reflective these days, I was wondering how all of you handle getting missed classwork/ homework to absent students when they breturn to school.
I was thinking about developing a system for next year where the students are responsible for getting the work they missed on their own. I was thinking about some sort of file folders in a bin. I haven't really worked it all out yet, but I wanted to know what everyone else does.
Whenever students are absent, I have his/her neighbor take out a bright green folder and place it on the absent student's desk. On the outside of the folder it says, "Here's what we did while you were out." Throughout the day, whenever we pass out any papers, they are placed in the folder. The next morning, the student who was absent takes the papers out and returns the folder.
This year, with my school going to departmentalization, I figured out the best way to deal with papers from missed days was not to leave them on their side of the desk (it certainly didn't work!), but I put a WYWO (While You Were Out) folder on my whiteboard tray. My partner teacher and I told the kids that they were responsible for checking in their homeroom for any papers they missed while they were out and get them out of the folder. It really helped with students and the excuse "It wasn't in my desk." I made sure it was a bright pink folder in both classes and I put a big sign on the front of it. I would clip their papers together and put the date absent at the top so I knew when it was assigned and when it should be turned in.
I've tried that, Risa, but I don't pass out that many papers throughout the day. How do you catch them up on demonstrations, inquiry activities, class discussions? It'll take a lot longer than one lunch recess to catch up, and I have one student who is absent and gets notes from home saying "X will make up work at home. Do not keep her in from recess." Well, I can have her make up the 2 or 3 things that *can* be done at home, but what about everything else??
I do exactly what Risa does except my folders are bright yellow. My teaching is very spiral in nature, so I know that the absent student will be exposed to the content and objective if not the missed activity/ discussion. Of course, I teach younger students so my methods may not be effective for older students.
Teach'n'Learn, I know exactly what you mean. When I get notes from parents like that, I will often write back that the student has missed content that needs to be thoroughly explained and/or experienced. I then gush on about how I appreciate that they are willing to take the time to read through the (4 page lesson plan or other) information and explain or demonstrate the concepts at home. (All, of course, with the knowledge that it won't actually get done. )
Actually, those types of parents just don't understand that we are not merely a worksheet dispensary, so when they make excuses for their children or when they plan an extended leisure trip during the school year, I, quite frankly, 'pour it on thick' in terms of the materials I send home to show what needs to be taught. I understand emergencies and I understand that one day of absence for an extra special ocassion might occur. But the ones that really irk me are those parents of students who are habitually absent or for those habitually making excuses for lack of work.
I have a sheet of paper that is titled, "We missed you while you were gone". It has a spot for their name and the date. There are 6 large boxes on the page with subject headings on them. Under the math lesson, I write their math workbook lesson they missed and the pages they need to make up. I also do that for reading and science or social studies. One box is for "other" for miscellaneous information. (For instance, I had one student miss a week for a vacation. About the 3rd day, I wrote in the box 'Little Johnny has missed an entire social studies unit and we'll need to make that up during tutoring time'.) At the end of each day, I put it in my next day pile so that I make sure I pull the child aside and explain their homework responsibility and send it home with them. The cover sheet has really been helpful for me.
I try to keep the students in during recess to cover missed instruction, but I get so mixed up with "who needs to learn what" because on any given day students are gone. Sometimes I need to prep for my afternoon during the student's recess so this isn't even always feasible.
Now HW and CW I have been putting in their mailbox with the date and absent written at the top, but they still often don't get the instruction that's needed to complete it, or I forget to do it. If they have a quiz or a test I keep those in a folder marked "Absent" for them to take during a recess time. Honestly, sometimes I have sent the quiz/test home just so it can get done because I didn't have the time to administer it in school.
I know this isn't best practice so that's why I'm trying to find some different ways of handling this.
As far as my "new way" of them getting their work...I thought about having those plastic wall mount file holders placed on the chalkboard with magnets (or another board if necessary).
Each one would have the subject on the outside. Inside would be file folders labeled with the date. Inside the folder would be the CW and HW from that day. I thought this would be good for students who always seem to misplace their papers to use also.
All in all I want something that's not complicated for them or for me.
At the beginning of the year I have parents fill out a form that asks how they want their child to make up their work when absent. They can choose to have it sent home with neighbor, relative, friend, etc., pick it up in the office, or do it when they return. Most choose to have it sent home with someone. I have a form then that I fill out with what they need to do, I pack up the papers and books and I have cloth tote bags that they know are the homework bags. If they choose to do it when they return, then they have to stay in and do it and take home home whatever isn't finished. If it's something big and important I make sure we bring them up to speed during class. Experiments, in class projects (the fun stuff!) they just miss. Makeup tests are always given at school during my free time or recess.
Vacation absenteeism is different. I give them some of what they will be missing. The rest has to be made up when they come back, either at school or at home.
05-29-2008, 02:40 PM
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