The ideas in this blog post are great routine assignments to cycle through during the year. Plan ahead and have these assignments ready as emergency sub plans, or prep them quickly when you’re planning for a substitute.
Students become familiar with doing these assignments. My students complete them independently and with minimal confusion. This makes them excellent assignments for lesson plans with a substitute! Their independent nature and student’s familiarity with them makes it an easy day for the sub and the students.
Check out these assignment ideas that make planning simple and classroom management easier for a substitute teacher. I hope the ideas in this blog post can save you some valuable planning time and stress! Big shout out to substitute teachers out there!
- Textbook Reading and Section Review Questions
- Vocabulary Logs
- Dividing Page
- Make Improvements to Science Notebooks
- Science World Magazine and Activity Worksheets
- One Pager
- Brain-Pop-o-Rama
- Movie and a Worksheet
- 8.5 Movie and Notes
- Annotation and Article Summary Worksheet
#1 Textbook Reading and Section Review Questions
This is my #1 suggestion because it is so straight forward. Students work on reading comprehension and pulling important information out of the text.
If students have their textbooks at home, and I don’t have textbooks in the classroom, I photocopy the sections from the textbook and make a class set of copies. I can even scan them digitally and post the reading in Google Classroom. Students record their answers in their notebooks or on a separate piece of binder paper, whatever my classroom organization system is!
Combine a Textbook Reading with a Vocabulary Log (#2 in this blog post) or a Dividing Page (#3 in this blog post), and that’s your lesson plan for the block period!
#2 Vocabulary Logs
Vocabulary Logs are one of my favorite routine assignments. I use vocab logs all year long in my class. I give students the vocabulary terms, and they write the definition in their own words, draw an image, and create a keyword. To read more about vocabulary logs, check out my blog post Vocabulary Logs. For vocabulary ideas in Biology, check out my blog post List of Vocabulary Terms for High School Biology.
#3 Dividing Page
A Dividing Page is one of my favorite assignments at the start of a new unit. Students create a colorful and informative page that signals a new section in their notebooks and in their learning. A Dividing Page includes a Title, key Vocabulary, Images, and is fully colored.
Students do some light research, which generates interest and excitement for what is to come. Creative students enjoy the opportunity to bust out the coloring supplies and show off their drawing skills.
A Dividing Page can take up to 30 minutes, and makes a super fun and easy lesson plan for a sub. Assign it after a Textbook Reading for a full 90 minute block period lesson plan!
#4 Make Improvements to Science Notebooks
Students usually appreciate some flexible time to get caught up. If they finish early, or need something productive to work on, improving their science notebook works great.
Students improve their science notebook by making sure their Table of Contents is up to date. The Table of Contents is in the front of their notebook, where they record the Page Number, Title, and Date of every assignment. More improvements include making sure all work is completed and glued or taped in.
Schedule a notebook check, and students will have motivation to improve their science notebook and complete all notes and unfinished assignments.
If they are missing an assignment they can use the Extra Copies Bin and the directions in Google Classroom to figure it out. They have everything they need, which means they can get caught up with a substitute when I’m not there.
You can read more about the Extra Copies Bin in my blog post, The Teacher Supplies and Classroom Systems I Can’t Do Without. To read more about science notebooks, check out my blog posts How to Set-up a Science Notebook and More Tips for Using Science Notebooks as an Organization System.
#5 Science World Magazine and Activity Worksheets
I love love LOVE Science World Magazine! The visuals are fantastic and the articles are interesting. My middle school students especially like reading Science World, but it works great for my high school Biology students too. Science World is targeted towards students in grades 6-10.
There are approximately 20-30 different activity worksheets that go with every magazine volume. Teachers can access these digital teaching resources online, and print out hardcopies for their classes. The graphic organizers, skills sheets, and questions are high quality and awesome. Sometimes they even have little experiments that students can try at home for a fun homework assignment.
The Crossword Puzzle is one of my favorite activities. Students need to read through the entire magazine in order to read all of the vocabulary terms and complete the crossword. If they are working independently it can take 30 minutes. I make the Crossword Puzzle an extension activity, and students who complete it get a raffle ticket!
My favorite assignment to pair with Science World Magazine is a One Pager (#6 in this blog post). A One Pager, or a few activity worksheets and a Crossword Puzzle is usually all you need for a 90 minute lesson plan with a substitute!
*Science World Magazine is a paid subscription service. If your school doesn’t have a subscription, this assignment idea may not work for you in a pinch.
#6 One Pager
A One Pager is a creative way to summarize and communicate information. Students reflect on a learning experience and create a visual representation of the main ideas in their One Pager.
I like to assign an article for students to read and create their One Pager. I usually find something on Newsela. Science World Magazine is amazing for this too.
There are different ways to do one pagers, and my favorite is a simplified version of the AVID One Pager criteria:
- Title and symbolic border that represents the theme
- 2 quotes with proper grammar that represent the concept (this one is a little tricky given the materials, some online research can provide some more interesting quotes)
- 3 graphics/images related to the main ideas
- 5 key vocabulary terms (no need to define them, just the words!)
- 2 How/Why Questions (with the answers!)
- A thoughtful personal response (sometimes I ask for a 3-5 sentence summary of the main idea)
The Materials needed are:
- Blank paper (stock paper makes them super nice)
- Rulers
- Colored pencils, markers, crayons, or pens
#7 Brain-Pop-o-Rama
Brain-Pop-O-Rama is an assignment in which students watch videos and take notes in a graphic organizer. You can interchange BrainPOP for CrashCourse videos, Amoeba Sisters, Flocabulary…whatever your favorite content videos are for your subject.
Tweak the graphic organizer and use it for any video clips, readings, or short activities you want students to explore.
*I’m cautious when assigning something with technology with a substitute. One year the online DNA Webquest I assigned didn’t work on their Chromebooks! I was out on a school field trip, which is stressful enough!
#8 Movie and a Worksheet
Students enjoy the special treat of watching a movie, and it makes an easy day for a sub. In English class, I always enjoyed watching the film adaptation after we finished a book.
As with Brain-Pop-O-Rama, as long as you can guarantee the technology won’t be a problem, then a video is a fine idea. Make sure to have a backup lesson plan just in case. It takes extra planning time but you won’t regret it if something goes wrong!
I purchase a movie viewing guide on Teachers Pay Teachers for students to fill in while they watch. Sometimes I can find a good one online for free.
#8.5 Movie and Notes
If I don’t have a worksheet, 10 Facts or Fill the Page notes work great. No worksheet or photocopying required! Check out my blog post 5 Ways to Take Notes Without a Worksheet. Read more about these note taking strategies.
#9 Annotation and Article Summary Worksheet
A reading annotation is another great routine assignment to come back to throughout the year. It helps students slow down and process what they are reading. All they need is an article to read, a pencil, and a highlighter.
I make copies of a Newsela article for each student to write on and keep. I like to offer a few different articles to give them some choice as well.
After the annotation, students complete an Article Summary Worksheet.
For longer block periods, students can read 2 articles and complete 2 Article Summary Worksheets.
When the Cat is Away, the Mice Will Play
You just never know what will happen in the classroom when you’re out. Usually students are on their best behavior and everyone has a good day.
Some students see a substitute as an opportunity for a free day to have some fun, and unfortunately start a little trouble sometimes. When the cat is away, the mice will play.
That’s another reason why I love these assignments for sub plans. The lesson activities are designed so students stay seated, focused, and calm for the period. If students goof off, however, they can probably catch up by finishing the assignment for homework.
Thank you to all of the substitute teachers who keep everything going. They have a tough job. They are so appreciated by students, teachers, parents, and school staff everywhere!
If you have questions let me know by leaving a comment. I would love to hear from you! What are some of your go-to emergency sub plans? Check out the blog posts below for more classroom strategies and lesson ideas!
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