Before Class
A lot of times students would have experienced something that will cause them to not pay attention or there is something troubling them.
Maybe they do not feel well or they had a fight before class or they suffered the loss of a family member.
I used to tell my students that I could not read minds so they would have to tell me if anything bothered them before class.
Rather than causing a stir in class trying to get child to participate it is wise to get them to tell you things that are affecting them before you begin the class.
Either have them talk to you or get them to write you a note.

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Know Students' Names
Students appreciated it when I greeted them by name as they entered classroom.
It was also important to call on students by name.
See:  Learn Your Students' Names page

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Listening page

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I found Jeopardy was also a good way to review for tests.  See My Game Links here for online Jeopardy links.

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Calendars
For each month I made a monthly calendar on a large poster board.
For each day I found an important person’s birthday or important event.
I used these posters each year.
Without even realizing it I had created a multicultural calendar of famous people and events.
My Calendar page

Each week I posted a calendar of all of the special events that were happening in our school or the community.

Getting Students to Proofread
I used to have my students rolling on the floor laughing when I used to read their homeworks aloud verbatim
(I did not state the student's name as I did not want to embarrass anyone).

This taught my students to read over any paper they handed in and make the necessary corrections.

Homework after I returned a graded test
The homework assignment I gave after each test was to write the question and correct answer to the questions they got wrong on the test.
This included listing the mistakes they made in grammar and spelling.

Humor in the Classroom page

Organizing pages

The SECOND best organizational thing I ever did was purchase the blue assignment collector at Calloway House's website. I actually purchased 4: One for each section of math that I taught, using each slot for a different day of the week. SAVED MY LIFE. I don't lose papers, and students can't steal others' papers to cheat or sabotage grades.

So here's how my grading routine goes (I worked with 5th and 6th graders so the name-checking and responsibility helps may not apply or be appropriate for high school):

1. Take up completed assignment from the class, row by row. In the future I will require that EVERYONE turn in something. Students who do not have the work will sign a colorful half-sheet (that I have simply dated in pen) and write the assignment heading on it. (This is for parent conference, legal, etc. reasons so that it won't be a "I did it but my teacher lost it" situation. Also, in the school I worked at, sometimes it went better for you to just give the student another copy at that age level, and the colorful slip would help me keep up with who needed another copy. Sigh. I know.)

2. Have the student at the front of each row check to make sure all papers have names (Sigh. I know, but I had to choose my battles, and I decided to add this simple step rather than throw completed no-name papers away and deal with zeroes and parents). COUNT the number of submitted papers for that row before moving on to the next row.

3. Once all papers are collected, staple all student pages together with a grading slip on top (LIFESAVERS!: If you'd like a WORD copy [two slips per page], email me at zypowell @ yahoo.com [no spaces] with "REQUEST FOR GRADE SLIP" in the subject line.)

4. Personally place the stapled stack into my Calloway House blue assignment collector.

5. Retrieve stack when it's time to grade. Record grades on grade slip. Copy grades from grade slip to computer grading system (this goes SUPER fast when names are in the same order). Return graded stack to assignment collector, still stapled.

6. When it's time to return papers, REMOVE STAPLE in front of class, return papers and discuss if applicable, and continue with the day. Store physical copy of grading slip in a large plastic baggie labeled for that period and for that six weeks. This is a physical backup. (Because the grading slips hold one grade and all students, some teachers I've worked with then recorded the grades by hand into a physical gradebook for taking to parent conferences, so that all of a student's grades are collected on one page. I printed a paper copy of my computer gradebook.)

I can't TELL you how relieved I was when I finally got this system down.

Hope it helps!

Zee

P.S. While you are collecting papers, students are engaged in bellwork.

Seating Plan page

JUL19

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