Tackling Make Up Work

This is my first step into the world of blogging.  My colleagues want me to share some of the ideas I'm using in my classroom, so that's what I'll be doing here.  Don't worry there won't be a shortage of hilarious classroom stories (I teach middle school, so there's not a shortage there). 

So here's my first idea...

To make sure that my students get their make-up assignments, I write their name on the worksheet or on a piece of paper with the assignment written on it and place it on the board.  In previous years I have either had a bulletin board or a magnetic dry erase board, but in the room I'm in this year, I have neither!  I (and several of my students) have gotten sick of their being tape all over the dry erase board, so I made a clip board using a piece of hobby balsa wood that I found at a craft store.  I painted the balsa wood black and glued some chip-board letters spelling out "make up work" on it.  I added glitter to some  wooden clothespins and glued them to the balsa wood with wood glue.  I attached my make up work board to the front of the room with command adhesives strips.

I'll take a picture tomorrow of it hanging up in my room, but for now here's one so you can get the idea.

It was a big hit today with my students! 

I also have a problems with students not returning pencils they borrow, and I'm just not all about having kids walking around my room barefoot (because they gave me their shoe in exchange for a pencil), so I made a pencil board too. 

Maybe it will work... I'm going to try it out tomorrow.