How to Easily Ensure Absent Students Complete Missed Work

Teaching in a Grade 5/6 classroom, curriculum moves quickly, and when students are absent, the work starts to pile up on desks and, more often than not, ends up missing or stuffed loose inside the student's desk when he or she returns.

Read on to see how I avoid missing assignments and easily ensure my absent students complete missed work and grab a freebie for your classroom.


Already this year, I've had several students regularly missing school. Not quite organized for this after my move back from the primary grades, I found myself chasing papers around the classroom as piles of activities were blown around the room.

Sure enough, when my students returned to school, we wouldn't be able to find something... a worksheet was recycled by someone seeing it on the floor, it was stuck into the black hole of the student's desk, or it ended up in someone else's book.

It was time to assemble my Absent Folders.


I make about 6 copies of these for my class. All you require is the free Absent Folder file you'll find below, and a two-pocket folder for each.

Inside each folder, there are instructions on the pockets. One pocket is for work that has been marked and needs to be put into a duotang, or work that can be completed at any time, including at home.

The other pocket is for work that MUST be completed at school.


When the student returns, their elbow buddy can help them get the pages organized into the correct books, and they return the folder to me.

Organizing work for my absent students has never been easier!

Would you like a copy of this? Enter your info here to access the printable pages!