Making emergency art sub plans is never fun. But if you plan ahead, you can be prepared when the time comes. I have learned that simplicity is best. The tips below will help you create emergency sub plans for all your classes in very little time, with very little effort.
Start your emergency art sub plans fresh
I have 6 groups of students each day, and often each group is working on a different lesson. During my last absence, two of my classes were in the middle of a lesson and the other 2 classes were about to start a new lesson. Should I allow the students to finish the lesson without me? Should the sub introduce the next lesson I had planned? No and no. I put the current lesson on hold and had my students work on drawing skills.
Keep it short & simple
I knew I would be gone for multiple days but I think it is important to keep the lessons short. Ongoing lessons with many steps and materials can be confusing for the sub, especially if there will be multiple subs covering different days. Choose one day drawings. For example, my students had one class period to draw their shoe. Everyone has a shoe, right? The directions were simple, look at your shoe and create a detailed drawing.
If time permits, add shading or draw the other shoe! Directions are concise and clean up is easy. I had the sub give a new drawing assignment the next day.
Teaching four different lessons everyday is manageable for me, but it can be overwhelming for a sub. If the emergency sub plans are the same for all classes, the sub will be more comfortable, prepared and ready for the next group of students to arrive. Think of the lessons as drawing prompts. Kindergarten students through 12th grade can draw a shoe. The outcome will be different, but the prompt is the same.
Keep them busy
We all know idle time is never good. I evaluated the students on use of time and effort. I instructed the sub to keep them drawing for the duration of the period. If they had extra class time, they were to include a background or add color. I keep the drawing prompt open ended to allow for creativity and elaboration.
Sharpen drawing skills
Observational drawing is an important skill that can always use more practice. Students can draw their shoe, a chair, a plant, or set up a still life of paintbrushes. Students can divide the paper into quarters and draw their hand in different positions in each space. Drawing from the imagination is great too. Choose a theme, such as a holiday, season, food, toys, candy, etc. and fill the page with doodles within that theme.
Or draw your dream house, vacation, city or wardrobe! Students can invent a creature by combining 2 animals and include the creatures habitat. The options are endless. I created an Observational Drawing Lesson that focuses on adding value to a drawing of a shoe and requires just pencil and paper.
Keep supplies to a minimum
The last thing you want to find is smashed oil pastels on the floor, right? Keep the supplies to a minimum. I spend a lot of time teaching techniques and introducing new mediums to my students. However, students find it refreshing to go back to the basics, paper and a pencil. Besides, with my limited budget I never want my supplies to get wasted, ruined, lost or broken under the supervision of a sub. In fact, I locked up my expensive supplies before I left. My students only had access to copy paper and pencils.
Accountability
The sub let my students know I was eager to see their drawings when I returned. The drawings were collected after each class. The sub made it clear a completion grade would be given for each drawing. This kept my students on task and drawing for the duration of the class period. To curb behavior problems, I suggested having the students sit in the hallway with their back against the wall while drawing their surroundings. It is a great change of scenery, plus the students are visible to more staff members. Students are more likely to misbehave when doors are closed.
Planning for your next sub does not have to be stressful or time consuming. Having pre-planned emergency art sub plans will give you peace of mind. Students will enjoy fine tuning their drawing skills while you are gone.
If you are interested in having a sub binder ready to go, I have created 12 simple, one-age art sub plans. Click here for more information.
If you are planning on being gone for more than a few days, a week-long drawing may be more fitting. My 9 Views Drawing Lesson is a great observation drawing lesson that requires minimal supplies and takes a week to complete.
You can also check out my 50 Free Short Art Activities post for more quick and easy emergency sub plans ideas. It includes a free pdf download of all 50 ideas that you can keep handy for an emergency.
Thank you for reading – Trista
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