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Do you find yourself in need of Emergency Sub plans for your class?
Keep reading for some great info (I think) about how to write sub plans. If you teach high school English Language Arts, you can click here and buy some that are ready to print & go.
Maybe it’s the first week of school and your principal is requiring that you have some emergency plans on file. Or maybe you woke up sick and need to whip something up quickly. Or maybe you decided last minute that you just need a day off!
After 11 years of teaching, these are my tried and true structures for how to write sub plans.
#1 Start with your information
Include your name, the date, what classes you teach and (if you are comfortable with it) your cell phone number. Depending on the school/year/class/sub I found it helpful to give my contact info in case they had a quick question. I’m also a bit of a type A teacher so it was hard for me to be gone.
#2 Include your schedule for the day
Usually subs get a bell schedule from the front office,. I also like to include what classes and grade levels I teach each period.
#3. Lesson Explanation
Write out exactly what you want the sub to do, step by step. If there are specific things you want them to say, type it out like a script. If there’s a specific point in the period you want them to pass something out, indicate that clearly. I also include estimates of time amounts.
#4. Extra/Miscellaneous Notes
I like to give my sub more information than they probably need (see Type A above:). You can see some of the questions to consider below. There are examples of what I mean on the right.
- Where do they go if there’s an emergency?
- What should they do during your conference/prep time?
- Who is another teacher they could reach out to with questions?
- How do they call the office?
#5. A spot for notes about students: the good, the bad and the ugly!
Some kind of chart or table that gives them a spot to take notes. I encourage them to give me as many details as possible. The more the better, in my opinion, so I can follow up.
#6 Don’t forget your seating chart!
Make sure you include a seating chart with your sub plans. Another option is to leave them in a highly visible place on your desk. I recommend adding some notes/symbols to the chart for any students they might need extra info about. For example, if a student has an IEP or 504 plan, I put a star next to their name on the seating chart. Then in my sub plan notes, I explain what the start means and any strategies/tips for working with that student. If a student’s name is different on the attendance roster than their name on your chart/what they go by then you should also indicate that.
