It is the beginning of the year! Whether you've been at it for a week or just starting, we all know the requirements for starting the school year, emergency plans, and enrichment activities!
In this blog post, I will walk you through how to make your own that can be applied during any time of the year, along with providing you with some options on my TPT account that's all ready for you!
When I started at my new school, my administration told us we could not do a basic reading assignment. The emergency sub plan must be engaging as if you were there. This freaked me out! I scrambled to search my old resources for anything and everything that could be seen as an emergency plan for the year. My conclusion, I didn't have ANYTHING! So I decided to make my own.
How to Make Your Own Emergency or Enrichment Activities:
Making emergency plans can translate to enrichment activities if you have students who go above and beyond the expectations! The great thing is that I use the ones I made for both.
Step 1 - Divide Your Curriculum:
The first step is to divide your curriculum into different sections. When I taught middle school, those sections were Earth Science, Biology, Chemistry, and Physical Science. As a high school biology teacher, the sections cover multiple units but can be used anytime: Ecosystems, Genetics & Cells, and Evolution.
Step 2 - Find a Common Denominator:
This step can be translated in one of two ways. You can either find a common theme in each category, or you can find a subject that you DON'T cover much or at all and use that as your plan. The goal here is that no matter where your students are in your curriculum, they can do these activities without background knowledge.
Step 3 - Write a Story:
I made my enrichment and emergency plans story-based. ChatGTP is a great place to bounce ideas off of for this (although this first round, I made myself, pre-ChatGTP). The story will help guide the students through the plan without needing substitutes to answer content-related questions. The story gives all the information your students need.
Step 4 - Give a Goal:
My goals are to research or solve a problem depending on the plan. The goal is clear in emergency/enrichment plans and can be accomplished independently, without needing a group.
Step 5 - Make it Low Prep:
Ensure you don't have to prep any or very few materials for your plans. This is so that you can implement them whenever, or students can start them without you. I use the internet for research or simply paper items that can be used as paper or PDF.
Step 6 - Make It Fun:
This is a very simple step. Don't call it work; call it something exciting so students will want to do it. Offer extra credit or benefits in the classroom for those doing enrichment. My class has cards that give students extra benefits (example below!). I call my enrichment or emergency plans "side missions." Something that isn't required but can only benefit you in your journey for knowledge.
And that's it! Try it out and see what you come up with. Use videos, websites, etc., to enhance your emergency plans or enrichment activities. Do something outside the box that the kids may be unable to interact with! Regardless, this is a simple step-by-step explanation of how to make your own!
If you don't want to do the task, visit my TPT account for the first four Side Missions I posted! Look at those; maybe that'll get your brain juices moving!
For now, I hope that this helped you take on those enrichment/emergency plans! Best of luck in this coming year, and remember, growth is great!
That One Science Teacher
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