I sometimes find that classroom routines become too
repetitious, even automatic. Taking Attendance is One!!
Roll call and calling out names takes up valuable class
time. I have two solutions for you all.
First one: You can have students name on pop sticks or
name tags (laminated) with Velcro behind the name tag. Make a Whoo’s Here Today
chart with three columns.
Whoo’s Here Today?
|
BOYS
PRESENT
|
GIRLS
PRESENT
|
ABSENTEES
|
|
Joushua
|
Maria
|
Emily
|
|
Abel
|
Ishita
|
Anirudh
|
|
Sam
|
Sarah
|
Adidev
|
|
Arush
|
Nabila
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
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|
Train your students that as soon as they reach the
classroom, students will take their name tag or pop stick and stick it on the
chart. This can be continued till you start your circle time. Late comers can
do it as soon as they enter the class. This name tags should be readily
available for the students as soon as they reach the classroom.
I like it because it serves a lot of different purposes,
the students are learning to identify their names, they can also use the name
cards throughout the day if they need help writing their names.
Second One:
You must have a
chart on the wall with the name tags fixed with the Velcro or just tape.
|
BOYS
|
GIRLS
|
|
Joushua
|
Maria
|
|
Abel
|
Ishita
|
|
Sam
|
Sarah
|
|
Arush
|
Nabila
|
|
|
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|
When students come in, they pull their name tag from the
attendance chart and Velcro it to their desks. You can then easily look at the
chart and tell if someone is absent.
Talk about the children who are absent, create a “who’s
missing chart.”
Think about approaches to taking attendance that may
support mathematical and literacy thinking, e.g., counting the number of
children at school today, working out the number of children who are not at school today,calling out the names phonetically eg: a/a/a/a Arush...etc..
Give it a try and let me know your thoughts!
