5 Tips for Easy Sub Plans
Planning for a substitute doesn’t have to be stressful! There’s nothing worse than waking up sick in the middle of the night and trying to decide how sick you actually are because the thought of writing sub plans sounds miserable. This used to be me, until I created an editable sub plan template and procedure that made writing plans easy and stress-free!
Tip #1: Ditch the lengthy sub plans and keep it SIMPLE!
Your sub is doing the best they can. They aren’t you. They are usually overwhelmed, stressed, and low on time before the students walk in the door. They don’t have time to read 12 pages of plans where you outline every single sentence you would say each day.
I finally realized it was perfectly ok to give the substitute a brief explanation and let them teach the subject as best as they can. You will most likely have to reteach parts of the lesson anyways, so don’t stress over minor details. Simple is key!
Tip #2: Have your classroom management plan in place!
It’s no secret that kids get a little extra energetic and excited when a substitute enters the room. Talk to your students NOW about what they would do if there were ever a sub. Would their routines stay the same? Would the sub want them to say “that’s not how our teacher does it?” every two minutes? (Praise hands to all the subs out there! You all are rock stars!) Set sub expectations now, so you don’t have to worry later.
Consider adding a fun little game for your class. I have a donut that the sub can pull out and add sprinkles to when they catch the class working hard or showing respect! My students know that every sprinkle could earn them a minute of game time! A little extra motivation goes a long way!
Tip #3: Keep a Sub Bin with extras!
Any time you don’t get to an activity, toss the class set into the sub bin. If I’m there to set up the sub plans, I make a pile of these worksheets and stick a post-it labeled “EXTRA-Use if you complete all other activities” on top of it! It’s also perfect in case your teammate has to set up your plans in an emergency. They can grab some activities from the sub bin and put them out on your desk!
Tip #4: Prep your Sub Plan Template TODAY!
This was the biggest game changer for me! I created my sub plan template on Google Drive so that it could be edited from any phone or computer and sent to my teammates with the click of a button. Then I created an outline of my Monday schedule, including all important times, a class list, space for comments, etc. Next I copied that document and adjusted it for each day of the week. THIS IS KEY!
By creating a 20 minute sub plan template for teach day of the week, I can simply click that day, fill in the exact activity for each subject, and print! No more typing away for hours. I can literally finish my plans in 20 minutes or less now that these templates are prepped! The template does take some time to fill out up front, but it is beyond worth it! Want to see exactly how I create my sub plans?! Check out this quick 2 minute tutorial!
If you want to save extra time, you can grab an editable copy of my 20 Minute Sub Plans Template here!
Tip #5: Organize your copies by day!
When putting together your lesson plans and copies for the week, be sure to sort them by day. Grab some plastic drawers or cubbies and label one with each day of the week. When you have your copies organized by day of the week, it makes it easy to put out activities for a sub whether it’s you or a teammate helping you out!
