Homework Keeper

As you know, I've been a little stressed trying to get things ready for the upcoming school year. I finally feel like I'm getting somewhere once I stopped and just worked on one small thing at a time. In the last four years I've been teaching, I have never been satisfied with my homework procedures. I actually give a lot of homework compared to the other teachers I teach with. Yes. I'm every parent's nightmare! Haha! No, really. I only give what the students should already be able to do alone, and they should be able to finish in a reasonable time. But, when the students bring homework back I never feel satisfied with how I check it. My first year, the students turned all homework into a box, which rarely got checked. Then, I had them all place homework on their desks as they arrived, and I would walk around and check for completion every morning. This took too much time for me! Last year, I checked it some, had kids check some, took up some, and graded some. I had serious homework issues last year because I was just not with it. So, at the end of the year...I told my principal one of my goals was to have a more organized homework system.

This is what I came up with. Mrs. Johnson's Homework Keeper. This all came together during one of my recent visits to Office Depot. I was leaning toward a file box passed around with folders for each child to turn in his/her homework. Then, I thought of something a bit easier and more portable.

Mrs. Johnson's Homework Keeper

I bought a 1 1/2 inch binder and filled it with pocket dividers. I will number each pocket - my students are numbered at the beginning of the year. One pocket is for homework turned in, and the other is for homework that I have checked and is ready to go back home. The students will pass this around each morning as part of their morning procedures. They will turn in homework in the "Homework In" side. If the homework is not there by the time I get the binder, they will not get credit for it. Then, if there is homework in the "Homework Out" pocket, they will take that home.

The inside of the homework keeper

Turn in homework here

Checked homework here

Next, I had to think about how I would keep up with homework myself. I made this sheet that will stay between the two pockets. I will write the date, check homework turned in, and make any comments needed. This way, I have documentation (with comments) for parent conferences and for my own knowledge. Especially when it's time to give grades, and I want to add a homework grade.

Homework Record - I also need to add a spelling column.

So, that's it. One of the things I've been working on. I'll post more of the projects I've started throughout the rest of the summer. Which is getting shorter and shorter!