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.

Classroom Organization Tip #1

Classroom folders.  I couldn't exist without them.

I have three plastic crates for hanging folders.  Each crate is a different color.

At the beginning of every year, I copy my roster into a word file and enlarge the font to a 16 point bold font. I print the student names out on card stock, and then cut them to fit the plastic tab so that each student has their own hanging file for my class. (These files are never to be removed from the crate.)

I organize the files by hour and alphabetize the students by last names.  Each crate can hold two different hours of student files.  (I usually try to figure out some way to create a middle divider, to separate two class hours.)

These plastic crates are located on a table close to the door, so the students can check them on the way to their seats or deposit a paper in there on their way out at the end of the hour.  This is a habit that I establish the first week of class.

These files are my lifeline to my students!  

So what goes in the files?

*A handout needed for class that day
*Graded papers, homework, and quizzes (but never tests!)
*Papers, agendas, or books that are left in the room
*Birthday notes
*Make-up work for what they missed when they were absent
*Reminders
*Work that isn't finished
*All team project work, so if they are absent--their team can still work
*Finished assignments to be turned in the next day so they don't lose them overnight

I began this storage system to stay on top of students who were absent, but have found so many uses for the files.  This is such a quick way to return papers or distribute handouts.

It not only organizes me, but it organizes them, too.

The challenge is removing files when students leave our district and making files for new students who arrive after the school year has begun.  (My TA usually takes on this responsibility.)  The other big challenge is making sure students empty their file folder and not use it for a storage wasteland.  (When they do that, they don't find makeup work or new handouts.)

The best tip to get them in the habit of checking their files regularly is something that I do on the 2nd or 3rd day of school.  I put this note on colored paper and place one in each folder.

After the first bell, I walk around the room and trade a sucker or a roll of candies for the slips of paper. If a student didn't check their folder, they don't get the reward--but they are sure to remember the next day.  Several days later, I repeat this reminder and usually everyone has remembered this time.  That is usually all it takes to establish the habit. (Though they look for slips regularly and nag me to "do it again."  It's all about the candy!)

Next organization tip: how I handle make-up work slips and what students find in their folder when they return from being absent.