Substitute Handoff and Independent-Work Pack

Classroom copy · 1 October 2026

Prepare a class-day handoff that lets an authorized substitute start safely, follow established routines, guide a complete independent assignment, and return useful work notes without guessing local procedures or copying unnecessary student information.

Use this handoff safely

Complete each local field from current, authorized school information. The example is fictional. Do not copy student names, private support details, or emergency instructions into a reusable or unsecured copy.

Blank class-day handoff

1 · Class, day, and verified contact locations

Record the course, date/day, block, room, and approximate class size. Name where the authorized roster/seating plan and current emergency/contact procedures are found. Verify local information before handoff; do not place student names or private support details in a reusable copy.

2 · First five minutes and bell schedule

Write the exact opening action, attendance/material steps, each time block, student task, transition, and dismissal point. Use the actual class schedule and leave a time-short priority.

3 · Established routines and transitions

Give short, observable directions for entry, attention, materials, movement, help-seeking, work time, and cleanup. Refer to verified school routines and procedures; do not invent a consequence or safety instruction.

4 · Independent assignment and materials

Name the learning goal, exact printed task, copy count, where materials are, how students work, what they submit, and where the substitute collects it. Include every reading, response page/space, evidence-marking direction, data source, or direction learners need to begin without a teacher lesson.

5 · If time, access, or technology changes

State the complete no-device backup and identify the verified local contact or source for a missing material. Refer to field 2 for the time-short priority; do not direct learners to an account or site they may not be able to access.

6 · Help, authorized support, and private information

Name how learners ask for clarification and where the substitute finds only the student-specific supports they are authorized to receive. Identify the verified staff contact for questions. Keep names, health/diagnostic details, and protected records in the approved secure system.

7 · Early-finisher directions

Give a quiet, independent next action tied to the learning goal, its materials, and what learners should do when it is finished. Include a ready fallback that does not depend on a device, extra teacher explanation, or peer tutoring.

8 · Return notes and materials

State what work/materials to return, where to leave them, and what brief factual notes are useful: completed/unfinished parts, timing or material changes, and questions for the teacher. Use the approved local route for urgent or sensitive information and secure or return private material.

Assignment checklist

Mark each item after checking the handoff against the actual class, school schedule, materials, and local procedures. If an item is not ready, complete it or name the verified source the substitute should use.

[ ] Criterion 1 · Class, day, room, roster location, and contact/procedure sources are current and verified locally; private student information is not copied into a reusable sheet.

[ ] Criterion 2 · The first five minutes and remaining time blocks give actual times, actions, materials, transitions, and the local dismissal point.

[ ] Criterion 3 · Routine directions describe what to do and how to get help, using established school procedures.

[ ] Criterion 4 · The independent task, its goal, all texts/materials, response space, evidence-marking location, completion steps, and collection location are supplied; it does not rely on teacher explanation.

[ ] Criterion 5 · A workable no-device backup is stated, and the time-short priority is cross-referenced to field 2.

[ ] Criterion 6 · Help, access, and student-specific support information use verified and authorized local routes.

[ ] Criterion 7 · Early-finisher directions are ready, independent, and connected to the assignment or an appropriate quiet alternative.

[ ] Criterion 8 · The substitute knows what work/materials to return, where to leave them, and what factual notes to provide.

Ready-to-print independent assignment — page 1 of 2

Learning target: Compare two short accounts by identifying one detail they both report and one detail each account adds.

Planned time: About 20 minutes (teacher estimate; not tested).

Materials: This two-page printed assignment (page 1 has the directions and accounts; page 2 has response and extension space) and a pencil. No device or outside source is needed.

Work independently. Read both accounts on page 1, then answer in 4–6 sentences in the response space on page 2: What detail about the cart appears in both accounts? What does each account add that the other does not? Use at least one accurate detail from each account and name which account gives it.

Before turning in your work, on page 1 underline the same shared detail in both accounts and circle one different detail each account adds. On page 2 check that your response names both accounts and explains one difference.

If a direction is unclear, reread it and ask the substitute to repeat the direction without suggesting an answer. Do not search online or use another student's response.

If you finish early, use the extension lines on page 2 to add a second difference and explain which account reports it. If that is complete, reread both accounts and check that each supporting detail is clearly attributed.

Use the class's usual name process on page 2 and turn in both pages in the labeled tray.

Two accounts of one cart

Account A At 8:10, I took a cart with six sheets of chart paper from the supply room. Boxes blocked the assembly-room door, so I parked the cart in the library alcove. I left a note saying the paper was for the art group, then went to first period. I did not see what happened after that.

Account B At 8:20, I found the cart with six sheets in the library alcove and read a note that it was for the art group. After the assembly-room doorway was clear, I rolled the cart into the art room and set the paper on the supply table before students arrived.