7 Tips for Making Sub Plan Writing EASIER!

Whatever the reason you need to be out of the classroom, writing sub plans can feel like way MORE work than actually coming in to school in the first place! Am I right??  


Whether you're sick, have meetings, or professional development, writing sub plans can require a lot of extra thought when you're in a hurry!  I've found so many little things that have helped me make writing sub notes easier and they've all been real time savers!

For starters - All of my sub plans are saved in Google Drive - it makes it easier for me access my notes from anywhere and I love that I can easily share my sub plans with either my sub (if I know my sub!) or with my friend across the hall so she can print them out for me!

Here are my top 7 tips for making it easier to write sub plans:

1. Make a "template" for your sub plans - this helps me SO much. I created a template that gave a little welcome note to my substitute teacher, gives important classroom information, and then organizes the plans in a way that is quick to reference (time, student location in the classroom, and activity).

2. Save each set of plans in the same location with a specific name - I like to save my sub notes to show me the date, the day of the week, and why I was out that day. Later when I need to make sub plans for a similar day of the week or a similar reason, I can quickly go through my previous plans for the year and copy and paste anything that is the same!

3. COPY AND PASTE! As mentioned above, having the previous plans saved makes it easy to copy and paste similar parts of my sub notes. There's no use typing up what I have already typed up before!  Also, if I'm going to be out on a similar day of the week, I find a similar set of plans that I've already created and make a copy of it on Google.  That way I can go through and quickly change up a few things to make it current.

4. Highlight things you need to fix or check on later - I do this for so many reasons! When I'm home and I need to check on something at school before I finalize my sub plans, or if I'm in the middle of typing my sub plans up and need to walk away, I highlight the areas that I know need to be fine tuned or need to be changed.  That way, the next time I pull up my plans, I know exactly what things I need to give my attention to.

5. Print out Curriculum Notes - this one I learned from some fantastic friends! Instead of typing step by step what the sub needs to do for one lesson (or leaving your teacher's manual to flip through), if you have online access to your curriculum, print off the lessons that the sub will be doing.  On the print out you can write the time the lesson will be given, highlight any important parts, and cross off anything the sub doesn't need to worry about. You could also copy the pages from your teacher's manual as well.  In my actual sub plans, I list the title of the lesson, write in how long the lesson should take, and then I write in "See Benchmark Notes."

6. Timing - I try and write in how long each activity or lesson should take.  It helps me to know that I'm matching the amount of minutes given in that time chunk for the day and it helps a sub know how to pace the lessons.

7. "If you have more time" - leave a section of your plans that tells your sub what things he or she can do if they have more/extra time.  Even with the best planning there is bound to be a few minutes where the sub could use a small activity to do.  I add in two to three activities that are easy to do, that the students are familiar with, that don't require copies to be made OR I already have copies for, and that also go along with what we are learning in class. Doing this gives me extra peace of mind that my sub will have a successful day! 

If you need some low prep activities to leave in case there is some extra time, my students L-O-V-E playing Four Corners Shapes Review!

Here's a BONUS tip:

Keep a "reserve" of already copied or prepped materials.  Whether it's a set of math workbook pages, language arts work pages, a book the sub can read with an extension activity, or even blank writing paper. Each month, I make a few class sets of some math work pages that I grab for our everyday use if I'm in a pinch - but I also will pull these and add them to my sub plans if I need to!  I love having ready to go writing paper that I can just type a prompt for in my sub plans too - it's super simple for me to plan for.  We also have math workbooks that I have parent helpers pull pages from and staple together - they are great for times when a special gets cancelled, but they are also great for leaving for a sub.  The point is, have a few things already prepped and ready that you don't need to make copies of and that are easy for anyone to implement with your class!

Here's a free Google Drive copy of my sub plans template for you!

If you decide to use the template, once you open it, you'll need to make a copy of it for yourself in order to edit it. It's not fancy (maybe one day!) or worth of me posting on Teachers Pay Teachers, but it works for what it's for! I left in some of my notes so you can see what things I include and how I format it for different parts of the day.  You are free to make it your own since it will be your copy, but please know that it is not for you to post or share as if you created it yourself.

Leave a comment below and let me know which of these tips is most helpful to you!