Grades 3 to 5 Maternity Leave Sub Plans, 6 Weeks, 3rd 4th 5th Grade, Every Subject, 30 Days, Long Term Sub Plans, No Prep, 732 Pages

Thirty days of lessons, packed into six binders before the baby comes. I wrote these 3rd 4th 5th grade maternity leave sub plans as long term sub plans for 3rd grade, 4th grade or 5th grade: six binders, 30 days of math, reading, writing, science and social studies. Built-in differentiation: every student page has a core task the whole class can do and a ★ challenge for early finishers, so grade 3 can do the core and grade 5 gets stretched. Every day has individual work (the subject sets and a calm block) and a team task for groups of four, plus an optional game as a fun way to end the day. 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 class starts the leave with a plan for every subject
• Six weeks out: surgery or medical leave, a family leave, a long illness
• A long-term sub who does not know your subjects or your class
• Mixed or combination classes: one page works for grade 3 and stretches grade 5
• 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 runs the day’s sets in order. Every student does the core task; early finishers go on to the ★ challenge, and the class list has a column to mark who starts with it.
3. The calm block (a puzzle page and a reset sheet) is for early finishers or a loud moment, the team task for groups of four takes about 30 minutes, 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.
5. Every answer is in the key at the back of each binder, so the sub needs no subject knowledge. Prefer your own order? Each binder includes a blank weekly schedule.

What the Sub Gets

I wrote every binder so a sub can run the day from the printed pages alone. Here is what the sub gets:

• A note to the substitute at the front of every binder that explains the routine: which set goes where, how the core task and ★ challenge work, and what to do if the class gets loud
• A sub script for the Monday opener of every week that says what to do and say, in order
• A sub script for every game with the rules to read, most of them with a "Read this out" box in the exact words
• The sub reads the first instruction of each set out loud, then students work on their own. In Weeks 2 to 6, every writing, science and social studies set also opens with a short line for the sub that says what to read aloud and how to start
• A core task and a ★ challenge on every student page, so early finishers always know what comes next
• Every answer in the key at the back of each binder, so the sub never needs to know the subject

What’s Inside: 732 Pages, Six Binders

• Week 1 binder, 139 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 math sets (solo, 3 pages each): Multiplication and Division Facts; Fractions; Place Value and Big Numbers; Perimeter, Area and Graphs; Money and Word Problems
• Week 1 reading sets (solo, 3 pages each): The Sunflower Race; Sea Otters at Work; Six Dots for Louis Braille; The Night Theo Kept the Bell; Two Texts About Bats
• Week 1 writing sets (solo, 3 pages each): Strong Sentences to a Paragraph; Opinion Writing; How To Writing; Descriptive Writing; Narrative Writing
• Week 1 science sets (solo, 3 pages each): Life Cycles and Adaptations; States of Matter; Forces and Motion; Weather and Seasons; Earth Materials and the Water Cycle
• Week 1 social studies sets (solo, 3 pages each): Map Skills; Community and Government; A Town Timeline; Goods, Services and Choices; Landforms and Regions
• Week 1 team tasks (groups of four): Pack for the Camping Trip; Plan the Class Party; Paper Tower Challenge; Fix the Morning Routine; Design the Class Flag
• Week 1 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle plus a reset sheet): Word Search and Reset Sheet; Matter Words Match and Grounding Sheet; Secret Codes and Three Good Things; Word Ladders and Doodle Page; Weather Word Search and Kindness Note
• Week 2 binder, 112 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 (Monday Restart)
• Week 2 math sets (solo, 3 pages each): Adding and Subtracting Big Numbers; Rounding; Equivalent Fractions; Measurement; Elapsed Time
• Week 2 reading sets (solo, 3 pages each): A Fable (Rabbit and the High Creek); Honeybees (Inside a Honeybee Hive); Three Poems About the Wind; Realistic Fiction (The Little Library); A Biography (Jesse Owens)
• Week 2 writing sets (solo, 3 pages each): A Friendly Letter; Compare and Contrast; Writing a Poem; An Informative Paragraph; A Personal Narrative
• Week 2 science or social studies set each day (solo, 3 pages each): Science: Plants; Science: Food Chains and Habitats; Social Studies: US Symbols and Landmarks; Science: The Water Cycle; Social Studies: Rules, Laws and Citizens
• Week 2 team tasks (groups of four): Big Number Relay; Meadow Food Web; The Fraction Garden; Rain Report News Team; Field Day Committee
• Week 2 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle with the week’s subject words plus a reset sheet): Plant Words Search and Reset Sheet; Honeybee Words Match and Grounding Sheet; Secret Codes and Three Good Things; Word Ladders and Doodle Page; Citizen Words Search and Kindness Note
• Week 3 binder, 120 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 (Monday Restart)
• Week 3 math sets (solo, 3 pages each): Comparing Fractions; Multi-digit Multiplication; Lines, Angles and Shapes; Tenths and Hundredths; Factors and Multiples
• Week 3 reading sets (solo, 3 pages each): A Mystery (The Missing Library Key); Volcanoes; A Folktale (Anansi and the Well); A Science Article (Seeing the Very Small); An Adventure (Fog on Kettle Ridge)
• Week 3 writing sets (solo, 3 pages each): Writing a Summary; A Book Review; Writing Dialogue; A News Article; A Story Ending
• Week 3 science or social studies set each day (solo, 3 pages each): Science: Magnets; Social Studies: The Three Branches of Government; Science: Light and Shadows; Science: Natural Resources and Recycling; Social Studies: Continents and Oceans
• Week 3 team tasks (groups of four): The Case of the Missing Magnet; Plan the Volcano Museum; Bounce the Light Beam; Sort the Recycling Bins; Pass the Adventure
• Week 3 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle with the week’s subject words plus a reset sheet): Magnet Words Search and Reset Sheet; Volcano and Law Words Match and Grounding Sheet; Secret Codes and Three Good Things; Word Ladders and Doodle Page; World Map Words Search and Kindness Note
• Week 4 binder, 120 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 (Monday Check-In)
• Week 4 math sets (solo, 3 pages each): Long Division with Remainders; Adding Fractions; Patterns and Rules; Symmetry and Quadrilaterals; Line Plots and Data
• Week 4 reading sets (solo, 3 pages each): Historical Fiction (Della and the Giant Wheel); Inventors (Try, Fail, Try Again); A Short Play (The Torn Moon); A Speech From History (The Gettysburg Address); Paired Texts (Two Texts About Bridges)
• Week 4 writing sets (solo, 3 pages each): A Diary Entry From the Past; A Thank You Note; A Persuasive Letter; A Character Description; Research Notes to a Paragraph
• Week 4 science or social studies set each day (solo, 3 pages each): Science: Sound and Vibration; Social Studies: Inventions Then and Now; Science: Simple Machines; Social Studies: Producers, Consumers and Trade; Science: Fossils
• Week 4 team tasks (groups of four): The Concert Crew; The Paint Mixing Studio; The Ring-the-Bell Machine; The Trading Post; The Dig Site Survey
• Week 4 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle with the week’s subject words plus a reset sheet): Sound Words Search and Reset Sheet; Math and History Words Match and Grounding Sheet; Secret Codes and Three Good Things; Word Ladders and Doodle Page; Fossil Words Search and Kindness Note
• Week 5 binder, 119 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 (Monday Warm-Up)
• Week 5 math sets (solo, 3 pages each): Mixed Numbers; Area of Combined Shapes; Volume; Converting Measurements; The Coordinate Grid
• Week 5 reading sets (solo, 3 pages each): A Humorous Story (A Yak in the Gym); Ocean Life (Three Zones of the Open Ocean); A Myth (Arachne the Weaver); Procedural Text (How to Fold a Paper Cup); Figurative Language in Poetry
• Week 5 writing sets (solo, 3 pages each): Interview Questions; Cause and Effect; Write a Fable; An Ad or Poster; A Why Paragraph
• Week 5 science or social studies set each day (solo, 3 pages each): Science: The Solar System; Social Studies: City, Suburb and Country; Science: Moon Phases; Social Studies: Budgeting and Saving; Science: Erosion and Weathering
• Week 5 team tasks (groups of four): The Space Station Supply Check; The Town Chain Reaction; The Board Game Studio; The Paper Airplane Judges; The Poetry Cafe
• Week 5 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle with the week’s subject words plus a reset sheet): Solar System Words Search and Reset Sheet; Subject Word Match and Grounding Sheet; Secret Codes and Three Good Things; Word Ladders and Doodle Page; Erosion Words Search and Kindness Note
• Week 6 binder, 122 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 (Last Week Kickoff)
• Week 6 math sets (solo, 3 pages each): Fractions Times Whole Numbers; Decimals and Money; Order of Operations; Prime and Composite Numbers; Big Math Review
• Week 6 reading sets (solo, 3 pages each): Fantasy (The Cloud Knitter’s Apprentice); Earth’s Layers; An Autobiography; Science Fiction (The Garden That Had No Down); Reading Review
• Week 6 writing sets (solo, 3 pages each): A Journal; Compare Two Books; Opinion With Sources; A Letter to a Future Student; Writing Celebration
• Week 6 science or social studies set each day (solo, 3 pages each): Science: Electricity and Circuits; Social Studies: States and Capitals; Science: Bones and Muscles; Social Studies: Voting and Group Decisions; Science and Social Studies Review
• Week 6 team tasks (groups of four): The Lantern Castle; The Capital Tour Bus; The Science Lab Lockbox; The Prime Path; The Bright Minds Banner
• Week 6 calm blocks (solo, a word puzzle with the week’s subject words plus a reset sheet): Circuit Words Search and Reset Sheet; Today’s Subject Words Match and Grounding Sheet; Secret Codes and Three Good Things; Word Ladders and Doodle Page; Bone and Muscle Words Search and Kindness Note
• Optional games for the last 15 minutes of each day, a fun way to end the day or something for extra time, with new questions in each week: Whiteboard Quiz Game; Paper Password; Class Feud; Classroom Millionaire; Mystery Box
• Answer keys for every set (core and ★ challenge), calm puzzle, team task and game, at the back of each binder

Here is a quick look at all six weeks: