What do long-term subs need on day one?
What do long-term subs need on day one?
A long-term sub needs four things before the first bell: the daily schedule, the class's routines, a clear picture of where each subject stands and enough ready material for the first week. Everything else can follow. Below you will find a day-one handover checklist, the mistakes that make week one hard, a five-day start plan and ready-made practice for Grades 1–5.
Get week-one sub materialOn day one, a long-term substitute needs the schedule, a class list with support needs, the classroom routines, logins and keys, a named colleague to ask, and a short summary of where each subject stands. Add one week of ready-to-teach material so the sub can learn the class before planning. Leave lesson-level detail for week two, once the sub knows the students and the curriculum.
Ready-made material
Elementary Sub Plans & Emergency Lessons Bundle, Grades 1–5
6 resources in one download: $69.99 instead of $112.94 bought separately.
The first cover is the main resource; the others are related options. Open any cover for the full contents and price.
Elementary Sub Plans & Emergency Lessons Bundle | 50 No-Prep Lessons, Daily ELA, Math Warm-Ups & Escape Room | Grades 1–5
Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum | Grammar, Writing, Phonics & Reading Packs for Every Grade
Elementary History Curriculum | All 20 History Units | Grades 1–4
Elementary Math Practice & Warm-Up Bundle | 7 Practice Packs + Warm-Up Bundle | Grades 1–4
Why it is hard
Why the first week is so hard for a long-term sub
A long-term sub walks into a room built around someone else's habits. The students know exactly how things work, and they will test whether the new adult does. If the handover only says 'follow the curriculum', the sub spends the first evenings hunting through shelves and shared drives, trying to work out which reading unit came last and whether the class has started multiplication. Meanwhile the children are asking why the morning meeting is different and why the calm-down corner is closed. Gaps in information cause most of the trouble. Nobody mentioned that two fourth graders leave for reading intervention, that one student has a health plan, or that the class earns marbles toward a reward. Logins for the gradebook and the reading program arrive on day three. The sub, trying to be fair, sets new rules, and the class pushes back. Parents notice and start emailing. None of this is about the sub's skill. It happens because the first week asks someone to learn a class, a building and a curriculum all at once, with nothing ready to teach while they learn.
What works
A day-one handover checklist
If you are the teacher leaving, or the admin setting up the placement, get these in place before the sub's first morning.
- A typed weekly schedule with specials, pull-outs, duties and early-release days marked.
- A class list with reading levels, IEP or 504 notes, allergies and who to contact about each.
- A one-page routines sheet: arrival, attention signal, transitions, rewards, consequences and dismissal.
- A curriculum snapshot per subject: last unit taught, next unit, and where the teacher guides live.
- Working logins, keys, copier codes and the name of a teammate who will check in daily.
- Five days of ready practice in reading, writing and math so planning can wait a week.
Step by step
A five-day start for a long-term sub
This is a suggested shape for week one. The idea is to keep teaching steady while the sub gets to know the students and the materials.
- Day 1: keep the routines exactlyRun the existing schedule and rules without changes. Use ready practice work and a read-aloud. Spend spare minutes learning names and watching how students move between activities.
- Day 2: listen and assess lightlyHear a few students read aloud, give a short math warm-up and collect writing samples. Note who finishes fast and who needs help, without grading anything yet.
- Day 3: meet the teamSit down with the grade-level team or a mentor. Go through the curriculum snapshot, the pacing guide and any upcoming assessments, field trips or conferences.
- Day 4: teach one planned lessonPick one subject, read the teacher's guide and teach the next lesson in sequence. Keep the other subjects on review so the planning load stays reasonable.
- Day 5: plan week twoUse what you have seen to plan the following week, introduce yourself to families with a short note and set a regular check-in with the team lead.
Ready-made option
Material that covers week one and beyond
The Elementary Sub Plans & Emergency Lessons Bundle ($69.99, parts bought separately $112.94) lists long-term subs among the people it suits. Its six no-prep resources include 50 substitute lessons for elementary classrooms, daily ELA task cards and morning work, math warm-ups for Grades 3 and 4, math warm-up activities for Grades 1–4 and a soccer escape room, which is plenty for a first week. For the weeks after, the Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum ($49.99, parts $95.76) offers grammar, writing and phonics packs per grade, and the Elementary History Curriculum ($169.99) covers social studies in Grades 1–4.
Honest limits
What the bundle cannot do for a long-term sub
These are practice and stand-alone lessons. They do not replace the school's adopted curriculum for reading or math, and they do not tell the sub where the class left off. That handover still comes from the teacher or the team. Check any lesson against your state's standards and the district pacing guide before it becomes part of a longer plan. If the school buys it so several staff or a series of subs can use it, message Teach Lessons first about the licence. Within 7 days you can exchange it for store credit of equal value; there is no cash refund.
Good to know
More teacher questions
Who should write the handover if the teacher left suddenly?
Usually a grade-level colleague or an instructional coach, working with an administrator. They can rebuild the schedule from the master timetable, pull student information from the office and piece together the curriculum position from the gradebook and student notebooks. A partial handover on day one is much better than none.
Should a long-term sub change the classroom rules?
Not in the first week. Keep the existing routines so students feel safe, then adjust small things once you know the class. If a rule truly does not work for you, explain the change to students clearly and tell the team lead so families hear one consistent message.
How much planning should a long-term sub do?
In most placements the sub is expected to plan once settled, especially for assignments of several weeks. Ask early who signs off on grades and report cards and whether the team shares plans. Many teams plan together, which saves the sub a great deal of time. If nobody tells you, ask in your first week.
Will this material fit our state standards?
Teach Lessons makes no alignment claim for any state's standards. Use the lessons for review and practice, and compare their content with your state's grade-level standards and the district's scope and sequence before you rely on them. For new teaching, follow the curriculum the school has adopted.
What should a sub tell families in week one?
A short, friendly note: your name, how long you will be with the class, how to reach you and one sentence about keeping routines steady. Check with the principal first, since some schools send this letter themselves or want to approve it before it goes home.
How do I handle a class that tests me on day one?
Stick to the known routines, use the class's existing attention signal and reward system, and keep your voice calm and even. Ask a teammate to stop by during the hardest transition of the day. Students settle once they see the day runs the way it always has.
Give the next adult a running start
A clear handover and a week of ready work let a long-term sub spend day one on the students instead of the shelves.
Get week-one sub material