Most substitute teachers walk into a classroom with a few printed pages and zero context. They don't know who sits where, which students need extra support, what the morning routine looks like, or where to find the emergency procedures. How well the day goes depends almost entirely on how well you've prepared the package you left behind.

A great sub plan doesn't just list assignments — it hands someone the information they need to run your classroom independently and without having to improvise. This template covers every section worth including.

Section 1: The Basics

Start with the information a substitute will need in the first five minutes:

Keep this section to one page and place it on top of the packet. A substitute standing outside your door at 7:45 a.m. should be able to read it in two minutes.

Section 2: Seating Chart

A seating chart is the single most valuable piece of paper in your sub plan. It tells the substitute who is where, which instantly helps with attendance, behavior management, and learning names.

A good seating chart:

If your school uses a digital sub planner like CLD, seating charts are stored online and accessible to the sub via a secure portal login — no printing required.

Section 3: Daily Schedule

Print a minute-by-minute schedule covering the full school day — not just the academic blocks. Include:

Dismissal is where things most often go wrong. Write it out in steps: who gets picked up vs. who rides buses vs. who goes to after-school care, and where each group goes.

Section 4: Lesson Plans

Write lesson instructions at the level of someone who has never taught your subject. What seems obvious to you — "do the warm-up, then the mini-lesson" — is not obvious to a substitute who may have been assigned to a completely different grade last week.

For each instructional block, include:

The best sub-day activities are self-contained: review assignments, guided reading, practice worksheets, or video-plus-questions. Avoid anything that requires scaffolded explanation of a concept the sub hasn't taught — it won't land well.

Section 5: Student Notes

This section requires care. You want the substitute to have the information they need without exposing confidential details about students with disabilities, behavioral plans, or medical needs.

A practical approach: write a short paragraph about the class culture overall, then add brief notes for any student the substitute should be aware of:

Do not include IEP details, diagnoses, or anything you wouldn't want shared beyond the substitute. Refer to the campus nurse or special education teacher for anything that requires professional knowledge.

Section 6: Behavior Expectations and Procedures

Describe your classroom expectations explicitly — a substitute doesn't know your rules unless you write them down:

Section 7: Emergency Procedures

Every sub plan should include:

This section takes five minutes to write once and may be the most important thing in the packet.

Section 8: End-of-Day Feedback

Leave the substitute a simple form — or just a few lines — to fill out at the end of the day:

A substitute who knows you'll read their notes is more likely to leave useful ones. And you'll return knowing exactly where to pick up.

Building an Emergency Sub Folder

Even if you never plan a sick day, it will happen. An emergency sub folder — kept in a labeled location in your room — should contain a complete generic sub plan that works on any day: review activities, a seating chart, schedule, and emergency procedures. Update it each semester.

With CLD's Sub Planner, this folder lives online, accessible to any substitute via a private portal link. No printing, no hunting for the binder, no "the substitute couldn't find the folder" situations.

Try the Sub Planner free

Creative Learning by Design's Sub Planner lets you build your seating chart, lesson plans, schedule, and student notes in one place — then generate a secure login for your substitute. Available free, no credit card required.

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