Emergency substitute plans. That dreadful feeling, you know the one I’m talking about. Knowing that you would rather be sick and go to work anyway, instead of writing out substitute plans.
They take too long to write, your brain can’t come up with any more ways to write exactly what you do in the run of a day and you just want to give up.
I have some ideas that can help. I’m not going to sell you a product that will change your life. I’ve found something that has worked this year and I want to scream it from the rooftops.
Here’s what you need to do
Yes, this is going to take some work, but trust me, do it when you’re feeling well and it will pay off big time when you need to write up these emergency substitute plans!
Get organized
Create an emergency substitute lesson plan bin for, well you guessed it, emergencies when you literally cannot make a plan.
It can be a binder, a folder, a bin, or anything. Just make sure that it is easily identifiable.
I like to use this hanging folder box. I have folders in it for each subject with printables that are already photocopied that can be used over and over.
Think multiplication game sheets, reading response forms, writing prompt pages, etc. I even have an art assignment in one folder with the paper they will need.
At the beginning of the box, I have a folder with important information printed out, a class list, class and school rules and anything else that might be helpful.
Here’s the good part. I also have a list for ELA and Math with a list of activities that require no supplies, like giving the students time to free write, instructions for our bin of math games or websites that the students can use their Chromebooks to access, like EPIC for reading, Prodigy or unfinished work in their Google Classroom.
I also have a booklet of a variety of photocopied worksheets for word work, reading comprehension and handwriting practice that is stapled together for each student in case I ever am having a moment and need them to just be working on something or if the substitute teacher needs more work! I’ve had the same booklet printed for the last 3 years and have never used it, but it feels good just to know it’s there and ready if I ever do need it.
Create a set of generic plans
So this is my crowning glory. And it’s two-fold. This year I created a set of generic lesson plans. We are on a four-day cycle, so I have a full template for each day.
Each emergency substitute lesson plan has all of that generic info that I don’t need at the top of a lesson plan, but my substitute will. How to collect lunch money, where to put the attendance slip, etc. Then in each subject block, I give some suggestions of what can be done.
Here’s what it looks like
For example, under ELA I write:
Writing time:
- Check to see if there is an assignment we are currently working on
- Write from a prompt from the emergency sub plan folder
- Freewriting time
Reading time:
- Independently read for 25 minutes
- Complete a reading response from the choice board posted on Google Classroom
If needed:
- Read a chapter from our current class read aloud
- Pull a word worksheet from the word work bin
- Do a PATHS lesson from the binder (PATHS is our SEL curriculum)
I use the checkboxes under the “bulleted list” feature in Google Docs because the substitutes will usually put a checkmark in the box that they did so that way I know! I also explain our snack and lunch routines, how we tidy up and get ready for the end of the day and our dismissal practices.
How does this help?
So why is this so helpful? Well, if I am out suddenly and unexpectedly, they can pull these emergency sub lesson plans, use the correct day and pull work from my emergency files or my labelled work bins. These written instructions make it much easier than just relying on my files of worksheets.
The second way that these are super useful and worth their weight in gold, is now when I am planning for a substitute, I can just make a copy of the plan and delete the work that they won’t need. I can write in a specific sentence or two for Math or ELA, but the bulk of the work is done!
Planning for a substitute now takes me less than half an hour and that is including photocopying and organizing my desk!
I hope this helps! What is your favourite substitute lesson planning hack?
