Sub Plans You Barely Have to Write
One of those tasks that I tend to forget about until it’s almost too late is sub plan organization.
In fact, this past year I was hired so late, that I never prepped a sub binder or folder or anything. I was spinning my wheels every time I had a sub to put together plans. I reprinted my roster EVERY TIME I was absent. I jotted down notes about how to pack up and who was line leader EVERY TIME.
It was ridiculous. But, I had been out of the game for a few years, and being hired on so late meant that I was racing to catch up for most of the year. Every time I was absent, it was because a kid was sick. And that always caught me by surprise and I was never ready to go.
This year…things are going to be different.
Let me show you how!
My Sub Plan Binder
Sub plan binders are nothing new. It only make sense to write out your emergency drills, important phone extensions, attendance procedure, etc. one time at the beginning of the year. I feel like most teachers have some sort of folder or binder with all of their critical info in one place for a potential substitute.
But, my sub binder is a little different. There are two things I believe in including to make your year easier. And, after taking a year off of this system last year, I can confirm that the alternative option of writing plans from scratch each time you’re absent is the WORST.
Tip #1: Pre-Write a Sub Plan Draft
Arguably the most important thing that you’re going to leave for your substitute on your day off is the plans. They can figure just about everything else out, but leaving a plan that includes all of the routines and curriculum that your kids are used to is going to be the key to helping the day go well.
But, the tough part is having detailed plans ready to go. This is what I suggest:
Write a rough-draft of your plans now.
I know, I know. You obviously can’t write in every little detail of what you want the kids to do on some eventual day that you won’t be there. You don’t know when your first absence is going to occur, and where you’ll be at with your teaching on that particular day.
But this is the thing, if you’ve taught your grade level before, you probably have a rough idea of how your day is going to flow. If you schedule is finalized, you know what subjects you’ll be teaching in what order. If you’ve taught before, you likely know how you want your procedures to go.
Go ahead and write out the basic plan. Just leave things like page numbers, worksheet titles, etc. blank!
Take a look at my example, below. I am saving this draft on my computer. And, when the inevitable happens and one of my kids gets sick, I’ll have 80% of the plan written.
Tip #2: Write Emergency, No-Prep Plans
To me, emergency plans are MUST. And, they are separate from your standard sub plans. I’m talking a lesson plan that you have written way ahead of time for that disastrous day that hit you out of nowhere. Some times that this has happened to me:
My 1 year old was rushed to the hospital and was admitted overnight on a Tuesday (this past year)
My 6 year old was rushed to the hospital and was admitted on a Sunday night (this past year)
I got in a car accident on the way to school and totaled my car about 45 mins before class started (2014)
In all three of these instances. I couldn’t formulate a single lesson plan at my laptop…even if I’d had it and had been able to (which I never had my computer in these moments).
In those true emergency absences, it is best to be prepared. Here’s how:
Write a full day of plans, but swap out your normal activities for generic tasks that your students can do anytime with no prep from you. Here’s an example of my reading block emergency plans:
“Whole Group Time (9:25-9:55): Choose one picture book from my classroom library. Read aloud to the students on the carpet. After reading, send them to their desks to create a comic strip in their reading journals all about the character, setting, main problem, and solution in the story. For students who are struggling, ask them to write 4 sentences about who the story was about and what happened. After students are finished, have them come to the carpet and show their comic strips or read their sentences. Choose 5-8 students to share, depending on how much time you have left over.”
“Small Group Time (9:55-10:55): Have students complete the following rotations for 15 minutes a time. After 15 minutes have all students stop and complete the next rotation:
Word Work: All students need to write their spelling words three times each in their journals or on their white boards. Have them write each word in print, fancy writing, and teeny tiny writing.
Technology: Students may listen to 2 books on Epic!. Ask them to journal about which book they liked better and why.
Independent Reading: Students may read one book at their desks for 15 minutes. If they need to get a new book from the class library, they may go one table at a time (or 4-5 students at a time).
Writing: Have students write and draw a story about a time they were proud of themselves. Ask them to check for capitals, punctuation, and correct spelling of words they know. If you have time leftover, you may call on 3-5 students to share their stories.
See how there’s not a single thing that I have to print, prep, or copy ahead of time? Now, I will sometimes stash some extra class sets of worksheets or review pages in my “sub plans” drawer of my rainbow cart. This is also where I keep my binder. In my math plans, I will reference those extra copies and invite the sub to use them if there is extra time.
I don’t like to use these emergency plans for a pre-planned absence, or an absence where one of my kids is sick but I’m perfectly fine to write some plans to email to my team. I don’t want my kids to get off pace on the curriculum if I can avoid it.
But on those crazy days where I’m violently ill, or something really dramatic is going on, the last thing I want to think about is my classroom. So, these pre-written emergency plans are teaching GOLD.
Great news for y’all: you can get all of the things that I referenced in this blog post in a single download! My sub plan pack includes:
templates and forms for all of the parts of your day that a sub may need to know about (these are all editable so you can change headings, type in your own roster, etc.)
a feedback form for the sub to fill out for you
daily lesson plan template with my example plans that are 80% of the way filled out
emergency sub plan template
example emergency sub plans that are editable (use mine as a jumping off point!)
example list of no-prep activities that you can use in your emergency plans
