More beginning of the year things...getting together emergency sub plans! Leaving a video is a hassle for me because the sub needs to track down a TV since they are not allowed to use our Promethean Boards. Instead, I choose a short story from one of the copiable books that I have (this year, mine came from Thematic Short Stories All About Me by Robert Williams and Tracey Kyle). It's difficult to choose a story because you don't know how much your students will know when you are out unexpectedly! I choose something that is above their beginning-of-the-year level, but include a vocabulary list that has the words that they haven't yet learned. You could also use a story that one of your other classes has written.
- Students respond to a question written on the board, and their work is collected after 10 minutes. (This is a focused free write.)
- Students look over vocabulary list.
- I write several sentences that include (currently) unfamiliar vocabulary from the list for students to translate.
- I write several personalized questions for students to answer in order to practice the (currently) unfamiliar vocabulary.
- Students read the story.
- I write 8-10 comprehension questions in English about the story for students to respond to.
- On the photocopy of the story, I divide the text into six parts and label each chunk 1-6. Now, students illustrate each of the chunks in a six-frame storyboard.
- Students write their own story using vocabulary from the list of possibly unfamiliar words.
With 50 minute periods, this is MORE than enough for most students, although some will get through everything. Here is a link to a copy of my plans:
