Emergency sub plans are the lessons you hope you never need: the ones in a folder on your desk for a sudden illness or family emergency, when there is no time to write anything new. They have to work for any substitute, on any day of the year, without depending on where you are in the curriculum. The strongest emergency plans review skills students have practiced all year, use only paper and pencils, and include everything a stranger needs to run your room.
Choose skills that are useful in any month, like reading comprehension, math fluency or writing a paragraph, so the plan never goes out of date.
Print a full class set and keep it in a labeled folder. Assume the copier will be jammed on the day you need it.
A substitute may not have a login. Paper-based tasks mean the plan still runs if the projector or Wi-Fi is down.
Seating chart, schedule, procedures and contacts matter as much as the activities. The sub needs to run the room, not just the task.
The classic emergency sub plan mistakes are plans that refer to 'where we left off', copies that are never made, and directions that assume the sub knows your routines. Write the plan as if a stranger will read it, because one will. Update it at least once a semester with current seating charts and student information, and tell a teammate or your front office where the binder lives. That one conversation is what turns a folder in a drawer into a plan that actually gets used.
Mix and match to fill the period. Every one works on paper with no specialist knowledge.
A short set of review questions on the board or a half-sheet, mixing math facts, a vocabulary word and a quick writing prompt.
A high-interest nonfiction article at grade level with questions on main idea, key details, vocabulary in context and author's purpose.
Mixed practice on skills from earlier in the year, with an answer key so the sub or students can check work.
An opinion or narrative prompt with a simple graphic organizer and a short checklist of what a strong response includes.
Students quiz each other on a list of academic vocabulary using definitions and example sentences, then write two sentences of their own.
Three quick questions that show the teacher who understood the day's work and give the sub a calm way to close the period.
The checklist that stops the sub day going wrong before it starts.
Type your topic and LessonHQ writes a sub plan with sub directions, word-for-word scripts, timed tasks, early-finisher work and an answer key, already set to your class. Edit it, then download as Word, Google Docs or PDF.
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Pick the grade and subject, type a review topic and LessonHQ writes a complete sub plan with sub instructions, timed activities and an answer key in about a minute. Print a class set and file it in your sub binder.
Seating charts, schedules, procedures, emergency information, student support notes and two or three evergreen lesson plans. Our free sub plan binder template gives you a ready-made structure to fill in.
Evergreen content, Copies already made, No technology required, A full binder, not just a lesson. Choose skills that are useful in any month, like reading comprehension, math fluency or writing a paragraph, so the plan never goes out of date.
The 6 activities on this page add up to about 80 minutes, so pick the ones that fit your class period or block. LessonHQ lets you set the length from 30 to 120 minutes and times every section for you.
Seating charts for every class period, with photos if you have them; Bell schedule, lunch and recess times, and any duties the sub covers; Emergency procedures: fire, lockdown and shelter-in-place routes and the class roster. Our free sub plan binder template has space for all of it.
Yes, you can start free with no card. Paid plans add higher monthly limits. Every sub plan exports to Word, Google Docs or PDF, fully editable.