Call in a Substitute

Recently I had a friend who is a new teacher and is expected to have substitute plans. She has no idea where to begin so I thought it was time to write a post about this.

I decided to put my substitute plans in a 2 in. three ring binder.

I had separate sections for the following items:

·      Teacher schedule

·      Class attendance

·      Class routine

·      School procedures

·      Classroom and School discipline

·      Emergency procedures

·      Notes

·      Class and Student Activities

Teacher schedule – I list if I have any morning, lunch or afternoon duties and which days these take place.

Class attendance – I keep a list of the students and their class schedules. This is updated every time there is a change in my class roster or if the student’s class schedule changes.

Class routine – I include the routine for each class. This includes, taking attendance, 5 min. opening journal writing, whole group instruction, individual seat work, and any other things that happen routinely in my class.

School procedures – I give the school daily schedule and any special events. I also include the school calendar for the year.

Classroom and School discipline – I give the list of my class rules and consequences. I also include the school discipline policy. If there are discipline forms, I include these in a plastic sleeve.

Emergency procedures – I explain where to go in case of an emergency and the procedures to follow at that time.

Notes – I includes sheets of paper for the substitutes to leave me notes about the class behavior or anything else the sub feels that I need to know about.

Class and Student Activities – I include emergency plans for three days. I explain what instruction to give to the students, and any worksheets that the students must complete. I put each day in a separate folder and slip it into the back of the binder.

This binder is kept on a bookshelf by my desk or in a drawer in my desk. If I’m ever absent, I just have to notify someone at school where it is located and ask them to put it on my desk for the substitute.

When I return, I go through the book to make sure nothing is missing other than the class activities. Then I replace the activities with new ones for the next time I need to be absent.

What do you do when planning for a substitute? Please share.