Supply teaching ideas

As a supply teacher, you should find that work has been prepared for you. Sometimes however, this is not the case. It doesn't happen too often, so don't worry too much about it, but having a handful of great, adaptable supply teaching ideas up your sleeve can help calm your nerves, increase your confidence, and improve your chances of being invited to do supply work again!

I have a few emergency lesson plans here you might want to take a look at for one off lesson ideas, and there are plenty of time fillers to be found on the forum.

 As for other ideas, you might want to start by writing a literacy lesson plan based around one story or poem (look at the 3rd category in the shop for inspiration). Then think about how this could be adapted to each year group, each ability.

Guy the Grumpy Gargoyle by Gill JepsonIf you do this exercise properly, it should give you the confidence you need to take it into any classroom. Don't sweat the small stuff: if no planning has been left, the Headteacher should be suitably embarrassed and will not be looking so closely at your planning that they notice you haven't included any visual stimuli for the visual learners!

When you've brainstormed that lesson idea, see if you can eke out a numeracy / history / geography idea from the same story / poem – you should be able to find something that's not too tenuous!

Where next? There's a great quick read here on teaching your own child whilst on supply.
Check out our resources area here too.

Value in a supply teacher’s ‘one off’ lesson plans

Supply teachers are often faced, for whatever reason, with no planning. SupplyBag.co.uk has a bank of emergency, one-off lesson plans here. I suggest however, that you work on creating your own bank of all-singing, all-dancing lessons, even if only one, in order to increase your confidence, and make you memorable!

Be a supply teacher with added value. You have the benefit of time. You can spend days without supply work, working on your supply teacher ideas.One off supply teacher lesson plans should add value to a child's education

Although I believe that you should never find yourself in a classroom with no planning, if you are, then it's up to you to make sure the children are educated appropriately that day. You are familiar with the curriculum, take the opportunity to teach outstandingly. Find inspiration in places teachers bound by time and energy restrictions may not have thought of. Think about how you can instil awe and wonder in the children. Excite them. Find a starting point that has them eating out of your hand. Hold their interest, and behaviour management becomes less of an issue.

Being a supply teacher you are in a unique position to add value to a child's education. Bringing an element of surprise with you, children should look forward to a day with a supply teacher, for very different reasons to those I remember myself! Many, many lesson ideas can be adapted to any year group.

It isn't a bad idea to plan a whole day's lessons in advance just in case. Don't go into too much detail with lesson plans, if there are none left for you I believe the school is in the wrong and it needs to be addressed by senior management promptly, so they shouldn't be scrutinising any plans you are able to supply. Think of a whole day theme… Think outside of the box. Think about something that you would be not just comfortable teaching, but excited about teaching about. It's a privilege to be entrusted with a class full of children's minds for the day… Make the most of it, and be the best educator you can be.

Where next? There's a great quick read here on a percieved supply teacher nightmare!
Check out our resources area here too.

Mixed Year Group Emergency Lesson Plans

Lesson plans for supply teachersA very short list (so far) of mixed year group, emergency, resource-free, lesson plans… More to come, but if this isn't enough, please do browse the rest of SupplyBag.co.uk where you will find hundreds of year group specific one-liner lesson plans!

Geography

Before using these plans, please make every effort to follow any that have been left, talk to the children and other staff. These are meant for emergencies only, when you have been called in at short notice and have no other choice. They are however, based on the curriculum, and so you can use them with confidence.

Year 6 Resource-Free Lesson Plans

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans are meant to be used by supply teachers, when no planning is available. Please follow the guidance here.

Click on the relevant subject to access my emergency, one-liner lesson plans for Year 6.

Literacy
Numeracy
Science
History
Geography
DT

Other subjects are available in the supply teacher PDF download above.

Before using these plans, please make every effort to follow any that have been left, talk to the children and other staff. These are meant for emergencies only, when you have been called in at short notice and have no other choice. They are however, based on the curriculum, and so you can use them with confidence.

Year 5 Resource-Free Lesson Plans

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans are meant to be used by supply teachers, when no planning is available. Please follow the guidance here.

Click on the relevant subject to access my emergency, one-liner lesson plans for Year 5.

Literacy
Numeracy
Science
History
Geography
DT

Other subjects are available in the supply teachers PDF above.

Before using these plans, please make every effort to follow any that have been left, talk to the children and other staff. These are meant for emergencies only, when you have been called in at short notice and have no other choice. They are however, based on the curriculum, and so you can use them with confidence.

Year 4 Resource-Free Lesson Plans

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans are meant to be used by supply teachers, when no planning is available. Please follow the guidance here.

Click on the relevant subject to access my emergency, one-liner lesson plans for Year 4.

Literacy
Numeracy
Science
History
Geography
DT

Before using these plans, please make every effort to follow any that have been left, talk to the children and other staff. These are meant for emergencies only, when you have been called in at short notice and have no other choice. They are however, based on the curriculum, and so you can use them with confidence.

Year 3 Resource-Free Lesson Plans

Lesson plans for supply teachersThese emergency lesson plans are meant to be used by supply teachers, when no planning is available. Please follow the guidance here.

Click on the relevant subject to access my emergency, one-liner lesson plans for Year 3.

Literacy
Numeracy
Science
History
Geography
DT

Other subjects are available in the download featured above.

Before using these plans, please make every effort to follow any that have been left, talk to the children and other staff. These are meant for emergencies only, when you have been called in at short notice and have no other choice. They are however, based on the curriculum, and so you can use them with confidence.

Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Numeracy

As a supply teacher, you may worry that no work will be left for you when you arrive in school. Even on a pre-booked day! I have found these fears to be largely unjustified, yet all the same, it's good to have something up your sleeve – it can happen!

These one-liner Numeracy lessons plans are intended to be used as a prompt when no planning has been left for you as a supply teacher. They are relevant to the Primary Framework for Numeracy announced in October 2006. They are not intended to be replacements for full lesson plans, and no liability can be accepted by us if you decide to use them. They are mainly from the top of NuttySupplier's head.

Work is split into year groups, and then further split into blocks as defined below:

  • Block A – Counting, partitioning and calculating
  • Block B – Securing number facts, understanding shape
  • Block C – Handling data and measures
  • Block D – Calculating, measuring and understanding shape
  • Block E – Securing number facts, relationships and calculating

In the Primary Framework, Blocks are intended to last 6-9 weeks work. Each Block includes objectives from Using and Applying Mathematics, plus two or three objectives from the other core strands.

The strands of learning objectives are:

  • Using and applying mathematics
  • Counting and understanding number
  • Knowing and using number facts
  • Calculating
  • Understanding shape
  • Measuring
  • Handling data
Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Numeracy

Emergency, Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Numeracy

As you will see from the supply teacher ideas below, I have followed a further breakdown of the Blocks in order to make the teaching of individual year groups more relevant.

Emergency lesson plans for Year 3  Numeracy

Emergency lesson plans for Year 4  Numeracy

Emergency lesson plans for Year 5  Numeracy

Emergency lesson plans for Year 6  Numeracy

Return to the Emergency Lesson Plans index

Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Science

Click here to download all 289 of my supply teacher lesson plans in one handy PDF file.

New to supply teaching? You may have a constant worry that no planning will be left for you, in an unfamiliar school, with eager children. It doesn't happen that often, and I believe it doesn't ever have to happen, but I won't get on my soap box now about it!

These one-line emergency Science lessons plans are intended to be used as a prompt when no planning has been left for you as a supply teacher. They are not intended to be replacements for full lesson plans, and no liability can be accepted by us if you decide to use them. They are mainly from the top of NuttySupplier's head. Work is split into year groups, and then further split into the Science Scheme of Work units.

Emergency, Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Science

Emergency, Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Science

Emergency, Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Science[/caption]

Emergency lesson plans for Year 3 Science

Emergency lesson plans for Year 4 Science

Emergency lesson plans for Year 5 Science

Emergency lesson plans for Year 6 Science

Return to Emergency Lesson Plans index.

Science doesn't have to be practical. If no resources are left for you, you could pop outside at lunchtime and see what you could find to help you along, such as fallen leaves. However, faced with no science lesson plans, no Head would expect you to produce an all-singing, all-dancing interactive lesson, so don't beat yourself up over it! Do try and make it memorable for the children in some way though… Think kinaesthetic. Get the children out of their seats, to the front of the class, pretending to be kettles, hair-dryers etc., not just listening to you talking about them!

Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Literacy

Click here to download all 289 of my supply teacher lesson plans in one handy PDF file.

Not often do you walk into a school as a supply teacher, and find that no planning has been left for you. But it does happen sometimes. And, especially if you are new to supply teaching, it can throw you / terrify you / send you running to the door! Never fear:

These one-liner Literacy lessons plans are intended to be used as a prompt when no planning has been left for you as a supply teacher. They are relevant to the Primary Framework for Literacy announced in October 2006. They are not intended to be replacements for full lesson plans, and no liability can be accepted by us if you decide to use them. They are mainly from the top of NuttySupplier's head.

Emergency, Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Literacy

Emergency, Resource-Free Lesson Plans for Literacy

In the Primary Framework for Literacy, literacy is organised into three main blocks:

  • Narrative/Plays/Scripts
  • Non-Fiction
  • Poetry

I have labelled the supply teacher's ideas below accordingly, and also included word and sentence level work in relation to the old Literacy Strategy, placed within terms in year groups.

The learning objectives within the Primary Framework for Literacy are as follows:

  • Speaking
  • Listening and responding
  • Group discussion, interaction
  • Drama
  • Word structure and spelling
  • Understand and interpret texts
  • Engage with, respond to texts
  • Creating and shaping texts
  • Text structure and organization
  • Sentence structure, punctuation
  • Presentation

As you will see from the supply teacher ideas below, I have followed a further breakdown of the Blocks for each year group in order to make the lesson plans more relevant.

Emergency lesson plans for Year 3 Literacy

Emergency lesson plans for Year 4 Literacy

Emergency lesson plans for Year 5 Literacy

Emergency lesson plans for Year 6 Literacy

Return to the Emergency Lesson Plans index