Monster Box Of Things To Do...

I may be a little OCD...but I try my darndest to be completely prepared for ANYTHING when it comes to walking into a classroom.  I am finding that one of the disadvantages of being a substitute teacher is that unless you are lucky to be consistently with one class, you really are not able to differentiate your lessons as much as you would if you had your own class.

So to avoid that age-old question of 'What do I do now?' from those early finishers... I put together my own version of 'The Bored Jar'.  I call it 'MRS RUBIE'S MONSTER BOX OF WHAT CAN I DO NOW? ACTIVITIES!', which of course then allowed me to coordinate it with my favourite Monster clip art by JIllustrations, which I purchased from Lettering Delights.

I created cards using my own ideas, as well as combining some fabulous ideas from other sources, including Rachel Lynette's  150 ELA - Themed Creative and Critical Thinking cards, which you can purchase  from her Teachers Pay Teachers store.  I have included activities for all learning styles and the questions promote both lower and higher order thinking skills....hopefully there is something in my box for EVERY student in the class, and I can keep adding to it :)

I take out the cards that are not age appropriate for the particular class I will be teaching,  before I start the day.  Having the box sure does cut down on the 'What do I do now?' questions and the children love that they get to select a card!

We are still working on the 'You get what you get, no swapping, no arguing' side of things ;)

Do you have a version of a  'Bored Jar' ?  I would love to hear what you do with your early finishers!!

Thanks for stopping by!