When teaching on supply, it's essential to have a few activities in your back pocket for the students to complete either as a warm-up or in case your provided planning runs short. Providing engaging tasks helps strengthen both your bond with the students as well as between peers. Let's dive into some activities for you to explore with your pupils.
Creative Writing
Creative writing allows students to let their imaginations run free and engage their minds, improving their concentration for the rest of the day. Whether you set a specific scenario for your students or let them have complete freedom and write about whatever comes to mind, creative writing can really help your class to become invested in their work. Try Visuwords applet as a way of randomly generating a word and word subsets to write about.
Geoguessr
Geoguessr is a fantastic website that helps your students practise their geography skills in a fun and interactive way. The website provides you with a random location where you can observe your surroundings. The aim is to guess where you are in the world, making it both fun and educational.
Forced Debate
A forced debate is an excellent classroom activity that helps improve team-building and communication skills. You can divide the students into small groups or split the class in half, giving them a topic with half debating for or against. Students can then work together to prepare their side of the argument to present in front of the class.
Group Quiz
Undertaking a group quiz with your class can be a fun, interactive way of teambuilding and improving general knowledge. There are plenty of free quizzes online, both generic and topic-specific. Alternatively, you can create your own that aligns with your student's level of learning - try Typeform or Kahoot. Consider splitting the class into teams and allowing them to mark each other's answers at the end.
Problem-Solving Tasks
Providing the class with problem-solving tasks, such as crosswords or riddles, allows the students to work together or individually to solve them. These tasks will help students engage their brains and get into a more thought-provoking mindset, making it a perfect morning or start-of-lesson activity. You can even make these tailored to a specific subject, making it a fun way for pupils to become familiar with certain topics.
Movies/Documentaries
Sometimes, a movie is an excellent option for a class, especially if the students have been through a stressful period such as exams. It allows their minds a break from the intense pressures that come with exams. Consider something educational, such as a documentary or a movie based on a topic they have been learning about. Just remember to check that the film's certification is appropriate and in line with the school's policy.
Interactive Reading
Making reading an interactive rather than passive task will help students stay focused and can allow you to ensure they are taking away any key messages within the text. Try getting students to read a page/paragraph aloud to the rest of the group or pausing regularly to make time for class discussions.
When thinking of tasks for your pupils, it's critical to make sure the activity is interactive and engaging enough for them; consider what skills they may be able to pick up from different tasks and how this can improve their overall development.
Teaching is a highly rewarding job with many great possibilities. If you're interested in supply teaching, give us a call on 01332 412903 or visit our Contact page to get in touch. We would love to hear from you. If you found this article useful, be sure to read more of our posts.
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