NOTE: I wrote a blog post about this that gets into a little more detail and it can be found HERE
I have to start by mentioning that this is the one intervention that kids hate at first, but then ask for it when I wean them off of it. They will be like, “No, no, no, you can have me do the To-Do sheets, just be more relaxed with the consequences”. I have even had kids go off to college and ask me to send them a copy of this to help them stay organized. This is basically just a very structured way to take all of what you have to do (abstract) and put it into very clear terms.
In its essence, the To-Do form is a daily sheet that outlines what a student will do that evening for homework. It outlines the supplies needed, time needed, how they will know they are done, etc. And then the parent signs it off and we are good to go.
Nuts and Bolts
Students have to fill it out with me during the day at some point and I have to see it before they leave (i.e. they can’t print it on Moodle and fill it out with mom at home). If they don’t do that, or don’t bring it in the next day they have lunch detention all week. This can work out cool if it’s like a Wednesday, but not so cool if it’s a Monday.
Rewards…..On the other hand. Every 5th day in a row that they turn in the sheet they get a pass (detention, late, etc.). Also, if they are doing a “weekly” that monitors this, they will get a ‘yes’ for the To-Do sheet area if they are all turned in and will get full privelages at home.
I try to make it as easy as possible for parents because I know they are busy, stressed, don’t know what teachers are teaching, etc. So their box on the form is small and it says very objectively and explicitly what they need to see in order to verify that it’s done and then sign the sheet.
There are some blank sheets and for others I have a 5 day study plan and prefilled in sheets. We tend to just go with the blank ones though because it’s easier for me and the students.
There is also a log for who turns it in. This can be handy for when you have several students doing this and you want to keep track to add to their weeklies, or to give them a pass every fifth day, etc.
Background
To illustrate the need that some students have for this intervention, I started doing this sheet with my first Resource / Learning Center student on the verge of getting kicked out of school. We started doing it about two months before he was to possibly get kicked out of school if his grades didn’t improve. The first day we did it, after careful consideration, he put one thing on the list of things he was going to do that day when he got home. I looked at him and was like, “You are two steps from getting kicked out of school and this is the only thing you can think of to do from 2:15pm until you go to bed at 10 or later?!?!” He was like, “Well, maybe I could study for that Bio quiz tomorrow”. So from the first day I saw how much help students needed in planning their study time out of school. Before that point I kind of left it up to them.