Substitute Teacher Guide • Grade 12 • Phase 1, Unit Y1: Kickoff & Planning Systems

Setting Up Our Shared Systems: Drive, Planning Doc & Tracking Spreadsheet — Day 1 of 2

Today's focus: Build the Drive & Planning Doc

⚠️ Heads-Up: This is a community project

Unlike a solo studio project, the yearbook only works if the whole class communicates, follows through on assigned sections, and treats classmates as teammates rather than competitors. Build in real check-ins, not just a due date.

✅ Before Students Arrive

Materials needed today:
- Computer with Google Drive access
- Planning Doc template (reference)
- Tracking Spreadsheet template (reference)
Most students keep their class notebook at its usual spot in the room and use it every day (see routine below) -- but it's each student's own notebook, so a few may bring theirs from home instead. Either way, everyone should have one out.
Write today's Do Now on the board before the bell rings (see below).

📓 Daily Notebook Routine (students already know this)

Keep this going every day, in your class notebook: date today's entry, jot your Do Now response, add any new vocabulary word(s) from today's Key Vocabulary section (word + a quick picture + a simple definition in your own words), and take 60 seconds to sketch something connected to today's topic. This notebook is yours to study from, reference on projects, and pull evidence from later for your portfolio.

🗣️ Opening: Do Now

Write or project this, and have students start immediately:

“.”

📋 Class Plan (step by step)

Step 1 — 8 min

🗣️ Say: "Today we're looking at ___." Then walk through the point(s) below at the front of the room.

📋 Mini-lesson/demo (8 min): what a shared Drive folder structure should look like.
Step 2 — 25 min

🗣️ Say: "Now it's your turn -- work on your own (or with your table) on the following."

📋 Build (25 min): as a class, create the folder structure (one subfolder per section), confirm everyone has edit access, and copy the Planning Doc template, filling in every section, owner, and starting status.
Step 3 — 7 min

🗣️ Say: "Here's what we're doing next." Then read the instructions below to the class.

📋 Check (7 min): confirm every student can access and edit.

🔑 Vocabulary Introduced Today

Shared Drive Folder: A Google Drive folder every student in the class can access and add files to.
Planning Document: A living Google Doc tracking every section's owner, status, and deadlines.

✅ Wrap-Up: Exit Ticket

A few minutes before the bell, say: "Time to finish your exit ticket."

“What is one column or section of our new tracking spreadsheet that you think will matter most, and why?”

Collect exit tickets (or have students leave them in the usual spot) for the regular teacher to review.

⏳ If You're Short on Time

Protect the Do Now and the Exit Ticket above all else -- those are how the regular teacher tracks daily progress. If a step above is optional/homework, or is a "share out"/discussion step, shorten or skip it first.

⏳ If Students Finish Early

Have them keep working in their notebook: add extra detail to today's vocabulary sketch, review previous vocabulary, or -- if this is a portfolio update week for this class -- work on their portfolio. Early finishers should never be idle or distracting to classmates still working.

📝 For the Regular Teacher (fill in ahead of time)

Regular teacher's name / how to reach them: ______________________________
Where finished work / exit tickets go: ______________________________
Front office extension / emergency contact: ______________________________
Anything else this class needs to know today: ______________________________