Missing Work Log

*Originally posted on E, Myself, and I (4/2011 and updated 8/2013).

EDITED TO ADD: My Missing Work Log/ “Yellow Sheet” is an idea I got from a veteran teacher during my field experience in college.  I have used it for eight years now with great success.  Many of my own colleagues (and lots of you – thanks to the ole internet) have also adapted this classroom routine, and I’ve received a lot of great feedback.  This year, I updated the sheet a little bit and made a simple printable version so it can be used in your class right away.  I hope you will find it useful…

To start, here’s a quick explanation of how the Missing Work Log works:

On the day an assignment is due, the rule in my classroom is that EVERYONE turns SOMETHING in.  If a student does not have his/her assignment, he/she must fill out one of these Missing Work Logs (which I affectionately call “The Yellow Sheet” because they are printed out bright yellow paper) and turn it in in place of said assignment.  Blank logs are kept in a stack at the front of my classroom, and my students know to grab one if they are missing an assignment on a due date. (Over the years, this journey to retrieve a yellow sheet at the front of the room has become known as the “walk of shame” in class.  It’s all in good humor; but, it does play on their pride and keep them in line a bit.)

The log itself asks for basic information like the assignment title, due date, and student signature.  Once it has been filled out and turned in, I keep the Missing Work log in my stack of collected papers for the assignment OR on my attendance clipboard so I know to nag remind those students constantly until the assignment is turned in.

The next day/week/month when the late assignment is (finally) turned in, I record the date it was turned in, the number of points deducted (based on school policy – ours is 10% per day late), and the final score.  **This version of the log also includes a spot to record contact with the student and parent about missing work too.  I don’t make personal contact for every missing assignment; but, it is nice to have a spot to record that information right there when I do.

The bottom portion of the sheet is detached when an assignment is turned in and stapled to the assignment, so the student (and parent) knows exactly why they got the score they did on an assignment.  The top portion gets filed and saved in my record.

 If the assignment never comes in, a zero is recorded in the grade book and the yellow sheet gets filed. These work GREAT on parent teacher conference day and help to keep me from being accused of losing student work, etc.

Here’s a closer look:

Click here to download the log as a PDF and start using it right away! (Again, I usually print mine on bright yellow paper so that they stand out among ALL the papers I usually have.)