Wondering what to leave the substitute when you are away from the classroom? Read on for 10 ideas that will keep your students engaged! 

Having a ready-made sub plan is a lifesaver when you have to take an unexpected day (or two!) away from the classroom. We’ve created a list of  lessons, resources, interactives, and activities that are easy to implement and could potentially be used at any point in your course.

1. NGPF Personal Finance Movie suggestions (with worksheets!)
• NGPF created discussion questions for 20 personal finance movies. Students will answer questions while they watch the movie and then reflect afterward with questions that tie in personal finance concepts. 
2. NGPF Arcade
• The NGPF Arcade offers free online games that connect with a variety of personal finance topics. Use one for a fun sub plan by incorporating the Reflection Worksheet for your chosen game!
3. NGPF Mini-Units
• NGPF has 8 mini-units on various topics such as Entrepreneurship, Ethics, Cryptocurrency and more! Select one of these bonus lessons as an easy-to-implement sub plan. 
• One suggestion: COMPARE: Charities and have students watch this Two Cents video first.
4. Use an NGPF Semester Course Nearpod Lesson
• The NGPF Semester Course lessons (along with the 9-Week & Middle School Courses) are available in Nearpod. Even though you are absent, you can continue the learning by having students complete their next lesson asynchronously via Nearpod.
5. Podcasts in the Classroom
• Podcasts in the Classroom is a blog series that highlights personal finance podcast clips that can be used as teaching tools. 
• Use Amanda Volz’s  doodle worksheet for students to answer questions & doodle while they listen!
• This Million Bazillion podcast titled “What’s the deal with inflation?” is great for middle school students. Be sure to check out the “Money Talks” questions and additional resources available!
6. Use the NGPF Interactive Library
• NGPF has an Interactive Library that is filled with simulations, graphs, quizzes, and other online activities. Covering a variety of units, many of the interactives have a ready-made worksheet, making it a perfect supplement to your instruction or for a sub plan! 
• Interactive Suggestion: INTERACTIVE: What’s the Most Common Job in Each State?
7. NGPF Case Study
• Nearly every NGPF unit has a Case Study available which presents personal finance issues in the context of real-life situations. They're a great activity for students to complete while you are absent. You can then engage them in discussion when you return.
8. NGPF CARTOON Activity 
• NGPF has many CARTOON activities in each unit (here is a great example from the Managing Credit unit). 
• Once students finish the CARTOON assignment, have them create their own cartoon or meme on the unit topic. 
9. Focus on Careers
• The NGPF Career Unit includes Full Year Course lessons and activities to explore careers, prepare for a job, and set up for career success. If you do not already use this unit in your course, it would be a great sub plan. Here are some suggestions from this unit: 
• FY-9.1 Career Basics (note: if using as a sub plan for students to work independently, consider removing the activity MOVE: Career Comparison from this lesson)
• INTERACTIVE: Which Jobs Align With My Interests
• PROJECT: How Can I Get To My Dream Job 
10. Have students conduct research
• Incorporate a RESEARCH or webquest activity on a relevant topic. Students can conduct independent research in preparation for a discussion when you return.
• Here are a few suggestions:
• RESEARCH: Bankruptcy Webquest
• RESEARCH: How Can I Improve My Credit Score?
• RESEARCH: FAFSA Deadlines 

About the Author

Amanda Volz

Amanda joins the NGPF Team with 18 years of experience teaching personal finance. During that time, she led her students to hundreds of thousands of dollars in scholarships, won multiple awards, and most importantly, impacted the financial lives of thousands of high school students. Amanda prides herself on being an educational leader and is constantly looking for innovative ways to make the classroom relevant, rigorous, and fun. She is a passionate advocate for financial education and has been a long time member of the NGPF community. Fun fact - Amanda was NGPF’s first teacher account! When Amanda isn’t working, she enjoys cooking, gardening, and traveling with her husband and two children.