Do I need a Substitute Plans?
YES, you will get sick - your classroom is a petri dish.
YES, you will need a Sub Plans. Or a Sub Tub. (or Sub Binder or box or however you roll)
If you have children, you know they'll get sick, so go ahead and prepare for it now.
It doesn't have to be fancy, but it needs to be done so that when you get sick, you can set the tub on your desk/table and not have to create more work while you're sick.
Last week, I shared with new teachers my favorite tips for thriving during their first year. Today, I'm sharing some general thoughts and guidelines for selecting activities for your substitute plans, plus some of my favorite resources to use!
General Guidelines
Non-Tech & Non-Music:
Include things that ANYONE can do.
Most districts don't have enough subs, and some don't assign subs to specials classes. It might be a teacher's aide, your vice principal, or the recess monitor who is stepping in to "teach" your class.
Even most regular substitutes don't know a whole lot about teaching music - and if you are a control freak like me, you don't want them teaching music to your classes!
Pro Tip: If you include things like CDs or movies or pre-recorded lessons, be sure to also include worksheets or books or some other non-tech activity. You would be surprised how many tech issues arise when you're not there. Even tech-savvy subs can have trouble and you don't want to leave them with nothing to do.
Extra Practice:
Start collecting lots of "extra" worksheets, flashcards, games, and activities that you can swap out of the sub tub.
I make at least one class set of each worksheet and put each class set in a separate file folder. It's likely that your sub will be rushing in at the last minute and won't have time (or the copy code!) to make copies.
Include a Table of Contents:
I like to make a table of contents for the top so that subs know what their options are.
If I laminate this page, I can mark off activities each year as they are completed.
How to Keep Track:
I keep a log of which classes do which activities.
It is CRAZY trying to remember who did what while you were sick (Did my Tuesday classes or my Friday classes do this? Did they actually do all the things I left or just the first one?).
Throw a spiral notebook in the tub and write out what was completed. I also leave a checklist for the sub to mark, but they don't always let me know.
What Concepts to Include:
I love to include simple composer activities (facts, music history, listening), note naming practice, and even instrument family work that a substitute might (potentially) not mess up.
Coloring pages while listening to music is great for my youngest babies. Drawing along to the music (with ideas) is fun for the middle grades. Simple games that the students have played before might also work, depending on the group.
Pro Tip: Try to think about what each grade will already know if planning sub activities by grade content.
For example, my first grade sub activities include anything that they know from Kindergarten, plus whatever concepts we've already covered so far. So, their sub activities are high-low, loud-soft, fast beat - slow beat, and rhythm v. beat, plus quarter and eighth note activities. (You can always add more if you're out later in the year.)
Second grade activities might include everything they did in first grade - quarter and eighth notes, quarter rest, so-mi patterns, and so-mi-la patterns, plus whatever we've covered so far in the year (2/4 meter, do, or maybe half note).
Favorite Things to Include
Some non-tech options:
My students love playing freeze games! This freeze game includes game cards that can be printed and left for a sub. This is NOT a freeze dance; it's more like rock-paper-scissors!
Centers that students are already familiar with are another non-tech option for subs. Print off a few sets of this memory game to add to your Sub Tub centers. My students love to play these games!
Music Vocab Bingo from Christine at Elementary Etudes
Shelley at Pitch Publications has TONS of activities to go with music books!
The Music Crew on TpT has a whole hashtag dedicated to sub plans - check it out here!
Here are even more ideas for your music sub tub!
From Ginny at Ginny's Music Space
From Jennifer of the The Yellow Brick Road
What activities have you had success with in your substitute plans? Join the conversation on Facebook!
Lori Sweet
Sweet Sounds
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