Supply teacher survival pack!!!?

Question

I have my first supply job next week....i was told that although most of the time there is work left for the class this is not always the case and to go prepared with an emergancy excercise or something....
Any ideas what to take and any advice to help me survive the day??!!
Ps...im secondary and my subject is art although this job is just for general subjects.

Answer 1

I worked with a supply teacher who always gave an extra assignment and pretended that it was from their teacher. As a teacher I do not like that because it could mess up my plans for the next day.

I know others who would get some word searches or crosswords and do it like a race. The first 3 to finish got a piece of candy.

You could also do a word scramble where you give them mixed up words to unscramble. They should work in small groups. The first group done wins. You can make your own puzzles at www.puzzlemaker.com. Or play scattergories in small groups. Give them a category like farm animals. They have 1 minute to write as many as they can come up with. All animals that are repeated are crossed off (for example if I write goat and someone else did the word goat does not count). Those who came up with something that no one else thought of will get a point. You can do several categories. The one with the most points at the end wins. You can choose categories that have to do with the subject you are teaching.

Answer 2

I once was a supply teacher too... so I know how you feel!

First of all take in treats. I used to carry a case of stickers, fancy pencils, erasers (rubbers) and some candy. (you need to be care full with the candy because of allergy's these days). I would show the kids the box first thing in the morning and I would tell them that for those people who's name were NOT on the board at the end of the day they would get a prize. I also would give out random prizes through the day.

I also would play games with the kids. Kids love this and think that they are not doing the work their teacher left. I would play the I have Who has game. I would also play four corners or heads up seven up for those kids who finished their work and co-operated.

You could give them a word (any long word) and see how many other words they can make with that.

Just remember to be firm with them and most of all Have FUN!!

Answer 3

If there is a lesson plan, stick to it.

If there is no lesson plan, come prepared with relevant materials for that age level and class. You could bring in an age-appropriate poem for analysis and discussion in a Language Arts class. I like the idea mentioned above of math riddles and fun problem-solving activities. For a Social Studies/History class you could find out if there is a special holiday happening somewhere in the world that week, and plan an activity around that holiday. The good thing about these types of activities are that they can be modified for each age level- you could have one poem for elementary, one for middle and one for high school; then you'd be set!

Another tactic is to deny the fact that you're a supply teacher (we call them substitute teachers in NA) and tell the students that you're there to do a special presentation on XXX. That way they think you're a guest speaker and they're more likely to respect you.

Answer 4

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Answer 5

English: A good back up is always how many words can you make out of the word "Dictionary" (or a phrase of some sort) as it can be fun and helps with creativity and language.

Maths: Look up some mathematical riddles/posers on the web and do a quiz

Take in small prizes as an incentive (always loved when our supply teachers did this)

Another good fallback is allowing kids to do homework from other classes (as long as they are quiet) because that means that they generally like you and they are doing something productive!

Answer 6

What's a supply teacher? Is that a term used for substitute teachers?