There’s nothing a teacher dreads more than being absent and having to prepare for a substitute teacher in preschool or kindergarten.
Substitute Woes
In addition to the preparations you have to make in advance for a substitute teacher, often while you’re sick, there’s always the fear that your students will go bonkers in your absence.
I’m sure this has never happened to you! When you’re absent, your little cherubs sit still and blink their wide, innocent eyes at the substitute teacher while patiently awaiting your return.
If you are in the minority like me and your students need a little reminder of how to behave in your absence you can make a book, just like I did.
Favorite Pigeon Books
Here are some favorite Pigeon books by Mo Willems:
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus!
- The Pigeon Wants a Puppy!
- Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late!
- The Pigeon Needs a Bath!
How to Make a Pigeon Class Book
Do a Google search for a picture of a pigeon to use in your book.
Open a blank PowerPoint and insert one student picture and one picture of the pigeon on each page.
Then, using the shapes feature in the top navigation bar, add a speech bubble next to each child’s head.
Pigeon Class Book
In the pigeon’s speech bubble on each page type something naughty he wants to do that’s against your classroom rules.
Ask your kids to tell you what they would say in response to the pigeon and type their responses inside their speech bubbles.
Having your students come up with their own ideas for the text will be more meaningful.
You can show the PowerPoint to the class or you can print the slides, insert the pages in page protectors, and place them in a binder to create a class book that you can include in your classroom library and leave for your substitute.
Please note, this post is from 2011. If you found this post through Pinterest it has changed since the original publication.
