Must-Have Teacher Supplies – Bin For Absent Work And Extras

The next must-have classroom item is a bin for absent work and extras. 

Having this bin will, in theory, make your life easier when a student returns from being absent or when a learner misplaces a handout.  Within the bin, I put six hanging folders, five of them labeled for each day of the school week and one labeled for extras of papers that were distributed.  

 

At the start of the school year (or at the start of our time together in the instances when I came to a school mid-year), my presentation of class expectations includes the use of this bin.

Let’s start with the folders for absent work.

 

When a student is absent, I write his/her name, class period, and that day’s date on the handout and place it in that day of the week's folder.

 

One part of my “when you’re absent policy” includes checking the absent bin for work, reference materials, etc.  The other parts are asking a classmate for an update and checking our online platform, which at my schools always happened to be Google Classroom.

 

Shoutout to one of my mentor teachers for suggesting that I include these elements about being absent in my presentation of class expectations.

 

Enforcing this “when you’re absent policy” gives the students a sense of ownership over their work.  It puts the responsibility in their hands to find out what was missed in order to be up-to-date with our course content.

 

I also tell my students than I am more than happy to meet with them after school to review any questions they have about the material covered in their absence.  This meeting is, again, something that my students must take the initiative to arrange. 

 

Of course, it is inevitable that at least one student will return from an absence and approach you at the start of class to say, “Did I miss anything important?”

 

Your instinct might be to transform into sarcastic Chandler Bing and respond, “We did not do anything important yesterday.  We sat around doing nothing except anxiously await your return.”

 

Instead, form a smile and channel kindhearted Elmo to remind him or her of the procedure for finding out what was missed.  By reminding your student of the procedure, rather than directly telling him or her what was covered, you are empowering the learner to become independent and responsible 😊   

 

Let’s move on to the folder for extras. 

 

This folder will come in handy any day, any time.  This folder is, as the name implies, a storge space for extra copies of graphic organizers, review sheets, memos, etc.

 

A tip when making copies is to make three or four extras.  If you only make the exact number of copies needed, you know darn well that the universe will present you with one or more situations where you wish you had those extras.

 

There will undoubtedly be students who make errors on the handouts, who rip the papers when pulling them out of their folders, or who misplace the sheets.  Take a deep breath.  It is okay when one of those scenarios occurs – that is why having a dedicated spot for extras is helpful!

 

Also, there is also the instance where the copier is to blame.  Sometimes, one of the copies might be illegible due to a copy machine malfunction – be prepared because it is bound to happen at some point.

 

Anyway, this system for keeping extras is another opportunity to encourage accountability in your students.  Rather than having a student interrupt you mid-instructions to say that he or she misplaced yesterday’s handout, that learner can look through the extras folder. 

 

Another shoutout to a colleague who incorporated this storage system for extras.

      

By the end of the school week, the extras folder contains a mish mosh of papers.  This is why, on Friday afternoons, I sort through the bin to have it ready (aka emptied) for the approaching week. 

 

I hope these strategies help you organize work for absent students and keep extra copies accessible.

 

What are your thoughts on this system?  How can this system be improved?  Share below!  

 

Check out my Teachers Pay Teachers store for a variety of versatile products for all grades and subjects!   

 

Leave a question, comment, or suggestion below, in the Comments Section!   

 

Follow me on Instagram: elathemissmway

 

Peace.  Love.  Reading & Writing.

 

💗 Miss M