No Sub Plan! What Do You Do?
One of hardest situations as a substitute is when you arrive at the school or classroom and there is no sub plan for you to follow. While this can be very disappointing and stressful, it's important to remain calm and composed, especially when students arrive. Here are some suggestions to help you manage the day.
Ask Around
If you can't locate any substitute plans in the classroom, reach out to the office and ask if the teacher may have left the plans with them. The office will be in the best position to contact the teacher to locate the plans. You can also ask neighboring teachers if they know where the teacher may have left any plans.
Sometimes, a teacher has a significant emergency and may not have been able to write a sub plan. Although this puts you in a difficult position, it can help to recognize that the teacher and school didn't intend for you to be in this situation.
Ask What Can Be Done
If there are no plans for the day, ask the office what you can expect. Ask politely if they will provide you a plan at some point, or if there is another teacher from the same grade or subject that has a plan you might be able to use.
It is also a good idea to ask what kinds of activities the school is okay with you facilitating while waiting for a plan (or in case there won't be a plan).
You can ask if the school has certain things available. For example:
- Are there coloring pages or activity pages that students can do?
- Are there materials (construction paper, scissor, glue, etc.) for a project?
You can also ask about more general activities. For example:
- Is it okay for students to draw?
- Is it okay to give students a writing prompt?
- Is it okay to let students use classroom books, or can the class visit the school library, for reading time?
You will want to decide on an activity to get the class engaged; you do not want to leave students with unstructured time, even if a sub plan will be coming at some point. Student behavior is much more likely to get out of hand when they don't have something to do!
It is best to have students stay in their assigned seats, and you can reinforce the appropriate voice/noise level for the classroom.
Tips on Activities
When you ask the office about the kinds of activities they are okay with you doing (while waiting for a sub plan), think about activities that fit the grade level, the amount of time you have to fill, and the materials available. You will want an activity that keeps students in an easily manageable situation; there are many fun activities that simply aren't a good option because they can invite wild or inappropriate behaviors.
Drawing / Coloring
This is an easy activity that works well for elementary and middle grades. Give students a blank page to draw on and to color if materials are available. If you need blank paper, it is okay to ask a classroom aide, a nearby staff member, or the office.
It is helpful, especially for younger grades, to suggest some themes or ideas for their drawing, such as animals, pirates, outer space, or their favorite movie/cartoon characters.
Some elementary teachers keep stacks of coloring pages for students to use when they complete work, or the office might be willing to print some.
Fun Writing
This activity can work well from 1st grade through high school. Give students a piece of blank lined paper for their writing. If you need lined paper, it is okay to ask a classroom aide, a nearby staff member, or the office.
Similar to drawing, it is helpful to suggest some genres or prompts to give students a start. For example, you can suggest that students write a mystery story, or a funny story, or a magical story. Or, you might write a starter sentence on the board for them to base a story on. For example:
- You won't believe the crazy thing that I saw today. (Finish the story.)
- I got trapped in the zoo overnight. (Finish the story.)
- I woke up with a superpower. (Finish the story.)
You can also use thought-provoking prompts. For example:
- My future plans include...
- If I had all the time and money in the world, I would...
- My perfect day would be...
Seated Class Games
Games that can be facilitated while students remain in their assigned seats are a fun option. It is a good idea to choose games that are low-stress and that aren't overly competitive.
Ice Breakers
One easy activity is to ask a general question and then take volunteers to answer. Questions can be serious or fun, but make sure they fit with the age group and are appropriate for school. Some examples for different ages include:
- What is your favorite (color, food, animal, cartoon character, sport, etc.)?
- What do you want to do when you grow up/graduate?
- Do you sleep with your socks on?
- What is the neatest place you have ever visited?
On the whiteboard, you can write students' responses or keep a tally—this helps everyone track what has been shared and can elicit more participation.
Review Response
For this game, students who want to participate stand at their desk. You give each student, one at a time (moving from one end of the room to the other) a turn to answer or respond to whatever you decide for the game topic. For example, you could give each student a different word to spell, or a multiplication problem for 3rd grader and older (0x0 through 12x12).
Students who answer correctly on their turn get to remain standing; students who answer incorrectly must sit down. You continue around the room until there is one winner standing or time runs out.
Scattergories Variation
For this game, students write the letters of the alphabet from A to Z, one letter per line, along the left side of their paper. Once everyone is ready, you give a topic, such as ANIMALS, and students write one word per line that starts with each letter, based on the topic (see example below). Give students 5 minutes to try and get a word for every letter. Students can play several rounds by creating a new column per round.
Alligator
Bear
Cat
D
E
Topic Ideas: foods, superheroes, video games, school items, clothes, colors, sports
Snowman
This game is commonly known as "hangman" but uses a snowman (or something else) to avoid the violent imagery. This game is appropriate for 3rd grade and up. You come up with a word or phrase, put blanks for each letter in the phrase on the whiteboard, and call on students to to guess letters. It is helpful to give students a topic, such as "video game" or "cartoon character" so that they can better guess the puzzle as letters get filled in.
You can draw a snowman or anything else that makes for a simple drawing that you can add details to (car, rocket ship, pizza, etc.). Traditionally, the student who correctly solves the word or phrase gets to come up with the next word or phrase. If you choose to do this, the student must share it with you first to ensure that it is appropriate and so that you can help with the right number of blanks and spelling.
Cautions
No Personal Devices
Students in most grades, and especially in older grades, bring personal devices to school, including cell phones, smart watches, Air Pods, and gaming devices. Although some teachers may allow students to use personal devices during "downtime" (and students will be quick to point this out), there are many significant issues that can arise, including cyberbullying, theft, and streaming inappropriate content. Substitutes should not resort to allowing students to use personal devices to fill time.
Pre-Printed Materials
Some substitutes might think about bringing in their own pre-printed copies of a fun handout or coloring page, but schools are very guarded about materials and content. Even seemingly innocuous pages may upset school leaders who are responsible for approving classroom materials. If you do bring any pre-printed pages, you must get approval from school leadership to use them.
Movement and Competitive Games
Games that involve movement around the classroom can lead to wild or physical misbehavior, and some games may become overly competitive and lead to additional issues. These kinds of games should only be considered if there is a classroom aide to give support or a very small, easily managed class.
