My middle school students this year are very scatterbrained. It seems to take forever for them to get focused at the beginning of class and to find the materials they need when I ask for them during class. When it’s time to get into groups for a lab activity, there is a lot of commotion. Then they have lots of questions about what they’re supposed to be doing. Last year’s classes weren’t like this at all. What can I do?
—Margaret, North Carolina

It’s a common topic in the faculty room: “My classes last year were _____. This year they are so _____.” Teachers fill in the blanks with words such as cooperative, talkative, immature, energetic, needy, noisy, or inquisitive. It sounds like you would use disorganized to describe this year’s students.

For these students, you may need to establish routines to help them get and stay organized. Established routines free up time for more important topics and activities than dealing with logistical issues.

Visualize what a class activity should “look like.” In your mind, go through the activity in slow motion and focus on what the students should do to accomplish the task in an orderly and timely fashion. For example, you might establish routines for students to get their notebooks, access lab equipment, or enter/leave the room. Here are some routines that worked for me.

The beginning of a class period can be hectic as one group leaves, another enters, and the teacher takes attendance and performs other duties. Try posting an “agenda” that students see as they come in. Set aside a section of the board or project the agenda onto the interactive board. The agenda could include the purpose or big idea of the lesson, the activities for the class period, assignments they should have ready for you to check or turn in, and what they need to have ready at their seats (laptop, notebook, paper, pencil, textbook, etc.).

It may take a few days for students to get used to the routine of reading the agenda and getting things ready at their seats. I found that combining the agenda with a brief warm-up activity helped students focus for the rest of the period.

Rather than students selecting different teammates for each activity, use the same lab groups for a while. Assign students to groups, with a promise that you’ll change them in the future. Designate a space for each team to work on lab activities. Appoint one student in each group as the “coordinator” whose job is to get the materials for the activity. He or she should be the only one from the group who needs to move around the room. But you can minimize that movement by having all of the materials for each group in a box or tray. Designate another student in each group to be the “liaison.” This student is the group’s spokesperson and is allowed to ask you questions about the activity on the group’s behalf.

Routines at the end of the class period can help students organize their thinking before going on to the next class. For example, ask the students to complete a brief exit activity before departing.  This can be a written summary in their notebooks about the day’s activities, thoughts about an upcoming lesson, or a reminder of due dates for tests, projects, or other assignments.

When students are learning your routines, you’ll need to demonstrate and model them and provide opportunities for practice. Since the school year has already started, it may take a while for students to catch on to them, but the effort is worth it.

I was recently at a workshop where the presenter used the term “bell-to-bell teaching.” As a student teacher, I was embarrassed to ask what this means.
—Cory, Mobile, Alabama

Teachers can’t control the length of the class periods, but they can control how they use the time they have. The goal should be to maximize the learning time, from the beginning of the class period to the end (bell-to-bell). When I first heard of bell-to-bell teaching, I worried some teachers and administrators might infer teachers should “perform” or take center stage for the entire class period. This seems at odds with the idea that class activities should focus more on what the students are doing. (It also sounds exhausting.) As I reflected on this, bell-to-bell learning made more sense to me.

All class activities should relate to the learning goals of the lesson and ultimately to the theme or big idea of the unit of study. Consider how time can be diverted away from learning:

• At the beginning of each class period, the teacher takes attendance, returns papers, and collects assignments. He expects the students to wait quietly in their seats until he has finished, sometimes taking as long as 10 minutes.
• In the middle of a class period in which students are engaged in a science activity, the principal announces the winners of a school contest or election via the school’s public address system. It takes the teacher a few minutes to get the students’ attention focused back on the activity.
• The teacher returns a test. She reads each question and provides the correct answer with no discussion. She then announces there is not enough time left in the period to start the next unit, so she tells students to use remaining 20 minutes as a study hall.

Teachers can help students take responsibility for using class time purposefully to meet the learning goals through guidance and modeling. One method I found effective was to post an agenda. When the students came into the lab, they knew what the learning goals were, what activities they were going to work on in class, what needed to be turned in, and what materials they needed (pencil, science notebook, paper, textbook, etc.).

Bell-ringers are brief activities used at the beginning or end of the class period to engage the students and focus their thinking. For example, at the beginning of the class when students enter the room, they could answer a question about the previous lesson, read a brief description of the upcoming activity, or use their notebooks to respond to a visual prompt or current news item. This gives the teacher time for taking attendance or checking homework. During the last few minutes of class, students could write a summary or a brief response to a question for the teacher to check for understanding. This also gives the teacher time to scan the room to make sure lab materials are cleaned up and put away. These exit activities get students to focus and reflect, instead of dashing from the end of one class to another without “packing up” their thinking. For more examples of bell-ringers, see my blog post, Activities Get Students Focused

Transitions between activities can also be a source of down time. Class routines can help students to stay on task. For example, students should have routines for cleaning up after a lab activity, turning in assignments, and moving between group work and large-group activities.

Interruptions and distractions are also obstacles to bell-to-bell learning. Cell phones or other devices should be turned off, unless they are being used as part of the lesson. Teachers often can’t do much about school-wide announcements, but you and the administrative staff could discuss how to communicate without unnecessary interruptions.

The day before a long break can be a challenge, too. Rather than a study hall or video, students might enjoy vocabulary games, a discussion of current events, or a lab activity.

When we complain our curriculum has too much to “cover,” why would we give up valuable class time for study halls, videos unrelated to the curriculum, coloring pages, or other busywork? Let’s make every minute count for learning, from the first bell to the last.

Photo: http://www.flickr.com/photos/ms_sarahbgibson/1266617074/

I’m having some classroom management problems in my middle school science classes. I think the classroom itself provides many distractions and contributes to the problem. My middle-school students sit at lab tables, facing each other.  Their chairs spin, they are able to open the drawers and put trash in, they can turn on the sinks, and they can stuff things down the drain. How can I train these kids to sit in a chair and not play with the sinks or cabinets?
—Anne, Postville, Iowa

You might be on to something about the relationship between student behavior and their environment. I taught in a similar situation—seventh grade students sitting at lab tables of four, facing each other. I actually liked this arrangement, because I did a lot of collaborative work and the students didn’t need to move around to work with a partner or in lab groups.

However, I noticed about middle schoolers (more so than high school) all have the fidgets. It’s hard for them to stay still for long periods of time, especially by the end of the day. Expecting these students (or anyone else for that matter) to sit still for long periods of time is unrealistic.

The key is to channel their energy and remove temptations for disruptive or destructive behavior (as you’re thinking). Are there valves at the tables to turn off the water (like on a sink at home)or a master valve for the room? If so, turn off the water except on days it’s necessary. To keep kids from putting trash in the sink, cover the sink with a small board. Attach  the cover to the table with a fabric hook-and-loop fastener, so that it can be removed for labs (and you’ll hear the skritch sound if a student tries to remove it!).  This obviously works only if the water is turned off. It also provides a bit more room on the table for students to work.

Can you trade in the swivel stools for rigid ones (or adjust something underneath to keep them from revolving)? The students will still rock on them, but at least they won’t be making you dizzy. Your bulletin boards should have items related to the unit, so when students are looking at them, they’ll still be focused on science.

My colleague did not use the drawers in his lab tables and they were not lockable. So he took the handles off. He made a wire tool so that he could open them, and he stored old textbooks in them to make them heavy to pry open. And if the tables have electrical outlets—can you turn the electricity off via the circuit breaker? Or at least cover them with outlet covers. (I learned this after a student inserted a pair of forceps into the outlet with “shocking” results—I still see him around town and we can now smile about it 20 years later).

You’ll still need some ways to channel their energy, varying the activities during class: cooperative learning, think-pair-share, bellringers, hands-on activities, notebooks, working at the smartboard, stand-and-stretch breaks. As you introduce an activity, model what it should look (and sound) like. When students are working individually or in teams, walk around the room, patrolling the perimeter to answer questions or provide support. Use an empty table in the back of the room or a desk or two along the side for students who need a time-out from their groups or from the stools or who want to be closer to the front during large group discussions. Establish routines for transitions between events. I used to chant “one, two, three, look at me” to get their attention and re-focus on the front of the room. Sounds silly, but middle schoolers would clap during the “one, two, three” part.

Be sure to differentiate between disruptive or destructive behaviors and those that are simply annoying. For example, I had a student who would unconsciously tap her pencil while she was thinking. Rather than making an issue out of this, I gave her a mouse pad to deaden the sound. Another student found it hard to sit at the end of the day, so I encouraged him to stand in the back of the room instead of rocking on the stool.

But whatever you decide to do, don’t make your classroom environment sterile, joyless, and regimented. Your science classroom should be a stimulating place where you and your students can focus on activities to explore and learn.

Photo:  http://www.flickr.com/photos/40964293@N07/4018106328/

In a previous blog on student teaching, Christina Atton reflected on her student teaching in science. Her cooperating teacher, Ms. Chevin Stone (from Donald E. Gavit MS/HS in Hammond, IN), shares her experiences as Christina’s cooperating teacher.

Chevin Stone

When my principal emailed asking for a volunteer to work with a student teacher in a science classroom, I jumped at the opportunity. Part of me thought it would be great to have a few weeks of not writing lesson plans while advising a new recruit to the fine profession of science education. At the cooperating teachers meeting, I found out I’d only have my student for seven weeks. What could she possibly learn in a seventh grade classroom in such a short time?

She learned about classroom management.

The thing one never learns sitting in a college classroom is how to manage a class. You can talk about the techniques, watch all the Harry Wong videos ever produced, and even watch a veteran teacher work his or her magic in the classroom, but until you have to get students settled, on task and learning, it’s all just talk.

She learned that lesson that hard way. My kids are accustomed to me, the stern, “get it done or die” teacher who can keep the majority of the class on task and still sip her cup of tea without breaking a sweat. The best, most well-planned lesson is for naught however, if you don’t have control of the classroom.

My student teacher found out one night that her supervisor would be coming in first thing in the morning. The class being observed was an honors class of bright kids, some with Attention Deficit Disorder. The plan was for me to stay to take pictures of the center activities she was doing. I’m glad I was there.

In every seventh grade class, it seems there is at least one young man who makes you wonder what makes him tick. In this honors class, I have six like that. Never mind a visitor in the room, never mind I sat between the two groups of three as they worked. Between taking pictures, I quietly kept my “gang of six” on task. They decided, however, “It’s a sunny day, the birds are chirping, the girls look nice, and who cares if there’s ‘company in the house’——let’s put on a show.” Before the class period was over, three notebooks disappeared, a quarter used in one of the centers was reported missing and reappeared mysteriously on my desk, and a student reported all of his personal belonging stolen. On a bright note, the closing discussion went very well. (As part of a lesson on DNA, we discussed whether DNA really proved Osama bin Laden was dead.)

Christina Atton, Student Teacher

I’ve never been so embarrassed in my life. My student teacher corralled the group several times; only to have the “gang of six” find new ways disrupt and cause disarray whenever I moved more than five feet away from them. I even went so far as to haul three of them out of the room and give them one of my patented lectures. I apologized to the supervisor (who, incidentally, had been a professor of mine) and when my student teacher returned from her conference, she was frustrated, irritated, and just downright angry.

Classroom management is not something that can be learned in seven weeks. It takes nearly 4 weeks for a veteran teacher to pin down the nuances of personality and behavior. She’d been dutiful in watching me use various techniques to get the lesson started, moving, and flowing smoothly. I often use centers, which can be a great teaching/learning tool. However, in a large class, it’s important to work the “center magic” in such a way that everyone is on task. Her center-based lesson worked for every class except this one.

I bet she reflected on that experience in her journal for at least two pages.

I’ve been teaching for seven years, and I admit that I have days when classroom management is a hard row to hoe. But then again, as I told my student teacher, this is a science classroom, where we learn by doing inquiry. There’s going to be some chaos, some noise, some disarray.

Well, she learned a lot about classroom management. But what lesson did I learn? I think I’ve learned that I have something to share. There aren’t that many teacher candidates interested in science, so those who choose this discipline are precious to us all as science educators. I’ve learned what is important to me, as an educator and passed that on to her. I’ve learned how to be a mentor.

I’m going to miss her. She’s taught me a thing or two and I had a box full of goodies for her (I love a new curriculum cycle when I have lots of things to give away!) It’s my greatest hope she takes her passion for the craft to places where it is most needed and that her students learn to appreciate and love science as much as both she and I do. This has been fun; I must do it again sometime!

I am trying to decide how to arrange my classroom with 22–27 chemistry students per class. Last year, my desks were arranged in the traditional manner: rows with an aisle. This year I’m thinking of setting the desks up in pods of four or in pairs. Do you have any advice on desk arrangements?
—Melanie, Huntley, Illinois

We’ve all seen pictures of (or even experienced) classrooms where individual student desks were bolted to the floor in straight, orderly rows. This is certainly the exception rather than the rule today. But there are several factors to consider as you explore different seating arrangements.

Safety is a priority. If you’re in a typical chemistry lab, you probably have an area with lab tables and a “classroom” section with individual desks or small tables. This area is probably not as large as a regular classroom, so your placement options are more limited. Whatever arrangement(s) you use, be sure students can enter and exit the classroom efficiently and  backpacks, electrical cords, and other materials can be kept out of the walkways.

Logistically, determine the focal points of the classroom (e.g., whiteboard or projection screen, demonstration table) and be sure that your arrangement allows students to see presentations. Put materials such as handouts, staplers, calculators, or pencils where students can easily access them. If space is tight, count the number of students in your largest class assigned to the room, add one or two to allow for move-ins, and ask if extra desks can be stored elsewhere.

Review student individual education plans to determine any special seating requirements. Make sure seating arrangements can accommodate the visual, auditory, and physical needs of your students as well as any assistive technologies or devices they use. (One year my seating arrangements included space for a student’s service dog.)

No single seating arrangement is “best”—each has advantages and disadvantages, depending on the learning activities. If you use a mixture of instructional strategies in your class, you’ll want to consider using a variety of seating arrangements.

Traditional rows of desks or tables facing the focal point are often used for teacher-centered activities (lecturing, giving directions, or presenting on the whiteboard) or for independent activities (tests, silent reading). Many teachers use this arrangement as the “default.” However, there are “dead zones” in the corners and the back of the room with this arrangement; students in the front center also are more likely to get your attention. While this arrangement minimizes distractions, it also limits student-to-student discussions since students are looking at the backs of other students.

With a U-shaped arrangement, students can see each other, which fosters student-to-student discussions within a large group. This is also useful for teacher-centered presentations, as you can maintain eye contact with all students. As students work, you can zip across the inner space  to provide assistance where needed. For large group discussions, you can close the U into a circle and sit with the students, sending the message that you are part of the discussion. However, this takes up a lot of space, and some students may be easily distracted during independent work.

If you do a lot of collaborative activities, consider pushing desks together. Pairs of desks are good for turn-and-talk activities, and groups of three to four are appropriate for cooperative learning. You can also use the lab tables for small group work, unless equipment and materials are set up for another class. In pairs or groups, be sure students can still see a screen or focal point for instructions or debriefing. This arrangement could be distracting during independent work.

Here are two examples of classrooms I’ve visited where teachers had routines in place to align the seating arrangements with the learning activities:

• Students came into the middle school classroom and sat at individual desks in rows. They worked independently on a bell-ringer activity while the teacher took attendance and then introduced the lesson. The students pushed the desks together in pairs for the first activity. The teacher debriefed with them and then had each pair team with another to form groups of four for the next activity. The teacher monitored the discussions and assisted the groups. At the end of the lesson, the students returned the desks to the rows (default).

• Students in a high school chemistry class sat in a U-shaped formation, oriented to the front of the lab where there was a demonstration table and the whiteboard. The teacher easily maintained eye contact with all students as he presented the material, since no one was “hiding” behind another student. This arrangement was conducive to the think-pair-share activity the teacher frequently used. As the students did practice problems, the teacher looked over their shoulders and assisted when necessary. For group work the students moved to the lab tables. They then returned to the desks for the lesson summary.

Some teachers may worry that changing the seating arrangements, particularly during a class period, is confusing and time-consuming and that students prefer a consistent arrangement. In the classrooms described above, the seamless transition between activities doesn’t happen overnight. The teacher needs to communicate the reason for the change and the norms for appropriate behaviors.

Let us know how your new arrangements work!

Image:  http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2705/4168858547_e03f9d324c_t.jpg

We are applying for a grant to upgrade the technology in our science department, and we’re thinking of buying “clickers.” Do you have any advice?
—Iris, Salem, Oregon

Clickers (personal response devices) look like calculators Students use keypads to respond to a question, often multiple-choice, and the results are tabulated and displayed—similar to popular television game shows that survey the audience and reveal the percentage choosing each response.

Clickers have become quite popular in classrooms at all levels. Unlike a show of hands or holding up index cards, students’ individual responses are not publicly displayed, although they can be recorded on the teacher’s computer. The teacher gets immediate results during the lesson and can modify the learning activities to correct misunderstandings, provide more in-depth examples or explanations, or move on to the next activity.

In a high school class I visited, the teacher was conducting a lesson in which students were solving chemistry problems. The teacher used a variety of instructional techniques, including a graphic organizer and guided practice at the interactive board. When the students indicated they understood the concept, the teacher displayed several problems on the board. The students did the calculations and entered their answers via the clickers. The teacher displayed a graph showing the percentage of students who entered the correct answer. Everyone had the first two answers correct, but several students missed the third one. He used the clicker software to display the number of students who chose each response and noted that one of the incorrect answers had been chosen by quite a few students. He then asked the class to figure out why that answer, although incorrect, was popular. After some thought, one student volunteered, “Maybe they thought Ca stood for carbon and they used the wrong atomic mass.” “That’s what I did,” another student remarked, and so the class experienced not just getting an answer correct, but figuring out the thought processes involved. The teacher knew he could move on to more complicated formulas, and the students were ready for the challenge.

In this class, the clicker system and its software was a component of the interactive board. The clickers were in a storage case, and as the students came into the lab, they retrieved the clicker assigned to them by number. The teacher had a record of responses, and although he did not “grade” these lesson checkups (formative assessments), he could monitor the progress of individual students from one lesson to the next

A middle school math colleague used clicker data to determine which students needed additional help. He worked with those students—re-teaching or providing more guided practice while the others worked on more challenging topics. He certainly could have used a paper-and-pencil quiz, but the immediate feedback gave him more time for the alternative instruction rather spending it checking more than 100 quizzes.  He also used clickers for pre- and post-tests to show the students their progress.

Many college classes use clickers (see the two references at the end), and I’ve used clickers with third-graders who caught on very quickly. I’ve also used them to gather feedback during professional development workshops and at parent meetings to compile their opinions in an attitude survey.

In one project I was involved with, the classrooms did not have interactive boards. The system was portable, with a remote receiver connected to a laptop. A projector displayed the questions. It was a lot of equipment to set up, but we could use it in different venues.

There are many systems to choose from, ranging from simple numeric keypads to more complicated options for entering data. Ask your technology coordinator for input on what system would meet your instructional needs and your school’s technology capabilities. Other questions to consider: Is the system compatible with the test generator/test bank you have? How easy is it to import or copy/paste questions? Can graphics be included in the questions? What kind of analyses does the software perform beyond calculating the percent correct—simple statistics (mean, standard deviation, median), graphs, or an item analysis? Can you export the data into Excel or other statistical programs? Does it produce reports for individual students as well as class summaries? When you’ve narrowed your choices, ask other teachers about their experiences, including teachers in the NSTA Communities (you’ll get a lot of information from your online colleagues).

Regardless of what system you ultimately decide on, it does take class time to administer the questions. You’ll have to adapt or create questions related to the concepts and skills being learned. The systems lend themselves to multiple-choice format (including true/false questions) and would not be useful for open-ended questions or more creative solutions, although I’ve seen ways to capture text messages from cell phones or other devices that sound intriguing.

The clickers by themselves are not a solution to improving student learning. Much depends on the quality of questions that are presented and what the teacher and students do with the results. The clickers can be an expensive, high-tech “quiz machine” or they can be an integral part of a teacher’s strategies to improve participation, determine students’ misconceptions and misunderstandings, and adjust instruction to help all students learn.

Resources:

Clickers in the Large Classroom: Current Research and Best-Practice Tips

Building Acceptance for Pedagogical Reform Through Wide-Scale Implementation of Clickers

Wikis have been called ”the quintessential collaborative tool.” In this article from the February 2010 issue of NSTA Reports, you’ll find out how teachers around the country are using wikis to collaborate with colleagues around the world, as well as to communicate with students and parents.

Do you have a wiki? Tell us about yours, and how you use it to enhance your teaching.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/34053291@N05/3948369923/

When I have a class discussion, it seems to be dominated by a few students or else no one raises a hand. How can I encourage more students to participate?
—Brenda, Warren, Michigan

I suspect every teacher has had class “discussions” turn into seminars with a few students while the others merely watch. Class discussion has a place as a strategy: debriefing after a lab investigation, reviewing, summarizing a lesson, elaborating on content, and assessing what students understand about a topic. A well-crafted discussion involves student-to-student as well as teacher-to-student conversations. However, students have learned that if they don’t raise their hands, the teacher probably won’t call on them or that some students will raise their hands immediately and monopolize the teacher’s attention.

At first, students may rebel against changing these traditions, so explain the reasons for using new strategies. While students may certainly raise their hands, you reserve the right to call on others, too, because you’re interested in what everyone has to say on the topic. You want to encourage more in-depth thinking, get a variety of viewpoints, assess student learning informally, and create a classroom environment where everyone’s questions and contributions are valued.

To call on students randomly or equitably, some teachers use cards or craft sticks with students’ names on them. A chemistry teacher I know uses a random number generator to select students. It is certainly acceptable to call on students who raise their hands, too. Asking a student to be the class scribe and write on the board/interactive board/overhead during the discussion can be another form of participation.

For questions requiring short answers, some teachers ask students to hold up individual white boards or pieces of paper with their response. Signals such as thumbs-up/down/sideways or “clap once if you agree” can provide an opportunity for all students to respond, and this can also be a formative assessment technique. Electronic response systems are an excellent way to get all students participating. You’ll also have a record of the responses. But I’m assuming by “discussion” you mean more than a question-and-answer drill, so you may also want to look at the type of questions or discussion prompts you are using and the type of feedback and comments you provide.

Another effective way to encourage participation is to use wait time. After you ask a question or pose a topic, wait four or five seconds before calling on a student. Some students (including those for whom English is their second language) may need time to compose their thoughts. The first time I tried this, I was astounded at the additional hands raised during those few seconds! Waiting is hard for teachers to do, but the “dead air” is actually thinking time, and research has shown that the students’ responses are often at a higher level of complexity. After a student’s response, use more wait time. During these few seconds the student may elaborate on the response, or another student may contribute. Before you respond, call on other students to follow up: “Do you have anything to add?” or “Do you agree/disagree?” To acknowledge those who did raise their hands, you can say “I noticed your hand was up, too. What were you going to say?”

How should you respond if you call on someone involuntarily who answers incorrectly or with “I don’t know”? Ask a few probing questions for clarification (perhaps the student did not hear the question). Rephrasing the question with different vocabulary may work or smile and say “OK, I’ll come back to you later.” Be sure to do so.

Encourage students to interact with each other by asking questions, elaborating, or disagreeing. The classroom arrangement may contribute to this type of engagement. If students are sitting in rows with their backs to each other, it may be hard to engage them in a lively discussion. For large group discussions, consider arranging the seats in a circle so that students can see each other. If you sit in the circle with them, it sends the message that all voices are valued. Another strategy is Think-Pair-Share, in which students think individually, then discuss the topic with a partner, and summarize or share their thoughts with the class.

It may take a little time for you and the students to adapt to a different kind of class discussion, so give yourself time to try new strategies and model the type of conversations you expect from the students.

Here are some additional resources:
Using “Think-Time” and “Wait-Time” Skillfully in the Classroom
Questioning
Think-Pair-Share
Discussion

I’m a new middle school teacher, and last week I had to miss two days due to illness. When I came back, my classroom was in shambles and it appeared that the students did not do any work. What can I do, short of never missing another day, to make sure this doesn’t happen again?
—Scott, Coeur d’Alene, ID

Substitute teachers are amazing. They get a call the night before or early in the morning to take over classes for subjects in which they might not have experience or credentials. They may be unfamiliar with school procedures or a teacher’s routine. Students may have the notion unacceptable behavior is okay when the regular teacher is out . Sometimes, substitutes find no lesson plans or other materials to help them. And for this, they get a per diem that, after taxes and other deductions, can be quite modest.

“Subs” have a variety of teaching experience: some are new teachers waiting for a full-time position, others are retired teachers who want to teach occasionally or teachers in between positions trying to maintain their skills. If you know in advance when you’ll be out and who your sub will be, you can prepare class activities appropriate for his/her knowledge and skills. But sometimes, as in the case of illness, you don’t have the opportunity to create detailed plans. Having a “sub folder” can be a lifesaver for both you and the sub.

Whether your sub folder is kept in the school office or in your desk, be sure it is clearly marked and up-to-date. Provide a seating chart for each period with the students first and last names, the bell schedules, and emergency procedures (e.g., fire drill directions). Attach the syllabus for each course you teach as an overview of the content and expectations.

Include several days worth of activities that relate to the learning goals for your course. Videos are sometimes overused as sub plans, so be sure any video relates to your course goals and provide suggestions for what students should do or discuss before, during, and after watching it. Unless you know the sub is familiar with the technology in your classroom, or each class has a student designated as the tech assistant, avoid activities involving devices such as the interactive white board or electronic response systems.

Avoid busywork (such as word searches or copying notes or definitions) or directions to have the students “read silently” or “work on other homework” for the entire period. (This would be difficult for them, even when you’re in the classroom!) Activities you weren’t able to get to in a recent unit are good options to include. Some teachers collect magazine articles for students to summarize and share. If your students have access to laptops, they could work independently or in pairs on online activities or to search for information related to a course topic. (NSTA’s SciLinks has suggested websites and online resources, and there is an option to create lists of favorites students can access.)

I liked to use emergency sub time for students to review and use vocabulary (even the non-science subs felt comfortable with this). One of my favorite vocabulary activities is a “word splash.” Using a prepared word list or one the students generate (perhaps from a current event or a picture in the textbook), teams of students write sentences that include two or more of the words. Ask the sub to have the teams chose 2-3 of their “best” sentences to share with the whole class to debrief. In “word sorts,” give groups of students lists of words to categorize with a description of their thinking. In both of these activities, the sub can collect the students’ work or ask them to use their science notebooks.

Even if you are positive the sub is credentialed in science and is familiar with laboratory routines and safety precautions, I would not ask the sub to do a lab investigation with a potential for student injury or requiring chemicals, live specimens, flames, or heat sources.

Include a note in your folder with any routines that should be followed at the beginning and end of the day and during each period (e.g., attendance). Provide a way for the sub to leave a status report of what was accomplished during each class along with any issues, problems, success stories, or suggestions. If, after your preparations, the substitute does not follow your plans or allows students to behave in unacceptable or unsafe ways, you have the responsibility to share this information with your principal.

Good subs deserve respect as professional colleagues and can put your mind at ease when you’re away. For a frequent or long-term sub, a thank-you note or token of appreciation is a nice gesture. I asked some friends doing some post-retirement subbing for additional suggestions. Their ideas included a clean coffee mug to use, phone codes to access the office, the name of a nearby teacher who can assist with questions or problems, and directions from your room to the faculty lounge, main office, and restrooms.