3rd Grade Sub Plans – Set 2

These free 3rd grade sub plans have been created by The Curriculum Corner and are perfect for when something unexpected happens and you can’t make it to school!

This is another free resource for teachers from The Curriculum Corner.

After creating the initial set of sub plans for each grade, we decided it would be helpful to add a second day.

This post shares our 3rd grade plans.

**You can download the entire, free set of 3rd grade sub plans by clicking on the bold, green title at the bottom of this post.

Many of these resources have amusement park themed clip art, so we have some suggested picture books that might pair well with that theme.  

We have added Amazon affiliate links to some other books you may also want to think about purchasing so that a guest teacher has some read-alouds as time fillers if needed.

The lessons, activities and practice pages that are a part of our 3rd Grade Sub Plans meet common standards for third grade.

Setting up your Sub Plans

To make these emergency plans work in your best interest, plan ahead!

Type up your plans and print these materials in advance. When you do need to call in, you can avoid driving to school in the middle of the night or at the crack of dawn in the morning.  

Unfortunately we all know what that’s like and it’s no fun! 

Put your plans and everything a guest teacher will need into a tub and mark it clearly with the words “Sub Tub”.

You can ask a colleague to go into your classroom to help you out, all they will need to do is locate your Sub Tub for your guest teacher.

**Helpful Hint:  Also type a short description of your classroom management system, as well as leaving names of students who will be especially helpful and those who may need extra support.  You will also want to include the name(s) of a colleague or two and their classroom phone numbers in case your guest teacher has questions.  Leave the number for the office line as well. 

Our goal for these 3rd grade sub plans was to create activities that could act as review since these need to be applicable at any point in the year.  You never know when you might need them!

MATH

Measurement in a Bag

1. Print several copies of the shapes page on colored card stock.  
2. Cut out the shapes and place sets (one set per pair of partners or group of three) in brown lunch bags or gift bags.  
3. Print back to back copies of the Measurement in a Bag page (one or two per student) and place in your Sub Tub with a class set of rulers.
4. Students choose a shape from the bag to trace, measure, label and calculate the perimeter.  

We have provided two versions of the student recording page – one where the calculate perimeter only and one where they calculate perimeter and also have to count angles and sides.  Choose the page that fits best with what your students have learned.

Pick Two and Add (or Subtract) 

This is a simple activity where students draw cards and then write & solve a problem.  

We have provided three student recording pages for you to choose from – adding two numbers, adding three numbers and subtracting.  

We have also provided a set of fifty number cards (up to 1,000) that you can print on card stock and cut apart for groups of students to draw from.  

Simply put sets into baggies and copy a class set of recording pages for your Sub Tub.

Extra Practice Pages

We have provide six different practice pages you can copy and put in your Sub Tub to be a part of your lesson plans or as time filler possibilities if a guest teacher needs them.

There are two pages involving perimeter, one page of computation practice and three pages of rounding to different places.  

READING

Fiction Graphic Organizer 

We have created a story map that can be used with any fiction book, but if you would like to keep with the amusement park theme, the book Roller Coaster by Marla Frazee is a great choice.  

The guest teacher reads aloud the book and then works with students to model how to complete the story map.  

Copy a class set of story maps for students to use with fiction books during independent reading and place it in the Sub Tub with a book of your choice.

Informational Text & Vocab Graphic Organizers

If your students are currently involved in more nonfiction texts, you may want your guest teacher to read aloud an excerpt from the book The Thrills and Chills of Amusement Parks by Jordan D. Brown (or another topic) and model how to fill out one of these info text graphic organizers.  

The first (I Can Read Informational Text) requires students to identify an author’s purpose and three details from the text.  

The second (Building Understanding) is a vocabulary web the teacher could model with one or two words from the book.

WORD WORK

Making Words

Students use the letters in the word ROLLER COASTER to create smaller words.  

Comes with a page of letters for students to cut out and manipulate to make the words.

Amusement Park Word Boggle 

This activity is easy and fun for students, while helping them to spell new words.   

Copy a class set of these pages and that is all that this requires.  

Students are to find amusement park-related words in the Boggle board and write them in the boxes below.  

We suggest you set a minimum number of words for students to find, but many will try to fill all the boxes if you present it as a challenge.  

Students can color or shade in words as they find them, much the same as a word search.

LANGUAGE

Parts of Speech Word Sort

This activity includes a set of 32 word cards for students to sort into their correct parts of speech.  This is set up so that each set of cards can be shared by a small group.  

Print them on card stock, shuffle them up and put them in baggies along with a class set of the student Word Sort recording page.  

If you think it is too difficult for students to do independently, have the sub gather students, choose volunteers to pick a card and then discuss the part of speech for each one as the guest teacher writes the words in the correct boxes. 

Word Sort Extension

Students choose four words from each category in the sort (noun, verb, adjective & adverb) to write and illustrate two sentences using the words correctly in their sentences.  

Simply copy a class set of Amusement Park Sentences for your Sub Tub.

WRITING

Writing Prompts

We have created three simple writing prompts.

 You can allow students to choose their own or assign the same one to all members of the class.  

We like the idea of having the guest teacher model an example with the class before students are set off on their own.  

We have also provided two additional blank templates in case you would like to assign a topic of your choice – either with a forest animal theme or something completely different.

Here is a link to some various lined paper templates in case you have something different and more open-ended in mind.  It never hurts to have a stack of lined paper ready for a time-filler writing activity in your room!

Blank Books & Papers

SCIENCE

Potential & Kinetic Energy Activity 

For this activity, a guess teacher can read the information and discuss & sort the cards together or students can work in pairs to read the information page and sort the cards.  

Choose what works best for your group of students, then copy what you need for your Sub Tub.

Venn Diagram 

This page is for any type of open-ended compare/contrast activity that you think would be good for your students.  

Copy a set of the pages and then leave your idea in your sub plans.  

In going along with the amusement park theme, students could work independently or in partners to compare two different amusement park rides.

You can download the complete set of 3rd Grade Sub Plans here:

3rd Grade Emergency Sub Plans

Here are a few of our books that pair with the lessons above (contains affiliate links):

We have included an amusement park puzzle – this is always a favorite morning work center in our rooms! Puzzles can be great for problem solving and teamwork!

As with all of our resources, The Curriculum Corner creates these for free classroom use. Our products may not be sold. You may print and copy for your personal classroom use. These are also great for home school families!

You may not modify and resell in any form. Please let us know if you have any questions.