Accountability with Regularly Scheduled Assignments

  • Survey with Google Forms- Post a link to a survey in Google Classroom or some place else the students can access it. Ask the substitute to remind the students at the end of class to complete the survey. I usually make it worth 10 points.

Google Form example:
Name:
Hour:
Tell me specifically what you accomplished today:
How focused were you?
Super focused- I got a lot accomplished and was on task the whole time.
Mostly focused- I got stuff done but spent some extra time talking.
Not that focused- I made some progress but spent more time talking or off task than I should have.
Not focused at all- I hardly got anything done and was off task most of the time.

  • Post-It Note Reporting- Students fill out with their name, what they worked on, and a score of 1-10 with how engaged (on-task) they were that day and place it on a poster labeled with their hour.

Sub Plans

  • Art Prof Art Dare- Each month the Art Prof (Clara Lieu and her partners) post a challenge, which is pretty interesting, and the older ones are archived as well. My students especially enjoyed the drawing challenge from February 2017that had charts with interesting words for the artist to illustrate. I later made my own with different words to use with my middle school students.
  • PBS Art Assignment- PBS digital studios produce some great content, such as the Art Assignment. Art Assignments introduce a contemporary artist, make connections to art history, and then challenge students to apply some of the ideas. Explore their channel!
  • Scholastic Art- Have the students read one or more of the articles and complete the worksheets in the teacher resources. Or, ask the students to make a work of art in response to the featured artist/movement or the student spotlights.
  • Inktober- Find a seasonal art challenge. In October, lots of people participate in "Inktober". I need to start! I've seen several more pop up at different times of the year.
  • Illustration Friday- Each week there is a new topic in the weekly art challenge. You can see how artists/illustrators have used different styles and mediums to complete the task. Your students can take on the challenge, too!
  • Artprompts.org- Click on a category such as character, creature, environment, object, situation, or challenge and get a random selection from a huge database. Don't like it? Keep refreshing until you get something that resonates with you. You can even submit your own ideas. Students can use their prompt as a starting point for a sketch or finished work.
  • Art 21- "Art21 is a nonprofit organization dedicated to inspiring a more creative world through the works and words of contemporary artists." Have the sub show a video and then students could write a response, do visual journaling, answer some questions, or whatever you decide!