What This Template Covers

This sub plans template gives you three distinct formats for different absence lengths. The Single-Day Emergency covers 90 minutes of standby activities for those mornings when you wake up sick at 5 AM. The Standard Full-Day spans 6-7 periods with differentiation notes. The Extended Absence handles 3+ days with a pacing calendar so your sub doesn't blow through your social studies unit in one afternoon. Each lesson block stays under 150 words and uses 14pt Arial minimum so no one squints.

You need these emergency sub plans ready before flu season hits. The Single-Day fits in your sub tub by the door. The Standard Full-Day lives in your main substitute teacher binder. The Extended Absence goes to your department chair or team lead. Formatting constraints matter because subs read fast. They don't have time for your detailed inquiry-based learning philosophy. They need the worksheet page number and the answer key location.

Every teacher kit needs five non-negotiable sections. Start with emergency contacts featuring your nearest colleague highlighted in yellow. Add your class roster with the three most common IEP/504 accommodations decoded: SDI means specially designed instruction, BIP is the behavior intervention plan, and OHI covers other health impairments. Include your daily schedule with transition times and early dismissal variations. Specify your behavior incentive details whether that's five minutes free time or the sticker chart. Finish with an end-of-day feedback form using checkboxes, not essay questions.

These classroom essentials for new teachers double as your safety net. The roster with accommodations prevents compliance issues. The schedule stops kids from claiming "we usually go to recess at 10:30" when it's actually 11:15. The feedback form tells you which classes behaved without requiring the sub to write a novel.

You've got two options for housing these materials. Go digital with a free Google Docs shared drive link that updates automatically when you change your seating chart template or lesson plan template. Or go physical with a $12 Staples Better Binder with 8-tab dividers. Check our teacher supply checklist for exact divider recommendations. The binder holds your backup activities when the Wi-Fi crashes.

Here's the reality. Tech fails. Servers go down. Subs forget passwords. You need that physical backup even if you run digital primary. That Staples binder sits on your desk as insurance. Build it once, update it monthly, sleep better knowing your classroom essentials for new teachers collection works when you're home with a fever.

Template Structure and Core Components

Every solid sub plans template needs eight specific bones. Without them, your substitute spends the day lost.

Start with a Header Block on page one. List your room number, the closest bathroom for emergencies, and WiFi passwords written exactly as they appear. Last month, my sub lost ten minutes guessing whether the password ended with an exclamation point. Type it exactly.

Your Class Roster needs photos arranged in a seating chart template, not just alphabetical names. Add pronunciation guides for tricky names. I write "RAY-fee" next to Rafael so the sub doesn’t default to "Raf-ee-el" and embarrass him in front of peers.

The Daily Schedule should show pull-out times for speech and ESL, plus lunch counts. If the sub doesn’t know Maria leaves at 9:15 for reading intervention, she’ll mark Maria absent and trigger a panic call to the front office.

Break your Lesson Sequence into Must-Do and If-Time sections. Must-Do covers essential standards that cannot wait; If-Time holds enrichment or backup activities for speedy finishers. This distinction saves subs from racing through your entire math unit in forty minutes flat.

Include a Behavior Management Quick Reference covering classroom management for substitutes. If you use a clip chart, show where the zones are. If you run ClassDojo, tape the login credentials right there. Reference your classroom rules and procedures so the sub enforces your system, not theirs.

Medical Alerts stay visible but confidential. Note peanut allergies, inhaler locations, and which cabinet holds the EpiPen. I keep this on bright yellow paper so the sub spots it immediately without digging through your substitute teacher binder.

Map your Emergency Procedures with the actual fire drill route drawn in. Don’t assume subs know which stairwell avoids the kindergarten wing during evacuation. One clear diagram beats three paragraphs of directions.

End with a Substitute Feedback Form. One page where they tell you who helped, who refused to work, and whether the Chromebooks died at 10 AM. You need this intel for tomorrow.

I keep both formats ready in my sub tub. The digital lesson plan template lives in Google Slides for midnight updates, while the physical emergency sub plans sit in a binder labeled “OPEN FIRST.” When the front office calls at 6 AM saying no one picked up the job, I text the Slides link. When a retired teacher shows up with a flip phone, she gets the binder. For classroom management for substitute teachers, reliability beats tech.

Stick to a single-column layout. Sidebars get lost when the sub is circulating between desks. Bold headers for 504 and IEP acronyms so they jump out during a quick scan. Put “If you have questions, ask [Name] in Room [Number]” in 18pt font at the bottom of every single page. When the sub is frazzled at 2:47 PM, they look down, not up.

Step-by-Step Setup Guide

Open Google Docs and set your page margins to one inch. Create your sub plans template with clear headers for each class period. Save it as 'MASTER_SubPlan_Template' inside a shared drive folder named 'Emergency_Plans_2024'. This initial build takes about forty-five minutes, but you only do it once. Think of this as your digital substitute teacher binder that lives in the cloud instead of a dusty filing cabinet.

Now fill in the data that never changes. Type your room number at the top. Add Ms. Johnson in Room 204 as your nearest colleague contact. Include the generic sub tech login: subuser/school2024. List dismissal procedures with specific bus numbers—147 and 203—and mark exactly where you hide the teacher editions. These details seem small until a sub is locked out of the bathroom or can't find the math manual while thirty kids stare at them.

Build a physical Sub Tub with three backup activities for each grade band you teach. For K-2, pack sight word bingo cards, pattern blocks, and a stack of picture books. For 3-5, stash 24-game cards, an article of the day with a 5 Ws worksheet, and states coloring pages. For 6-12, include a documentary guide template, silent reading with a one-pager option, and vocabulary cartooning supplies. These emergency sub plans keep kids busy when the wifi dies or you run out of copied worksheets.

Pull out your phone and photograph your current seating chart. Paste this image directly into your template and update it monthly when you rearrange desks. Label student names in 24-point font. A substitute can read these from across the room without squinting or walking up to each desk. A clear seating chart template prevents the chaos of a sub calling "the kid in the blue shirt" for thirty minutes straight.

Run a test during your next prep period. Hand your lesson plan template to a colleague and ask them to teach a fifteen-minute segment from it while you watch. Revise any confusing directions within ten minutes of the demo while the confusion is still fresh.

Never assign work at instructional level where kids score fifty to seventy-five percent accuracy. That breeds frustration and behavior issues that sabotage classroom management for first year teachers. Stick to independent-level activities where students succeed ninety percent of the time and stay busy.

For more on keeping order when you're absent, check out this essential survival guide for first-year teachers. Solid new teacher classroom management depends on backup activities that run themselves when you're not there to fix every little problem.

How to Customize for Different Grade Levels?

Customize sub plans by adjusting autonomy: K-2 needs visual schedules and bathroom buddies; grades 3-5 need structured independence with jobs; grades 6-8 need station rotations; grades 9-12 need project-based autonomy. Match behavior management to developmental norms, not your personal style.

Your sub plans template must shrink or expand based on age. What works for 9th graders tanks in kindergarten where kids can't read agendas. Start with developmental reality.

In K-2, kindergarten classroom management for substitutes means visuals. Laminate 3x5 inch schedule icons. Use a magnetic bathroom buddy chart and a 'Helper of the Day' photo. Ring a bell chime for transitions—it means freeze and look. Add picture cues for directions. Include play-based learning ideas for kindergarten that need no reading.

Grades 3-5 need structured autonomy. Run 30-minute independent reading blocks with logs. Post the jobs chart—line leader, paper passer, tech helper. This builds classroom management for subs that runs itself. Teach an attention signal like Class-Yes. Stock labeled drawers with backup activities—early finisher packets prevent chaos.

Middle schoolers need tech shortcuts and movement. Tape a Clever badge photo or QR code to monitors. Design four station rotations switching every 12 minutes. Define the cell phone parking lot. Add one collaborative task with assigned roles.

High school runs on autonomy. Your emergency sub plans should list daily objective checklists for project work time, not scripts. Set up a Google Form QR code for restroom sign-outs. Include essay peer review protocols. Minimize whole-group instruction; subs rarely know your content.

Drop these into your substitute teacher binder or sub tub by grade band. Keep a blank seating chart template and lesson plan template ready. When the office calls at 6 AM, grab the right folder instead of rewriting directions.

Classroom Management Strategies for Substitute Teachers

Your sub plans template means nothing if the kids run wild. I learned this the hard way when I returned to find my 5th graders had convinced the sub that "silent reading" meant "loud group chat." Now I build emergency sub plans around behavior systems first, academics second. A solid substitute teacher binder with clear protocols saves the day. Last October, my colleague used my substitute teacher management protocols and reported zero incidents during a fire drill.

Start with the 3-2-1 Entry Protocol. Students enter silently, place three items on their desk, keep two feet on the floor, and maintain voice level zero. Post these directions on the door. If they ignore it, implement Pause and Reset. Stop everything, practice the entry routine again, and deduct two minutes from free time. They hate losing those minutes more than they hate silence.

Master names fast using a seating chart template with photos from week one, updated monthly. When the sub calls on "Marcus" instead of "you in the blue shirt," authority shifts immediately. Use strategic cold-calling by directing every third question to a specific student by name. This kills the anonymity that fuels misbehavior. I watched a sub silence my rowdiest 8th period simply by using names within the first three minutes.

Include an Attention Signal Hierarchy in your sub tub. Level one: raise your hand and wait five seconds. Level two: lights off, wait three seconds. Level three: countdown from five with documented consequences. Add a note about which signal this class responds to fastest based on previous reports. My juniors freeze when the lights flip but ignore hand-raising completely, a detail a sub scribbled in the margin last spring.

Add the Behavior Clipboard System to your lesson plan template. Draw columns for green, yellow, and red. Talking or off-task behavior moves a clip to yellow; unsafe actions go straight to red. Three yellows means a parent contact note; one red means immediate office referral. Teach the sub to say calmly, "Please move your clip to yellow." This keeps substitute behavior management objective rather than confrontational.

Maintain a 4:1 ratio of specific praise to corrections, Gottman's Magic Ratio adapted for classrooms. Skip vague "good jobs" and use "Table 3 has materials ready and voices off." Hattie's research shows classroom management has a 0.52 effect size on achievement. These systems work. For the full framework, see these behavior management steps to success.

Research on classroom management as a substitute teacher shows proactive systems cut disruptions by half compared to reactive approaches. You need both tools, but front-loading the proactive work changes the entire day.

Build these supply teacher classroom management strategies into your routine now. When your backup activities finish early and the lesson plan runs short, these systems maintain order. You can also try these classroom management games that work to keep engagement high during transitions. Your future self will thank you.

Implementation Checklist and Emergency Protocols

Run this check every Monday before you leave. Verify your substitute teacher binder sits in the top right desk drawer—never the locked one subs can't open. Check that medical alert stickers on your roster and seating chart template are current and visible. Drop three backup activities into the Sub Tub orange folder marked "Emergency Only." Test the projector remote battery so it doesn't die mid-video. Write tomorrow's schedule on the whiteboard. Takes four minutes. Saves your sanity.

Map your comprehensive school emergency protocols on a single laminated card taped to the desk. Fire drill: exit left, line up at the oak tree, grab the green folder. Lockdown: lights off, silent reading corner, door locked. Medical emergency: call 911 first, then nurse extension 2841. Note the AED lives in the main hallway by the office next to the water fountain. Consider CPR certification for school safety—it matters when seconds count and you're the adult in the room.

For multi-day absences, structure your emergency sub plans with precision. Day 1: packets in labeled bins by period. Day 2: documentary with guided notes—no new instruction, just reinforcement. Day 3: assessment only if your sub holds certification; otherwise, review games. Skip independent work if over forty percent of your class has IEPs requiring adult support. Leave a video lesson with guided notes instead. These effective classroom management strategies for new teachers prevent chaos when continuity breaks down and support staff is stretched thin.

Within two hours of your return, audit the feedback form left in your binder. Adjust your sub plans template and lesson plan template based on specific confusion points—if the sub wrote "wifi password didn't work," fix it immediately before you forget. Replenish whatever the Sub Tub lost during the absence. This post-return audit belongs on every list of first year teacher must haves. It closes the loop so next time runs smoother than the last.

Should You Try Sub Plans Template?

You do not need another Pinterest-perfect binder that takes twelve hours to assemble. You need a substitute teacher binder that works when you wake up with the flu and cannot think straight. If your current system involves emailing your teammate at 6 AM while coughing, this template fixes that. It is not about looking organized. It is about actually being ready when life hits.

The upfront work takes about two hours. That is one movie with your laptop open on a Sunday afternoon. Once it lives in your emergency sub plans folder, you are done. The real question is whether you would rather do that work now, or scramble through a fever dream trying to explain your classroom routines to a stranger via text message. You already know the answer.

Your lesson plan template and seating chart template already exist. You are just pulling them into one place where a sub can find them without opening seven different apps. That is the whole point. Two hours of organizing now buys you unlimited sick days without guilt. What is stopping you from starting this during your next prep period?