Preparing for a Substitute
When you are out of the classroom, and have a substitute in your room, there are ways to make the day go smoothly.
By Elisa Jackson
As teachers, we are used to being in control of what happens in our classroom. How our lessons are taught, the length of time that they take, how discipline issues are handled, and the way student progress is monitored are usually all under our control. However, when we are out of the classroom, and a substitute is filling in, we have to give up this control for the day. Here are some simple tips to make things go smoothly when you are away from your classrooms.
The first thing you should do to make it easy on yourself is to create a substitute lesson template on the computer. This way you only have to plug in lesson descriptions in the right time slots, and you have an outline of the day. It may take a while to design a template to your liking, but it will save time in the future. Also make sure to include a section that lists any special events, classes, presentations, etc . . . that may be planned for the day.
Once you have a lesson plan laid out for your sub, you need to provide a way to communicate how your classroom runs. Even if you requested a specific person, who knows how things are run in your class, they may not be available. Instead, you may have someone who doesn’t know your class filling in for you. A few simple things can make the day run smoothly. You can provide substitutes with a seating chart, discipline slips, lunch cards, pick me sticks, and extra supplies, such as sharpened pencils. All these items can be stored in a labeled basket specifically called the "Substitute Box." These items can make the day easier for the substitute.
While making sure that substitutes understand the classroom system, and have the right supplies is important, the key to a successful, and not a wasted day, is to make sure that they understand your lesson plan. The lessons for the entire day should be placed on your desk because that is the first place the substitute will go. However, all the worksheets, teacher books, videos, and other supplies should be on a separate table. You can lay each supply/sheet/book in the order that they will be used and label each one with a sticky note referring to the subject. For example, if you do math first thing in the morning, have the math supplies that the substitute will use all the way on the left side of the table and put a bright sticky note on it that says “math”. Do this for the other subjects going from left to right. The more organized you are, the easier the plans will be for the substitute to follow.
Something to keep in mind is that you can’t expect the substitute to teach at the same speed as you do. Therefore, you need to be aware that some things may not get done, or that other things will get done more quickly. Try not to give the substitute lessons that cover skills new to students. You can leave those topics for when you are back in the classroom. And if students get done quicker then expected, leave fun activity sheets, projects, or art activities for your students to work on. Here are more activities to do with your students when preparing for a substitute.
Activites and Lessons:
Students discuss and write how to demonstrate good behavior at school. This is useful to prepare them how to behave with a substitute.
This shows students how to organize. You can connect this to showing how to organize their time during the day.
Students read "The Very Hungry Catepillar" and learn about sequencing. You can start this lesson by having them sequence their day. This can be a good activity to do with a substitute teacher.
Students write about their favorite things to do after school if they get done with their work. This can provide helpful tips in preparing activities for student to do once they have finished their classwork.