It’s that time of year again. The days are getting shorter and the weather is getting colder, especially in Northern Canada! That can only mean one thing- it’s time for teachers to start thinking about sub plans! If you’re like most teachers, you probably dread having to create sub plans. It can be a lot of work when you’re starting from scratch every time. This blog post will help you set up a sub plan template so you’ll be able to write a plan for a substitute teacher in 20 minutes, for real!

Essentials in a Sub Plan Template

A great sub plan template is made up of two essential parts. Including both is essential to writing 20 minute sub plans, on the a day you actually need a sub!

First, there’s general information that must be included with all sub plans. Within this general substitute information include things like school information, student information, classroom routines, classroom management system, class schedule, class list, etc. This general information involves anything that stays the same, or mostly the same, day to day.

Second, is your clear plan for the day. This includes what activities and lessons will be completed by teachers and students throughout the day.

Filling in the Sub Plan Template Ahead of Time

Now, here is where the secret to writing your sub plans in 20 minutes comes in. At the beginning of the year, or whenever you sit down to initially set up your sub plan template, you fill out any of the general information and set your schedule in the template.

First, you’ll fill in all of the school information, student information, classroom routines, class list, etc. Anything that doesn’t change day to day. You’ll also set up a sub plan for each day of the week or each day in your rotation. That means that you’ll input the subjects and the times and get everything set up. The only thing you won’t fill in ahead of time are the specific activities like, “Students will complete p. 44 in their math books.”

Although this will take some time to set up initially, you’ll thank yourself for setting up your sub plan template before you actually need it.

What To Prep On a Day You Need a Sub

Here is where the beauty lies. On a day where you wake up sick (or your wakes up sick), all you need to do is select the template for that day of the week or that day’s rotation and fill in the specific substitute teacher and student lessons and activities. This is the time when you’ll fill in things like “Read [book title] to students” or “Students will respond to xyz writing prompt in their writing notebooks.” Your sub plan template is already set up with all of the important information! If you had previously planned your day (for yourself) this should take no more than 20 minutes.

Sub Plan Template Options

Last, you might be wondering what template I use to write my substitute teacher plans. I created a sub plan template that I love to use and have received compliments from substitute teachers on how easy it is to follow. Click to check out the Super Simple Sub Plan Templates. If you prefer to DIY your template, you can up a Google Doc, create a table, and go to town filling it out!

There you have it! By setting up a sub plan template ahead of time, you can easily write 20 minute sub plans on the days when you actually need a substitute teacher! No more last minute scrambling or feeling guilty about not having adequate sub plans.