Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Paper Drop System

Hello my wonderful fans and followers.  Today, I'd like to tell you about a fantastic idea from Laura Candler of Teaching Resources that has worked so wonderfully for me.  Do you have difficult with children putting their names on their papers?  Do you have difficulty finding a great solution on where students should turn in their work?  How about finding out quickly, which students didn't turn in their paper?  If any of those are you then I have the perfect program for you!

Laura's great idea is to take large manila envelopes and glue a cover page on them.  Then put it through the laminating machine and cut a slit on the envelope.  The next thing you do is staple a student list to the back of the envelope and put the name of the assignment on the front cover page.  Have your students put their papers in the envelope.  Sometime during the day pick a helper to go through all of the papers in the envelope and check the student's names off.  The helper can then hand back any no name papers to the students and have them put their name on it.  If anyone hasn't completed the assignment you can go speak to them privately and find out why.

I used this system in the class that I subbed for a month with.  They were 3rd and 4th graders.  I wasn't able to laminate so I used a file folder and stapled the cover sheet to it and a student check list on the back.  I had such reliable students that I simply had them check their own name off when they were done.  Then at the end of the day or activity I looked for no names and easily figured out who I was missing based on the checks!  I was also able to talk to the children who had not turned in work and was able to let their teacher know.

Click on the picture to go to Laura Candler's Teaching Resources website to get everything you need for the Paper Drop Organizational System and other great resources!  You also check out Laura's blog by clicking this link: www.corkboardconnections.com She would also love it you would become a follower of her blog!



This has been a true life saver for me.  No more no name papers and it is much easier than children putting papers in a bin and mixing it up with so many other assignments.  It has saved me a whole lot of time and the children really enjoy it!  This would work in any grade level from Elementary through High School.  Give it a try, I promise you'll love it.  A fan of my FB page told me she tried it and it works well in her classroom.  Best of all it's FREE!  Thanks Laura for sharing such an amazing idea, one of the best that I've seen on the internet!  I am an even more organized teacher because of it!

As always thanks for dropping by Hopkins' Hoppin' Happenings!  You are the reason why my blog is such a success!

Brian :-)

4 comments:

  1. OH Brian, this could really help me out! There is always one child who either doesnt put their name on it or the child is away etc. This is going to be a teacher time saver for me and there are always children who love staying in helping the teacher. Im so excited about this. Do I need a life??? Na... Im loving my work!

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    1. Kim you may also want to give each child a number and they have to put that number in the right hand corner of their paper. Then the children who like to stay in to help can help you put them in number order. Then it's even easier to look on the list to see whose paper you are missing or whose has no name on it! I'm so glad it will help you out. It made life much easier for me during the long term sub and short term teaching last year.
      Brian

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  2. I use a pocket chart from (Lakeshore I believe). It's original purpose was to hold file folders or workbooks. It has 5 pockets across and 5 down. I label each pocket with a number. My students are "numbered" by ABC order, they write name-date-number on EVERYTHING. They file homework when they come in before school starts and they file tests in this. I can look from across the room and tell how many papers have not been turned in. I can match numbers to no-name papers immediately when I collect them. I collect the papers in number order which is ABC order like my gradebook. We also do something similar (using the "number" system) with attendance & hot/cold lunch. Students mark their numbered apple on my Apple Tree (Lakeshore) chart when they come in the class. Purple colored squares means they're present and eating in the cafeteria & gold colored squares means present and brought lunch from home (Purple/Gold are our school colors). Again, from any position in the room, I can look up and see who's absent by the numbers that are not covered and how many are eating in the cafeteria by the purple squares. My helper for the day unmarks everybody at the end of the day. My charts have been used year after year because the number order never changes, just the last name associated with it! These two charts make collecting papers and taking attendance so much easier!

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    1. Wow, what an awesome systems. It seems like that works out well for you!!! I love your great idea for attendance as well. Thank you for sharing with us!

      Brian

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