I’m taking a personal day later this month, so it’s time to break out the sub plans.
Frankly, taking my personal days is an important part of maintaining a commitment to sustainable teaching.
Similarly, if there’s one thing I learned from a year of pandemic teaching, it’s the importance of healthy barriers.
Over the years, I’ve developed a few great hacks for welcoming a substitute. Plus, I want to share my favorite sub plans with you.
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My #1 Hack
For years, I coached debate, which meant I missed a lot of school. As a result, I became very good at writing sub plans.
More than anything else, this means I developed an efficient system. First, I develop a sub plans cover letter at the beginning of the year. My cover letter includes all the details I would want to share with every sub that steps into my room.
Read more about how to develop your own sub plans cover letter. Grab my free cover letter template, too!
The Best Sub Plans
In a typical year, I teach 2-3 different preps, which can be tricky for subs. While I’m sometimes required to leave different plans for different preps, when it’s possible, I try to simplify my sub’s life by leaving the same basic plans for each class. With this in mind, I’ve put together some of my favorite lessons for subs.
Firstly, my students love to play BINGO. When I have a sub, I sometimes leave Figurative Language BINGO. This is a game students play individually and quietly, a game with which subs are familiar, and a game with high levels of interest and buy-in. Depending on the students, I sometimes have students use fruit snacks as markers, but they can also use sticky notes or pencil marks. While I usually leave the whole-class version, I also have a single-player option for chatty classes.
Secondly, sub days are a good opportunity for partner quizzes. With partner quizzes, I usually let students use annotations and their books, so there’s little cheating for a sub to police. Furthermore, a quiz provides incentive for students to complete their work and take it seriously. Whether I actually end up counting the quiz depends on the sub note, but this is a tried-and-true sub plan for students. While I can’t leave the same quiz for all my preps, giving a sub the same basic outline for each class is helpful. Check out some of my favorite quizzes!
Thirdly, independent reading or research activities are a good lesson to leave with subs. While my students are usually reading different independent reading novels, many of the activities they do with their novels are the same. With this in mind, I can simplify sub plans by leaving similar activities for each student or class. Here are some solid independent reading activities that work well with subs:
- Scaffolded reading or research annotations
- Plot and conflict printables
- Characterization activities
- Story elements task cards
- Graphic organizers
Incorporating Tech in Sub Plans
While I try not to leave my subs with too much technology to juggle, Google Classroom makes it easy for me to communicate directly with students and to share resources easily.
With that in mind, Silent Discussion is a great tool for days when I’m gone. With these easy Silent Discussion Templates, I can set up the discussion before I leave. Then, students can use their school devices to participate in discussion. Since the entire conversation is silent, it makes for an efficient and easy day for my sub!
What other suggestions do you have for leaving the best sub plans?
