What should be in an emergency sub plan?
What should be in an emergency sub plan?
An emergency sub plan needs everything a stranger would need to run your class for a day without calling you: a schedule, class list and seating chart, routines, key student information and lessons that need no prep and no special knowledge. Keep it in a labeled folder someone else can find. This page covers what goes wrong, a checklist, a sample day and ready-made elementary sub lessons.
Get the sub plans bundleAn emergency sub plan should include your daily schedule with times, a class list and seating chart, attendance and dismissal procedures, key routines and signals, student information such as allergies, medical needs and who leaves early, names of helpful colleagues and students, and at least three days of no-prep lessons that review familiar skills. Include copies already made and a note on what to do if work runs short. Store it where the office can find it.
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 emergency sub plans fail
When an emergency sub plan fails, it is usually for one of three reasons: nobody can find it, it assumes knowledge the substitute does not have, or the work runs out by mid-morning. A folder in a desk drawer the sub cannot identify is no plan at all. Plans written months ago often refer to routines that have changed, a student who has moved or lessons from a unit the class already finished. The assumed-knowledge problem is subtle. Teachers write do the usual morning work or take them to specials without saying what the morning work is, where specials happen or when lunch starts. In elementary school this matters more, because younger students test a sub's uncertainty and dismissal mistakes can be serious. Then there is the content trap. Teachers sometimes leave new material because they do not want to lose a day, and a sub who does not know the topic ends up teaching it wrong. Finally, a single day of plans is rarely enough. Emergencies sometimes last longer than one day, and a second morning with nothing planned leaves the sub improvising.
What works
What to put in the folder
Think of the folder as a briefing for someone who has never met your class. Every item answers a question the sub would otherwise have to ask.
- A daily schedule with times for specials, lunch, recess and any pull-out services for individual students.
- Class list, seating chart and photos if your school allows, with notes on reliable student helpers.
- Medical needs, allergies, dismissal arrangements and which adults may pick up which students.
- Your attention signal, bathroom routine and the behavior system the class already knows.
- Three days of no-prep lessons reviewing familiar skills, with copies made and answer keys included.
- Extra activities for early finishers and a calm backup plan, such as a read-aloud or a quiet game.
Step by step
A sample emergency day for Grades 1–5
Write your own day around this pattern using the times from your schedule. Each block relies on routines and review, not new teaching.
- Morning: Arrival and warm-upStudents start with familiar morning work or task cards while the sub takes attendance. Put the attendance and lunch count procedure on top of the folder.
- Literacy block: Read-aloud and practiceA short read-aloud with discussion questions, then independent work such as task cards or a literacy center the class already knows how to run without help.
- Math block: Warm-ups and reviewUse math warm-ups or review sheets on skills taught in recent weeks, with answer keys so the sub can check work or students can self-correct.
- Afternoon: Science, social studies or artLeave a no-prep lesson with a reading passage and simple task, or a drawing or writing activity, on a topic that does not depend on what you taught last week.
- End of day: Wrap-up and dismissalA class game or review activity, then cleanup and dismissal using your written procedure, with bus lines, car riders, walkers and after-school programs spelled out clearly.
Ready-made option
No-prep sub lessons ready for the folder
The Elementary Sub Plans & Emergency Lessons Bundle ($69.99, parts bought separately $112.94) fills the lessons part of the folder for Grades 1–5. It includes 50 No-Prep Substitute Lessons for Elementary Classrooms, Daily ELA Practice with task cards, literacy centers and morning work, Grade 3 and Grade 4 Math Warm-Up Worksheets, Math Warm-Up Activities for Grades 1–4 and the Soccer Escape Room for an afternoon review. If you want grade-level literacy practice beyond sub days, the Grades 1–6 Literacy Skills Curriculum ($49.99) fits, and the Elementary Math Practice & Warm-Up Bundle ($34.99) adds more math practice packs.
Honest limits
What only you can add
The bundle supplies lessons, not the information that makes the day safe: your schedule, class list, seating chart, medical notes and dismissal procedures have to come from you. Copies need printing in advance, and you should pick lessons that review what your class has already learned. Check the content against your state standards and your school's sub policy, since no alignment is claimed. Use is licensed for your own classroom; sharing it with a grade team or the whole school needs a short message to Teach Lessons first. Within 7 days you can exchange it for store credit of equal value, not a cash refund.
Good to know
More teacher questions
How many days should an emergency sub plan cover?
Plan for at least three days. Emergencies do not always end after one day, and a second or third day without plans puts a sub in a hard position. Three days of review lessons also give you room to swap out one that no longer fits without rebuilding the whole folder.
Should I leave new material for a substitute?
Not in emergency plans. A substitute may not know the topic, and students can pick up misconceptions you then have to undo. Choose review, practice and enrichment tasks the class can do independently, so the day keeps skills fresh and you can pick up the unit where you left off.
Where should I keep my emergency sub folder?
Somewhere obvious and labeled, such as a brightly colored folder on your desk or a hanging file near the door, and tell the office and your teaching partner exactly where it is. Some schools collect sub folders centrally, so check your school's process. Keep a digital copy as a backup.
How often should I update my sub plans?
At least at the start of each semester, and whenever something big changes: a new student with medical needs, a schedule change or a new behavior system. Swap out lessons on skills students have not learned yet, and refresh the copies so the folder is always ready.
Do the sub lessons match my state standards?
No alignment with any state standards is claimed. The bundle offers review and practice for Grades 1–5 in reading, writing and math, plus a review escape room. Look through the lessons against your state's standards and pick the ones that match what your class is working on, so the sub day supports your current teaching.
What should I tell the substitute about behavior?
Be specific and brief. Explain your attention signal, the class reward or consequence system and two or three routines students know well. Name a reliable student helper and a nearby colleague to ask for help. Skip long notes about individual behavior, and share confidential information only as your school allows.
Build the folder before you need it
Set aside one planning period this month, fill the folder using the checklist above with three days of lessons, and tell the office where to find it.
Get the sub plans bundle