Substitute Folder - Creating a Teacher Packet

Substitute Folder - Creating a Teacher Packet A substitute folder is an essential resource that all teachers should have prepared and clearly labeled on their desk in case they are absent. This folder should provide the substitute with important information to help them teach your students throughout the day. What to Include in Your Substitute Packet The following list includes  general items to include in your substitute teacher packet: Class List:  Provide a class list and place a star next to the students that can be trusted to help the substitute with any questions they may have. Teacher Schedule:  Provide a schedule of any duties that the teacher may have (bus duty, hall duty). Attach a map of the school and mark the spots where theyre assigned to go. Class Schedule/Routine:  Include a copy of the daily routine. Provide information such as how attendance is taken and where it should go, how student work is collected, when students are able to use the restroom, how students are dismissed, etc. Classroom Discipline Plan:  Provide your classroom behavior plan. Inform substitutes to follow your plan and leave you a detailed note if any student has misbehaved. School Policies:  Include a copy of the school behavior plan, what to do in case of an early dismissal, playground rules, lunchroom rules, tardy procedure, computer usage, and rules, etc. Seating Chart:  Provide a copy of the class seating chart clearly labeled with each students name and any important information about each child. Emergency Procedures/Fire Drills:  Include a copy of the schools emergency procedures. Highlight escape  routes and exit doors, so that the substitute will know exactly where to take the children in case of an emergency. Important Student Information:  Provide a list of students food allergies, medical information (such as medicine) and any other special needs. Time Fillers:  Select a few five-minute activities in case the substitute has a few extra minutes to spare. Emergency Lesson Plans:  Select at least a weeks amount of emergency lessons in case you are not able to complete a lesson for them. Include spare worksheets and review sheets with enough copied for the whole class. Colleagues Contact Information:  Include a list of names and numbers of the surrounding classroom teachers and faculty. A Note from the Sub:  Provide a worksheet for the substitute to fill out at the end of the day. Title it A Note From_______ and have the substitute fill in the blanks for the following items: Date:____My day was____The following students were helpful______Some problems I had throughout the day were_____Additional Comments______ Additional Tips Use a three-ring binder with dividers and clearly label each section. Some options for organizing your binder are:Use a divider for each day of the week and place detailed lesson plans and procedure for that day.Use a divider for each essential item and place contents in the appropriate section.Use a divider and color coordinate each component and place contents in each section. Place important items in the front pocket such as office passes, hall passes, lunch tickets, attendance cards, etc.Create a Sub Tub. Place all essential items in a color-coordinated filing tub and leave on your desk each night, just in case.If you know you will be absent then write the daily routine on the front board. This will give the students and the substitute something to refer to.Lock up personal belongings; you do not want the students or substitute having access to your personal information.Clearly, mark the folder and place it on your desk or in an obvious location.

Idioms dont travel well - Emphasis

Idioms dont travel well Idioms dont travel well When writing anything for a global audience, its best to leave idioms out of it. Idioms are groups of words whose meaning is usually metaphorical and cannot necessarily be deduced from looking at each component word. Unsurprisingly, this can make them problematic for anyone who may be attempting to translate word by word. What might you make of these turns of phrase? Spanish: I have an aunt who plays the guitar. (Yo tengo una tà ­a que toca la guitarra.) French: Its the end of the beans! (Cest la fin des haricots!) Arabic: The sky doesnt throw chicks. (El samaa la tohadef katakeet.) Spanish: To leave Guatemala and arrive in worse cornstalks. (Salir de Guatemala y meterse en guatepeor.) [Youll find the answers at the foot of this blog post.] Talking nonsense Not that English idioms are any more sensible. On the face of it, theres no obvious reason why feline nightwear (Its the cats pyjamas, for our readers who speak English as a second language) should indicate the highest of standards. Nor is it clear why a taut top lip (Keep a stiff upper lip) is a desirable feature in the face of adversity. Every country has its own idioms, which tend to reflect back on the culture they come from. Spend long enough studying translations and you might be able to hazard a guess at the meaning of other countries sayings, and sometimes find the odd crossover. Spanish: Everyone has their own way to kill fleas. (Cada quien tiene su manera de matar pulgas.) English: Theres more than one way to skin a cat. German: From a mosquito make an elephant. (Aus einer Mà ¼cke einen Elefanten machen.) English: Make a mountain out of a molehill. The question is: do you want or expect your reader to take that time? Can you be sure they wont dismiss your communication as gibberish rather than work out you dont want them literally to push an envelope, put a project in their bed or extract something from a horses mouth? Dont make work for your reader And much of the time, we dont even know where our own languages idioms came from, or why they mean what they do. We use them based on the context weve heard them in and out of habit. Little wonder, then, that they so easily trip up international readers. In the UK, we may talk of taking a rain check. But how many of us know the expression is borrowed from baseball in the US, where a rain check is the receipt from a ticket, which may be reused if rain prevents play? Lets get literal So lets not beat around the bush. When writing for global audiences, being as literal as possible is the best method by a long chalk. Anything else just wont cut the mustard. Answers: Whats that got to do with the price of tea in China? Thats the last straw! Money doesnt grow on trees. Out of the frying pan and into the fire.