Writing PE sub plans can turn into another full planning job. You are trying to explain the lesson, organize equipment, account for different classes, and leave enough information for someone who may not have a PE background.
I want a substitute to understand what students are learning and how to run the lesson. I also want the work to make sense for the students in front of them. Middle school students should have opportunities to apply skills, make decisions, and explain their thinking.
This guide includes a reusable planning template, a folder checklist, and a 45-minute middle school example focused on creating passing options. The example is intended for a class that has already practiced passing, receiving, and the routines used in the task. A substitute day is a reasonable time to revisit that learning.
What makes a useful middle school PE sub plan?
Start with the learning you want students to demonstrate. Then choose a familiar task a substitute can supervise with the space, equipment, and information you leave.
For an invasion-game unit, that might mean recognizing a blocked passing lane, moving after a pass, and explaining how a teammate can become available. These are decisions students can practice in a small-sided task without needing a full regulation game.
Write the directions around what the substitute should see. “Work on teamwork” is difficult to assess. “After passing, move to create a different passing angle” gives the substitute and students something specific to look for.
The task still needs to fit the class. A grade label alone does not tell you what students have learned, which supports they need, or whether the available space works.
National standards behind this example
The lesson below uses the 2024 SHAPE America National Physical Education Standards, grades 6–8 learning indicators as its planning framework. The following descriptions are paraphrases:
- 2.8.2: Applying offensive movement to create space in invasion games. Students change their position to become a passing option.
- 1.8.14: Combining sending, receiving, and traveling in small-sided games. Students pass, receive, and relocate during the possession task.
- 3.8.3: Communicating about strategies and tactics. Students use a brief team huddle and a specific coaching cue to adjust their approach.
These indicators help explain the intended learning. This is an original lesson example, not a SHAPE America lesson or endorsement. One lesson provides practice and evidence toward these indicators; it does not establish mastery of them.
Free PE Substitute Starter Kit
The resources below are available to copy into your own planning document. You can also print this article or save it as a PDF through your browser. Complete the school-specific fields before using the plan.
Resource 1: Reusable PE sub-plan template
Class and grade: [fill in]
Class length and location: [fill in]
Current unit and previously taught skills: [fill in]
Learning objective: What should students be able to demonstrate or explain by the end of the lesson?
National learning indicator: Record the verified code, source, and connection to the task. Include only indicators the lesson actually addresses.
Success criteria: List two or three observable actions tied to the objective.
Equipment and setup: Give quantities, storage/access directions, boundaries, group assignments, and a simple diagram where useful.
Lesson sequence: Allocate time for arrival, review, practice, transitions, assessment, equipment return, and dismissal. Check that the total matches the period.
Task rules and rotation: Explain what starts and stops play, how groups change roles, and what happens after an error.
Prepared adaptations: Describe teacher-selected changes to the task, equipment, space, communication, or response options. Explain how an authorized substitute obtains required support information.
Classroom alternative: Supply the actual questions or scenarios, response materials, and answer guidance.
Evidence to return: Specify the observation note, student response, or exit ticket you want back.
School procedures: Provide the established attendance and dismissal routines, stop signal, support contacts, and location of emergency procedures. Keep confidential student information in the approved school system.
Resource 2: Emergency-folder checklist
- ☐ Current schedule, meeting locations, and authorized roster access.
- ☐ A lesson connected to the current unit and previously taught skills.
- ☐ Verified national indicator, learning objective, and observable success criteria.
- ☐ Equipment quantities, setup directions, boundaries, and assigned groups.
- ☐ Task rules, role rotation, and a clear restart procedure.
- ☐ Prepared adaptations and authorized access to required support information.
- ☐ Classroom alternative with student prompts and answer guidance.
- ☐ Observation card, exit ticket, and substitute feedback slip.
- ☐ School contacts, emergency-procedure location, and dismissal routine.
- ☐ Review date so the folder stays current when classes or routines change.
Resource 3: 45-minute middle school lesson — Create a Passing Option
Grade span: 6–8. Unit connection: Invasion-game tactics. Class example: 25 students in five groups of five. Objective: After making a pass, relocate to create a new passing lane and explain the choice in relation to the defender.
Prerequisites: Students have practiced the selected pass and catch, pivoting, non-contact play, and the class stop signal. The teacher has approved the task, grouping, equipment, and layout. Use the prepared classroom alternative when these conditions are not in place.
Equipment: Five suitable soft balls, 20 boundary markers, a timer, and five coach cards. Bibs are optional. Choose balls students can handle successfully. Paper and pencils are needed for written responses unless another response option is prepared.
Setup: Mark five separate grids with clear space between them. Size them for the actual facility, students, and mobility needs; confirm that all grids can be supervised. Do not squeeze extra games into inadequate space. Prepare a different arrangement or use the classroom alternative if the layout does not work.
Success criteria
- After passing, I move to a different useful position instead of remaining behind a defender.
- I offer a clear passing angle while maintaining appropriate spacing.
- I give one specific tactical cue or explain how my movement helped the ball carrier.
The task: three attackers, one defender, one coach
Attackers work to complete three consecutive passes inside their grid. After reaching three, continue playing and counting another sequence. The ball carrier stays in place and may pivot using the technique already taught. Players without the ball move to offer passing options. There is no dribbling.
The defender intercepts passes only. No contact, reaching into a player's hands, or stripping the ball. Keep at least an arm's length from the ball carrier. Use the teacher-approved pace and movement rules.
After an interception, incomplete pass, or ball out of bounds, stop, reset the count, and restart with the attackers. Nobody is eliminated. A loose ball entering another grid is retrieved after play is stopped and the path is clear.
The coach stands in the designated observation area and watches one attacker for a short round. At the signal, give one observation and one cue: “After your pass, you stayed behind the defender. Try moving wider so the ball carrier can see you.”
Role rotation
Label students A–E before class. Each 60-second round includes about 45 seconds of play and 15 seconds for one coaching cue and the role change. Use the timer signal to keep the sequence predictable.
- Round 1: A coaches, B defends, C/D/E attack.
- Round 2: B coaches, C defends, D/E/A attack.
- Round 3: C coaches, D defends, E/A/B attack.
- Round 4: D coaches, E defends, A/B/C attack.
- Round 5: E coaches, A defends, B/C/D attack.
Repeat the sequence in each five-minute cycle. Everyone has three attacking rounds, one defending round, and one coaching round per cycle. The coach role is brief and purposeful.
0–4 minutes: Arrival and attendance
Use the established routine. Confirm assigned groups and the stop signal. State the focus: “Today I am looking for what you do after you pass. Can you move so your teammate has another option?”
4–8 minutes: Passing-and-support warm-up
Use familiar passing practice within the assigned grids, with one ball shared by all five students. Pass to an available teammate, then relocate to offer a different support angle. The ball carrier stays planted and uses the previously taught pivot. Review controlled delivery, ready hands, looking before passing, and moving into an open lane. No defenders yet.
8–12 minutes: Demonstrate the problem and rules
Show a receiver standing directly behind a defender from the ball carrier's viewpoint. Ask what makes that pass difficult. Move the receiver sideways into a visible lane and compare the options. Demonstrate a restart and one complete role change before releasing groups.
12–17 minutes: Three-versus-zero rehearsal
Use the same role order with the defender initially observing instead of intercepting. Attackers practice pass-and-relocate. The coach identifies whether the passer offers a new angle. Keep the second observer focused on the restart and spacing rules. This is a short rehearsal before adding pressure.
17–22 minutes: First three-versus-one cycle
Run five rounds using the role order. The substitute circulates and checks the stated criteria. Keep the focus on positioning and decisions rather than comparing group pass totals.
22–25 minutes: Tactical huddle
Ask each group: “When the defender blocks one lane, what can the two receivers do to give the ball carrier different options?” Agree on one adjustment, such as moving to different sides of the defender instead of clustering together.
25–30 minutes: Second cycle
Repeat the rotation. Coaches watch for the group's chosen adjustment and give one specific cue. The substitute notes whether the adjustment is visible.
30–35 minutes: Third cycle
Continue with the same rules. Students who are ready explain which of two available positions offers the better option and why. Groups needing support use a passive defender or return briefly to the three-versus-zero task, according to the teacher's prepared plan.
35–39 minutes: Exit ticket
Ask: “Describe or draw a moment when a defender blocked a passing lane. Where did you move, and how did that change the ball carrier's options?” Collect responses using the prepared written, oral, or other accessible format.
39–45 minutes: Equipment, feedback, and dismissal
Follow the assigned collection routine. The substitute returns coach cards and exit tickets and notes which groups needed more support with the tactic, directions, or task rules. Dismiss using the school's routine. The schedule totals 45 minutes, including setup explanations and transitions.
Assessment a substitute can actually use
Put three prompts on each coach card:
- After passing, did the player reposition to offer another lane? Record one example or “not observed.”
- Was the new position available to the ball carrier, or still blocked by the defender?
- What specific cue did you give, and what happened afterward?
Treat these as formative observations. A pass total can reflect skill execution, defender pressure, or an easier setup; it does not by itself show that a student understands support play. Use the observations and exit ticket together to plan the next lesson.
Adapt the challenge without losing the objective
For a class still developing the prerequisite skills, use a ball that is easier to control, adjust passing distance and grid size, or make the defender passive. Review whether those changes improve access to the same tactical decision.
For students ready for more complexity, ask them to compare two passing angles, anticipate the defender's next move, or explain how their movement created a second option. Grade 6 and grade 8 students may need different prompts even within the same grade-span indicator.
Follow the teacher-prepared accommodations and adapted PE guidance for the individual class. Demonstrate directions, provide visual role cards, and allow appropriate response options. A student who cannot take part in the physical task can analyze the same tactical problem through the prepared alternative; that response provides evidence of tactical understanding, not physical skill performance.
Classroom backup: Analyze the passing lane
Keep the learning focus when the gym is unavailable. Supply paper with a blank court rectangle or let students describe the positions orally. Label the ball carrier A, receivers B and C, and defender D.
Scenario 1: Blocked lane. D stands directly between A and B. C is available on the opposite side. Draw or describe one change B could make and explain how A's choices change.
Answer guidance: B moves outside D's blocking line into a visible passing lane. A can then compare B and C rather than relying on one receiver. Accept different positions when the student explains a workable angle within the boundaries.
Scenario 2: Everyone comes to the ball. B and C move close to A, bringing the defender into the same crowded area. Propose an adjustment.
Answer guidance: Receivers use different positions and suitable width or depth to offer distinct options. “Run more” is incomplete without an explanation of where to move and why.
Scenario 3: The defender adjusts. After A passes to B, D moves to block the return pass. What should A consider next?
Answer guidance: A relocates to reopen a lane and checks B's position and the boundary. C also offers an alternative. Students justify the movement rather than naming one universally correct spot.
For a 45-minute classroom period, use 0–5 for attendance and the objective, 5–10 for modeling the labeled positions, 10–22 for individual scenarios, 22–32 for paired comparison and revisions, 32–39 for a justified final response, and 39–45 for collection and dismissal. This assesses the knowledge and communication elements of the lesson; it does not replace the physical practice needed for motor-skill learning.
Leave evidence you can use when you return
The substitute feedback slip can be short: What did students practice? Which tactical adjustment helped? Which directions needed repeating? What should I revisit next class? Handle individual concerns through the school's approved reporting process.
This is the kind of planning support I want WellnOS to provide: a useful starting point that accounts for grade level, equipment, space, and what students are actually learning. The teacher still reviews the plan and makes the decisions for the class.
Explore WellnOS to see the planning and resource tools available for PE and Health teachers.