Supply Files
Teaching Starters
Most supply teachers carry some sort of a resources file around with them. It may be a notebook, folder or maybe its just all logged mentally, however its job is the same. Because you never really know what the assignment ahead will hold it is a good idea to have a number of activities and lessons 'up your sleeve' and ready to go.
Below are examples of supply files carried by myself and colleagues. You can use these lists as a 'resource springboard'. You won't find complete resources below, just good tried and tested ideas.
Plug and Play Resources for Supply and NQT
Beasupplyteacher.co.uk can supply a collection of ready made, printable and presentable resource files. They are all on USB - so fantastically portable and designed especially for primary teachers and supply teachers.
Year 4
Literacy
Write alphabet down one side of a page. Add an animal for each letter then an adjective to describe it and a verb to show what it is doing, all starting with the same letter.
Choose a well known story or traditional tale and turn it into a play script, reminding pupils of the conventions of play script writing.
Create a set of adverts for a new toy, restaurant in town, car, lost pet etc.
Draw a purely imaginary creature from another planet. Write a detailed description using as many adjectives as possible.
Describe an animal or person without revealing what/who it is. Pupils to guess object.
Letter of complaint about medicine.
Use dragon poster to write instructions for how to look after a dragon.
Year 3
Literacy Use dragon poster to write instructions for how to look after a dragon.
Alien adjectives
Poetry – In my lunchbox I can hear / see / smell / feel / taste … Add food and adjectives to describe them.
Use ’10 things in a wizards pocket’ poem as inspiration to write own about witch’s cauldron
Acrostic poems for a given word (related to topic)
Numeracy M/O starters:
Play ‘show me’ using whiteboards or number fans for number in 4x table, double/half numbers…
Draw a noughts and crosses grid each on w/bs. Add a number in each space in 5’s to 100. Give out multiplication sentences for children to cross off answers. 3 in a row wins.
Guess the sequence chosen secretly by teacher. Numbers guessed that are in the sequence go inside a star/box on the board, others go outside.
Activities:
Hand out 4 number cards to two pairs – can they make the biggest number? Then play nasty game (dice roll to make TU number – winner has the biggest number – can then do HTU)
Caterpillar halving – think of a number less than 100; if odd, subtract 1 then halve, if even just halve. Add to segments of a caterpillar. Which numbers make the longest / shortest caterpillar?
Witches brew puzzle
Use a given operation and have two sets of numbers for the children to use. They should pick any 2 numbers and use the operation to make a problem to solve. If it’s too easy, pick 2 big numbers.
Make tally then block charts of chosen subject, eg. Getting to school, eye colour, favourite food, etc. Then make a table of results. Challenge a friend to answer your question based on the info eg. How many more people… than …?
Afternoon activity ideasObservational drawing of something in the room, eg a plant.
Egyptians believe in life after death, and buried their people with objects that could help them in the next life, and would also show what their social standing was in this life - they are almost like time capsules of a person’s life at one point in time. Draw/write about what you would put in a time capsule for your life/David Beckham's life
Starburst pictures
Design healthy lifestyle / teeth poster
Design a machine to do a job you dislike
Circle time:
· Fruit salad· The sun shines on…· If I were an animal I’d be…because…· If I wasn’t here, I’d like to be…· A good friend is someone who…· Make a wish for yourself, your family, the whole world· Pass the smile
Year 2
Literacy Poetry – In my lunchbox I can hear / see / smell / feel / taste … Add food and adjectives to describe them.
Re-write the end of a familiar story in a new way (Time for Pantomime on cbebies website)
Wanted’ or ‘Missing’ posters for eg. Big Bad Wolf, Giant, Jack
Use ’10 things in a wizards pocket’ poem as inspiration to write own about witch’s cauldron
Acrostic poems for a given word (related to topic)
Numeracy M/O starters:Play ‘show me’ using whiteboards or number fans for number bigger/smaller than, one more than…
Do an action instead of saying the numbers in a sequence; eg count to 50 but on every 5’s number clap instead of saying number
Draw a noughts and crosses grid each on w/bs. Add a number in each space to 20. Give a number less than 20 and if they have the number that compliments it to add to 20, cross it off. 3 in a line wins.
Guess the sequence chosen secretly by teacher. Numbers guessed that are in the sequence go inside a star/box on the board, others go outside.
Activities:How many ways can you make 20?
How many ways can we arrange 3 cubes? Children then independently arrange 4 (and then 5) cubes and record patterns on squared paper
Make tally and block charts of chosen subject, eg. Getting to school, eye colour, favourite food, etc Challenge a friend to answer your question based on the info eg. How many more people… than …?
Afternoon activities Observational drawing
Special people flower
Label a child using post-its, then draw and label self
Create a moving picture – lift the flap, split pins, pop-up
Design a postcard about where you live with 4 pictures; write on back as though you were a visitor writing to a friend
Circle time:
Fruit salad The sun shines on… I feel happy when… It makes me happy / sad / angry when… Pass the smile What makes a good friend? What do you like about someone in the circle? Children to then draw their best friend and write why they like them
Year 1
Literacy
Act out a familiar story
News (on a Monday only)
Draw the bear hunt bear and add a description
Make a map of the bear hunt or other story
Poetry – In my lunchbox I can hear / see / smell / feel / taste … Add food and adjectives to describe them.
‘Wanted’ or ‘Missing’ posters for eg. Big Bad Wolf, Giant, Jack
Numeracy M/O starters:Play ‘show me’ using whiteboards or number fans for number bigger/smaller than, one more than…
Count in a pattern, eg. 2’s, missing a number for the children to name
Do an action instead of saying the numbers in a sequence; eg count to 50 but on every 5’s number clap instead of saying number
Describe a number by it’s shape for the children to name
Describe a shape for the children to name
Draw a number on your friend’s back - can they guess it?
Activities:Do you have enough multilink to make a model with 10 cubes? Check. How many different models with 10 cubes can you make?
How many ways can we arrange 3 cubes? Children then independently arrange 4 (and then 5) cubes and record patterns on squared paper
Make tally charts of chosen subject, eg. Getting to school, eye colour, favourite food, etc
Afternoon activities
Observational drawing
Special people flower
Label a child using post-its, then draw and label self
Create a moving picture – lift the flap, split pins, pop-up
Circle time:
Fruit salad The sun shines on… I feel happy when… It makes me happy / sad / angry when… Pass the smile What makes a good friend? What do you like about someone in the circle? Children to then draw their best friend and write why they like them
Reception
Literacy
Act out a Picture.
News (on a Monday only)
Act out a familiar story
Look at rhyming words and create rhyme books for cat, dog, hat, man
Make eg Little Red Hen moving picture stories
Numeracy M/O starters:Count to 10 or back but miss a number for the children to name
Describe a number by it’s shape for the children to name
Count on to 10+ with children taking turns to count
Describe a shape for the children to identify
Number songs – 1, 2, 3, 4, 5; 10 green bottles; five little peas in a pea pod pressed; 5 currant buns; 5 little men in a flying saucer, wobbly tooth song, 5 little speckled frogs
Activities:Have I got enough cubes to make a model with 5/10 cubes? Make own models with 5/10 / pictures with 5/10
Make shape pictures either on shaped paper or using small shapes
Afternoon activities
Draw your friend
Draw someone special to you
Make stick puppets to go with a story
Circle time:
Fruit salad The sun shines on… I feel happy when… It makes me happy / sad / angry when… Pass the smile What makes a good friend? What do you like about someone in the circle? Children to then draw their best friend and write why they like them
Year 4 (cont)
Numeracy
M/O starters:
Draw a noughts and crosses grid each on w/bs. Add a number in each space in 5’s to 100. Give out multiplication sentences for children to cross off answers. 3 in a row wins.
Guess the sequence chosen secretly by teacher. Numbers guessed that are in the sequence go inside a star/box on the board, others go outside.
Number pyramids
Activities:
Caterpillar halving – think of a number less than 100; if odd, subtract 1 then halve, if even just halve. Add to segments of a caterpillar. Which numbers make the longest / shortest caterpillar?
Can they make the numbers for 1 – x using 1, 2, 3, 4 and any operations? They can use 12, 23, etc
Use a given operation and have two sets of numbers for the children to use. They should pick any 2 numbers and use the operation to make a problem to solve. If it’s too easy, pick 2 big numbers.
Make tally then block charts of chosen subject, eg. Getting to school, eye colour, favourite food, etc. Then make a table of results. Challenge a friend to answer your question based on the info eg. How many more people… than …?
Afternoon activitiesMap skills – draw an object in the room from above; move onto drawing whole room from above
Starburst pictures
Design a sensory garden for the school. If you were allowed to use any natural material, how would you plan it? Different lengths of branches for a wooden xylophone hanging below the bridge over the pond so the ducks could play it? Shells stung between the trees as on a washing line to catch the wind and whistle? Think of smells and textures too.
Egyptians believe in life after death, and buried their people with objects that could help them in the next life, and would also show what their social standing was in this life - they are almost like time capsules of a person’s life at one point in time. Draw/write about what you would put in a time capsule for your life/David Beckham's life
Design healthy lifestyle / teeth poster
Design a machine to do a job you dislike
‘Would you rather…?’ ppt
Circle time:
· Fruit salad· The sun shines on…· If I were an animal I’d be…because…· If I wasn’t here, I’d like to be…· A good friend is someone who…· Make a wish for yourself, your family, the whole world· Pass the smile
Year 5
Literacy
Write alphabet down one side of a page. Add an animal for each letter then an adjective to describe it and a verb to show what it is doing, all starting with the same letter.
Create a new character for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Write paragraph showing their reaction to winning the Golden Ticket and another detailing how they leave the factory related to their unpleasant characteristic.
Pupils to correct homophone sheet. Then pupils write an incorrect homophone message of their own.
Idioms sheet(s)
Write a review of a game/TV programme/film
Letter of complaint about medicine.
Give the children a 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.
‘If I were Prime Minister…’
NumeracyM/O starters:
Draw a noughts and crosses grid each on w/bs. Add a number in each space in x’s to 100. Give out multiplication sentences for children to cross off answers. 3 in a row wins.
Guess the sequence chosen secretly by teacher. Numbers guessed that are in the sequence go inside a star/box on the board, others go outside.
Fizz buzz – if a number has a 3 in it say Fizz, if it’s in the 3x table say Buzz
Number pyramids
Activities:
Roll dice record throws, graph results, discuss probability of throwing a certain number.
Magic squares – predict if you change every number by the same operation will it still work?
Make tally then block charts of chosen subject, eg. Getting to school, eye colour, favourite food, etc. Then make a table of results using a subject that is numerical, eg birth month, house number and create a chart for these. Record mode. Challenge a friend to answer your question based on the info eg. How many more people… than …?
Afternoon activitiesPlan a modern house taking into account all environmental issues. (draw a floor plan) Think about lighting, heating, recycling, and water.
Write and produce sales advertisement for the house designed above.
Design own board games.
PSHE – why do we have a community? What is needed in it (shops, doctors, school, park, etc)? Why do we need these things? How can we respect our community/ (litter, vandalism, graffiti issues)? Design a map showing own idea of a community and explain why they have chosen the facilities included.
Design a sensory garden for the school. If you were allowed to use any natural material, how would you plan it? Different lengths of branches for a wooden xylophone hanging below the bridge over the pond so the ducks could play it? Shells stung between the trees as on a washing line to catch the wind and whistle? Think of smells and textures too.
Design a new sweet/chocolate for the Chocolate Factory. Think about packaging taste, texture, price and advertising.
Egyptians believe in life after death, and buried their people with objects that could help them in the next life, and would also show what their social standing was in this life - they are almost like time capsules of a person’s life at one point in time. Draw/write about what you would put in a time capsule for your life/David Beckham's life
Dilemmas ppt
Would you rather…?’
Circle time:
Fruit salad· The sun shines on…· If I were an animal I’d be…because…· If I wasn’t here, I’d like to be…· A good friend is someone who…· Make a wish for yourself, your family, the whole world· Pass the smile· Tell me about your name – who chose it, what would you like to be called?
Year 6
Literacy
Write alphabet down one side of a page. Add an animal for each letter then an adjective to describe it and a verb to show what it is doing, all starting with the same letter.
Idioms sheet(s)
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.
Create a new character for Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Write paragraph showing their reaction to winning the Golden Ticket and another detailing how they leave the factory related to their unpleasant characteristic.
The unfinished tale
‘If I were Prime Minister…’
NumeracyM/O starters:
Draw a noughts and crosses grid each on w/bs. Add a number in each space in x’s to 100. Give out multiplication sentences for children to cross off answers. 3 in a row wins.
Guess the sequence chosen secretly by teacher. Numbers guessed that are in the sequence go inside a star/box on the board, others go outside.
Activities:
Introduce Ratio, probability. Bag of 3 colours of cubes, not same number of each colour. What ratio of blue to red, blue to red to white etc. what is probability of picking out one particular colour, graph results.
Roll dice record throws, graph results, discuss probability of throwing a certain number.
Magic squares 4x4 – predict if you change every number by the same operation will it still work?
Number race sheet (triangular numbers are 1, 1+2, 1+2+3…)
Make tally then block charts of chosen subject, eg. Getting to school, eye colour, favourite food, etc. Then make a table of results using a subject that is numerical, eg birth month, house number and create a chart for these. Record mode. Challenge a friend to answer your question based on the info eg. How many more people… than …?
Afternoon activities
Design a sensory garden for the school. If you were allowed to use any natural material, how would you plan it? Different lengths of branches for a wooden xylophone hanging below the bridge over the pond so the ducks could play it? Shells stung between the trees as on a washing line to catch the wind and whistle? Think of smells and textures too.
Animal adaptations
Plan a modern house taking into account all environmental issues. (draw a floor plan) Think about lighting, heating, recycling, and water.
Write and produce sales advertisement for the house designed above.
Design own board games (ppt)
PSHE – why do we have a community? What is needed in it (shops, doctors, school, park, etc)? Why do we need these things? How can we respect our community/ (litter, vandalism, graffiti issues)? Design a map showing own idea of a community and explain why they have chosen the facilities included.
Design a new sweet/chocolate for the Chocolate Factory. Think about packaging taste, texture, price and advertising.
Dilemmas.
Would you rather…?’.
Circle time
Fruit salad· The sun shines on…· If I were an animal I’d be…because…· If I wasn’t here, I’d like to be…· Make a wish for yourself, your family, the whole world· Pass the smile· Tell me about your name – who chose it, what would you like to be called?