I am a 1st year teacher (3rd grade) and I am having a huge problem with missing student work. I am ADHD and disorganized so I know I am partly to blame because I can't find my own strategy to keep up with who is finished and who is not until I grade over the weekends, and sometimes 2 weeks later. Then I will track down the kids that owe me work, and its unfinished in their desk most of the time. I know I am not losing the work because I do keep it together, but I realize that many teachers catch unfinished work on a daily basis, where I am way behind. I make time for students to work on unfinished work, assuming they know what to do. They probably do, but choose to do other things instead. How can I manage this issue so that it does not happen in the future and students can catch up without having a huge overload of work 2 weeks later???
I usually collect unfinished work at the end of the work time and keep it in my "make-up work" file, which is also where the work for students who are absent goes. Then I pull it out at the beginning of the next opportunity for work time and pass it back to those who still need to complete it.
My kids have to keep their unfinished jobs in subject folders in their desks...on Fridays, I do a folder check and any unfinished work must be turned in by the end of the day.
Can you make a list of assignments that you will be collecting and grading for a specific week on let's say Sunday? I would include the assignment name and when it is due. You could then have one student collect the assignment for you and then check off the names of who turned it in and who did not. I highlight in my gradebook when a student has something missing/late so I can keep a tally of it. (I just write the grade in over it but I can still tell it is late)
When the work time is over my students put their papers in 1 of 2 bins: Finished or Need more Time. On Fridays we go through the "Need More Time" bin and finish things up. If most students don't finish the work in the allotted time then I allow more class time. Sometimes (usually just printing) they have to finish up at recess, since we do printing almost daily and I'd hate for them to be 5 days behind on Friday.
I have used clips with their names on them before. They clip the clip to their paper when they turn it in. That way I can look at the remaining clips on the paper tray and tell who hasn't turned work in yet.
I have a big table with all my students' names on it. When we're doing work that I'm going to grade I label each column with an assignment and check it off as they hand it in. Or at the end of the day I'll go through their names and say, "Okay M, did you hand in the math test?" Or when I collect the tests I make a finished and unfinished pile. Then I can go through immediately and check off who gave it in. I also keep an "unfinished work bin." If we finish something that will be graded like a test whoever isn't finished puts their work in there. That way I can look through the bin and see who needs to finish important work. Rather than going through a million different math, reading, science folders trying to see who still has work they didn't finish.
http://www.newmanagement.com/downloads/blm20.html I used this system for more than a few years. It took time to set up but saved me problems like what you described.
In the past I have taught my students the Stand Up, Sit Down game. Everyone stands up. I go through work that was handed in and call off the names on the top each paper. When students hear their name, they sit down. Whoever is left standing didn't turn in their work (or didn't write their name). This solves two problems at once. Kids check to see if there are nameless papers, and anyone who didn't get work done gets their name on a list of missing work. I cross their name off when the work is turned in. (It also solves the problem of work getting lost in backpacks and desks because they start looking right away. No one likes spending free time redoing their work.)
