Homework Folders- How to Make them work!

Happy Wednesday! Although I am not quite ready for summer to be over yet, I do keep thinking more and more about what I can do next year to be a better than the year before. Every summer I reflect on three things that help me to be better:

• What worked?  
• What didn't work?  
• What can I make better?

I ask myself those three questions all the time in my day to day teaching as well.  After lessons, after guided math groups, after science experiments, etc.  Those three questions keep me on the ball and always help me to improve my teaching.

As I've been reflecting on the last school year, I realized something that I can make better. I can bring back Daily Homework Folders into the everyday life of my room.

I bet you're asking yourself, why in the world do you send home the folder every single day?  Well, I do it for many reasons.  It helps the students have accountability and responsibility for something tangible (and in fifth grade they really must start working on this).  It is the one thing that they are expected to bring to school every single day.  As soon as it becomes habit, it's no big deal.  Last year I only sent my folders home once a week- on Thursdays. This was a horrible failure.  I'll say it again- horrible failure!!!  There was not one single time that every student brought back the folders.  They were lost, forgotten about, or just torn up by the students because they saw them as worthless.

That's going to change this year!

I use the Daily Homework Folders for many things...
- To send homework home
- To manage discipline (I will explain below)
- To keep constant contact with parents

1.  The first way I use them is pretty obvious.  The Daily Homework Folder is where students put their homework each day to get it home safely.  When they complete their homework each evening they put their homework back in their folder and that way it gets back to school safely.  As soon as they get into the habit of using the folder, it works like gold. I promise.

2.  The second way I use them is to manage discipline.  I start by putting a calendar in every students folder.  At the end of every single day I put either a sticker, stamp, happy face, or small message in the date box on the calendar in the folder.  Yes, every single afternoon, for every single student.  It doesn't actually take as long as you would think.  Most of the students get off with a sticker or happy face, but there are always one or two students who need a note written in about their behavior from that day.  I write in there things like "Asher was not respectful in class today". Or "Brandy didn't follow the rules today".  Just something as simple as that.  If the parents want me to elaborate, they can contact me.  I do this for my record and for their parents to see.  The parents get a snapshot every single day of how their child acted.

You can find the calendars I use FOR FREE here!  If you download them please follow my store and rate the download! :-)

3.  The third way I use the folders is to keep constant contact with parents, which was sort-of described above.  But the key is that the parents MUST initial the date on the calendar EVERY SINGLE EVENING.  This shows me that the parent saw the folder and the message I wrote in it.  The parent can write me notes in the folder, write in days when their child will be absent, give me their new phone number (around here parents seem to go thru cell phones like candy) and they know I will see whatever they write immediately the next day.

I check the Daily Homework Folders every single morning.  I have a master Daily Homework Folder that is mine.  Whenever I have to write a negative note in a student's folder, I write the same thing in my folder.  That is how I document and keep track of negative behavior.  When I check the folders each morning, if a student didn't bring theirs back or didn't get it signed I simply write it in my folder.  It's as easy as that.

In the beginning this will take some time, but you will get used to it and become faster at it eventually.  I have even had a responsible student do this as a job in past years for me.

Needless to say, I am excited about starting Daily Homework Folders up again this year.  I am hoping it will help to hold my students accountable for their behavior, knowing that all I have to do is sign the folder (after a warning, of course) and that their parents will see it that evening.


That's how I implement Daily Homework Folders in my classroom.
I hope you got some useful information from reading this long-winded post!

Do you use Daily Homework Folders in your classroom? I'd love to know about it!

i heart comments!

I heart organizing!

I'm linking up again today to BlogHoppin' for their Teacher Week '13!  I missed out yesterday because I had already posted all of the super-sweet pics of my classroom!  I am obsessed with organization and I am one of the most organized people in the world, but I don't really have any cool pics to post so I will keep it simple tonight.  I'm exhausted this evening but didn't want to miss out on another day of the linky party so here are 3 things I do in my classroom to organize instruction.

1.  I utilize the use of Daily Folders in my classroom.  This is a folder that has a calendar inside that goes home every day after school and comes back every morning.  I put a sticker or write a short memo for each day for every student (it usually doesn't take long at all because most of them just get stickers or happy faces!) and when the student takes the folder home their parent is supposed to check the folder and initial on the date so I know they saw it.  That is my daily way of communicating with my student's parents.  I also have my students take any homework or important papers home in this folder so they aren't put in their backpacks and lost forever!

2.  I absolutely love how my students manage where they go during their Daily 5 rotations.  I use a really cool sheet that I created with the directions for each rotation at the top of the page and a chart that they put a 1, 2, 3, 4, or 5 in whichever rotation they went to 1st, 2nd, 3rd etc.  I will definitely post a picture of this sheet (when I can get back to my classroom) incase anyone wants to steal it!  It gives the students the choice of deciding which rotation they go to when and it makes them not only feel independent but also in control of their own learning.

3.  This year I am going to begin using S.T.A.R Notebooks (Students Taking Academic Responsibility).  This is a binder that my students will keep at school at all times and put any notes we take or assignments we are working on in it.  One thing I try to teach a lot of is note-taking.  Anytime we practice reading or math I have students write down examples or definitions from the lesson.  In previous years these notes ended up being smashed in the back of their desk or thrown away.  This year we will keep them organized in their S.T.A.R Notebooks for future reference!  I made the cover and two inside inserts for our S.T.A.R Notebook today...Take a look!  I used wording and some ideas from this website.

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I love using my Daily Folders.  My Daily 5 rotation sheet works great for my students and I because it lets them take control of their own learning.  And I am more than excited to start using my S.T.A.R Notebooks this year!

Sidenote***My school had our Meet the Teacher Night tonight and it was absolutely fantastic!  I had 19 of my 25 students show up!  Most of my parents seemed very nice and supportive.  I am excited about this school year and my new kiddos! :-)

Well, it's off to bed for this tired mommywifeteachercook!

I will [try to] link up tomorrow for 'Taming the Wild'!