers prepare for a substitute teacher, I heard a new term: Sub Tub. This was an intriguing idea to me, so I did a little online research. Sub Tubs are designed to be put together at the beginning of the year and stored in the room so that they are ready to go if a teacher has an unexpected absence and is unable to create detailed plans for a day or two.

Here are some ideas for what you might include in a Sub Tub for K-3 classroom. These items are likely already required by your school system, and most schools have a template for a folder containing most or all of this information.

• Seating Chart
• Daily Schedule
• Emergency Instructions (fire drill, shelter-in-place, etc)
• A list of kids who are pulled out along with when they leave and return
• An enclosed document marked CONFIDENTIAL that outlines any allergies, medical conditions, or special needs of your students
• School procedures (attendance, hall passes, lunch count, etc)
• Names and room numbers of teachers than can assist them

Then you will want to include academic materials for the day, such as:

• A set of cross-curricular activities that correspond with a picture book.  (For example, check out this 1-2 day plan for grade one revolving around Make Way for Ducklings by RobertMcCloskey.
• Skills Review activities: Games or activities to practice the spelling and vocabulary words for the week, a creative writing assignment, a ziploc of decks of playing cards to play games to practice math facts (see link list below), a simple map activity and a fun, easy science experiment.
• Want someone else to do the work? Check out the Emergency Sub Activities available for sale at Teacher's Clubhouse.

Some other great ideas for a Sub Tub that I found around the web:

• Laminated sheet of wallet sized photos of the kids with names underneath
• A couple of whistles, sealed in plastic, from the dollar store for a sub to use at recess, then keep
• A candy bar or other sweet treat attached to a thank you
• Change for the soda machine
• A form for the sub to tell you how the day went
• A list of the phrases and signals you use to redirect behavior (e.g. "Are you working to keep your star today?" "Give me five.")
• A small baggie with bandaids to save trips to the nurse
• A set (or 2 or 3!) of address labels with students names written on them to use as nametags

If you are a resource teacher, having a Sub Tub might make it easier for you to find a sub. Many subs are not confident that they can teach art or music, but with a well-equipped Sub Tub they are more likely to have a successful day. Check out this article about creating a Music Sub Tub at MENC, the National Association for Music Education.

As a sub this year, I carry my bag of tricks with me every day I am asked to work, but with a good Sub Tub, I don't have to pull as many rabbits out of a hat!

Other links worth checking out:

Math Games using Cards or Dice:

• http://www.kidscount1234.com/ (look for Math Centers and Games in the left column)
• ProTeacher.net - You will need to complete a free registration, but it's worth it for the lists NeeCee posts on this page.
• "The Game that is Worth 1,000 Worksheets" at Let's Play Math.
• New South Wales Dept. of Education and Training - Card Games

Other Links:

• Creating A Substitute Teacher Packet
• Substitute Teacher's Info from Karen's Classroom
• The Sub Tub, Part Trois from The Teacher Geek <---I *love* this idea!

My Life As A Reader

I have not read as much in the past year as I usually do. I am not entirely certain what accounts for this, but there's a good chance it's related to the fact that I started subbing in February. Caring for three kids this past summer probably cut into my reading time as well. I hope to remedy that in 2011.

I am not a slow and steady reader. I can't start a book and read a chapter a night until it's finished. I need more instant gratification. If I start a book I like, I will often stay up into the wee hours a couple of nights in a row until it's finished.

I don't know if I could describe the kinds of books I like in a succinct way. My tastes are eclectic, and sometimes I will enjoy one particular book by an author, but none of their others. For instance, I like Firestarter, but nothing else by Stephen King. I don't like the horror/thriller genre in general. I have a particular interest in India, and I enjoy stories set in India, or about Indian families in the US. I like Christian fiction set in Amish communities, or period stories about feisty women in the late 1800's - early 1900's. I enjoy entertaining non-fiction, like Who Are You People?: A Personal Journey into the Heart of Fanatical Passion in America. I read all of the Harry Potter books numerous times, but I have no interest in anything related to vampires or zombies. I love movie adaptations of Jane Austen books, but I can't plod through her actual books to save my life.

I have a stack of about 20 books on the shelf next to my bed that are waiting to be read. Some are new or best sellers, some were on a "buy three get one free" table. Since I got my iPad, I use the kindle app a lot now. I love to find free ebooks, and I'll try about anything. I have a profile on goodreads.com and I like to see what my friends are reading. I have also recently begun to enjoy their book swapping system.

When I sub in third grade and up, I love to walk around the classroom and see what books the kids have on their desk that they are currently reading. I like to make connections with kids through their reading. I'm not  a stranger for long once I strike up a conversation with a student about the book they're reading. "I loved that book! Which character do you like the best?" or "I've heard that book is really funny, do you think so?" I made a friend for life when I read the back of one girl's book and said, "This sounds great! Would you mind writing down the title and author for me, so I can look for it at the library?" She was so pleased that she helped me discover a book I wanted to read! When I see her in the halls now, she always says hello and tells me what she's reading.

One day I got a very last minute call to sub for the elementary librarian. Due to sudden illness, there were no specific plans. The only class I was uncertain about was the fifth graders. The younger classes were thrilled with a story and discussion, and then time to find a book. I could not envision gathering the 10 year olds on the carpet for a picture book, however. So I took about 20 minutes during a planning time to gather some classic novels, some popular ones, and some often overlooked books. I marked passages at or near the beginning of the story (no giving away key plot points!) in each book I had selected. When the fifth graders arrived, I read them the passages from each book. I had planned to finish each reading with a reveal of the book title and author, but they quickly made it a game to see who could tell first what book I was reading from. I was secretly pleased when I stumped them. After about 20 minutes of rapt attention, I was finished. They begged for more. They offered to bring me their favorites to read to the class. We spent 10 more minutes "previewing" novels. Then I dispatched them to find their books to borrow for the week. About half the class came straight to me to ask for one of the books I had read from. That may be one of my favorite subbing moments ever.