Classroom Organization: Make-Up Work

I used to have the worst time getting students caught up after they had been gone.

*I'd be so busy teaching, I couldn't interrupt class to find the handouts they missed.
*I'd forget to tell them something, and then they'd be behind--by no fault of their own.
*When a lot of students were absent, I'd be overwhelmed trying to remember who had what handouts or information.

I was a nightmare!  Two things have made make-up work for absent students smooth sailing.

1. These individual student files that I discussed here, and...

2....this template.

Every day I pull up this template.  I put in the day's date and activities for that day and save the template as a different file (always titled by the date!) in a folder I call Make-Up Work.

I keep the new file open all day, and just minimize it.

At the beginning of each hour, I type in students who are absent, adding to the list as the day goes on.  I can also make changes to work if I need to alter what was accomplished during the hour.  By the end of the day, I have the list of all students who missed class.

After school, I copy and fit as many copies of this form as I can on a single page. (Usually 2 or 3)  I print it out and make enough copies so that after I cut the forms apart--every absent student has a copy.

I file the make-up work copy in their classroom folder.  (The handouts from the day should already be in there, so they are good to go!)  They are to pick up this work the next day when they enter class, but many students will run down before school and grab their make-up work assignments. If I have a sub, the student will still have their make-up work.  They don't have to wait for me to return.

Since I save the file by the date in a word file, it is easy for me to go back and check if a student was absent from class on a particular date.

Funding issues have meant trying to conserve paper.  For the last few years, my make-up work slips look like this:

I don't like it as well, but I can get 7-8 on a page.  It does save paper when huge numbers of students are missing.  


Again, all make-up work can be found in their individual classroom folder.  They take the paper and check off what they have completed. When they have finished all tasks, they can throw the paper away.  I rarely remind them what they are missing, as the responsibility is now theirs.

I have found this to be a win-win situation.  I don't feel as disorganized, and my students always know their make-up work is at their fingertips.