14 pages that go in an emergency sub folder
An emergency sub folder is the set of pages a substitute reads when you couldn't plan the day: how your class runs, who is who and who to ask. These fourteen pages match the sections of our free [emergency sub folder](/sub/folder), in the order a substitute needs them. Fill each one in once, print it and update it when your class changes.
The front pages
1. Welcome and where things are
Open with a short note to the substitute: your name, what the class is like and thanks for coming. Underneath, list where to find the keys, the attendance sheet, lesson materials, supplies, the copier code if there is one and the first aid kit.
Grades K–8You need The welcome section of the folderUse Emergency sub folder to fill in and print
2. Daily schedule
Write the ordinary day in order with times: arrival, each subject, specials, lunch, recess and dismissal. Add a column that says where the class goes and who walks them, since a substitute doesn't know that the class goes to the art room on Tuesdays.
Grades K–8You need Your bell schedule
3. Seating chart
Draw the room with the front at the top and write each student's first name in their seat. Make one chart per class if you teach more than one group. A substitute uses this page for attendance, for names and for calling on quiet students.
Grades K–8You need A printed seating chart in rowsUse Seating chart in rows
How the day runs
4. Arrival and attendance
Describe what students do when they walk in, such as unpacking, a morning task or a sign-in, and exactly how attendance is taken and sent to the office. If attendance is on a computer, say where the login comes from, or say to ask the office.
Grades K–8You need Your morning routine and the attendance steps
5. Lunch and recess
Explain how the lunch count is taken, where students eat, who supervises and what indoor recess looks like. Note whether the substitute has a lunch or recess duty that day, so they aren't surprised by a radio and a playground.
Grades K–8You need Lunch count steps and the recess routine
6. Hallways, bathroom and quiet signal
Write how students line up, how they ask to use the bathroom or get water, and the signal you use to get the room quiet, in your own words. A substitute who uses the class's usual signal gets attention much faster than one who invents a new one.
Grades K–8You need Your routines, written out
7. Dismissal
List how the class leaves: buses, car line, walkers and after-school programs. Say who to ask if a student's way home has changed or isn't clear, because a substitute should never guess about dismissal.
Grades K–8You need Your dismissal routine and the bus or pickup list
8. Early finishers and extra time
Name two or three things students can do when they finish early, such as reading their own book, a puzzle sheet or a drawing prompt. Choose only activities the class already knows how to do without directions.
Grades K–8You need A short list of activities students already know
The people
9. Students who can help
List a few reliable students by first name and what they know: where supplies are, how the morning routine goes, which room is next. Pick students who are kind and accurate, not just the loudest volunteers.
Grades K–8You need Two or three first names per class
10. Students who need extra support
Write first names and a short note on what helps each student, like sitting near the front or a quiet break. If your school keeps medical or learning details with the office, leave those out here and write who the substitute should ask instead.
Grades K–8You need First names and what helps
11. Behavior and rewards
Write your few class expectations, what you usually do when a student is off track, and any reward system the class knows. Say clearly what counts as serious and who to call, so the substitute never has to decide alone.
Grades K–8You need Your class expectations and steps
Safety and notes
12. Drills, exit route and first aid
Write where the school's emergency plan is posted, the exit route for a fire drill and where the class lines up outside. Add how to reach the nurse and what to do if a student is hurt or sick. Your school's own plan decides the steps, so point to it.
Grades K–8You need Your school's emergency plan and the room map
13. Who to ask
Make a short table of people the substitute can turn to: the teacher next door, the front office, the nurse, the principal and the custodian. Include room numbers or phone extensions. Ask the neighbor teacher first so they know their name is there.
Grades K–8You need Names and room numbers
14. Notes from the substitute
Leave a page with headings: what we finished, who was helpful, who needed support and anything I should know. Put it last so it's the page left on top at the end of the day, and you come back to a report instead of a mystery.
Grades K–8You need A lined page at the back of the folder
Making it work
- Fill in the emergency sub folder online and print it; each section comes out on its own page, so updating one page doesn't mean reprinting the rest.
- Use first names only throughout the folder. It's enough for a substitute, and it keeps the folder safe if it gets left on a desk.
- Put the folder's day plans right behind these pages. Our sub plan template and sub day packs fill that gap quickly.
- Update the seating chart, helpers and support pages whenever the class list changes. They go out of date first.
- Keep the substitute info sheet at the very front as a one-page summary for a substitute in a rush.
Questions teachers ask
- What should be in an emergency sub folder?
- A welcome and where things are, the daily schedule, a seating chart, arrival and attendance, lunch and recess, routines, dismissal, early finisher work, helpers, students who need support, behavior steps, drills and first aid, who to ask, and a page for the substitute's notes.
- Should I put medical information in the sub folder?
- Follow your school's rule. Many schools keep medical and learning details with the office or the nurse. In that case, write the student's first name and who the substitute should ask, and leave the details out of the folder.
- How is an emergency sub folder different from sub plans?
- The folder explains how your class works and stays the same all year. Sub plans say what to teach on a given day. A good emergency folder holds both: the information pages first, then two or three days of review plans.
- How often should I update my emergency sub folder?
- Look it over whenever your class list changes and at least twice a year. The seating chart, helpers and support pages go out of date fastest, so check those first each time.
Written for teachers by Peabody Teach. No ads, no affiliate links. Something wrong or missing? Tell us.