Lifesaver for Sick Teachers (or really healthy teachers, too!)

Within five minutes of the first bell ringing, I had this sticky note on my desk. After trying to teach the math lesson about identifying fractions in a set, I had four more sticky notes on my desk.

I very much appreciated their concern and care. :) Being a teacher on days when you don’t feel good is just the worst. It is the ONE time that I would not mind a cubicle desk where I don’t have to talk to anyone.Considering that my voice can’t really go above a whisper, and I have been fighting something on and off for the past three weeks, I had to find ways to be a bit more creative to carry on with my lesson plans.

On the agenda for this week? Starting The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School by Laura Murray. ** You can learn more about the this entire RW unit HERE **

While I could not postpone this lesson until I felt better, I knew that I had to figure out a way to get my students engaged in the story…since this would be our mentor text for the next couple of weeks.

After a one minute search on YouTube, I found an excellent narrator of the story and projected the video on my SmartBoard.

Link for the YouTube video, click HERE

Or, click on the image below:

After listening to the story aloud, we then illustrated and wrote our very own ending to the story. The author chose to use a happy, rhyming ending, however some of my students had a different idea. :)

I actually really liked having the story projected onto the SmartBoard because I was able to leave the ending of the story up on the board throughout the lesson. The students did not have to ask me to share the hard copy of the book, they were just able to look up at the SmartBoard to see the author’s work.

Earlier in the year, during our Camilla Cream (A Bad Case of Stripes) reading workshop unit, I also projected the story onto the SmartBoard. For this one, Sean Astin narrates the story.

Click HERE or click on the YouTube below:

Storyline Online is an AMAZING site to find other celebrities reading books- check it out HERE

What are some lifesavers you have when you aren’t feeling well?! I will randomly pick one winner’s comment and they can select a file of their choice from my TpT store. :)

Stay healthy, my friends!

2 Responses

Emily Levine says:

January 13, 2015 at 12:55 am

My lifesaver when I am not feeling well is having a guest reader come in!! The students love having someone else read to them!
I hope that you get well soon!
Emily
scheinbere@hotmail.com

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Anne says:

January 15, 2015 at 2:21 am

When I'm not feeling well, I have students partner read from their poetry folder. Saves my voice and energy!
Feel better!

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