The Substitute Teacher from the Black Lagoon is part of our Starts With a Story Collection, which includes more than 550 picture book companions based on high quality children’s literature that support you in delivering highly-engaging interactive read alouds with follow up activities. Learn more about this children’s book below! - Jodi and the Starts With a Story Team
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SUMMARY
"The Substitute Teacher from the Black Lagoon" by Mike Thaler, is a story that follows the imaginative worries of a young student named Hubie as his class prepares for a fun and work free day with a substitute teacher. Hubie's wild imagination leads him to believe that the substitute will be a monstrous creature from the infamous Black Lagoon. He envisions the substitute as a terrifying figure who might subject the class to all sorts of scary activities. As the day unfolds, Hubie's classmates share their own exaggerated fears about the substitute teacher. However, to their surprise, the substitute turns out to be friendly, creative, humerous and caring, shattering their misconceptions. The book humorously portrays the anxiety and anticipation students often feel about having a substitute teacher and showcases the idea that reality can be much different from one's initial expectations.
 USE THIS BOOK TO TEACH:
Our read aloud lesson plans for this picture book come with reading comprehension questions (with sample student responses), 30 writing prompts, teaching ideas for grammar skills, social emotional learning discussion ideas, and more. Check out our list below to get a sneak peek at some of the skills this resource teaches.
- Have students sequence the important events in the story. This is an important skill when it comes to retelling a story.
- Help students to analyze what the author’s purpose for writing the book might be.
- Practice comparing and contrasting after you read the book.
- Introduce the purpose of adverbs and practice using them.
- Explore prepositions and how they describe nouns or pronouns.
- Discuss different strategies for coping.
- Lead a group discussion on the role honesty plays in the story.
NO-PREP PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES:
If you are looking for “ready to go” activities for the first day of school, be sure to check out the book companion. With it you’ll receive all of the following resources to align with this specific book:
- comprehension questions
- 30Â writing prompts with themed paper
- vocabulary activities
- word study print & go activities
- ideas for grammar lessons with focus sentence printables
- social emotional learning discussion topics
- graphic organizers to target specific comprehension skills and strategies
This book is a must have for your school or classroom library. Your students are going to love completing these activities for the book and you will be impressed with how much they learn. You will want to read this book to your class every year.
GET THE PRINTABLE ACTIVITIES
ADDITIONAL BOOK SUGGESTIONS
You and your students will love the similar books listed below, which can all be found in our free picture book list.
- Substitute Creacher by Chris Gall
- Jamaica and the Substitute Teacher by Juanita Havill
- Miss Malarkey Won't Be In Today by Judy Finchler
- Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry G. Allard Jr.
TRY OUT A SAMPLE COMPANION
It's hard to explain how amazing the Starts with a Story book companions are because there is just so much goodness included in each one. It's best if you experience using one for yourself. Sign up below & we'll send you an entire book companion to try out for FREE!
