Back in February I participated in a #kinderchat on Twitter about preparing for absences and planning for subs. In discussing how some of these teachers prepare for a substitute teacher, I heard a new term: Sub Tub. This was an intriguing idea to me, so I did a little online research. Sub Tubs are designed to be put together at the beginning of the year and stored in the room so that they are ready to go if a teacher has an unexpected absence and is unable to create detailed plans for a day or two.
Here are some ideas for what you might include in a Sub Tub for K-3 classroom. These items are likely already required by your school system, and most schools have a template for a folder containing most or all of this information.
- Seating Chart
- Daily Schedule
- Emergency Instructions (fire drill, shelter-in-place, etc)
- A list of kids who are pulled out along with when they leave and return
- An enclosed document marked CONFIDENTIAL that outlines any allergies, medical conditions, or special needs of your students
- School procedures (attendance, hall passes, lunch count, etc)
- Names and room numbers of teachers than can assist them
Then you will want to include academic materials for the day, such as:
- A set of cross-curricular activities that correspond with a picture book. (For example, check out this 1-2 day plan for grade one revolving around Make Way for Ducklings by RobertMcCloskey.
- Skills Review activities: Games or activities to practice the spelling and vocabulary words for the week, a creative writing assignment, a ziploc of decks of playing cards to play games to practice math facts (see link list below), a simple map activity and a fun, easy science experiment.
- Want someone else to do the work? Check out the Emergency Sub Activities available for sale at Teacher's Clubhouse.
Some other great ideas for a Sub Tub that I found around the web:
- Laminated sheet of wallet sized photos of the kids with names underneath
- A couple of whistles, sealed in plastic, from the dollar store for a sub to use at recess, then keep
- A candy bar or other sweet treat attached to a thank you
- Change for the soda machine
- A form for the sub to tell you how the day went
- A list of the phrases and signals you use to redirect behavior (e.g. "Are you working to keep your star today?" "Give me five.")
- A small baggie with bandaids to save trips to the nurse
- A set (or 2 or 3!) of address labels with students names written on them to use as nametags
If you are a resource teacher, having a Sub Tub might make it easier for you to find a sub. Many subs are not confident that they can teach art or music, but with a well-equipped Sub Tub they are more likely to have a successful day. Check out this article about creating a Music Sub Tub at MENC, the National Association for Music Education.
As a sub this year, I carry my bag of tricks with me every day I am asked to work, but with a good Sub Tub, I don't have to pull as many rabbits out of a hat!
Other links worth checking out:
Math Games using Cards or Dice:
- http://www.kidscount1234.com/ (look for Math Centers and Games in the left column)
- ProTeacher.net - You will need to complete a free registration, but it's worth it for the lists NeeCee posts on this page.
- "The Game that is Worth 1,000 Worksheets" at Let's Play Math.
- New South Wales Dept. of Education and Training - Card Games
Other Links:
- Creating A Substitute Teacher Packet
- Substitute Teacher's Info from Karen's Classroom
- The Sub Tub, Part Trois from The Teacher Geek <---I *love* this idea!
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