15 Tips for Teaching While Pregnant

Below are 15 tips for teaching while pregnant.

1. Share the News When You are Ready

It is completely up to you when you would like to share your exciting news. Many people wait until the end of their first trimester (12 weeks). Be sure to talk to your school administrator before sharing your news with anyone at work. Your principal will greatly appreciate this gesture.

2. Wear Comfortable Clothes and Shoes

Deciding what to wear to work while pregnant can be tricky, but comfort is key! Invest in a few staple maternity pieces that are neutral colors. The neutral colors will help you mix and match pieces because of their versatile nature. Also, be sure to invest in a comfortable pair of shoes. You won’t regret it! Teaching while pregnant is hard enough, do what you can to maximize comfort.

3. Bring a Large Water Bottle to School

It’s important to stay hydrated now more than ever! Bringing a large water bottle to school will ensure you always have access to water. Consider buying yourself a new cute water bottle to motivate yourself to grab it more often and increase your water intake.

4. Keep Healthy Snacks on your Desk

Below are 20 healthy snack ideas that are great for when you are teaching while pregnant.

• oranges and cheese
• grapes and cheese
• apples and cheese
• celery sticks and peanut butter
• apples and peanut butter
• banana and peanut butter
• popcorn
• pretzels with mustard
• trail mix
• almonds
• dried fruits and nuts
• whole grain cereal
• greek yogurt and berries
• veggies and guacamole
• veggies and hummus
• pita bread and hummus
• smoothie
• protein bar
• sweet potato chips
• cheese and wheat crackers

5. Go to Bed Early

Teaching while pregnant takes a lot out of you! Your body is working extra hard right now. It’s important to get your rest and one way to help with that is to move your bedtime earlier. If you are normally a night owl, consider heading to bed 10-15 minutes earlier each night until you find a time that feels good to you.

6. Sleep as Much as Possible

As I mentioned above, sleep is super important right now. Don’t be afraid to head home right after school and take a nap. Your body is working hard right now and needs the rest.

7. Find a Teacher Buddy to Cover Your Room for Bathroom Breaks

This tip is really important as you progress through your pregnancy. Find a teacher buddy to cover your room for when you need to use the bathroom. You will frequently need to use the bathroom, so make sure you have a plan in place for when you need to go.

8. Share Your Experience with Students

Your students care about you and will be curious about the process. Perhaps consider modeling a how-to writing piece by writing about the process you are going through for how to set up a nursery.

9. Prepare for Your Maternity Leave Early

It’s a lot of work preparing for your maternity leave. Don’t wait until the last minute! Instead, do a little bit each day and start early.

10. Create a Stock of Emergency Sub Plans

You will have lots of doctor’s appointments, especially towards the end of your pregnancy. In order to prepare for these days off ahead of time, consider setting up a stock of emergency sub plans. It’s always a good idea to have a set of emergency sub plans, but it’s more important for you to have them now than ever before.

11. Mentally Prepare Yourself

You’re having a baby! This is a big time of change in your life. Be sure to give yourself time to reflect and prepare during this very busy time.

12. Prepare your Administrators and Colleagues

Consider telling your administrators before your colleagues to ensure that your administrators hear it from you first. Once you tell your school principal and other administrators in your building, feel free to share the exciting news with your colleagues.

13. Meet with Your Long Term Sub

It can be helpful to invite your long term sub to spend time in your classroom before you leave for maternity. In addition, some other recommendations include sitting down with them and going over your classroom procedures and routines, providing them insight into each of your students, supplying them with your contact information, introducing them to your team members, etc.

14. Prepare your Students for your Maternity Leave

Openly talk to your students about how you will be going on maternity leave and explain they are super lucky to have a wonderful new teacher. Depending on your preferences, you can give your students your contact information so they can write letters to you.

15. Communicate with your Students’ Families about the Transition to Your Long Term Sub

Notify your families that you will be going on maternity leave. Consult with your administration when this would be appropriate. In addition, send home a letter with your students introducing the families to your long term sub. This will help facilitate a smooth transition and ease your students’ families’ concerns.

In closing, we hope you found these tips for teaching while pregnant and planning for maternity leave helpful. If you did, then you may also be interested in these other post about planning for a substitute teacher, this Clutter-Free Classroom’s Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher, and my emergency sub plans resource.

The post 15 Tips for Teaching While Pregnant and Planning for Maternity Leave appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

Thank you, on behalf of all teachers, for all that you do to keep our students safe and happy while we are unable to tend to them. You make a huge difference for our students. Read below to get some quick and easy substitute teacher tips that you can implement the next time you walk into an elementary classroom!

10 Substitute Teacher Tips

Below are 10 tips for substitute teachers at the elementary level.

1. Put Together a Substitute Teacher Bag

Every substitute’s teacher bag should have…

• water bottle
• healthy snacks
• sweater
• book
• extra pencils
• cell phone (on but on silent mode)

2. Dress for Success

Every school has its own culture and, as a result, its own unspoken dress code. As a substitute teacher, your best bet is to dress business casual. This could look like dress pants and a modest top or perhaps a dress.

One important tip is to think comfort! You want to have the flexibility to sit on the ground with students to listen to them read and walk students across the school to their special. As a substitute teacher, you need be prepared to be active; however, it is important to look professional at the same time.

3. Have a Toolkit of Quick and Easy Activities to Pull From

Have you finished up a lesson early and you have 10 minutes left before special or lunch? You have a room full of students who are looking to you to figure out what to do. Having a toolkit of sub activities in your back pocket is one of my favorite substitute teacher tips! Try one of these activities to help you if you get stuck in this type of situation!

Guess My Number

Pick a number. Give students a range of where the number falls with. If students are in Kindergarten, I might say the range is 0-10. If students are in third grade, on the other hand, I might say the range is 0-1,000. Students are trying to guess the number. When a student guesses a number, you either say higher or lower. They need to use their number sense skills to solve.

Word Maker

Invite students to work in small groups. Give each group a piece of paper. Put letters (e.g. 4 consonants and 2 vowels) on the board and ask students to make as many words as they can in a set amount of time. The group that creates the most amount of words wins.

Alphabetical Order

Do this activity as a whole group. Write a list of words on the board and ask students to put them in alphabetical order.

Pictionary

This is a vocabulary game. Split the class into two teams (e.g. boys and girls). Invite one person from a team up to the board. Give them a grade appropriate vocabulary word (e.g. stem in first grade and division in third grade) and have them draw a picture of it. Their team has to try and guess what vocabulary word the person is drawing. Time how long it takes them. Have the other team go next.

Hangman

Pick a word, draw a line for each letter, and invite students to guess letters they think may go on the lines. The goal is to guess the word before drawing a full stick figure person.

Read Aloud

Read aloud a picture book to students. Stop and ask questions as you go through the book to keep students engaged and thinking about the story.

Emergency Sub Plans

Keep a toolbox of no-prep, high engagement activities in case the students finish the day’s work early. These emergency sub plans are a great option!

4. Show Up Early

Arriving 15 minutes early is a great way to leave a good impression. It will also help you start the day on the right foot because you’ll have time to get settled and read the sub plans for the day.

5. Create a Routine for the First 5 Minutes

The first five minutes will determine how the rest of your day goes. Make the most of this time! Remember to do the following things to ensure you have a smooth day:

• Introduce yourself and write your name on the board.
• Introduce and practice an attention getter that you will use throughout the school day.
• Take attendance by saying each child’s name, making eye contact with them, and smiling.
• Explain that the day will run a little bit differently because their teacher isn’t there, but you are confident that, with their help, the day will run smoothly and their teacher will be very happy.
• Offer an incentive like free choice or a game at the end of the day to motivate students to behave appropriately. Clearly explain your behavior system and the expectations in order to get the incentive.

6. Have a Toolbox of Classroom Management Strategies

Below are some classroom management strategies you can use.

• Introduce and practice an attention getter.
• Explain your behavior system at the beginning of the day.
• Offer an incentive for the students to earn at the end of the day.
• Use parallel praise, which means you praise students who are making good choices rather than highlighting students who are not making good choices.
• Introduce and practice an attention getter.
• Explain your behavior system at the beginning of the day.
• Offer an incentive for the students to earn at the end of the day.
• Use parallel praise, which means you praise students who are making good choices rather than highlighting students who are not making good choices.

7. Leave a Note for the Teacher

One way to be a highly requested substitute teacher is to leave a detailed note covering an overview of the day, what was not accomplished from the sub plans, comments about positive behavior, and document any specific behavior challenges. Thank the teacher for sharing their students with you and explain how you look forward to visiting again soon.

8. Thank the School Secretary

Stop in the office before you leave, sincerely thank the secretaries with a warm smile, and exclaim that you enjoyed working with Mrs. D’s class. You may even want to ask if there are any days coming up that you can help with.

9. Say Yes!

Another way to be a highly requested substitute teacher is to say YES! “We know it is super last minute, but would you be able to come in and sub for Mrs. D?” YES! “Are you able to come in the Friday before vacation?” YES! “Are you able to come in the day before winter vacation?” YES!

10. Have Fun!

When you are having fun, you show enthusiasm and a positive attitude. Who doesn’t love to work with someone who is happy? It’s contagious!

In closing, we hope these substitute teacher tips were helpful! If they were, download The Clutter-Free Classroom’s Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher, check out these other sub plans posts, and learn more about these emergency sub plans that will help you be prepared no matter what!

The post Substitute Teacher Tips for How to be a Highly-Requested Sub in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

5 No-Prep Activities for Substitute Teachers

Below are 5 ideas for activities substitute teachers can do that don’t require photocopies or technology.

1. Read Aloud

Invite your substitute to pick a book from your book collection and read it to your students. Encourage the sub to stop, think, and discuss the story. Learn more about read alouds and check out this list of read aloud books for substitute teachers.

2. Card Making

Have your substitute teacher ask your students to make a card for the school principal, guidance counselor, custodian, or someone else in the school community. They just need a pencil, sheet of paper, and coloring utensils (crayons, colored pencils, or markers).

3. Writing Prompt

The third on the list of activities for substitute teachers is have students do a response to a writing prompt. Jot down a simple writing prompt and ask your students to write a response. Some examples include writing about a place they have been, a food they like to eat, and something they like to do outside. Students just need a pencil and lined paper. My emergency sub plans resource includes activities like this!

4. Class Exercises

Invite the substitute teacher to lead 10 minutes of exercises. Some exercises include jumping jacks, toe touches, arm stretches, lunges, and balancing on one foot. If the sub gets tired or runs out of ideas, they can pick a child who is making good choices to lead the exercises.

5. Whole Group Brainstorm

The last on this list of substitute teacher activities is to do a whole group brainstorm. My emergency sub plans resource includes activities like this! Is there a science or social studies topic that is coming up? Ask the substitute teacher to lead a group brainstorm around it or perhaps about a general science or social studies topic (e.g. U.S. presidents, insects, weather, and magnets). The sub will just need a white board marker and your classroom white board or anchor chart paper and marker.

In closing, we hope you found these no-prep and no-tech substitute teacher activities helpful! If you did, then check out these other blog posts about planning for a substitute teacher, download the free Clutter-Free Classroom’s Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher, and check out my emergency sub plans resources!

The post Substitute Teacher Activities Without Photocopies or Technology – 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

Read alouds are a great sub plans activity to leave for substitute teachers because they are whole-group lessons that all students can participate in. Plus, children love to be read to. Whether it’s by their parents, teacher, sibling, or another adult, it is a time when they can just enjoy quality literature that they may not be able to access on their own. Better yet, they provide incredibly meaningful conversations and learning opportunities for your kids. Check out the list below of 10 read aloud books that are perfect for leaving for sub plans!

5 Reasons Read Alouds are Great for Sub Plans

Here are 5 reasons why read alouds are great for sub plans:

1. Students love to be read to so they’ll be engaged and learning during the experience.
2. Even if you don’t have a hard copy of the book, your students can still access the literature through technology. For example, you can find a link of the book being read aloud on Youtube and include it in your sub plans.
3. All students can access the activity and participate in it.
4. It is a sub plan activity that is easy for substitute teachers to understand and implement.
5. They lend themselves to great class discussions where they can learn from a different adult and gain a new perspective.

Top 10 Books for Sub Plans

Below are my top 10 favorite read aloud books to leave as part of my sub plans.

1. Miss Nelson is Missing

Miss Nelson is Missing by Harry Allard is a story about an unruly classroom of students and a teacher who finds a creative way to teach them a lesson. The students in Room 207 were the worst-behaved students in the whole school. They were constantly acting up and poor Miss Nelson was unable to teach.

Then one day, Miss Nelson goes missing and Miss Viola Swamp comes into the classroom. She wears an ugly black dress, never smiles, and loads the students up with homework.  It isn’t long before the students miss Miss Nelson and start to look for her.

When she returns a few days later, the students are thrilled to see her. They no longer misbehave and act like angels in the classroom.  In the end, it is revealed that Miss Nelson was in the classroom all along and she had dressed up as Miss Viola Swamp to teach her students a lesson about being respectful. This is my favorite book to leave as sub plans!

2. The Substitute Teacher from the Black Lagoon

The Substitute Teacher from the Black Lagoon by Mike Thaler is a story about how Hubie’s teacher, Mrs. Green, is out sick so the class is going to have a substitute teacher. The substitute, named Mr. Frank N. Stein., is nine feet tall, crashes through walls, and hurls students into outer space. The kids in the class were expecting to party all day, but that is definitely not what the substitute had in mind.

3. Jamaica and the Substitute Teacher

Jamaica and the Substitute Teacher by Juanita Havill is a story about a girl named Jamaica and her experience with a substitute teacher, Mrs. Duval. Jamaica thinks that her substitute is very nice and has a fantastic day with her until it’s time to take a spelling test. Jamaica is not prepared for it and makes a poor choice. She is worried about what Mrs. Duval will think of her. This is another good book to leave as sub plans!

4. Dear Substitute

Dear Substitute by Audrey Vernick is a story about Miss Pelly, a substitute teacher who covers Mrs. Giordano’s class. She doesn’t do things exactly like Mrs. Giordano. The kids learn that it’s okay if the substitute teacher does things a little bit differently.

5. My Teacher’s Not Here

My Teacher’s Not Here by Lana Button is a book that tells the story of a kindergartener named Kitty who is very nervous when she sees that her teacher, Miss Seabrooke, is not at school because she is home sick. In her place, there is a substitute teacher named Mr. Omar.  Kitty is worried that no one will be able to help her with the things Miss Seabrooke usually does. This is another good book to leave as part of your sub plans!

6. Substitute Teacher Plans

Substitute Teacher Plans by Doug Johnson is a story about how Miss Huff accidentally mixed up her plans for the substitute teacher with her day-off activities list. The substitute followed all of the plans that Miss Huff left,  which led to a pretty wild day with the class.

7. Same Way Ben

In Maryann Cocca-Leffler’s Same Way Ben, Ben likes things the same way every day, so he is upset when, one morning, Mrs. Garcia isn’t there to greet him when he gets off the bus. Instead, it’s Mr. Elliot, the music teacher. In the classroom, Mr. Elliot tells the class that he will be their teacher not just for that day, but for the next six weeks while Mrs. Garcia is on maternity leave.

That morning, Mr. Elliot plays loud music, which Ben doesn’t like because the class never listens to loud music in the morning. The next Monday, Ben arrives to the classroom to find that Mr. Elliot has moved the tables. His friend Cami goes to sit at the yellow table, and their usual green table has been moved from the corner near the cubbies. Later that day, Mr. Elliot announces that he has made blueberry and cream cheese bagels for lunch so Ben won’t be able to eat his usual chicken strips and apple.

Ben feels overwhelmed and begins to cry. Suddenly, Mrs. Garcia comes to visit with her new baby and teaches Ben that new changes, although scary at first, can make life an adventure. This is another great book to leave as part of your sub plans!

8. Miss Malarkey Won’t Be in Today

Judy Finchler’s story Miss Malarky Won’t Be in Today is about a teacher who worries about being out of class. With a fever, Miss Malarkey knows that she won’t be able to teach so she calls in sick to school. She worries about which substitute teacher will get called in to teach her class. She hopes the principal won’t call scary Mr. Doberman, or silly Mrs. Ungerware, or nervous Mr. Lemonjello. She knows her students will be too much for Mr. Lemonjello to handle. Miss Malarkey gets so worried that she decides to go to school to check on her class. When she gets there, she realizes that she won’t really have anything to worry about!

9. Substitute Creature

Substitute Creature by Chris Gall is a story about how Ms. Jenkins’ class full of troublemakers arrived at school and saw a substitute teacher in their classroom. The substitute teacher has tentacles, yellow spots, and one eye.  He encourages the students to follow the rules by telling them stories about his former students, but that does not stop them from their naughty ways.  At the end of the story, he shares his personal experience which finally changes the students’ behavior.

10. Here Comes Teacher Cat

The last on the list of books that are great to leave as sub plans is Here Comes Teacher Cat by Deborah Underwood. It is about a cat who does not want to be a substitute teacher to a class full of kittens. He agrees to do it and follows all of the lesson plans. By the end of the day, both Cat and the kittens learned some important lessons.

Other Sub Plan Resources

Check out these other sub plan resources!

In closing, we hope you found this list of read alouds to leave for sub plans helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these posts about planning for a substitute teacher and making sub plans. In addition, you might want to download the free eBook, The Clutter-Free Classroom’s Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher and check out my emergency sub plans.

The post 10 Read Aloud Books to Leave for Sub Plans in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

These no prep, print-and-go and digital activities make it so much easier for teachers to be absent! Having a collection of reusable activities for math, reading, writing, word study and science that can be done at any time in the school year will give you peace of mind knowing that everything is ready when you need it… Even if that is unexpectedly at 4 a.m.! You only need to add a book of your choice (or a link to a book being read aloud), dice (for some of the math games), and a pencil. Setting up emergency sub plans doesn’t get easier than this!

The Problems These Emergency Sub Plans Solve

Have you ever gone to school sick because it was easier than putting together substitute lesson plans? Have you ever not enjoyed a personal day because of the time and stress involved? This resource changes that!

How These Substitute Teacher Activities Will Help Your Students

• The substitute teacher activities are fun so students are engaged in their learning.
• Each activity has clear directions on it, so the students will know what to do.
• Because the resources can be used multiple times, your students become familiar with the expectations of each task. This decreases student anxiety and potential behavioral issues in your absence.
• Each activity is purposeful so the students will have meaningful learning while you are out.
• Your substitute will have organized sub plans which will equip them with what they need to make it a smooth day for your students.

How These Sub Plans Will Help You as a Teacher

• Each activity has clear directions on it, so the students will know what to do. This will help the day go a lot smoother!
• Because the resources can be used multiple times, your students become familiar with the expectations of each task. This decreases student anxiety and potential behavioral issues in your absence.
• Each activity is purposeful so students will have meaningful learning while you are out.

Why You Will Love These Activities for Substitute Teachers

• The activities were specially designed in a way that allows you to use the same sheet over and over throughout the year.
• This resource will save you tons of time! The No-Prep Design makes it quick and easy to assemble weeks worth of emergency lesson plans in a very short time.
• When you or a family member is sick you can focus on what is truly important. You will no longer need to cough, sneeze, or wheeze your way through writing sub plans in the middle of the night.

How to Use These Sub Plans in Your Classroom

Simply prepare one or two weeks worth of emergency sub plans at the beginning of the year and you will be good to go! You’ll have peace of mind knowing that they are there if you ever need them.

Why Teachers Like You Love These Emergency Lesson Plans

Check out these testimonials from teachers who’ve used it in their classrooms…

Words can’t even begin to describe how amazing this bundle is.  Even though I have been teaching for 6 years, I have been lucky in that I have only taken 3 sick days, and I have a co-teacher with me, so she just uses my usual lesson plans.  However, since I’m heading back to the states at the end of this year (I’m currently overseas), I knew I needed something to help me figure out my way around making sub plans, and I came across these.  I love how they are so easy to use across a variety of grade levels, and you could even use activities from multiple grades within the same class, if the situation calls for it.  Thank you so much for putting this together to make our lives much much easier!

– Sarah M.

Once again, you’ve thought of everything.  I can’t wait to put this together this summer so that I can go into the next school year confident that all my bases are covered when “life” happens.

– Theresa K.

I am a special education teacher and this is a dream come true for me!  This will make it so much easier when my children are sick and I have to miss work.  I am going to use the activities the first week of school as an example so when a sub is there the students will be familiar with it all.

– Naomi D.

This has been a total live saver for me. I appreciate all the hard work she put in. Emergency sub plans used to be an issue for me because I was always trying to plan for where I thought my students would be at the time. Now, I can set this up at the beginning of the year and be fine. TIME SAVER!!!!

– Brittany B.

As a substitute, this bundle brings me an extra sense of confidence in case the worst happens and I am left with a lack of materials.

– Laurette K.

What is Included in these Sub Plans?

This emergency sub plans bundle includes all 5 of my emergency sub plans packets for grades 1-5. The bundle is perfect for teachers who teach multi-age classes, are special educators or plan to switch grade levels in the future.

This bundle of substitute teacher plans resource includes everything found in the grades 1-5 individual packets. If you wake up sick and need substitute plans fast, then you can use the printable and digital plans included in this packet. Simply check off the boxes to show which activities you want the students to do. The plans include directions, mini-lesson ideas and images to show the activity.

The sub plans resources include the following activities:

Reading Activities

• Story Sequencing (Summarizing)
• Character Traits / Sketch (Text-Based Evidence)
• Setting
• Design a New Book Cover (and Write a Blurb for the Back of the Book)
• Story Vocabulary Hunt – (Quality Word Choices by the Author)
• Use Quality Words from the Text in New Sentences
• Problem and Solution
• Question Generating

Word Study Activities

• Noun Sort (with Alphabetical Order Practice)
• I Spy Verbs (with Synonym Practice)
• On the Lookout for Adjectives (with Synonym Practice)
• Short Vowel (Spelling Pattern Practice with Extension)
• Long Vowel Word Hunt (Spelling Pattern Practice with Extension)

Writing Activities

• Plan, Write, & Illustrate (A Story Writing Process)
• Writing Prompts Pages (use them over and over throughout the year)

Reusable Math Activities

• Calendar Skills
• Number of the Day
• Roll, Record & Graph Multiplication Practice
• Roll and Compare (>,<,= with 4-Digit Numbers)
• Odd Snakes Multiplication Activities {2 versions: single or partner play}

Science Activities

• Animals (Schema, Questions, Diagrams) – 3 Reusable Activities
• Any Science Topic (Schema, Questions, Diagrams) – 3 Reusable Activities
• Science Brainstorms

Editable Teacher Resources

• Daily Schedule Sub Note
• Note to Leave on Your Desk Nightly to Direct Sub to Materials
• Info for a Sub at a Glance

In closing, we hope you found this information about emergency sub plans helpful! Here are some additional resources to help you create emergency sub plans for your elementary classroom…

• Read these other sub plans blog posts.
• Download the free eBook: The Clutter-Free Classroom’s Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher.
• Purchase the printable and digital emergency sub plans.
  • Grades 1-5 Emergency Sub Plans Bundle
  • 1st Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 2nd Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 3rd Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 4th Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 5th Grade Emergency Sub Plans

The post Emergency Sub Plans for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

There have been nights when I went to bed only to wake up a wee bit after midnight with a horrific stomach virus. I spent the remaining predawn hours alternating between writing sub plans and lying on the bathroom floor. To be completely honest, I have even written sub plans ON the bathroom floor. I have driven to school in sweatpants with a bucket on my lap to set up for a sub. I have dragged myself to class on days I thought my head would explode from the pain of a migraine while shielding my eyes from the light like a character from Twilight because it was easier to be near death in a room full of 24 energetic children than it would’ve been to crack open an eye to write sub plans. It’s usually harder to be out than it is to go in sick.

But here’s the thing… You can’t always drag yourself into school. People slip on the ice when walking the dog in the morning, car accidents happen, appendixes rupture, and kidney stones can come out of nowhere. There are a million and one unexpected things that can occur, and, much like carrying an umbrella on a cloudy day wards off actual raindrops, being prepared for a sub at all times helps to keep you safe and healthy. Well, maybe not, but it doesn’t hurt. Read below to get practical strategies for organizing your sub plans using a substitute binder.

What is a Substitute Binder?

A substitute binder is a tool teachers use to store everything a substitute teacher needs to successfully and confidently take over the classroom for the day. Some teachers use a “sub tub” or “substitute folder” instead. It’s the same thing except for the organization tool that holds all of the materials.

Why is a Substitute Binder Important?

It is important to have a substitute binder because you can’t always drag yourself into school. I mentioned above specific instances of when teachers have no way of going into school to put together sub plans or writing plans from home. There are a million and one unexpected things that can occur. Being prepared for a sub at all times helps to alleviate stress, so you can focus on getting better. It also ensures your students are actively engaged in learning while you are out and making the most out of the school day.

15 Places to Store Sub Plans

To prepare for a substitute teacher, keep all of the materials a substitute teacher will need organized and in one place. This substitute teacher tip will make it easy for a guest teacher to fill in for you when you are out of the classroom. Having the lesson plans, copies, resources, information and materials a substitute teacher will need for the entire day in one location will save them time and help to make the day as productive and stress-free as possible.

Here are 15 places to store your sub plans:

1. binder
2. pocket folder
3. drawer
4. plastic box with lid
5. tub
6. kit
7. station
8. plastic bag
9. container
10. tool box / tool kit
11. basket
12. file cabinet
13. hanging crate
14. cardboard literature sorter
15. dishpan

5 Tips for Putting Together Your Substitute Binder

Below are 5 tips for creating your substitute teacher binder.

1. Create Your Substitute Binder Before the Students’ First Day

Having your substitute binder prepped and ready for the first day of school ensures that you are starting the school year prepared for anything.

2. Select an Organization Tool that Works for You

There are different options for housing the supplies a substitute teacher will need. It really comes down to what will work best for your classroom space and teaching style. I have used tons of different options over the years. A substitute binder is my favorite option because it most easily allows for adding, removing and editing the contents. Here are some tips related to organizing and storing your sub plans using the following tools:

Substitute Binder

• Choose a brightly colored binder so your sub can easily find it.
• Select a large, sturdy binder that won’t easily break or fall apart.
• Consider choosing a binder that has a sheet protector attached to the front so you can slide in a cover that makes it easy to identify that it’s your substitute binder.
• Use sheet protectors to prevent pages from tearing.

Sub Tub

• Use a hanging file box with hanging folders.
• Label your hanging folders.
• Color code the folders/resources to make it easier for your substitute to navigate the sub tub.
• Create a separate binder of computer folder with the “master copies” of the resources.

Substitute Folder

• Select a brightly colored folder so your sub can easily find it.
• Choose a plastic folder that won’t rip or tear before the end of the school year.
• Consider selecting a folder with prongs so you can maximize the organization potential of the folder. You could keep the student printables and activities in the pockets and the information for the sub in page protectors in the middle of the folder.

3. Stock Your Substitute Binder with Emergency Sub Plans

Having a set of emergency sub plans in your substitute binder will ensure that you are ready for anything. I recommend checking out the ones below:

4. Make Your Substitute Binder User-Friendly

If your sub can’t navigate your sub binder, tub, or folder, they will not be able to follow the substitute lesson plans you put together.  Make them user-friendly using these strategies:

• Group the resources into categories that make sense.
• Use dividers and tabs to identify categorized sections (i.e. maps, student info, lesson plans, and emergency info).
• Include a table of contents.
• Start with a simple, “your day at a glance” or “important things to note” page. Color code items by sections or subjects.
• When drafting the information, be sure to write it in a way that is visually appealing and easy to read (bullet points, bolding, underlining, highlighting, etc.).

5. Prep Individual Student Packets

While having everything copied, prepped and ready to go for the day is essential, you can take the organization one step further and create packets for each student containing all the assignments for the day. Here are the following benefits:

• Individual student packets make it super easy for the sub to distribute everything to the students and manage the completed assignments. It prevents you from coming back to a messy classroom with papers here, there, and everywhere.
• Packets makes differentiation subtle and simple because you can modify each student’s packet and not worry about the right paper getting to the right student.
• It helps to keep the children on task and focused because they have everything they need.
• It increases accountability as you can easily see how much they completed during the day.
• I recommend putting all the materials in order for the day and attaching a cover sheet to each packet with a checklist. When printing the checklist, it is helpful to include the subject, starting and ending times to help with management, and decrease the feeling of being overwhelmed by a packet of work. If you have access to colored copy paper, you could even copy the different subjects onto different colored papers.

In closing, we hope you found this post about how to organize your substitute binder helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in this free Clutter-Free Classroom Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher, as well as these posts:

• Substitute Teacher Activities that Don’t Require Technology or Photocopies
• The Best Books to Leave as Part of Your Sub Plans
• How to Write Sub Plans: Tips and Ideas for Elementary Teachers

The post How to Create and Organize Your Substitute Binder for 2023-2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

3 Steps for How to Write Substitute Teacher Plans

Here are 3 steps for writing sub plans:

Step 1: Create a Substitute Plan Template

You can either create your own substitute plan template or download mine, which is part of my emergency sub plans.

1. Open a word processing program on your computer.
2. Use the table tool to make severals rows (you can add as many as you need) and four columns.
3. Label the columns as: Time, Subject, Details and Notes.

Step 2: Fill out your Template for the Longest Day in Your Schedule

Start with your longest day… You know the one you dread because you have little or no prep and don’t have a second to breathe (or pee) because you are with the children from the moment they arrive until their sweet little selves board the bus to go home. Yes, that one.

1. Save the document on your computer as “Sub Plans for a (insert the day of the week).”
2. Fill in the time column. Write the time an event, activity, lesson, or transition occurs.
3. Fill in the subject column. Simply label what happens at this time (morning announcements, math, etc.).
4. Write in the details column. Describe what will occur in depth.
5. Fill in the notes column. Use the last column to include any additional information that will be helpful. If they are going to a specialist write how to get there from your classroom. Write a mini-script so the students know the sub knows how you do things. Use the same language you would use and state the expectations. For example, “It is time to transition to music class. The expectation is that you put away your math materials and line up in your assigned place. When everyone has worked as a team to turn in the manipulatives and assignment, cleared off their desks, pushed in the chairs and lined up, we will walk to the music room.”
6. Continue to do this for the remainder of the subjects and activities for that day.

Step 3: Fill out your Template for the Other Days in Your Schedule

The final step is to fill out the template for the other days.

1. Once you have completed writing the detailed substitute lesson plans for your longest day, you can use it to create plans for the other days.
2. Begin by opening the document and saving a copy with a new name for another day of the week.
3. Edit the document by adding, removing or shifting things around to customize the plans for that day.
4. Repeat the process for all five school days.

3 Quick Tips for Writing Sub Plans

Here are 3 tips for writing sub plans:

1. If your school has any regularly scheduled things (like early dismissal on the first Monday of the month), you may want to consider also creating a document for those days.
2. Be sure to focus heavily on transitions when writing the substitute teacher lesson plans. Those are the times when the students tend to get off task and behavior situations arise. Being proactive will minimize potential issues.
3. I found it helpful to write my plans in semi-real time. By that I mean I set up the template in the morning and filled it in during the day as time allowed while the kids were eating snack, doing self-selected reading, at lunch, etc. Not only did it make the task manageable, but it allowed me to be very thorough in composing my plans.

5 Things Not To Do When You Have a Sub

Here are 5 things to avoid when planning for a substitute teacher:

1. Don’t instruct them to introduce a new topic.
2. Avoid having them facilitate a complicated craft.
3. Don’t expect them to know how to use the technology in your classroom.
4. Avoid asking them to make copies for you.
5. Don’t expect them to execute your sub plans perfectly.

In closing, we hope you found these post about how to write sub plans helpful! If you did, then you may also be interested in these other sub plans posts, this free Clutter-Free Classroom’s Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher, and our emergency sub plans.

The post How to Write Sub Plans for When a Substitute Teacher Covers Your Classroom – 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

Are you guilty of driving into school with a bucket in your lap, suffering though the school day, or writing sub plans from the bathroom floor? I’m right there with you!

Instead, imagine being sick and simply picking up the phone, calling for a substitute teacher, and enjoying a day of rest and relaxation to get well. Think pajamas, soup, and Netflix in bed. Does this sound too good to be true?

Luckily, this dream is absolutely possible. It just requires some early preparation and planning at the beginning of the school year, but then you will enjoy the benefits all year long with peace of mind knowing that you are prepared if you unexpectedly need to be out of school.

Learn more about planning for a substitute teacher below and be sure to download the free guide for how to plan for a substitute teacher!

5 Tips for Creating a Sub Binder

New (and even experienced) teachers sometimes struggle with knowing how to prepare for a sub or even what to include in a sub binder. The key is to include everything a substitute would need to know to effectively run the classroom in your absence, but to present it in a way that makes it easy to find specific details as they need them.

I prefer to create a sub binder. I find that it lends itself to quick editing when you need to update the information throughout the year. You can make a substitute binder easier to navigate by:

• using labeled tabs to divide the sections
• color coding like information by using colored paper
• including a table of contents
• starting with a “day at a glance” or “important things to know” page
• writing the information in an easy-to-scan method using bullets, text features (bold, underlining, italics), using colored pens or a highlighter

Are you wondering what to include in a sub binder? The list below is available as a printable in my FREE guide to preparing for a substitute teacher. Download it now!

5 Tips for Writing Good Sub Plans

When it comes to preparing and planning for a substitute teacher, my advice is to plan as if the person coming in has never subbed before… or been around children… or lacks ALL common sense. Chances are the guest teacher will be a professional who will do a stellar job, but preparing for the opposite end of the spectrum will help to ensure things will run smoothly in your absence. This involves writing sub plans that are thorough and easy to read. Here are some suggestions:

1. Create a template.

Create a Template. Set up a table with four columns (time, subject, details, notes) and as many rows as you need for each part of your day.

2. Start with your longest day.

Start with your longest day (little to no prep) and save the document as “Sub Plans for a (insert day of the week).”

3. Fill in each column.

Fill in each column with the time, subject, details, and notes.

• Time: Write when the lesson, event, activity or transition occurs.
• Subject: Simply label what happens at this time (math, art, etc.).
• Details: Describe what will happen in depth.
• Notes: Add in additional information that will be helpful.

4. Fill it out throughout the school day.

Continue to do this for the remainder of the subjects and activities for the day. I find it helpful to write my substitute teacher plans in semi-real time. By that I mean I set up the template in the morning and fill it in during the day as time allows while the kids are eating snack, doing self-selected reading, at lunch, etc. Not only did it make the task manageable, but it also allowed me to be very thorough in composing my substitute plans.

5. Create plans for the other days.

Once you’ve completed writing the detailed substitute lesson plans for your longest day, you can use it to create plans for the other days. Begin by opening the document and saving a copy with a new name for another day of the week. Edit the document by adding, removing or shifting things around to customize the plans for that day. Repeat the process for all days.

Tips for Selecting Activities when Planning for a Substitute Teacher

If you know in advance you are going to be out for an extended period of time, it is best to continue with the systematic instruction in place. However, for the sake of creating a collection of emergency sub plans, it is often much more manageable to use quality activities that the students are capable of doing without additional instruction. This is a great opportunity to review past skills and reinforce ongoing concepts.

You can take the time to put together your own, but if you are interested, I also made the process VERY easy with some amazing collections of printable and digital sub plans that can be used over and over again.

Providing the students with activities they have seen before, yet can be varied with each use, is ideal. This will increase students’ level of independence, which will increase the time they are on-task and decrease the potential for behavioral situations that occur when students are off-task.

How to Save Time Planning for a Substitute Teacher

I have put together a collection of reusable resources and templates that are perfect to leave with any substitute teacher. There are sets of substitute plans for each grade level that require no prep other than printing and copying the pages or assigning them using a platform like Google Classroom. The only other materials you might need in addition to the emergency lesson plans are a book (any book will do) or a link to a book being read aloud for the reading activities, dice for some of the math activities, and a pencil. These downloadable packets include plenty of reading, writing, word study, math, and science activities to cover you for a week or more. There are 40+ resources in each grade level packet, so you’ll be all set!

Here are some additional resources to help you with planning for a substitute teacher and assembling lesson plans…

• Read these other sub plans blog posts.
• Download the free eBook.
  • The Clutter-Free Classroom’s Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher
• Purchase the printable and digital emergency sub plans.
  • Grades 1-5 Emergency Sub Plans Bundle
  • 1st Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 2nd Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 3rd Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 4th Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 5th Grade Emergency Sub Plans

The post Planning for a Substitute Teacher: Tips and Ideas for Elementary Teachers in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

Ursula Foster once said, “You can’t pour from an empty cup”. This is so true! In order for us to give to our students, their families, and our school community, we must first take care of ourselves. Easier said than done, right? Stay happy and healthy at work during flu season, the winter, and all year long and maintain a healthy classroom environment by following the advice outlined below!

5 Ways to Maintain a Healthy Classroom Environment

Here are 5 ways to maintain a healthy classroom environment and keep your classroom clean!

1. Use disinfectant wipes on all hard and frequently-touched surfaces in the classroom (e.g. tables, desks, door knobs, and classroom phone). Perhaps you could create a routine where students wipe down their desks/tables after eating snack and/or the end of the day using disinfectant wipes.
2. Explicitly teach students hygienic habits (e.g. how to wash their hands properly and how to sneeze into their elbow). After teaching them the importance of doing these things, invite students to wash their hands before eating (e.g. snack and lunch) and after coughing, sneezing, or blowing their nose.
3. Encourage students to adopt a healthy lifestyle, which involves eating nutritious foods, drinking lots of water, and getting plenty of sleep. Lead by example by discussing your own personal habits.
4. Shift to individual student supplies instead of community supplies. This could involve a pencil boxes with pencils, hand-held pencil sharpeners, crayons, scissors,  erasers, and glue sticks.
5. Contact parents and share tips to help decrease the spread of germs in school (e.g. going to bed early and eating nutritious foods). Perhaps this could be sent in an email or as part of a newsletter. In addition, ask students’ families for donations of boxes of tissues and disinfectant wipes.

How to Prepare for When You Get Sick

Even when you take all of the steps to have a healthy classroom environment, sickness can still pop up.

I know what you’re thinking. It’s so much easier to tough it out at school than have to write sub plans. Trust me, I know how challenging sub plans can be. But I have good news: they don’t have to be! I have print and go sub plans that will make your life SO much easier! They are now digital, too!

If and when you do get sick, it is important to take time to rest and recover in order to prevent it from developing into something worse. When your immune system is weakened, you are far more susceptible to other germs and viruses.

I can speak from personal experience. In 2016, I came down with what seemed like a common cold and, although I felt like crud, I adopted the “it’s easier to go to school not feeling well than it is to stay home” mentality. I pushed myself through several days of teaching while I was fighting the cold. Instead of getting better, it developed into pneumonia. I then missed not only several weeks of school, but spent Christmas and the entire holiday break in bed feeling miserable, had to pay a ton of medical bills and developed complications from the antibiotics that were prescribed. What a nightmare! I can’t help but wonder how that experience may have been different if I had just listened to my body and taken a couple days to rest at home when I knew I was not feeling well.

10 Tips for How to Stay Healthy as a Teacher and Not Get Sick

In addition to creating a healthy classroom environment, it’s important to keep your body healthy.

1. Eat Nutritious Foods

Maintain a balanced diet with colorful foods from different food groups. Remember to start the day off right with a delicious and healthy breakfast. Also, don’t forget to pack a good lunch and lots of snacks. Eat healthy meals that are both filling and delicious!

2. Exercise Regularly

Start your day with an intense 30 minute workout before you take a shower, go for a walk after school, do pushups and sit-ups before you go to bed… It doesn’t matter what you do. Move your body as much as you can throughout the day!

3. Drink Lots of Water

It is commonly recommended to drink at least 8 glasses of water per day. Make this a priority so that your body can fight off germs and keep feeling good.

4. Get Enough Sleep

Instead of staying up late and watching TV, head to bed early with a good book. This will help you wake up feeling refreshed and ready to take on the day!

5. Listen to Your Body

If your body is feeling tired and overworked, listen to it by resting and going to bed early. Your body tells you what it needs.

6. Wash Your Hands Frequently

Wash your hands after you use the bathroom, before you eat anything, before you go home from school, and whenever you touch something that likely has germs.

When you wash your hands, remember to follow this procedure: 1) wet your hands, 2) get soap, 3) lather it between your palms, 4) rub the backs of your hands one at a time, 5) interlock your fingers to get in between your fingers, 6) scrub your fingernails, 7) rub your wrists, 8) rinse the soap off of your hands, 9) and dry them.

This is a great way to maintain a healthy classroom environment as well.

7. Do Things you Love

Make time for getting together with a friend for coffee on a weekend morning, take an art class, or whatever speaks to your soul. Do things that make you feel good so that you can continue feeling good.

8. Wipe Down Hard and Frequently Touched Surfaces Using Disinfectant Wipes

Do this at home, in your car, and at school. Keeping everything clean and disinfected will make it much easier for you keep germs at bay. This is a great way to maintain a healthy classroom environment.

9. Change your Clothes when you get Home from School

By getting changed, it reduces the spread of germs from outside of the house coming into your house.

10. Get a Flu Shot

This helps your body fight off getting the flu.

10 Healthy Teacher Breakfasts

Below are 10 healthy classroom teacher breakfasts.

• quiche and raspberries
• eggs and strawberries
• banana and peanut butter
• smoothie
• avocado toast
• vegetable omelette
• oatmeal and blueberries
• yogurt with blackberries
• whole wheat toast with peanut butter
• bowl of cereal with banana slices on top

20 Healthy Teacher Snacks

Below are 20 healthy classroom teacher snacks.

• blueberries
• strawberries
• blackberries
• raspberries
• grapes
• banana
• apple
• orange
• pear
• watermelon
• yogurt
• cheese stick
• hard boiled egg
• trail mix
• almonds
• dried fruit
• popcorn
• hummus
• carrots with ranch dip
• celery with peanut butter

Sub Plans Resources

Even when we try our best to create a healthy classroom environment and maintain a healthy routine, there will be times when you need to call out sick. Here are some additional resources related to preparing for a substitute teacher and writing sub plans.

• Grades 1-5 Sub Plans Bundle
• 1st Grade Sub Plans
• 2nd Grade Sub Plans
• 3rd Grade Sub Plans
• 4th Grade Sub Plans
• 5th Grade Sub Plans

In closing, we hope you found these tips for how to create a healthy classroom environment helpful. If you did, then you may also be interested in the resources below.

• Read these other blog posts about planning for a substitute teacher.
• Download the free Clutter-Free Classroom’s Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher.
• Buy the printable and digital emergency sub plans: Grades 1-5 Sub Plans Bundle.

The post How to Create a Healthy Classroom Environment and Prevent Sick Days in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.

Free Guide for Planning for a Sub

Grab this free guide for planning for a substitute teacher, so you can grab quick and easy tips and ideas that will help you plan for when you are out of the school building.

Sub Plans Blog Post Series

Check out these popular sub plans posts!

How to Create a Healthy Classroom Environment & Prevent Sick Days

This post offers tips and ideas for how to create a healthy classroom environment, which will help you and your students stay healthy all school year long.

Tips for Planning for a Substitute Teacher

Grab these helpful tips for planning for a substitute teacher, so you can ensure the school day goes smoothly when you are not there.

How to Write Substitute Teacher Plans

This post shares three steps for how to write substitute teacher plans so you can systematically and efficiently plan your sub lessons.

How to Make and Organize your Sub Tub, Substitute Binder, or Folder

Learn how to make and organize your sub tub, substitute binder, or substitute folder so that everything is all in one place and it’s easy for your sub to use.

Emergency Sub Plans for 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th & 5th Grade

Grab these printable and digital emergency substitute teacher plans for your grade level or grab the whole bundle.

The Best Read Aloud Books to Leave for Sub Plans

Check out this list of read aloud books to leave for substitute teacher plans.

Substitute Teachers Activities Without Photocopies or Technology

This post offers substitute teachers activities ideas that do not require photocopies or technology to help you when you are in a pinch!

Tips for How to be a Highly Requested Substitute Teacher

Grab these tips and ideas for how to be a good sub.

Tips for your Teacher Maternity Leave and Teaching While Pregnant

This post offers tips for your teacher maternity leave and for when you are teaching while pregnant.

Additional Resources

Here are some additional substitute teacher and sub plans resources to help you…

• Download the free Clutter-Free Classroom’s Guide to Preparing for a Substitute Teacher.
• Purchase the emergency substitute teacher plans, which are now both printable and digital.
  • Grades 1-5 Emergency Sub Plans Bundle
  • 1st Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 2nd Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 3rd Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 4th Grade Emergency Sub Plans
  • 5th Grade Emergency Subs Plans

The post Sub Plans: What You Need when Planning for a Substitute Teacher in 2024 appeared first on Clutter-Free Classroom | by Jodi Durgin.