TPT sells APUSH sub plan bundles for $8–15 that include cut-and-paste sequencers and generic busy-work activities. This page is free and different in three ways: (1) Skills-based, not content-based — every activity builds a skill tested on the AP exam (primary source analysis, document sourcing, SAQ timed writing, historical sequencing, historiographical argumentation) rather than a generic timeline activity a substitute can’t contextualize; (2) Complete scripted sub instructions written for a person who does not know AP history — including what to tell students when they claim to be finished, how to handle phones, and what to do if students say the activity “doesn’t count”; (3) Print-ready format with a browser print button that hides navigation and shows only the activity content, formatted for classroom handout.
All activities on this page may be printed and used freely for classroom purposes. See the classroom use policy. These activities are designed to complement the teacher rubric resources, the DBQ mini-lessons, and the sourcing guide.
Teacher Prep Checklist — Leave Your Sub Ready in Under 10 Minutes
What to Print, Where to Leave It, What to Tell the Office
Complete before you leave • Takes 8–10 minutes if you have the pages bookmarked
- This page printed: Activities 1–5 (choose the one that fits your timing)
- The sourcing guide one-pager (if using Activity 2)
- Student seating chart (leave on desk — substitute needs it for attendance and management)
- Class roster with any IEP/504 accommodation notes (leave in sealed envelope marked “Confidential — Substitute Only”)
- The Scripted Sub Instructions page (print the format block that matches your period length below)
Leave a specific, written deliverable that students hand in at the end of class. AP students will do the work if it is graded or credit-bearing; they will use phones if it is not. Your sub instructions should say explicitly: “Students are to hand in their completed worksheet to me at the end of class. I will check this for completion when I return. Any student who does not hand in a worksheet should be noted on the attendance sheet.” This single instruction eliminates the “are we being graded on this?” negotiation that kills sub day productivity.
APUSH students will tell a substitute that an activity is “too easy” or “doesn’t count toward the exam” and request to use study time for other subjects. Your sub instructions should preempt this: include the sentence “Students may not use this period as a free study period for other classes. The activity is part of the course. If a student finishes early, there is an extension task on the back of the worksheet.” Make sure every activity packet below has an extension task; we have included one for each.
The Five Self-Contained Activity Packets — Choose Based on Class Position in Curriculum
Primary Source Analysis Packet — Three Documents, Three HAPP Analyses
Skills: HAPP sourcing • Document analysis • Historical argumentation • All units • Individual work
Primary Source Analysis Practice — HAPP Framework
For each document below, complete the HAPP sourcing analysis. HAPP stands for: Historical Situation (what was happening when and where the document was created?), Audience (who was the intended reader or listener?), Purpose (why was this document created — to persuade, inform, justify, record?), Point of View (how does the author’s identity, position, or interests shape the document’s claims?). For each document, answer: (1) HAPP analysis (3–4 sentences), (2) What can this document reliably prove? What should it NOT be used to prove?, (3) Write one sentence that uses this document as evidence in a specific argument (name the argument).
Context for students: Jefferson is writing about the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which established a geographic line limiting slavery’s expansion north of 36°30’N. He is 77 years old, writing to a Massachusetts congressman named John Holmes.
Context for students: Carnegie is the richest man in America, writing for a general-audience magazine. This essay later became known as “The Gospel of Wealth.”
Context for students: Fannie Lou Hamer was a voting rights activist and delegate for the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party (MFDP), an alternative Democratic delegation organized by Black Mississippians who had been excluded from the regular Mississippi Democratic Party. She is speaking on national television to the committee that will decide whether the MFDP or Mississippi’s all-white delegation will be seated at the 1964 Democratic National Convention.
Choose two of the three documents above. Write a paragraph (6–8 sentences) that uses both documents as evidence in the same argument. Your paragraph must: (1) make a specific historical claim in the first sentence; (2) cite Document A with a HAPP sourcing analysis explaining what it proves; (3) cite Document B with a HAPP sourcing analysis explaining what it proves; (4) conclude by explaining what the two documents together reveal that neither reveals alone. See the full sourcing guide for the HAPP protocol.
DBQ Sourcing Drill — Five Documents, One Sourcing Sentence Each
Skills: HAPP sourcing • DBQ rubric point practice • Individual or pairs • All units
DBQ Sourcing Drill — Write One Sourcing Sentence for Each Document
The formula (copy this): “Because [HAPP feature], this document [emphasizes / omits / overstates / understates] [specific content] — making it most reliable as evidence of [specific limited claim] rather than [the broader claim the document might suggest].”
For each document description below, write ONE sentence using this formula. Do not write more than one sentence per document. The discipline of the single sentence is the exercise.
Choose one of the five documents above. Write a full sourcing paragraph (4–5 sentences) that: (1) identifies the HAPP feature; (2) explains what that feature causes the document to say or omit; (3) specifies what the document is most and least reliable for proving; (4) names a specific essay argument the document could support with this sourcing analysis attached. For the full sourcing framework, use the HAPP sourcing guide.
SAQ Timed Practice — Three SAQ Responses, Authentic Exam Format
Skills: SAQ format • Named evidence • Causation and continuity/change • All units • Individual
Question 1: Causation (Units 1–5)
Use the following passage: “The Market Revolution transformed the United States into a commercially integrated national economy and created the regional divergences that made the Civil War structurally inevitable.”
A. Briefly describe ONE piece of specific historical evidence that supports this interpretation.
B. Briefly describe ONE piece of specific historical evidence that modifies or complicates this interpretation.
C. Briefly explain why the Market Revolution is considered a turning point in American economic development. Use at least one named example.
Question 2: Continuity and Change (Units 5–7)
Use the following passage: “Reconstruction’s failure and the Gilded Age’s racial hierarchy demonstrated that constitutional amendments do not automatically produce practical equality.”
A. Briefly describe ONE piece of specific historical evidence that demonstrates constitutional rights required active enforcement to produce practical equality.
B. Briefly describe ONE piece of specific historical evidence that demonstrates some continuity of Black political and cultural organization despite formal disenfranchisement.
C. Briefly explain how the end of Reconstruction connects to the challenges the Civil Rights Movement faced 80 years later. Name at least one specific law or decision from each era.
Question 3: Comparison (Units 7–9)
Use the following passage: “Both Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt expanded federal power dramatically, but through different constitutional theories and in response to different types of national crisis.”
A. Briefly describe ONE similarity in how Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt expanded federal power.
B. Briefly describe ONE difference in how Theodore Roosevelt and Franklin Roosevelt expanded federal power.
C. Briefly explain which president’s expansion of federal power had a more lasting institutional effect, and why. Name at least one specific program or agency as evidence.
Choose one of your three SAQ responses. Expand your answer to Part C into a full thesis paragraph (4–6 sentences): restate your position as a defensible claim, add one additional piece of named evidence beyond what you used in the SAQ, and add one qualification or complexity (what your argument does NOT claim). For the SAQ format guide, see SAQ practice.
Timeline Sequence Challenge — 30 Events, Pairs Sort and Explain the Arc
Skills: Chronological reasoning • CCOT historical thinking • Pairs or small groups • Units 1–9
Part 1 (15 min): Number these 30 events 1–30 in chronological order. Write your numbers in the blank to the left. Do NOT look up answers — use what you know.
| # | Event | # | Event |
|---|---|---|---|
| ___ | Brown v. Board of Education | ___ | Seneca Falls Convention |
| ___ | Emancipation Proclamation | ___ | Spanish-American War begins |
| ___ | Missouri Compromise | ___ | Social Security Act signed |
| ___ | Louisiana Purchase | ___ | Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
| ___ | Reconstruction Amendments ratified (15th) | ___ | Erie Canal completed |
| ___ | Marbury v. Madison | ___ | Treaty of Paris (ends Revolutionary War) |
| ___ | Dred Scott v. Sandford | ___ | National Bank Act / Lincoln |
| ___ | Trail of Tears | ___ | Pure Food and Drug Act |
| ___ | Sherman Antitrust Act | ___ | Voting Rights Act of 1965 |
| ___ | Federal Reserve Act | ___ | Plessy v. Ferguson |
| ___ | Gulf of Tonkin Resolution | ___ | Homestead Act |
| ___ | Kansas-Nebraska Act | ___ | War Powers Act |
| ___ | Japanese American internment (EO 9066) | ___ | Nullification Crisis |
| ___ | Hart-Celler Immigration Act | ___ | Constitutional Convention / Philadelphia |
| ___ | NAFTA signed into law | ___ | Wagner Act / NLRA |
From your ordered list, choose the FIVE most historically significant events. For each, write one sentence explaining why it is more significant than the events immediately before and after it. Begin each sentence with: “[Event] is more historically significant than adjacent events because it [changed/established/ended/reversed] [specific thing] that [consequence].”
Choose TWO consecutive events from your list that together represent a major turning point. Write 2–3 sentences: (1) Name the first event and what it established or created. (2) Name the second event and explain how it was a direct consequence of the first. (3) Explain what was fundamentally different about American history after these two events compared to before the first one. For the turning points framework, see the turning points guide.
Select any five events from your timeline that all belong to the same APUSH theme (WXT, POL, NAT, MIG, WOR, SOC, CUL, or GEO). Explain in 3–4 sentences how these five events together reveal a pattern in American history related to that theme. Name the theme and explain what the pattern reveals. For the theme framework, see the historical theme guide.
Historiography Debate Card Sort — Four Schools, Eight Debates, Groups of Three
Skills: Historiographical thinking • Argument evaluation • Groups • Best after Unit 4 • 45 minutes
Read all four positions. Then complete the three tasks below.
School Descriptions: (A) Progressive School: economic class conflict drives history; (B) Consensus School: Americans share fundamental liberal values; surface conflicts; (C) New Left School: race, gender, colonialism as independent axes of conflict; history from below; (D) Social History School: community-level evidence, recovered voices, quantitative methods.
Task 1 (10 min): Rank the four positions from most persuasive (1) to least persuasive (4). Each group member must agree. Write your ranking and a one-sentence justification for your #1 choice.
Task 2 (10 min): Assign each position to one of the four historiographical schools (Progressive, Consensus, New Left, Social History). Some positions might fit more than one school — choose the best fit and explain why in one sentence per position.
Task 3 (5 min): As a group, write ONE sentence that begins: “The most defensible interpretation of the Civil War’s causes is [your choice] because [specific named evidence from American history].” All three group members sign below. For the full historiography framework, see the major debates guide.
Individually: write a complexity argument (3–4 sentences) that acknowledges what Position 3 (Foner/McPherson) gets right AND explains what it might miss by focusing primarily on slavery as the cause rather than on the social-system incompatibility Position 4 emphasizes. Use at least one named historical piece of evidence (a law, event, or figure) that Position 4 explains better than Position 3. For the complexity argument framework, see the historical theme guide.
Complete Schedule Formats: 45-Minute Period and 90-Minute Block
45-Minute Period Scripted Schedule — Copy This Into Your Sub Note
Minute-by-minute schedule for the substitute • Two activity options
0:00–3:00 (3 min) — Take attendance using the seating chart on the desk. Mark any empty seats on the attendance sheet.
3:00–5:00 (2 min) — Distribute the activity packet (on the printer tray / in the red folder on the desk). Read the student instructions aloud to the class — they are at the top of the first page.
5:00–38:00 (33 min) — Students work silently and independently. No phones. Walk the room. If a student says they are done, direct them to the extension task on the last page.
38:00–40:00 (2 min) — Give the 2-minute warning.
40:00–43:00 (3 min) — Collect all completed work. Paperclip each class period’s work separately and label with period number.
43:00–45:00 (2 min) — Orderly dismissal.
If a student refuses to work: Note the name on the attendance sheet. Do not escalate.
If students say “this doesn’t count”: Say “Your teacher will review this when they return. It is part of the course.”
If students have content questions: Say “Write what you know. Your teacher will clarify content when they return.”
Activity 2 (Sourcing Drill) works best for 45 minutes — five short tasks with a clear formula produce visible progress without needing content knowledge the sub can reinforce. Activity 1 (Primary Source Analysis) also works if you reduce from three documents to two. For 45-minute periods, avoid Activity 5 (Historiography Debate) — group formation and task completion require closer to 50–55 minutes.
90-Minute Block Scripted Schedule — Two-Activity Structure
Individual work then collaborative • Most effective block structure
0:00–3:00 — Take attendance. Distribute Activity [A] packet (on printer tray).
3:00–5:00 — Read student instructions aloud for Activity [A].
5:00–42:00 (37 min) — Students work silently and independently on Activity [A]. No phones. Walk the room.
42:00–47:00 (5 min) — Collect Activity [A] worksheets. Students may stand and stretch. Distribute Activity [B] packet.
47:00–49:00 — Read student instructions aloud for Activity [B]. Direct students to form groups of [2 or 3] using the seating arrangement.
49:00–82:00 (33 min) — Students work in pairs or groups on Activity [B]. Walk the room. Group work should produce audible but controlled conversation.
82:00–85:00 — Collect Activity [B] work. One paper per group, all names on it.
85:00–90:00 — Students read silently or complete extension tasks. Orderly dismissal.
Recommended pairings: Activity 3 (SAQ, individual) + Activity 5 (Historiography Debate, group). Or Activity 1 (Primary Source, individual) + Activity 4 (Timeline Sequence, pairs).
AP Exam Week Sub Plan — Test Security Compliant, Two Versions
For teachers absent on or near the AP exam date • College Board security compliant
After students have taken the AP exam, they cannot discuss specific exam questions with students who have not yet tested. If your class has some students who tested in the morning and others who test in the afternoon, or some students who tested on an earlier date, the sub must not allow any discussion of exam content. Include this explicitly in your sub note: “Do not allow students to discuss the AP exam questions, documents, or prompts they encountered. If students begin discussing exam content, redirect them to the activity.”
Students write individually on the following four prompts (10 minutes each):
1. “Which APUSH historical thinking skill (argumentation, sourcing, contextualization, CCOT, comparison, causation) felt strongest during your preparation? Name a specific practice moment that built that skill.”
2. “Which APUSH unit’s content felt least prepared, and why? What would you study differently if you could go back?”
3. “What is the most interesting historical argument you made or encountered this year? Why was it interesting?”
4. “Name three historical figures, events, or concepts from APUSH that you think will still matter to you in 10 years, and explain briefly why for each.”
Note: Students may NOT discuss exam questions, documents, or prompts. This activity does not require knowledge of exam content.
Use Activity 2 (sourcing drill) or Activity 3 (SAQ timed practice) from above. These activities practice AP exam skills without covering specific content that might appear on the exam, making them test-security compliant while being exam-relevant. Students should treat these as genuine timed practice. Sub note addition: “Students should not be told what topics will or will not appear on their AP exam. This activity practices skills, not specific content recall.”
The APUSH Sub Management Guide — Handling the Situations Every AP Sub Faces
APUSH-Specific Substitute Classroom Management: What Happens and How to Handle It
Leave this in the sub folder • Specific scripts for each scenario
Script: “Your teacher has told me to collect all completed work and leave it on the desk. It is part of the course. Whether and how it is graded is your teacher’s decision when they return. In the meantime, it is what we are doing in class today.” Do not promise or deny a grade. This script is accurate (you are collecting it) and non-negotiable (it is the class activity).
Script: “There is an extension task on the last page. If you complete that as well, read the linked resources mentioned on the worksheet quietly until class ends. Do not use your phone.” AP students who finish quickly have usually answered superficially — the extension tasks are designed to require more sophisticated responses that slow them down. If a student genuinely finishes all extension tasks: “Review your SAQ responses and revise any that don’t include a specific named example.”
Script: “Your teacher left specific instructions that the class period is for this activity. I am following those instructions. If your teacher has a different policy when they are present, you can discuss that with them when they return.” Do not negotiate. The sub note (which you have prepared) backs you up.
Script: “I don’t have the background to answer content questions about AP History. Write what you know — the activity instructions say your teacher will clarify content when they return. The skill practice (the HAPP analysis, the SAQ format) is what matters today.”
AP teachers need to know: which students did not hand in work (note names), whether any students refused the activity entirely (note names and what they did instead), any significant behavioral issues, and approximately what percentage of students appeared to be genuinely engaged for most of the period. A 5-sentence sub report with this information is more useful than a paragraph about the general mood of the class.
More Teacher Resources
These sub plans connect to a full set of targeted skill-building resources for APUSH teachers.