Substitute Teacher Day Plan
A substitute teacher day plan — the regular teacher's handoff: daily schedule by period, key contacts, classroom procedures and rules, per-period lesson summaries, and emergency/important notes.
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SUBSTITUTE TEACHER DAY PLAN Teacher: Sample Teacher Grade 5 — Room 12 Date: May 23, 2026 Welcome, and thank you! Below is everything you need for today. DAILY SCHEDULE 8:00 Arrival, attendance, morning work 8:30 Reading block (see lesson 1) 10:00 Recess (supervise on playground) 10:20 Math (see lesson 2) 11:45 Lunch (escort to cafeteria) 12:30 Specials — Music (escort to Room 4) 1:15 Science (see lesson 3) 2:45 Pack up & dismissal KEY CONTACTS - Main office: ext. 100 - Nurse: ext. 120 - Next-door teacher (Ms. Patel, Room 13): for questions - Principal: ext. 101 CLASSROOM PROCEDURES & RULES - Bathroom: one student at a time, sign out on clipboard - Quiet signal: raise hand, count down from 5 - No phones; store in the basket - Reliable helpers: Mia and Theo - Behavior: name on board = warning; follow the posted plan LESSON PLANS / WHAT TO TEACH - Reading: finish chapter 7 read-aloud, then independent reading; worksheet in the blue tray - Math: textbook p. 88-89, problems 1-15; answer key on my desk - Science: watch the 10-min video (link on board), complete the lab sheet in pairs IMPORTANT NOTES & EMERGENCIES Allergies: Theo (peanuts) — no shared food. Aria leaves at 1:00 for speech (aide picks up). Fire drill procedure posted by the door. Leave a note on how the day went! Please leave a brief note at the end of the day: what was completed, any behavior issues, and anything I should follow up on. Thank you again!
About this template
A substitute teacher plan is a handoff document, and its whole purpose is to let someone who has never met your students run the day smoothly and safely. The best ones front-load the **time-critical, can't-improvise information**: a clear **schedule by period** (including the easy-to-miss logistics — recess supervision, escorting to lunch and specials, early pickups), **key contacts** (office, nurse, a friendly neighboring teacher to ask), and the **classroom procedures** that students will otherwise test a stranger on (bathroom policy, the quiet signal, phone rules, who the reliable helpers are, and the behavior plan). Then come the **lesson summaries** — what to teach each block, where the materials are, and where the answer key is — written assuming zero prior context. The single most important section is **emergencies and important notes**: student **allergies and medical needs**, who leaves the room and when (speech, resource, early dismissal), and the location of the fire-drill/emergency procedures. Two practices make sub plans actually work: write everything as if the sub knows nothing about your room (because they don't), and keep a generic "emergency sub plan" ready for the days you're out unexpectedly and can't prepare. Leave the plan somewhere obvious, point to where physical materials live, and ask the sub to leave an end-of-day note so you know what got done and what to follow up on. A good plan protects instructional time, keeps students safe, and makes substitutes want to come back to your classroom.
When to use it
- Preparing for a planned absence (appointment, conference, leave).
- Leaving a clear handoff for a substitute teacher.
- Building a generic emergency sub plan for unexpected absences.
- Documenting schedule, procedures, and safety info for your room.
What to include
- Teacher, grade/subject/room, and date.
- A period-by-period schedule including supervision/escort duties.
- Key contacts (office, nurse, a neighboring teacher).
- Classroom procedures, rules, and reliable student helpers.
- Lesson summaries with where materials/answer keys are, plus allergies and emergency info.