Sub Plans for Teachers

You’re well into flu season, and even though you held out for a while, it finally happened — the virus took you down. Of course, you weren’t planning to miss school, and your scripted curriculum isn’t exactly sub-friendly. So what now?

The worst time to figure out your sub plans for teachers is when you’re wrapped in a blanket at 10 p.m., tea in hand, trying to type through the sniffles. 🙃

The best time? Right now.

Let’s make sure your future self is covered. Here’s everything you should include in your sub plans so you can actually rest when you’re out — without sacrificing learning or your sanity.

Sub Plans for Teachers

🧭 Basic Survival Notes

First things first: your sub needs to understand the basic rhythm of your classroom. Make sure to include:

Class rosters for each group or homeroom
Daily schedule / specials schedule, especially in elementary so they know when kids go where
Classroom rules or boundaries (e.g., teacher-only areas, tech rules, dismissal procedures)
Behavioral notes on key students (both the ones who need a little extra support and the reliable helpers)

✨ Pro tip: I like to include a quick blurb about the classroom vibe — whether it’s structured and quiet, chatty but productive, etc. This helps subs set expectations and keep things running smoothly.

✍️ Clear, Student-Friendly Activities

No set of sub plans for teachers is complete without clear, engaging student work. If your office or team can run copies, leave clear instructions for what needs to be copied and how it should be distributed.

When choosing sub work, imagine your sub is walking in with zero content knowledge. Stick to activities students can complete independently but that still keep academic rigor high.

One of my go-to’s? Worksheets from my Introduction to Sentences bundle.

👉 They’re perfect for spiral review, keep students engaged even after they’ve mastered sentence skills, and pair seamlessly with different modules and units.

If you need additional skill-based practice, K5 Learning has excellent no-prep worksheets for various subjects.

🙋 Student Buy-In Matters

How do you keep students from rushing through their work the second they realize you’re not there? You build in accountability.

I tell my sub to let students know that if their work isn’t their best, they’ll redo it during recess or another free time. “Best work” = complete sentences, neat handwriting, and actual effort.

The key is follow-through. Usually, it only takes one recess spent redoing sloppy work for students to realize sub days aren’t “free days.” 😏

📚 Early Finisher Work

No matter how well you plan, there will always be a handful of students who finish early. On sub days, early finisher activities are a non-negotiable.

In my ELA classroom, early finishers always read independently and silently. You can also instruct your sub to quickly glance over students’ work and provide light feedback if there are obvious issues (like incomplete sentences or skipped directions).

The goal here is to keep the room calm and focused — not a chaotic “I’m done!” free-for-all.

💭 To Sum It Up…

Say goodbye to those nights where prepping sub plans is more stressful than coming in sick. 🙅‍♀️

Sub plans for teachers don’t have to be complicated. When you include clear procedures, structured activities, accountability systems, and early finisher work, you’re setting up your students and your sub for a smooth day — and giving yourself permission to actually rest.

If you’re looking for a no-prep, rigorous option to drop right into your sub folder, check out the Introduction to Sentences bundle. It’s one of my favorite ways to make sure learning doesn’t skip a beat when I’m out.