Preparing for a Substitute teacher is a lot of work! So much so, that sometimes you feel discouraged to take a day off knowing how long it’s going to take to prepare lessons. Taking a day off shouldn’t be so hard, and we are entitled to those days, so use them when you need them!
The lessons you include in your sub plans should be engaging and fun for your students, but easy enough for a sub to follow. So what are the best lessons to assign while you are away?
Why Readers Theater is one of the most effective lessons for a substitute to teach?
Reader’s Theater is a great resource for substitute teachers to use because it provides high engagement and the reading passage is short enough to read within a day.
It’s also a nice change of pace from the usual close reading passages or novel studies that students do daily. When I have a sub, I always assign Readere’s Theater during my ELA and Social Studies block. It’s my go-to lesson that I always include in my substitute teacher’s template.
Benefits of Using Readers Theater in Sub Plans
Reader’s Theater is Fun and Engaging
When I allow students to huddle up in a small group and act out their Reader’s Theater skits, I always hear laughter, and I’m talking about hysterical laughs. Reader’s Theater gives your students the opportunity to act and acting is fun.
Many of my students will use funny voices or accents. The bottom line is Reader’s Theater is engaging and when students are engaged, there are always less behavior problems. Your substitute teacher will thank you.
Readers Theater Can Be Taught in One Day
If you are reading a novel or a story that takes more than a day to read, you will want your sub to read something different. Your sub will not know what is going on in the novel and the lesson won’t be effective. Reading a novel daily with students is a special literary bonding experience.
With Reader’s Theater skits, your sub will be able to finish the lesson within a day. It’s an ideal resource to use because you know the lesson will be done, and it’s difficult to continue lessons that your sub has started when you return. So have your sub teach a Readers Theater lesson that you know they can finish within that day.
Reader’s Theater is Easy to Implement
I like to give my sub some guidance on how I want them to implement and teach readers theater. Here are the steps:
- Read the skit together as a class to clarify any vocabulary words that are in bold and to help your students understand the historical events.
- Students read the skit again silently to think about what character they would like to be.
- Students stand and huddle up to form small groups to “practice” lines.
- As students practice lines, circulate the room, give them tips on hand gestures they can use, and remind them about stage directions in parentheses.
- Volunteers perform in front of the class or the teacher randomly chooses one group.
Vocabulary and Comprehension Activities In Readers Theater
After students are done with performing Readers Theater, don’t stop there. Extend the lesson with vocabulary and comprehension activities. Choose 4-5 vocabulary words from the Reader’s Theater and have students complete a vocabulary study on those words. Students may also answer close reading questions.
This requires preparation, but if you are looking to save time, I’ve created activities that go along with all my Social Studies Reader’s Theater skits. The activities include:
- Close reading questions
- True and False Comprehension Questions
- Vocabulary Matching and Graphic Organizer
- Comprehension Quiz
- Write a Summary page
- Write Your Own Skit Page
It’s always a good idea to give a substitute teacher extra work if time permits. It is no fun when you are a substitute teacher and you aren’t sure what can do if there is extra time. With my Reader’s Theater Skits, your students won’t run out of things to do. Here are some of my best seller Readers Theater scripts.
Final Thoughts About Sub Plans
Readers Theater should be your go-to resource for preparing effective and enjoyable lessons for substitute teachers and students. In your absence, your students deserve to learn with engaging lessons that are effective and meaningful. You got this! Giselle
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