Elementary History Sub Plans That Are Real Lessons
Elementary History Sub Plans That Are Real Lessons
For elementary teachers who need history sub plans that keep students learning, a Grades 1–4 unit like Vikings: Life, Ships & Journeys works well. At $24.99 it gives you three self-contained sub-units, each with a step-by-step lesson plan a substitute can follow, a differentiated worksheet with reading passage and word bank, a project or source activity, an answer key and slides.
See the Vikings unit →For elementary history sub plans, the Teach Lessons Grades 1–4 units, such as Vikings: Life, Ships & Journeys ($24.99), each contain three sub-units. Every sub-unit has a step-by-step lesson plan, a differentiated worksheet with a detailed reading passage and word bank, a project or primary-source activity, a complete answer key and slides. A substitute can teach from the plan and slides, and you can check work with the key afterward.
The resources
Vikings: Life, Ships & Journeys Unit, Grades 1–4
Start with the first resource; the others are optional add-ons. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Vikings: Life, Ships & Journeys Unit – Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 1–4)
Knights & Castles in the Middle Ages Unit – Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 1–4)
Explorers & the Voyage to the Americas Unit – Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 1–4)
Ancient China: Great Wall, Silk & Inventions Unit – Worksheets, Projects & Slides (Grades 1–4)
The real problem
Why most elementary sub plans end up as busywork
Writing sub plans is one of the least loved parts of elementary teaching. When you are sick at six in the morning, you do not have time to write a lesson someone else can teach. So the folder fills with word searches, coloring pages and "read quietly" instructions. Students notice. Behavior often slips when work feels pointless, and when you come back you have lost a day of teaching. History is a good subject for sub days, if the material is right. It is less sequential than math, so a stand-alone lesson does not disrupt a skill sequence, and young students enjoy stories about ships, castles and faraway places. The difficulty is that a substitute may have no background in the topic and may be walking into an unfamiliar class. They need a lesson plan with clear steps, a reading passage that carries the content so they do not have to explain it from memory, slides to keep the class focused, and an activity that keeps students busy and learning. You also need an answer key, so the work can be checked quickly when you return.
Why it fits
Why these units work as sub plans
The units were not written only for substitutes, but their structure suits sub days well.
- A step-by-step lesson plan in each sub-unit tells the substitute what to do and in which order.
- The reading passage carries the history, so the sub does not need to know about Vikings or knights.
- Slides give the substitute something to show and keep a whole class looking in one direction.
- Differentiated worksheets mean students at different reading levels all have something to do.
- The answer key lets the substitute or you check the worksheets quickly after the absence.
- Vikings, Knights & Castles, Explorers and Ancient China are topics young students find exciting.
Getting started
Setting up a sub folder with these units
A suggested way to prepare before you need it. The units do not include sub-specific instructions.
- Pick two or three units in advanceChoose topics that are not part of your current sequence, so sub days do not interrupt what you are teaching. Vikings and Ancient China work well as stand-alone topics.
- Print one sub-unit per folderPut the lesson plan, enough copies of each worksheet level, the activity sheet and the answer key in a labeled folder. Each folder is one sub day.
- Save the slides where a sub can find themPut the slides on the classroom computer desktop or a shared drive and note the file name on the front of the folder. Test that the file opens before you need it.
- Add a short cover noteWrite which students get which worksheet level, where materials are, and any class routines. The unit cannot know your class; your note fills that gap.
- Check work when you returnUse the answer key to look over worksheets. A short class discussion the next day connects the sub lesson to the rest of your teaching.
What to buy
What to buy for your sub folder
Vikings: Life, Ships & Journeys at $24.99 gives you three sub-units, so three sub days from one purchase. Adding Knights & Castles, Explorers & the Voyage to the Americas or Ancient China gives you more variety; two units cost $49.98 and four cost $99.96. Choose topics that do not overlap with what you are teaching that term. If sub plans are part of a wider planning crunch, Teach-Life-Balance ($89.90) is a separate course on saving teacher time. TEACHMORE15 does not apply to these units.
Honest limits
What still depends on you
The units do not include notes about your class, seating, routines or which student needs which worksheet level; that cover note is yours to write. Printing and having the slides ready on a classroom computer are also on you. The units are written for Grades 1–4 as a band, so check that the reading level suits your class. Check the topics against your own requirements as well. If several teachers want to share one sub folder, send Teach Lessons a short message first. Within 7 days, a unit that does not fit can be exchanged for store credit of equal value; no cash refunds.
Good to know
Frequently asked questions
Are these sub plans aligned to state standards?
No alignment or endorsement is claimed. The units are written for Grades 1–4. For sub days, many teachers choose topics outside their main sequence. If you want sub lessons that also count toward required content, compare the unit overview with your own state or district requirements first.
Can a substitute without history background teach these?
That is the point of using them. The step-by-step lesson plan says what to do, the reading passage contains the content, the slides give a visual guide, and the answer key has the solutions. The substitute guides the lesson rather than having to explain history from memory.
How many sub days does one unit cover?
Each unit has three sub-units, and many teachers treat one sub-unit as one sub day. How long a sub-unit really takes depends on your class and the length of your history slot, so look through one before assigning it. If a sub-unit is short, the project activity can fill the rest of the time.
Do I need a projector for the slides?
The slides help a lot, but the worksheet and activity work without them. If your substitute may not be able to use the classroom screen, print a few key slides or rely on the reading passage and worksheet. Leave a note either way so the substitute knows what to expect.
Why Vikings as the lead unit?
Vikings is a topic young students find exciting, and it rarely sits in the middle of a required sequence, so it works as a stand-alone sub topic. Any unit from the series works the same way. Choose whichever topic fits your class and does not overlap with your current teaching.
Can I keep using the units after the sub day?
Yes. The files stay in your customer account under Orders, and the licence covers your own teaching. You can teach the full unit yourself later or reuse it in future school years. A unit that worked well as a sub plan can become a full topic later.
Leave a lesson, not a coloring page
Open the Vikings unit to see the lesson plans and slides a substitute would work from.
See the Vikings unit →