Sub Binder

I recently needed to take 3 days off, so you know what that means...sub plans. And since I had to make 3 days worth of lessons, I figured this would be a good chance to make my sub binder, a project that I've wanted to do for years.

At my previous school, I had created emergency plans. Though the plans covered topics independently of what I had been teaching, it was wonderful knowing if I needed to call out, I had plans already made. But at my current school, I work with 3 other members and we stay together in lessons. So when I need to take a day off, I need my sub to teach where I left over. Therefore, emergency plans are not helpful.

With that in mind, I wanted to create a binder that would provide the sub with what they need to know while also making it less work to type up plans when I need them.

Below is a link to the dividers I use. Feel free to use them for ideas for what you could include.

I started with introduction letter and a table of contents.

I divided my binder into 6 sections. The first section is scholars information. Here, I included the roster, notes on scholars, helpful hands, and WIN group. Our school organizes WIN (What I Need) by having the scholars all regroup and go to different classes for the targeted skill, so obviously it's important to let my sub know about that movement.

The notes about scholars include 4 sections. One section is for scholars who are in our Check In Check Out program, which is part of our PBIS system. The next section is for scholars pulled out, followed by a section for scholars with medical needs. And then, there is an other section is case there are other notes that don't fit into the first three sections.

My helpful hands sheet has two things. First, I let my sub know of some dependable scholars s/he can turn to should s/he have any questions. The second sections is a list of the classroom jobs I have and what they do.

The second section is classroom information. Here I include the daily schedule, a class tour, where to find supplies, and fast finisher work.

The next section is school information. It includes a quick reference of school and staff info as well as a phone extension list.

The third section is emergency plans. I was sure to include extra copies of the school emergency plans, such as fire drills, tornado drills, and ALICE.

This next section was the most time consuming to make. It explains the behavior plans for our school. We use PBIS at our school, so I wanted to make sure to include what PBIS is, how it is used in our school, and what the sub can do to help keep strong classroom management.

The last section is just a form for the sub to fill out about the day.

I've talked to some subs and I've heard the complaint that too much information can be daunting. So I also including a quick reference flip book that has the most important things in a nutshell. Stay tuned for information about this resource!

We all know what a pain planning for a sub is, so hopefully these ideas help you get things organized to make it easier to take those needed days off.