We Have a Winner!

Before we get to the winner of Teaching Miss Malarkey and assorted other loot, let me say one thing.

picture source

The comments you left were all so nice.  It may sound corny, but I was really touched by how many of you commented that you enjoy my blog.  I am so glad you are able to use some of what I post about, and extraordinarily happy you were nice enough to share your kind thoughts.  So, a great big THANK YOU to everyone who was so nice to me.

Now, on to our winner. 

I wanted to be sure to pick a winner fair and square, so I went to Random.org to create a true random number generator.  There were 91 amazing comments in total.  So, here is the number that popped up:

Can you see it?  I had to take a screen shot to show the generator.  Anyway, comment #70 is the winner.  That would be. . .

MimsmithFaro who commented:

"I also love reading Hooray for Diffendoofer Day. 

Thanks for all the great stuff you share."

 Congratulations Mimismithfar!!

I sent you an email that includes an email address to which you can send me your mailing address.
I hope you enjoy Testing Miss Malarkey!

Again, thanks to all that entered.  This was my second giveaway, and it was a lot of fun.

THE BEST Writing Book!

I was talking about this book with a colleague the other day.  More like singing its praises.  It was then that I thought I needed to share this resource with my blog friends.  If you teach intermediate grade writers, YOU WANT THIS BOOK!  The title of this gem is Razzle Dazzle Writing: Achieving Excellence Through 50 Target Skills by Melissa Forney.

I love this book!  It is so on-target with the skills it covers and so appropriate for intermediate grade writers.  This book is perfect for 3rd grade through middle school.  If I don't tell you another thing about it, you should just go buy the book because it is selling on Amazon.com for a very cheap $13.57!  Honestly, I would quickly pay at least twice that for this book without blinking.  Ms. Forney also has a sister book for the K-2 set called Primary Pizzazz Writing.  I haven't seen it in person, but it looks like a winner.

The pages of Razzle Dazzle Writing are meant to be copied for your friends and used as a teaching and reference tool.  Here is a checklist from the book that notes the 50 skills covered:

As you can see, the topic lend themselves to your everyday teaching throughout the year. However, this book is also great for test prep.  Ugghhhh!  I hate to even utter those words, but they are a fact of life for us these days. Let me be clear though that Ms. Forney is very clear in the book that it's not all about the writing prompt.  She does state that our friends need to know the difference between prompted writing and free writing.  I also believe this.  As much as we would like our friends to embrace writing and freely write as they are inspired, the reality is when the state test comes they are going to be directed via a prompt to do a very specific type of writing.   I used the mini lessons in this book to create an anchor chart on understanding the different types of prompts:

 And, here is another chart I created using one of Melissa Forney's lessons on using a "writing glove" to help your friends properly address narrative prompts.

Sigh!  Just noticed that I spelled dilemma incorrectly on the chart.  Will be fixing that in class ASAP.  Sorry about that!

Ms. Forney has great ideas for this mini lesson.  The book even includes reproducible gloves for your friends to cut out and put on a stick.  The creation of these two anchor charts is directly inspired, if not copied, right from Razzle Dazzle Writing.  I tweaked a bit for my friends, but the book is so well put together you can essentially photocopy what you need and do your lesson with minimal prep.

Razzle Dazzle Writing includes tons of pages you can copy for your friends to keep as reference, there are also poems and reader's theater scripts that are included to reinforce many of the lessons.  The poems are fun and easily understandable for your friends.  The reader's theater scripts get right to the point in a fun way , yet they are short enough to be done as part of a mini lesson.  I have yet to find anything in this book that isn't a perfect fit for my friends.

Melissa Forney has an incredible web site where you can learn more about her books and philosophy.  Click HERE to be taken to Forney Educational, Inc.   There are also free downloads available on the site.  THIS PDF DOWNLOAD is for a booklet titled Young Writer's Survival Guide.  It is an excellent resource for your friends.  Many of the topics in this guide are topics covered in more depth as different mini lessons in Razzle Dazzle Writing.  That PDF alone should convince you to buy the book!

So, have I gushed enough?  I hope so!  This is not a paid endorsement.  This is a post on a book that I find myself going back to again and again and think you will, too.  If you know this book, please share your thoughts.  If you end up getting this book, let us know how you like it.

On a totally different topic, every time I think of the name of this book, it makes me think of this scene from the movie Stripes with Bill Murray.  I know, totally dating myself yet again!

Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway to win a copy of Testing Miss Malarkey and assorted other goodies!  

Before and After

I have been looking forward to Presidents' Weekend for so long!  Four days off!  I am really excited to not be getting up so early, and not being on a clock. I have no formal plans for the long weekend, but a ton of odds and ends to get done.  Some school related stuff and some home stuff.  Since I was so looking forward to being off for four days, where did I end up spending three hours Saturday morning?  My classroom, of course!  If I were Homer Simpson, there would totally be a D'Oh!! here.  I had forgotten to bring my plan book home, so I was just going to run in and grab it.  However, once I was there my brain started churning. 

Hmmm, I really do need to get that supply closet organized. . .

There's never enough time to get to it during the school week. . .

Gee, I have some time now to do it. . .

NO!  It's your time off. Leave! . .

But, I do have four days off. . .

And, I already have the containers I need. . .

It wouldn't be so terrible to put in just a little time today. . .

I can clean that supply closet in an hour!

THREE HOURS LATER, I have a very clean closet! 

This my supply closet. 

Very innocent looking, yes?  But, when you open the doors it was an avalanche waiting to happen.  I was so excited to start that I forgot to take a picture of the actual "before."  But, here is a picture I took after I had already emptied out a ton of stuff.

I know that doesn't look too terrible, but imagine all the supplies on these two table tops (as well as some stuff on the floor you can't see) also jammed in there.  Every time I would open the doors, all this nonsense would tumble out around my feet. 

It was making me crazy!

And, here is the AFTER!

Makes my heart beat fast! The green paper labels are make-do for now. 

The OCD in my soul wants to make some cute printed labels later.

For now, I thought I would tell you a little about each shelf. 

I know, sounds crazy exciting for a blog post. 

But, there might be tip or two about supplies I order and how I use them that you can use. 

Or, it just might be a boring post on closet organization!

         ;-)

Let's see.

Top Shelf & Second Shelf

Top Shelf:  Actually, you're right.  Nothing too exciting there.  It holds some extra binders, smaller chart paper, a couple of extra pencil sharpeners, and some labels.  I also have two rolls of clear contact paper ready to go.  I cover all my paperback teacher guides with contact paper.  These would be the workbooks I handle every day, like my math answer booklet.  It really helps them hold up longer.  I also cover my professional books if it is one I know I will go back to a lot.

Second Shelf:  Here is where I organized all the small stuff such as pens, staples, clips, etc.  And, yes!  That is an air freshener in my closet.  We had an extra in the classroom, and I just stuck it in there one day.  Turns out it is quite nice to open the doors and be greeted with apple-cinnamon scents.

The other thing you see on this shelf is a lone black Sharpie over on the right.  As I was cleaning out the closet, I could see how much of some things I have and how I needed to replace some things.  I don't know about you, but when it comes time to place the supply order for the next year I always forget something.  To avoid that for next year, I taped a piece of paper to the inside of the closet and jotted down the things I know I want to remember to order.

Seriously, why has it taken me fifteen years of teaching to figure this out?  Now, I keep the Sharpie on the shelf, and when I see I need something I can just jot it down.  This should ensure I don't forget anything when ordering for next year.  I plan to keep an ongoing list like this starting in September every year so I'll always have a runnning list.

Third Shelf

Third Shelf:  Turns out I have an abundance of note cards, sticky notes, and masking tape.  On the other side are some items I use a lot.  2-pocket folders.  Can you ever have enough of those?  I have done all new center tasks this year and gone through a ton of these.  There are also extra poly-string envelopes.  I use these all the time.  They are great for hole-punching and putting in a binder for holding larger items.  Sort of like a more expensive version of my MacGyver like storage solution. 

Anther item I always order each year are a box of business size envelopes.  They are not only good for parent notes, but I give them to my friends to store the cards we cut out for some of the Everyday Math Games we play.  It just makes it so  much easier to grab a handful of envelopes and go.  Plus, I don't exactly relish the idea of having to ask the office every time I need an envelope!

One other item on my shelf I order every year without fail is 9 X 12 manila clasp envelopes.  Anytime I give out a report or project, I give out an envelope with it. All directions go in this envelope.   I tell my friends that they should keep all their work in this envelope as well.  It keeps everything in one place.  No lost papers.  Plus, if I want to check in on their work it is all there for me to see.  When we worked on our famous people research reports, each friend had an envelope to keep their work and book in.  Plus, if I want to collect their work, it's easy to just have them turn in the envelope instead of a pile of papers.

Bottom Shelf

Bottom Shelf:  I think I might just have enough notebooks and paper. Maybe.  Actually, except for yellow paper, I obviously have plenty!  I do need to order some yellow lined paper for next year.  My friends use yellow paper for drafting of all writing assignments.  All final copy work is done on white lined paper or the different specialty themed papers we have.  I find having yellow paper used only for drafting very helpful.  I can tell at a glance what my friends are working on, and it helps them to not get their papers confused on their desk when they are going from the draft to writing the final copy.

The only other item I would point out is my long-arm stapler.  Do you have one?  It is invaluable for making books with your friends.
 
So, that's my newly organized supply closet.  I don't regret giving up those three hours yesterday because this will make my life so much easier in school.  It really only took me two hours to do the closet. I have to be honest and say I spent an hour leveling some books for my class library before I made myself get up and leave. 

If you know anything about my classroom, you know I still have two more closets like this one in my room.  One we call the art closet.  It holds all my construction paper and craft/art supplies as well as some odds and ends for bulletin boards and such.  The other closet is just a mish-mosh of stored items.  Sadly, I still need to organize both of them.  But that's for another day.  A girl can only give up so much of her long weekend, right?!!!! :-)

Don't forget to enter the give-away I'm having and win your own copy of Testing Miss Malarkey!  I've been reading the comments, and you all have been so nice!  Thank you for all the compliments. You make me smile!

Something for YOU!

Look what I found at my local Friends of the Library book sale!

A like-new paperback copy of Testing Miss Malarkey by Judy Finchler! It is listing on Amazon for $6.95, but my almost new copy was only a whopping fifty cents! If you remember, I wrote about the Miss Malarkey books in THIS POST. It is seriously the most fun, fun, fun book to read to your friends prior to state testing.

I already own two copies, but I just couldn't leave it on the shelf. Especially not when it was like new and only fifty cents! So, I thought that maybe my blog friends would like to win this copy. Yup, it's another giveaway! However, it would be kind of boring to just give away a used book. I decided to jazz it up a little and make it a St. Patrick's themed prize. Here is the loot!

Included will be:

• 1 like-new copy of Testing Miss Malarkey
• The two bookmarks I showed you yesterday!
• 1 package of St. Patrick's Day Stickers
• 1 shamrock magnetic note pad
• 1 pair of St. Patrick's Day themed socks
• 1 very, very cheesy imitation silk shamrock scarf   :-D
• 1 green box of Gourmet Jelly Beans from Trader Joe's

I threw in the scarf and socks because if you are a teacher there is just no escaping the holiday themed clothing items on occasion!  If you would like to win this little pile of goodies, just do the following:

1.  Leave a comment! Say anything!  One comment per a person, please.

2.  Be in the United States.  I love, love, love that I have blog friends visiting from other countries, but my little teacher salary just can't support international shipping!    

3.  If you are feeling it, please follow my blog.  While that would be appreciated, you don't have to follow to win the loot. :-)  Everyone is welcome to enter.

The give-away closes on Friday, February 24, 2012 at 8:00 P.M. Eastern Time.  I will randomly pick a winner from the comments and post that winner on Saturday, February 25, 2012.

I Couldn't Help Myself!

I just couldn't get the idea of the St. Patrick's Day

bookmarks out of my head!

Here's what I wanted as opposed to what I ended up with.

I wanted a shamrock shaped paper punch.  Not a one to be found. 

I ended up looking for stickers.

I wanted pot-of-gold stickers.  Not any to be found. 

I ended up with metallic shamrock stickers.

I wanted thin rainbow ribbon to match the pot-of-gold I ended up not getting. 

No thin ribbon, only thick.

So, I used that and also purchased some spools of rainbow color ribbons.

Either way, I love how they came out!  My friends are going be very happy!

I am also happy to report that I am a quick learner. 

When I went for my paint chips, there was no Hot Passion Pink this time! 

By the way, come back tomorrow.  I am posting a give-away for some fun things I think you will like!

A New Book on Valentine's Day

Look familiar?

Yup, I made the paint swatch bookmarks for my friends.  I chose pinks and reds for my girls and blues for my boys.  I figured that 5th grade boys might be a bit picky about pink and red bookmarks, Valentine's Day or not.  Turns out going with the blue was a good choice.  I did add some silver ribbon to both.  The kids really loved them.  I think I am going to make them again for St. Patrick's Day with some green swatches.  I could find a rainbow ribbon for the tassel.  Wouldn't that be so cute?!

Of course, nothing is ever as simple as it seems.  When I first got the paint swatches, I grabbed these:

Yeah, Hot Passion Pink. Oh my!  Didn't notice that until after I had already left the store.  Now, I personally wouldn't have a problem with it, but you never know how a parent will react.  It only takes one!  So, the next day I headed back to the store to get a new set of pinks and reds that wouldn't cause any conflicts.  Better safe than sorry!  By the way, I noticed on Pinterest someone commented that taking the swatches was kind of like stealing.  I went to two different home improvement stores and simply asked if I could have some paint swatches for a school project.  They were both happy to oblige. :-D

So, we had cupcakes, bookmarks, and played a rousing game of Heartbreakers.  And, my friends were very generous.  I got these yummy chocolates. . .

Usually, when I get chocolate treats like this, I open them in class and share them with my friends.  Stops me from eating them all!  However, this year I have a couple of friends with EPI pens, so that wasn't an option.  Guess I will have to suffer through and enjoy them on my own.  Oh, what I won't do in the name of good teaching! ;-)   I also got this gorgeous orchid.  It really is this color.  I didn't alter the color in this picture one bit!

 All in all, a lovely Valentine's Day with my little friends!

Then, when I got home today, there was a nice little package waiting for me from the International Reading Association.  I opened to find this book that I had recently ordered.

Small Group Reading Instruction: Differentiated Teaching Models for Intermediate Readers, Grades 3-8 by Beverly Tyner and Sharon E. Green.  This is the second edition of the book.  It looked really interesting, and I was looking for some new, relevant professional reading.  One of the things I liked was the resource CD in the back of the book.

Here's the blurb that sold me.  It's right off the IRA web site.

With the pressure of high-stakes assessments and heightened demands through the Common Core Standards, the quest for effective reading instruction continues to be at the forefront of education. Teaching reading in the intermediate grades brings the added pressure of content area mandates. Keeping in mind this increased pressure to succeed, Beverly Tyner and Sharon Green have revised and expanded their best-selling Small-Group Reading Instruction.

Chapters provide the knowledge base and practical application models necessary to implement small-group differentiated reading instruction for a wide range of readers in the intermediate grades. To help you provide struggling and proficient students with the specific instruction that will increase their overall reading ability as they face higher standards, Beverly and Sharon offer

• Lesson plans for each intermediate reader stage—intervention, evolving, maturing, and advanced
• Sample lessons that include both narrative and informational texts and in-depth teacher–student dialogue
• Reading and writing extension activities that reinforce grade-level standards
• Management ideas and tips, including classroom routines, organizational models, and sample schedules
• Assessments that support the small-group differentiated reading models and can be used to track progress in fluency, word study, and comprehension
• A CD with printable PDFs of assessment, word study, and support materials

At a glance, it looks like a great resource.  When I got home,  I opened the package and quickly snapped some pictures to include in this post.  I've literally had the book for only 30 minutes, so I've not had a chance to really look through it in any depth yet.  But, I'm excited to see what it holds.  If you know this book, please leave a comment and tell us what you think.  I'm not sure how soon I will be able to get to it, but once I read it I will come back and let you know my thoughts.

So, that's been my day.  I hope you and your friends had a spectacular Valentine's Day!

Foldables and Lapbooks

The topic of Foldables came up at a meeting recently, and I was very surprised at the number of teachers who did not know what they were.  I know many of my colleagues have used them on occasion but perhaps they just may not have been aware that they were known as Foldables.  So, of course, the blogger in my brain said, "Ah ha!  A blog topic!"  I'm hoping this is not new information for most of you!  If it's not, keep reading because I found some great resources to share at the end.  If it is new, I think you will want to start using these soon.

So, have you used Foldables?  They are sort of interactive 3-D graphic organizers your friends make.  They can stand alone, such as the ones my friends make when we studied Sir Isaac Newton's Laws of Motion.  The picture below shows some stand alone foldables and is from  Mrs. W's blog Fifth Grade Life.  The link will take you to a post she did on how she used foldables, along with geography vocabulary foldable project with a rubric.

Or, and these are the ones I like best, Foldables can be incorporated into your friends notebooks.  You can make a Foldable that is glued into your friends notebook or make it out of pages of their notebook.

Source for both pictures

Sometimes, Foldables become the notebook and, I believe, this is what they now call Lapbooks.  Lapbooks tend to deal entirely with one topic.  An example of one is in this post I wrote where I showed you a laws of motion lapbook from this science web page which shows you an assortment of different lapbooks.

You have to give credit where credit is due. 

The queen of Foldables has to be Dinah Zike. 



Dinah Zike

 She has a huge number of books out there that will tell you just how to make your own.  If you really want to know more about them, visit Dinah Zike's Web Page.  There is a lot of information there.  If you visit Amazon and search Dinah Zike Foldables, as I did on this link, it will take you to over 247 matches!  She has tons of books that cover different age levels and instructional subjects.  You are bound to find something you like.

However, in looking around the web, I found a nice assortment of free resources.  Here are some links to Dinah's books that were available online as PDFs:

Dinah Zike's Teaching Reading and Study Skills    This one is really geared more toward social studies, but the foldable directions are there.

Dinah Zike's Teaching Math with Foldables  Love this one for upper elementary or even middle school.  This is a pre-algebra edition, but don't let that scare you.  I noticed that most of the examples are exactly what I am teaching in 5th grade.  Even if you aren't teaching older friends, the directions for the Foldables are all there and can easily be used at any grade level.  Just change the topic.

 Foldables by Dinah Zike  This one I love.  This book is geared toward reading.  In fact, on page 42 of this book there is a great chart that correlates specific reading skills to the foldable best suited for it.  I had found this on the web and just saved it in my documents.  I forgot to bookmark the web page, and now I can't find it.  Instead, I this link will take you to Google docs where I put up my copy.  I've only linked to a Google doc once before, so I'm never sure if I get it right.  If the link doesn't work, sorry!

I also found some other links that weren't Dinah Zike, but good resources as well.

Explicit instructions on how to fold several different types of foldables  This link might be helpful if you get confused on just how to fold.  It's also kid friendly in its directions, so you could always print out the page and just give it to your friends to follow.

Examples of Foldables and Lapbooks  This web site from Catawba County Schools has actual student examples of different Foldables and Lapbooks.  It's nice to take a look at so you get an idea of how they are being used.

So, those are some of the Foldable resources I found online.  They are a great way to get your friends involved as active learners and break up the normal routine. 

One more thing.  If we are going to be doing all this folding, we might as well have some fun with it!  Check out this link.  Maybe, probably, totally not appropriate for your friends, but fun to look at!     Paperfoldables

A Pinterest Valentine's Day

I have been thinking about what to do with my friends this Valentine's Day.   

For the past ten years or so Valentine's Day celebrations have essentially been banned in my school.   The ban went into effect when one year there was a ton of "He/She likes me, doesn't like me!" high drama.   This year we have a new principal who is happy to let us celebrate Valentine's Day with our friends.  I'm delighted!!! 

So, what to do? What to do?  I have to stay away from the chocolate because I have two friends with allergies and EPI pens this year. I needed some non-chocolate treat ideas.  I also needed some craft ideas. 

Well, being home sick has given me plenty of time to play around on Pinterest.  Perhaps the best part of being sick so far. :-)  I have come across a bunch of ideas that look like a lot of fun, and you know I'm all about the sharing!

To Give My Friends
My friends always need bookmarks, and these are super cute.  This is from the blog One Fantastic Housewife.  I am so doing this over the weekend!  Watch out Home Depot!  I'm coming for your paint strips!

If I knew where to get a bunch of bouncy balls, I might do this one.  It's from the blog The Creative Mama.



A Craft To Do

This one is from the blog A Day in My Life.  I think I'm going to do this one in class with my friends on Tuesday.  It would be a great card to take home and give their parents.

The hearts below are from The Peanut Paintshop.  I'm doing this one as is for my own family.  It's so cute!  I thought in school, you could use ribbon and construction paper to make a few with all your friends' names.  Or, this could be another great craft to do where each friend does one for their family and gets to take it home.  I think I may need to incorporate some glitter in this project!

Treats
If we are keeping things healthy, this is a great idea.  The link is to an Etsy shop, Twig and Thistle, that sells food safe stickers with these sayings on them. 

Since Valentine's Day is around the corner, it's a little late to order them for this year.  I was thinking instead you could always use a fancy font with a cute image and print it out on a half sheet of paper.  Then, you could put that on your friends' desks with the fruit on top.  Here are some other sayings:

You are the APPLE of my eye!

I'm BANANAS over you!

ORANGE you so sweet!

I like you BERRY MUCH!

Okay, enough of that healthy stuff!  Here is an idea from the blog Primary Perspective. All you need is some Fruit by the Foot.  While I don't think I would go with the "I love you" I would go with the "Always put your best foot forward" part.  A great message from a teacher.

Primary Perspective has a bunch more Valentine treat ideas for other candies.  She also has printables for each one.  Looks like a great blog.

Some Planning Required
These are really cute and I think your friends would love getting one with their own picture.  You would need to have take and print the pictures out ahead of time, which makes these a no go for me this year since I'm out sick.  There's no link because it was just "uploaded by user."  They are pretty easy to make though.  Just Have your friend hold their fist up, and take the picture from a bit above them.  Once you print them out, make a slit with an Exacto knife above and below their fist and insert the lollipop.

For this, you would need to have the heart shaped pan, but they are just too stinkin' cute!  The link will take you to the blog A Sprinkle of This, which has a printable for the circle you put the crayons on.

Finally
Of course, I am going to play a monster game of Heartbreakers with my friends. 

We are going to play an across the curriculum game.  It's a fun way to quiz them in all the different curriculum areas.  It's also a game they consider fun to play, yet from a teacher perspective is still a learning experience and keeps them from getting too nuts!

So, those are just some of the goodies I found on Pinterest.  What I posted here is only the tip of the iceberg.  There are a gazillion ideas on Pinterest.  I'm leaving you with one final goody.  It's not for your friends, but for you and your family.  I mean, let's be honest.  How sad would life be without. . .

Heart Shaped BACON!!!

I know!!!!  So heart unhealthy, but soooo yummy!!!!   It's from the blog The Paper Mama.  She gives you all the directions.  It's actually quick and easy to do.

So, what are you doing with your friends on Valentine's Day?

Currently

I've seen this on a bunch of blogs and thought it would be fun to do.  Most recently, I saw it on Farley's blog, Oh Boy, Fourth Grade!  What a great blog by the way!  You can make your own "Currently" from her template and join her linky party.  I didn't join the linky party, but I see 173 blogs linked that I can't wait to check out.  By the way, the only reason I didn't link is because I'm not exactly sure how. When I'm feeling better, I'm going to figure out how to do that.

Anyway, I found Farley's blog via Jen's blog, The Teachers' Cauldron.  I love that blog name!  That link will take you to a post where she tells you just how to make your own "Currently."  Pretty much the only reason I was able to do one!

So, here's mine.  (Forgive the typo in Loving!)

Out Sick. Got Sub Plans?

If my life were a book, this is the only

sticky note I could stop, think, and jot!

Yup, AGAIN! 

I was just sick in early December.

With the same thing! 

I actually left school sick midday on Tuesday.  I've never done that! 

I was able to fight my way through Wednesday, but today finds me at the doctor again and home today and tomorrow.  Hopefully, having this time off will put me back on my game by Monday.

It has to.

Why?

Because when you follow a reading and writing workshop model of instruction,

leaving sub plans is nearly impossible! 

At least for me it is. 

I find myself falling back to leaving plans for whole class reading of a book from our anthology and a generic writing assignment.  I find it really hard to leave plans that actually fit the plan I follow.  I think a sub's head would bug out if I left writing workshop plans, word work plans, reading workshop plans, and small group meeting plans for center time.  Plus, I would have to go in to some lengthy explanation as our sub pool ranges from a small handful who know how to do all that to the majority who haven't a clue.

So, after I post this, I am going to type up some more sub plans for tomorrow that anyone could do, mostly review with some easy to teach new stuff thrown in.  All of which means, come Monday, my friends have no idea of the game of catch-up we will be playing!

Here are my questions for you:

If you are using a workshop model, even if you aren't,

how do you plan for subs? 

Do you leave "real deal" lessons?

Honestly, between lesson plans for subs and all the work sitting on your desk when you get back,

it's more work for teachers to be out sick than to just go in!