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

[Updated July 31, 2024]

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 Full-Year Course, Trimester Course, and Middle School Course) 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
• Financially Inclined from Marketplace is a money podcast designed specifically with teachers and teens in mind (and hosted by Yanely Espinal)! Season #1 includes six episodes ranging in topics from budgeting, buying a car, buy now, pay later, and investing basics. You’re sure to find one to use in the classroom! 
  • Financially Inclined podcast episodes are approximately 15 minutes in length and each have an accompanying student worksheet, which makes it a great sub plan! 
• The Million Bazillion podcast 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. So Expensive video web series
• Business Insider's So Expensive video series is an interesting way to bring econ's factors of production and other core concepts into a personal finance class. It makes econ concepts accessible with a video about a specific product or service that is... so expensive! Each one includes a Nearpod and no-tech version with discussion questions.
8. Use an Activity NOT in the NGPF Semester Course 
   • With NGPF’s re-designed unit pages, you can easily tell which activities are included in an NGPF Semester Course lesson. As a sub plan, assign an activity that is NOT already included! On each unit page, activities with the SC (In Semester Course) symbol are already included in a Semester Course lesson.
9. NGPF Data Crunch Activities
   
   • Data Crunch Activities are available in each unit (the link above takes you to the Budgeting unit!) and require students to analyze a chart or graph about a specific topic and answer five scaffolded questions. Since these activities are easily printable and customizable, they would make an excellent sub plan! 
   • Once students finish, you could encourage them to create their own Data Crunch by finding a data source and creating 5 questions or 5 observations of the data!
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
  • RESEARCH: How Can I Improve My Credit Score?
  • RESEARCH: FAFSA Deadlines 
11. BONUS IDEA: Pair FinCap Friday with an Activity
    • NGPF’s FinCap Friday videos are a great way to bring current events into the classroom but also could be an engaging sub plan. Visit the FinCap Friday library and choose an episode from the unit you are currently teaching or a topic your students are interested in. The final slide of each FinCap Friday activity lists Relevant Resources from NGPF.
    • Here are a few suggestions:
      • FinCap Friday: Scams & Traps on Social Media Apps
        • Lesson on Scams & Fraud
      • FinCap Friday: Scams & Traps on Social Media Apps
        • Activity COMPARE: Types of Savings Accounts

About the Author

Amanda Volz

Amanda joins the NGPF Team with over 20 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.