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Year 4 Emergency Lesson Plans for Numeracy

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans for Year 4 Numeracy are only to be used by supply teachers who are faced with no planning or easily accessible resources. Also to be used following the guidance notes here.

 

Block A – Counting, partitioning and calculating

  • Mentally add/subtract pairs of 2 digit numbers, investigate methods used as a table/class. Teach a written method on adding/subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers, £.p included. Give word problems to which they can then apply this method.
  • Invite children to call out numbers between 11 and 99/999 (4 digit numbers) and write on the board. Firstly get the children to read them out loud to a partner, then cover them up, you read them, and ask the children to write them in digits/letters, reveal the numbers and ask the children to order them, carry on partitioning them or rounding them, or repeat above activities with different sets of numbers.
  • Go through story of temperature through your day, (in winter!) introducing children to positive and negative numbers on a number line (thermometer), children to calculate rise and fall in temperature and write as number sentence.
  • Give children one and two-step word problems involving measures based on a recipe, you don’t want to make one batch of scones, you want to make 1 and a half, or three batches etc., ask children to explain orally, then on paper, how they worked it out. Always estimate and check.
  • Work on multiplication tables to 10 * 10, work on 2-digit doubles and multiplying by 10 and 100. Children to demonstrate their written methods on the board for you, and then use these to answer questions in books. Also do division, discussing remainders in context of the question.

Block B – Securing number facts, understanding shape

  • Using a calculator if you can find them/enough. Sums and differences of multiples of 10, 100, 1000. Emphasis on estimating and checking mentally/on paper, and reading calculator carefully (many children miss the decimal point, give questions to highlight this!)
  • Draw a simple graph on the board, temperature in classroom through 24 hours perhaps, and ask children to solve 1 and 2-step word problems from it. Go through with them carefully how to first select important information, then choose an operation, estimate, work it out, then check it.
  • Properties of shapes: draw polygons on board, give a label: a, b, c, etc., and children must classify according to a set of criteria that they drew up with you (guide them to number of edges, number of lines of symmetry, number of vertices, parallel lines and right angles.)
  • Give children a number investigation, i.e. Gnome has a red, yellow and blue hat, red, yellow and blue jumper, and a red, yellow and blue pair of trousers. How many different combinations of clothes has he got? Can they estimate first?
  • Visualising 3-D shapes: draw a structure on the board using a given number of cubes such as multi-link, and children have to make the shape, and draw it in their books from front, bird’s eye, below etc. Draw another shape using more cubes.

Block C – Handling data and measures

  • Comparing scales, draw timeline of school day, their life, and known historical periods. Look at impact of scales, try to add school day times to historical period scale.
  • Gather data using tally chart on number of siblings members of class have/number of hours spent watching TV/doing homework a night etc., and ask children to present not only as tally chart, but as a table/pictogram/bar chart.
  • Give children random facts relating to their current humanities topic (make sure they know they are fictitious and for the purpose of the lesson only) for example, how many legionnaires each centurion (give them names!) sent home with a cold in December 956AD or how many servants Henry VIII took with him on each of his different holidays, or how many climbers have scaled certain mountains) and ask them to organise the facts to present them as a table or graph. Present questions based on data, how many more did, how many in total, how many would there have been if…
  • Got access to the ICT suite? Whole class comfortable with collating data on the one board? Use Excel or equivalent to record data findings (see above.)
  • Sizing up your classroom: table with columns such as object, estimated length, estimated width, actual length, actual width, difference in estimated and actual for more able. Measure in cm and convert to mm.

Block D – Calculating, measuring and understanding shape

  • Addition and subtraction of 2-digit numbers mentally, warm-up, then written methods of 2- and 3-digit numbers, using measures and quantities i.e. £.p
  • Reading numbers from partly numbered scales… draw up on board and ask children to fill in the blanks on the first few, then give pointers for them to record the reading on the rest.
  • 1- and 2-step word problems involving 12-hour clock time intervals, am and pm.
  • Areas and/or perimeters of rectangles: draw them on the board, then do a table, rectangle A, length 20, width 4 etc.
  • Compass points, very kinesthetic lesson! Children to draw compass in their book and label, but not until you have labelled together points in the classroom (is there one painted on the playground?)
  • Learn the terms horizontal and vertical. Relate to real life, horizon, children to lie/stand themselves/their pencils/other object, as their peers instruct. Move onto describing positions on a grid, desert island, where is the shipwreck?
  • Consolidate written method of * or / the children have learnt, TU by U, look at remainders in context of question given.

Block E – Securing number facts, relationships and calculating

  • Equivalent fractions, fractions of cake/pizza/egg boxes that are equivalent, look at patterns in equivalent fractions ‘number line’ and relation to times tables i.e. 1/2, 2/4, 3/6, 4/8.
  • Mixed numbers: adding and subtracting them (with same denominator) after introducing.
  • Fractions of shapes/quantities: flags/stars/rectangles/circles (pizza/cake) or quantities: five children, £10, 1/5 of £10 to see how much they can have each to spend at the cinema. Worded problems.
  • Money problems, 2-step: Given £10 to spend, would like to buy 3 x £2.75 books, what change do you have?
  • Ratio and proportion: Word problems, to be written as organised number sequences etc. by children: if for every blue marble Joe had, Shirley had 2 green ones, how many green ones does Shirley have if Joe has 8 blue ones? Increase numbers, children to find a rule, how to work it out.

Return to Emergency Lesson Plans Index

Where next? There’s a great quick read here on Year 4 Emergency Lesson Plans for Science. Check out our resources area here too.

Year 3 Emergency Lesson Plans for Numeracy

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans for Year 3 Numeracy are only to be used by supply teachers who are faced with no planning or easily accessible resources. Also to be used following the guidance notes here.

Block A – Counting, partitioning and calculating

  • Throwing dice, adding/subtracting numbers mentally and quickly, extend to throwing 2 dice, using digits to form one number, and throwing a third to form another number (e.g. a 6 and a 2 thrown = 62, then a 4 thrown, so 62 + or – 4 mentally) then writing them down, extend written to 2 and 3 digit numbers.
  • Invite children to call out numbers between 11 and 99/999 (2 or 3 digit depending on ability) and write on the board. Firstly get the children to read them out loud to a partner, then cover them up, you read them, and ask the children to write them in digits/letters, reveal the numbers and ask the children to order them, carry on partitioning them or rounding them, or repeat above activities with different sets of numbers.
  • Number story: tell children a simple story (child goes to the zoo for the day) and include prices and distances. Write 1- and 2-step word problems for children to calculate based on story.
  • Explain orally and written how you know 63 is in the 3 x table, how you know 102 follows on from 99 in the same table. Change table and problems.
  • Jumping to the right/left of a HTU grid: multiplying and dividing numbers by 10 and 100. Jump physically! Take hops on paper.

Block B – Securing number facts, understanding shape

  • Introduce a right angle, and ask children to collect right angles from around the classroom. Record findings in book, draw and label: cupboard door, 4 right angles etc. Then show angles greater/smaller than 90° and repeat as above.
  • Give number problems (division using known multiple facts) and work on estimating first, and then checking. Do same for add/subtraction problems.
  • Number story: tell children a simple story (child goes to the zoo for the day) and include prices and distances. Write 1- and 2-step word problems for children to calculate based on story.
  • Number machine: firstly give input and operation (6 goes in, machine *2, children to answer 12 is the output) change operation, then give input, and output, children to work through all 4 operations finding possible functions.
  • Recognising reflective symmetry, start with letters, numbers, move onto simple shapes, then onto seeing symmetry in classroom objects, faces (not symmetrical!)

Block C – Handling data and measures

  • Telling the time… draw two clock faces on the board, draw hands on for one time, ask children to read it, and then invite one to draw hands 15/25 etc. minutes later. Children to draw simple clocks in own book and either write time by side, or draw another showing set interval.
  • Sorting data into lists, tables, diagrams, frequency and bar charts, data could include colour and size of pencil cases, school bags, favourite pies/authors etc.
  • Give children a question they have to answer by first collecting data, i.e. what is the most popular after-school club in this class? Once children have presented the information appropriately, then ask them to challenge each other with different questions based on the data, i.e. how many more children like wildlife club than choir?
  • Give children 5 (hypothetical if necessary) objects, ask them to record estimates of measurement… they are to choose how they would measure and what units to use, i.e. an apple could be weighed in grams, and measured in cm, a jug of lemonade in ml. Give distances too, your house to school, your desk to the teachers, London to Florida.
  • Decide a given, for example your school to Alton Towers is 26km, and then convert to metres. Their desk to your desk is 130cm, convert to metres/mm.

Block D – Calculating, measuring and understanding shape

  • Look at the times tables that they know, and work out the inverse, division tables, that they didn’t know they knew! Give some division questions based on the tables they know.
  • Unit fractions of numbers and quantities… a half, a third, a tenth, depending on ability, of marbles in a bag (6, 10, 12, 16 marbles in total) are which colour? Draw own bags, and set questions for friends.
  • Multiple triangles, a multiple and two factors placed at each angle of a triangle, children to draw them, e.g. 12, 3 and 4, then explore number sentences which can be made from them (hint: there’s 3*4 = 12, 4*3 = 12, and then the inverse of each.)
  • Draw simple bar charts on board, give children for example how many cars were red, and they have to fill in label on number of cars axis. Draw simple scales on board, temperature, kitchen scales, with pointers on and ask for reading. Children to draw own scales to questions friends.
  • Direct a friend, blindfold, from one side of the room to another, using vocab discussed (position, direction, movement language.)

Block E – Securing number facts, relationships and calculating

  • Unit fractions of quantities, drinking water bottles on Sports Day, 1l, 500ml, how much did I drink if I drank 1/2, 1/4, how much left if I drank 1/10?
  • Estimate proper fractions of shapes, numbers (pictorial, e.g. egg boxes, bars/pieces of chocolate.) Use squared paper in books to draw bars of chocolate with given number of pieces (6, 10, 12, 15, 16 for example) and shade in given fractions. Give 1/5, before giving 3/5 of same amount.
  • Ask all the children to work out the same simple sum, perhaps 13 * 5, and collate different methods used. Children to explore other questions using methods used by peers.
  • Give children first 3 or 4 numbers in sequences, they have to discover possible rule for sequence, then make up their own. Try +2, +5, -3, *2 +1.
  • Class trip to the zoo story, +, -, * and / by two digit numbers: 120 slices of pizza, how many each (look at remainders in context), 24 tickets to buy at £3.50 each (look at different methods the children come up with), two buses, 53 on one, 37 on the other, how many altogether etc.

Return to Emergency Lesson Plans Index

Where next? There’s a great quick read here on Year 3 Emergency Lesson Plans for Science. Check out our resources area here too.

Year 6 Emergency Lesson Plans for Literacy

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans for Year 6 Literacy are only to be used by supply teachers who are faced with no planning or easily accessible resources. Also to be used following the guidance notes here.

Autumn Term

Word Level Work

  • Gather a collection of proper nouns and investigate their origins using dictionaries and encyclopaedias.
  • Look at more complex suffixes, prefixes and roots. Find poly-syllabic words and break them down to better understand meaning and origin.

Sentence Level Work

  • Write a set of instructions, a non-chronological report or similar on the board and ask children to investigate ways in which it could be punctuated. Look at use of colons, semi-colons, brackets and dashes.

Spring Term

Word Level Work

  • Build a bank of connectives.
  • Build a bank of alternatives to ‘said’. Give a sentence to improve i.e. “Get out of my way,” said Kojic

Sentence Level Work

  • Contracting sentences: note making, editing and summary – find out what current humanities topic is, read a passage from a relevant source, ask them to take notes while you read it, then to summarize the passage (could be in bullet point or paragraph form.)

Summer Term

Word Level Work

  • Invent mnemonics for irregular and difficult spellings.

Sentence Level Work

  • Study proverbs and write their meanings.

Text Level Work

Narrative / Plays / Scripts

  • Write a story with two different narrators. More able alone, one paragraph (sub-titled?) for each, able and less able in pairs, think of a story with two characters (parent/teacher and child perhaps? Bully/Victim) and each take a part to write same story, compile as intertwined paragraphs at end.
  • Give the children 1 story title, and ask them to plan five stories using it, using the same characters. Example titles: Lost!; We’re On Our Way!; Shipwrecked!; Track Fever; Mysterious Mummies.
  • Read the opening to a story, and ask children to prepare as a script using stage directions etc.
  • Write the blurb for the back cover of a novel they’d like to write/their auto-biography.
  • Write a flashback story, secret door, key, black hole etc.
  • Write an alternative ending to a well-know story (i.e. myth, fairy tale.)
  • Produce a writer’s commentary on the opening/first chapter of their current reading book

Non Fiction

  • Give each table a different audience but the same non-fiction title, e.g. Life in the Blitz, compare the style the different texts are written in, language, format etc.
  • Discuss current point of debate (i.e. local toxic waste plant (use local/current affairs knowledge) or imaginary school scenario (Head teacher decides to ban/bring in uniforms for teachers) and write a balanced report.
  • Prepare a CV for their hero, research where available, for job as Prime Minister.
  • Write a report in a journalistic style based on a local/current issue such as dogs fouling the park. Present a balanced and ethical report that includes interviews from different perspectives.
  • Give invitation to Hermione to Wizard’s Ball, ask to prepare same for a professor of wizardry, concentrating on differences between formal and informal text used.

Poetry

Return to Emergency Lesson Plans Index

Where next? There’s a great quick read here on Year 6 Emergency Lesson Plans for Numeracy. Check out our resources area here too.

Year 5 Emergency Lesson Plans for Literacy

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans for Year 5 Literacy are only to be used by supply teachers who are faced with no planning or easily accessible resources. Also to be used following the guidance notes here.

 

Autumn Term

Word Level Work

  • Investigate plurals, find your own rules (much better than being given rules, as long as they’re correct!)
  • Investigate meanings and spellings of words with prefixes: auto, bi, tele and circum.

Sentence Level Work

  • Give sentences in direct/reported speech, to convert to reported/direct speech (she said, “I am eating!” to she said (that) she was eating)
  • Give a list, and ask to place a colon, make their own lists (top ten authors/pop stars etc.) and place colons as necessary.
  • Look at the conventions for writing dialogue in narrative using current reading books, separate lines and commas etc.

Spring Term

Word Level Work

  • Collect onomatopoeic words and present them to class
  • See how many different ways the sound for example ‘a’ as in May, can be written

Sentence Level Work

  • Write a formal invitation on the board, and ask the children to change it to an informal one… and decorate!
  • Explore ambiguities e.g. Heavy Plant Crossing, they are cooking apples, police shot man with knife, Baby Changing Room, and Danger Swimmers Keep Out

Summer Term

Word Level Work

  • Spell unstressed vowels in polysyllabic words, e.g. company, portable, interest, description, carpet, freedom, extra
  • Investigate and create rule (better than being given one) for modifying words ending in e, when adding ing/ful/ly
  • Compile class dictionary for own slang words and give own definitions, e.g. mate, (it) wrecks, nectar.

Sentence Level Work

  • Use connectives other than and, then, but, to link clauses in sentences. Find in own previous work (collect lots of connectives before they start) and re-write sentence on today’s page.

Text Level Work

Narrative / Plays / Scripts

  • Add a new character/scene to a Roald Dahl/Lucy Daniels/Jeremy Strong book, using the style of the author (i.e. a talking animal in a Roald Dahl book)
  • Write a short story (pref. myth/fable) on the board, and ask them to review and edit it (include misspellings, poor language selection etc. Make sure you clearly show that these are the parts to rework.)
  • Write a well-known story from someone else’s point of view, i.e. The Wolf in Three Little Pigs/Little Red Riding Hood
  • Discuss known proverbs in class, a bird in the hand, too many cooks etc., and choose one to write as a story in fable/myth/legend style, to demonstrate it’s meaning.

Non Fiction

  • Write an incident letter to the police from two different people’s points of view, i.e. victim and eye-witness.
  • Write to the local MP regarding e.g. poor lighting outside school, placing poop scoop bins at edge of park etc.
  • Write instructional texts, i.e. How to Use a Computer: Ideal Text for Teachers!

Poetry

  • Read a poem with a definite theme (i.e. football) and ask them to change the theme by substituting words (i.e. to horse riding)
  • Read a poem with a definite structure, explore structure and ask them to add a verse.
  • Convey feelings/moods in a poem, structure given by teacher. Shaped into a frown/smile?
  • Choral and performance poems, relate Christmas carols, Albert and the Lion, rap, pop music, nursery rhymes. Children to perform in small groups at end of lesson.

Return to Emergency Lesson Plans Index

Where next? There’s a great quick read here on Year 5 Emergency Lesson Plans for Numeracy. Check out our resources area here too.

Year 4 Emergency Lesson Plans for Literacy

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans for Year 4 Literacy are only to be used by supply teachers who are faced with no planning or easily accessible resources. Also to be used following the guidance notes here.

Word Level Work

  • Game split 2-syllable words containing double consonants in the middle, kettle, bubble, common, rabbit. Randomly write the two halves somewhere on the board, and the children have to draw a line to match the pairs, write them on their whiteboards, or tell a friend.
  • Write to/too/two or they’re/their/there in sentences correctly.
  • Practice handwriting!
  • Vocabulary extension: give sentences with common vocab. in, e.g. good, got, nice, then, and ask children to improve them.
  • Practice range of presentation skills, design a poster with capitals for header, print for labels and cartoon captions and different fonts for emphasis. Poster to advertise new club in school?

Sentence Level Work

  • Create a class/group list of words to use instead of walk/went e.g. crawled, hobbled etc.
  • Look through current reading books to identify possessive apostrophes, and write without apostrophe i.e. Jake’s hat was red. > Jake owned a hat which was red.
  • Look at use of apostrophe for contraction. Give examples on board and ask children to find others in reading material.
  • Make a list of punctuation used in your reading book/non-fiction book from bookcase. Make a glossary on how and when to use.
  • Present verbally an argument between two friends, using connectives to structure it, i.e. if you… then…, on the other hand, when you… finally, so that means…

Narrative / Plays / Scripts

  • Write a setting on board while children watch. Describe a fantastical or horrific place. Ask children to write their own. Deny them the use of certain common words associated with that place, but investigate more figurative language and adjectives. Explore the five senses in the setting.
  • Look at three different ways of planning a story… storyboard (page cut into 4/6), brainstorming, linear sequence like a film strip or pathway (one setting to next, what happens along the way i.e. earth to planet Zog)
  • Re-write the ending of a well-known story, change the reader’s opinion of the main character, e.g. the bad guy was actually trying to do good, offers apology, ‘good’ guy doesn’t accept and is bitter.
  • Write two character opposite descriptions, emotionally provocative, i.e. Dracula and victim, evil/good twin
  • Write a play script using well-known story, i.e. fairy tale, Aesop’s fable, myth/legend (Hare and The Tortoise could be a good one!)
  • Write a story based in a castle, featuring knights and princesses.
  • Write a character description of an alien, and describe his home planet.

Non Fiction

  • Write a review of the latest gadget/game for a magazine.
  • Write to the Head Teacher to persuade them to get 10 of the latest PS2/IPOD/fav. gadget of the class into school.
  • Give bulleted points on board to children regarding their current humanities topic. They then write out in two paragraphs and find information to flesh it out from other sources.
  • Design an advert/jingle for a new product, summer fruits drink? Healthy new sweets? Space travel holidays?
  • Write a newspaper front cover, include headline story and an advertisement. Headline story to be something the children are familiar with or can identify with, include one interview (tiger escapes from zoo and terrorizes school, 3 little pigs survive wolf torture.)

Poetry

  • Write limericks, explore structure, rhyming patterns and humour first.
  • Teacher to write a poem on board, children refine and polish it, use thesaurus, reorganise structure.
  • Write a poem to describe an atmosphere/setting, 3 adverbs per line.

Return to Emergency Lesson Plans Index or visit the supply teacher downloads page.

Where next? There’s a great quick read here on Year 4 Emergency Lesson Plans for Numeracy. Check out our resources area here too.

About Us

by Sharon Wood aka NuttySupplier

I taught full-time in KS2 for a number of years in the south of England before relocating back to the north. After taking my own class, implementing initiative after initiative, moving classrooms and year groups 85% of academic years and running an average 6 clubs a week, I’d had enough! I took a few years out of teaching completely, explaining to friends and family that at the tender age of £$%* that I’d retired.

I had done a little supply in the south, as part of a return to work programme after a period of illness. However, this was undertaken in schools known to me, where the children still saw me as a teacher at their school. It was nothing like the world I was thrown into when I agreed to help out a local school for a few days during a particularly bad viral attack on their teaching staff after a couple of years back north!

Despite my initial reluctance at stepping back into a classroom, I ended a job contract in business facilitation in favour of doing more supply, and terminated contracts with various clients along with my self-employment status in favour of doing even more.  It was a great work/life balance, and just what I needed as I had bought a house to renovate.  For many years, I juggled contracts with schools in the area, from day-long to year-long, all temporary, all part-time, just how I like them!

I don’t do any teaching now due to a compromised immune system, but I am now a very proud mummy, and I also own TheSupplyTeacher.com.

SupplyBag - The essential resource for supply teachers

 www.SupplyBag.co.uk

SupplyBag.co.uk was borne out of the forum within this site. NuttySupplier set up the Supply Teacher Forum on 19th November 2005 which enjoys many visits from friends old and new, daily. SupplyBag.co.uk is an attempt to formalise and categorise the vast amount of information contained within the forum, and present it in a way which makes it more easily accessible to the new visitor.

Advertisements placed on SupplyBag.co.uk are not endorsements by myself or SupplyBag.co.uk.

Remembering Children’s Names

by Sharon Wood

Supply teachers can have a hard time. A lot is expected of you as you walk into a strange room, in a strange location, full of strangers! There are many ways to help your day in the alien environment run more smoothly and effectively, and learning the names of the aliens, enhancing communication with them, is one of the best. Read on for top tips.

I have found over the years that nothing leaves a better impression with support staff (and therefore teaching staff!) than me having learnt all the children’s names by first break. I’ve got it down to a fine art now.

It makes an enormous difference to the effectiveness of my voice when I am able to tag the name of a child onto the end of a sentence. Teaching becomes easier, therefore I am more enthusiastic, therefore the children are more enthusiastic, and more learning takes place.

If you know the names of the children, marking work at the end of the lesson/day becomes much more effective too. Use the child’s name when marking, and remark on how well they contributed in the class discussion etc.

Learning Children's Names

Below is a garbled list of things that I do, some stand by themselves, some needing support from the others.

  • Arrive early enough not only to read the lesson plans for the day, but also early enough to get a grip on the classroom layout and to find and use all evidence of children’s names within it.
  • Collect the register early, and read it, and read it again.
  • Look at the names of the children on coat hooks/locker doors/drawers.
  • Look at the star charts, who has the most/least, and do they have teams/table names? It’s easy to learn the group/table names before the children come in and use them effectively.
  • Often younger children will have photographs on the wall, especially in the autumn term, with their names, giving, for example, a character trait/favourite book.
  • Aim to learn the names of five children as they walk through the door, introduce yourself, ask them their name, and commit it to memory (use alphabet/numerical help, physical attributes etc.)
  • Aim to learn another five, and revise those first five, while the children settle down in their chairs. These next five must be seated apart from each other – i.e. one from each table. If you arm yourself with the name of one child per table, you can then address each table separately – ‘Can the children continuing their conversation above me on Rita’s table, please stop now!’ To get a hold of this second lot of names, look at the drawers/coat hooks etc., that they go to, and ask to look at their book as they settle down at their table.
  • Listen to the children. You will hear another five before you take the register just by listening to the first ten children you have addressed. They will say things like ‘I haven’t got my reading log, I left it at Tom’s house last night,’ whilst pointing in Tom’s direction. 
    [bctt tweet="Top tips for learning children's names? #supplychat"]
  • Do not pressure yourself into learning any more during the register. Simply use that time to confirm the 15 you now hold in your head. Ask the children to put their hand up when you call their name, before they answer you. Look directly at the child and, after they have said ‘Good Morning Miss,’ you say ‘Good Morning Joe.’ Take in the face of that child now sat in their correct place.
  • Repeat the child’s name every time you talk to them, until you know you know it.
  • When you’re going round the class, red pen in hand, look at the front of the child’s book when you get to them, it’s always got their name on… and use it while you’re talking to them about their work.
  • Test yourself, and let the children know that that’s what you’re doing. At break time/lining up for assembly, let them know you’re about to give yourself a test, get them to stand behind their chairs, and they can only line up if you know their name. They love this game! Make an extra effort to communicate with the children you couldn’t name, after assembly.

Where next? There’s a great quick read here on free lesson plans for literacy. Check out our resources area here too.

Year 3 Emergency Lesson Plans for Literacy

Click to download all 289 of my Key Stage 2 supply teacher emergency lesson plans as a PDF.

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans for Year 3 Literacy are only to be used by supply teachers who are faced with no planning or easily accessible resources. Also to be used following the guidance notes here.

Word Level Work

  • Split words given into syllables, clap out with a friend and write with slashes/dashes, dash-es, slash/es.
  • Find words with -le on the end, investigate the occurrence of double consonants before the -le.
  • Practice handwriting, ascenders and descenders.
  • Ping-pong spelling: Children collect own mis-spelt and corrected words on scraps of paper in groups of three. One reads a word aloud, shows the other two for ‘n’ seconds, hides it, and then the two children take it in turns to say the next letter.
  • Explore a dictionary, where do certain letters fall (‘s’ towards the end, ‘e’ close to the beginning) and play games (Find The Word…) based on using dictionary.
  • Identify as many short words as you can inside other, longer words, your name, school name, words given, recognise features and syllables to aid spelling.
  • On board, write words to be contracted, could not, and go through use of apostrophe for contraction, then challenge children to contract all words on board, couldn’t.
  • Collect synonyms for shouted/said/walked/ran and improve the power of sentences given.
  • Find in a dictionary some simple words and explore different meanings etc., form, wave, place.

Sentence Level Work

  • Find in own reading books examples of verbs used other than common verbs, chased instead of ran etc.
  • Identify speech marks in dialogue and punctuation conventions associated, i.e. capital letters to start direct speech, commas used etc. Write dialogue of own.
  • Collect words for colours, sizes and moods in groups. Present as a ‘word board’ for use by rest of class.
  • When to use capital letters. Look in current reading books to find all examples.
  • Sequencing, give them a chronologically based set of sentences, i.e. getting up to arriving at school, and order/connect using first, then, after, meanwhile, etc.

Text Level Work

Narrative / Plays / Scripts

  • Take a book the class have read together, or a well-known story, and plan for it to be a 3/4/5-part mini-TV series… what happens in each episode?
  • Give a basic sentence describing an action, ‘Tom moved closer to the door,’ and ask the children in pairs to write three more sentences, the first will help build tension, the second set the scene a little more, and the third create suspense, thicken the atmosphere/add to the mood.
  • Collect from reading books and experience story openings and endings, use in re-telling own simple, four sentence story.
  • Re-write endings of traditional tales, i.e. Three Little Pigs
  • Character description: 2 parts, physical and non-physical description. Present as police profile, reference for a job, wanted poster, postcard to friends about someone you met on holiday, letter to class about new teacher in new school.
  • Brainstorm words other than basic ones (deny the use of mummy and pyramid in Egyptian story for example) for a topic before writing an opening (setting/character introduction), using three of new words found.
  • Write descriptive setting of the quiet area in the school playground, use all five senses.
  • Write a letter to your favourite author explaining why you like their books.

Non Fiction

  • Design an information leaflet for a local visitor attraction/tourist information for your village.
  • Book Reviews: look at what they would like to be included, and design your own format, then complete for your favourite book.
  • Writing instructions: think of alternative instructions such as how to win the lottery, how to

Poetry

  • Write an A-Z about their school for the Year 2 children arriving in September.
  • Shape poems of musical instruments, the sounds they make and effect on the ear/brain/soul.
  • Alliteration poem, animals coming off the Ark, slithering snakes etc.
  • Calligrams, where the handwriting/font aids the poem… LARGE, bold

 

Return to Emergency Lesson Plans Index or visit the supply teacher downloads page.

Where next? There’s a great quick read here on Year 3 Emergency Lesson Plans for Numeracy. Check out our resources area here too.

Quick, Easy and Effective Behaviour Management Ideas for the Classroom – Nicola S. Morgan

Article submitted by Nicola S. Morgan, Author

‘Throughout my 13 years experience as a teacher I have specialised in behaviour management in primary schools. The book is based on my years of experience teaching and managing a range of challenging behaviours in the classroom, the book provides practical and do-able strategies that work and includes worksheets, rewards and other fully photocopiable resources. The ideas are all based around an original framework developed by myself called The 10 Rs for Behaviour Management. The 10 Rs is a term for a group of strategies that are efficient ‘tried and tested’ techniques for managing children in the classroom, no matter what the behavioural difficulties are. They aim to prevent the occurrence of behaviour difficulties, or if problems do occur, they show how to quickly re-establish appropriate behaviour.
The behaviour management ideas and resources in this book will provide invaluable practical support for teachers, learning support assistants, teaching assistants, trainee and NQT teachers.

Behaviour Management Ideas for the Classroom - Nicola S Morgan

Purchase a copy of Nicola’s book here.

Where next? There’s a great quick read here on Reception class lesson plans. Check out our resources area here too.

Be a Better Supply Teacher – Liz Rhodes

Article submitted by Liz Rhodes, Author

I looked at many primary supply teacher books, but none of them provided quite what I wanted. You don’t need loads of lesson plans (you can always get those from the Supply Bag, as mentioned in the book!). You do need information on how to go about getting work and legal and financial bits; if you’re an NQT looking for a permanent post you need to know about the school day and the various pitfalls your college haven’t told you about (because they don’t know). If you are an older teacher, you need details of the ways in which the four rules of number are taught today (radically different from the old ways, and much better).
So all these things are included in my book, along with suggestions for behaviour management, working with other adults in the classroom and how to maintain your life/work balance. I don’t actually pack your bag for you (sorry!), but I do give you a list of things you might need. It’s in a handy pocket-sized format (12 x 17 cm) and is part of a series by different authors on a variety of educational subjects.
There’s just one problem – if the book is successful, I could be doing myself out of a teaching job. Ah well, I can always take up my new career as an author!

Be A Better Supply Teacher - Liz Rhodes

Liz’s book is available on Amazon.