Middle School ELA Maternity Leave Sub Plans, 6 Weeks, 6th 7th 8th Grade ELA, 30 Days, Long Term Sub Plans, No Prep, 554 Pages

One binder a week, a reading and a writing set a day, and nothing to plan. I wrote these middle school ELA maternity leave sub plans as long term sub plans for 6th, 7th and 8th grade ELA: 30 days of original texts, from inference and theme to memoir, research and a persuasive speech. Every task (each reading set, writing set, calm block, team task, game and Monday opener) starts with a "Say this to the class" box: two or three sentences that tell students what to do and how to start. Every day has individual work (the reading set, the writing set and a calm block) and a team task for groups of four, plus an optional game on that day’s reading and writing as a fun way to end the class; on Day 30, the big review day, the reading set, the team task and the game go back over all six weeks. Every reading and writing set has a core task and a ★ challenge for fast finishers. No prep: print and go. I planned the six weeks as a strong start for the first weeks of a maternity leave, and they serve a medical leave, a family leave or any absence of about six weeks just as well.

Perfect For

• The first six weeks of a maternity leave, so your ELA classes start the leave with a plan for every day
• Six weeks out: surgery or medical leave, a family leave, a long illness
• A long-term sub who does not teach English: every task has a script and every answer is in the key
• Mixed 6th, 7th and 8th grade classes: a core task for everyone and a ★ challenge for fast finishers
• Your sub tub or emergency sub folder, ready before you need it

How It Works

1. Print the six binders and leave them on your desk. Week 1 covers days 1 to 5, Week 2 days 6 to 10, Week 3 days 11 to 15, Week 4 days 16 to 20, Week 5 days 21 to 25 and Week 6 days 26 to 30. Each binder has its own week plan on page 4, already filled in with page numbers.
2. The sub reads the "Say this to the class" box at the top of the task, then runs the day’s reading set and writing set. Each set is one period (45 to 55 minutes): with one period, run the reading set and keep the writing set for extra time; with a double block or two periods, run both. Every student does the core task; fast finishers go on to the ★ challenge.
3. The calm block (a word puzzle and a self-checking quiet practice page) is for early finishers or a loud moment, the team task for groups of four fills a block period or extra time, and the game is optional fun for the last 15 minutes.
4. Every set stands alone, so each plan is only a sample order: move any set to any day. Each set opens with a line that says what it reviews. Day 30 is the big review day and works best last.
5. Every answer is in the key at the back of each binder, so the sub needs no ELA background. Prefer your own order? Each binder includes a blank weekly schedule.

What the Sub Gets

• A note to the substitute in each binder: the daily routine, how the core task and the ★ challenge work, and what to do if the class is loud
• A "Say this to the class" script for every task: the Monday opener, each reading set, each writing set, each calm block, each team task and each game (156 in all), two or three sentences that say what students do, how (on their own, in groups of four, in pairs or as a whole class) and the first step
• A step by step sub script for each Monday opener, and a "Read this out" box on most games
• Each week plan already filled in with page numbers, a blank schedule, a class list and a "how it went" page
• Every answer in the key, including the ★ challenges; for the writing tasks, what to accept, with examples

What’s Inside: 554 Pages, Six Binders

• Week 1 binder, 89 pages: a binder cover, important information, a note to the substitute, the week plan filled in Monday to Friday with page numbers, a blank weekly schedule, a set index, class list and dismissal, a "how it went" sheet and a Monday opener (Meet Your Sub)
• Week 1 reading sets (solo, 3 pages each, an original text with questions, vocabulary and a summary): The Day It Rained Molasses (nonfiction, cause and effect, text evidence); The Spare Key (short story, inference); Marie Curie and the Invisible Rays (biography, timeline); The Tiny Workers Inside Bread (science article, explaining a process); Let Middle Schoolers Sleep (opinion piece, claim and reasons)
• Week 1 writing sets (solo, 3 or 4 pages each, a short lesson, practice, a plan and the writing): Show, Don’t Tell; Paragraph Structure; Persuasive Letter; Descriptive Writing; Narrative
• Week 1 team tasks (groups of four): Rank the Bee Sources; The Class Magazine; The Six Sentence Story; The Coverless Book; Graphic Novel Debate
• Week 1 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle plus a quiet practice page): Word Search; Writing and Story Term Match; Secret Codes; Bread and Detail Scramble; Word Ladders
• Week 2 binder, 92 pages: its own binder cover, important information, note to the substitute, filled-in week plan, blank schedule, set index, class list, "how it went" sheet and Monday opener (Back for Week 2)
• Week 2 reading sets (solo, 3 or 4 pages each): The Static Hour (short story, theme); Three Poems (figurative language, mood); Why the Monarchs Move (science article, cause and effect); Why the River Bends (myth, character and plot); The Understudy (play scene, dialogue and stage directions)
• Week 2 writing sets (solo, 4 pages each): Writing a Summary; Write a Poem; Informative Paragraph with Evidence; Write a Myth; Write a Dialogue Scene
• Week 2 team tasks (groups of four): Theme Match-Up; Poem Remix; Chain Reaction; Plot Mountain Puzzle; Readers Theater Rehearsal
• Week 2 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle plus a quiet practice page): Word Search; Poem Toolbox Match; Secret Codes; Myth Words Scramble; Word Ladders
• Week 3 binder, 94 pages: its own binder cover, important information, note to the substitute, filled-in week plan, blank schedule, set index, class list, "how it went" sheet and Monday opener (Back for Week 3)
• Week 3 reading sets (solo, 4 pages each): The Case of the Golden Brush (mystery, inference); Students’ Rain Garden Stops Parking Lot Flood (news article, main idea, headline and lead); Keep the Doors Open on Sundays (speech, claims and rhetoric); Water Bears: Tiny but Tough (science article, context clues, Greek and Latin roots); The Bell With No Tongue (folktale, point of view)
• Week 3 writing sets (solo, 4 pages each): Write the Story Ending; Write a News Article; Claim, Evidence, Reasoning; How-To Writing; Retell from Another Point of View
• Week 3 team tasks (groups of four): Alibi Grid; Front Page Decision; Rhetoric Detectives; Root Builder; Hot Seat Interviews
• Week 3 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle plus a quiet practice page): Word Search; News Words Match; Secret Codes; Water Bear Words Scramble; Word Ladders
• Week 4 binder, 93 pages: its own binder cover, important information, note to the substitute, filled-in week plan, blank schedule, set index, class list, "how it went" sheet and Monday opener (Back for Week 4)
• Week 4 reading sets (solo, 3 or 4 pages each): The Last Lock Before Dark (historical fiction, setting and conflict); Mae Jemison’s Long Road to Orbit (biography, author’s purpose); Two Texts About One Shelter Day (paired texts, comparing texts); Three Poems: Snow, a Gym and a Party (tone and mood); Give the Old Rail Line a Second Life (editorial, evaluating evidence)
• Week 4 writing sets (solo, 4 pages each): Diary Entry from the Past; Research Notes and Paraphrasing; Compare and Contrast Paragraph; Personal Narrative Vignette; Counterargument Paragraph
• Week 4 team tasks (groups of four): Canal Boat Supply Run; Paraphrase Check; Shelter Schedule; Mood Swap; Town Council Hearing
• Week 4 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle plus a quiet practice page): Word Search; Research Terms Match; Secret Codes; Tone and Mood Scramble; Word Ladders
• Week 5 binder, 93 pages: its own binder cover, important information, note to the substitute, filled-in week plan, blank schedule, set index, class list, "how it went" sheet and Monday opener (Back for Week 5)
• Week 5 reading sets (solo, 4 pages each): Night Shift in Dome Three (science fiction, characterization); Twelve Feet of Water (memoir, the narrator’s voice); A Letter from the Island (a letter from 1907, purpose and audience); Rolling, Riding, Walking (article with text features and a bar graph); Always Ready (humorous story, irony)
• Week 5 writing sets (solo, 4 pages each): Character Sketch; Short Memoir; Formal Email or Letter; Explanatory Essay; Write a Fable
• Week 5 team tasks (groups of four): Casting Call; Voice Swap; Mailroom Sort; Infographic Studio; Irony Detectives
• Week 5 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle plus a quiet practice page): Word Search; Memoir Terms Match; Secret Codes; Article Words Scramble; Word Ladders
• Week 6 binder, 93 pages: its own binder cover, important information, note to the substitute, filled-in week plan, blank schedule, set index, class list, "how it went" sheet and Monday opener (Back for the Last Week)
• Week 6 reading sets (solo, 3 or 4 pages each): Lights Out in Copper Hollow (adventure story, suspense); Why Lighthouses Still Shine (informational article, central idea); Two Poems About One Pool (comparing two poems); Borrow the Drill (argument, reasoning); Beginnings, Four Short Pieces (the big review: a story, a poem, an article and a letter, with questions on skills from all six weeks)
• Week 6 writing sets (solo, 4 pages each): Revising and Editing; Research Question and Sources; Poetry Page; Persuasive Speech; Letter to a Future Student
• Week 6 team tasks (groups of four): Suspense Meter; Question Workshop; Poetry Slam Lite; Fallacy Finder; Six Week Showcase (a poster with one skill from each week)
• Week 6 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle plus a quiet practice page): Word Search; Lighthouse Terms Match; Secret Codes; Argument Words Scramble; Word Ladders
• Optional ELA games for the last 15 minutes of each day, a fun way to end the class or something for extra time; each game reviews only that day’s reading, writing and team task, except on Day 30, the big review day, whose game goes back over all six weeks: Whiteboard Quiz Game; Paper Password (in pairs); Class Feud; Classroom Millionaire; Mystery Box
• Answer keys for every set (core and ★ challenge), calm block, team task and game, at the back of each binder

Here is a quick look at all six weeks: