Have you ever walked into a classroom that had no material what so ever? Sadly, this is quite common as a relief teacher. The good news is that there are several quick and easy relief teaching lessons that are fun and engaging, and that also develop the minds of the children.
Below I have included a few that have made my relief teaching life more manageable over the years.
Riddles & Brain Teasers
Having the class try to solve riddles and brain teasers is one of the most fun and engaging lessons that can be done as an educator. You can find amazing riddles and brain teasers using apps and online services, telling your own, or even having the students design a riddle or brain teaser themselves. Have a look at the “Riddle Me This” YouTube site for amazing riddles and this “Brain Teasers” iPhone app. Both of which have been amazing to me!
I’m sure there are many more brilliant resources out there, so feel free to comment for all to see.
Alphabet $$ Currency
Alphabet Currency is one of my all-time favourite relief teaching lessons. Write the alphabet on the whiteboard for everybody to see. Then next to each letter, leave a dollar value. I set mine up as shown on the image (A = $1, B = $2, Z = $26). Instruct the class to then do as follows:
- Find the value of your name (BEN = 2+5+14=$21)
- Find as many words as you can the equal EXACTLY $100 (you can google answers to this)
- What is the largest value word you can find?
*Depending on the level of the class and how difficult you would like this task to be, I recommend asking the students to organise some dictionaries and calculators.
Simple Scrabble
This is one of my super simple relief teaching lessons. Write random letters on the whiteboard, and give the students a certain amount of time to write as many words as they can. Time can range from 1 minute to over 10 minutes. Identify the level of the class and act accordingly.
Random Number Outcome
First, give six random numbers and a final number. Then using any form of math, the students can only use those six numbers to reach the final number.
An example is above! Make it as simple or as complicated as you believe is best!
PS. I like to allow the students to use each number as many times as they need to.
Meditation Writing – Visual Writing
- I ask the students to go to a relaxing place within the classroom, then to close their eyes.
- I then guide the students through a story, having them visualise the story in their mind. I always include sensory use through the story, i.e. make them focus on what they see, hear & feel.
- Depending on the age of the students, you can ask them to draw a scene that they created from the story, OR to re-write the story to the best of their ability. For older students, you can ask them to finish off the story.
Tip: For older students, I like to keep the story open so that their mind can fill in the gaps. I use wording such as:
“As you walk along the path, look ahead, what do you see? Maybe you see fields of tulips, or maybe you see a dark forest? You can see anything you want to see! What noises can you hear? What do you feel? Are you tired? Relaxed? Nervous? Excited?”
Continuous Writing – Auditory Writing – Stream of Consciousness Writing
This method for writing helps us to listen to that voice in our head, helping to transfer information from our brain to our writing.
I start with an example, setting my timer to 1 minute, and either write on a smartboard or whiteboard, whichever is available.
I write whatever is in my head at that moment. There is one rule, DO NOT STOP WRITING!
After, I read it to the class so that they understand how this lesson works.
“I hope the students understand what I am trying to get them to do what is that smell must be sweat seen as it is 35 degrees outside my wrist is getting sore knock-knock a young girl is at the door I have to stop now to address her.”
You will find that there is no punctuation as the focus is to write the exact thought at the time.
Tip: Start by setting the timer for 1 minute for the class, then as they get better, set it to as many minutes as you like.
For more relief teaching ideas that will keep the class engaged, visit this link on teaching using DELIBERATE MISTAKES.
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