How do you organize absent work in your classroom? Do your students know what to do and where to find it? Do they know what needs to be submitted for a grade, and what just needs to be completed? More importantly, do you have a solid system that runs like clockwork? Keep reading. I’m sharing my absent work system that I’ve been using for years in my high school classroom.
Wondering what a system is? Check out this blog post.
Student Absent Work System
The first step in my absent work system is to simply save a copy of all paperwork from the class period. On my desk, there is a hanging folder where I gather all of the paper copies, one copy for each absent student. I place the paper standing up (portrait orientation) into the folder so I can see that the papers are there and ready for the next step.
Typically, paperwork includes notes, and maybe some kind of worksheet or homework assignment.
Communicating about Work
One of my favorite parts of my absent work system is the form I use. The form is a set of instructions that communicates what students need to do. I include the student’s name, date absent, work that needs to be completed, work that needs to be submitted, and due date of graded work.
Filling out the absent form is a time investment. It does take me a minute to it fill out. But it saves me countless minutes of having to answer the same questions over and over from all of the students that were absent. Especially when students were absent on different days, and then I have to think about what we did, when, and when assignments are due. It’s so helpful to have everything laid out in an easy to read form.
Click here to get the free form from my Teachers Pay Teachers store.
Organizing Absent Work
My other favorite part of my absent work system is how I organize it for my students. On the wall that students first see when they enter the classroom is a small bulletin board. For each class period, there is a folder stapled to the bulletin board. (The folders are color-coded by class period, of course.)
For each absent student, I staple together all of the paperwork from class with the form on top, and place the packet in the folder. Like on my desk, I place the packets standing up inside the folder so students can see them.
Why the system works
What makes this system work is how visual it is. There are other systems where student absent work is placed in folders, but laying down inside of the folder. Which means that students can’t see what has their name on it.
And some of those systems use numbered folders where students have to remember the date that they were absent. I don’t know about your students, but my students rarely know the dates they were absent.
The thing is, most students are not chronically absent. Even though this system becomes a daily routine for me to perform, it’s not a daily routine for students because they’re not absent every day.
Having the papers visible with student names in the folder helps students to remember to gather their absent work when they return.
Absent Work in Google Classroom
But how do students fill in notes that they missed? This is where Google Classroom comes in. Every day I have material scheduled in Google Classroom for 8 am. The material includes a pdf of the notes, and a lesson video if there is one available.
Once class is over, I will export a copy of the filled-in notes, and then upload the pdf to the Google Classroom material. I just make sure to wait until the end of class to add the notes to Google Classroom. Otherwise, students present for class may try to use the notes from Google Classroom to fill in the notes without doing any of the thinking.
This is an extra step, but it’s well worth it. Now that we use Google Classroom, I don’t have to print out copies of the completed notes anymore, saving both time and paper.
Want to hear more about my absent work system? Check out the video on my YouTube channel.
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