Collecting and checking homework has always been tedious for me. I used to have the students bring me their homework one table at a time during morning work and I would check it and return it to them on the spot. This was not really time effective. I have also had the students turn their homework into an "inbox" for me to check later, but I was not always able to check daily and then could not address problems when students did not turn their homework in on time.
I came across this idea while browsing on pinterest. I have a bin out in the classroom where students can deposit their homework each morning. There is a sign on the front that reminds them to check that their name is on their work and that they have completed all the problems. It also reminds them to move their name clothespin to the other side when they have dropped off their homework so that I will know I have theirs.
This has been very effective for me. If a student's pin is not moved, I can speak to them and discuss a consequence. I still do not always check the homework in time to return it the same day, but I can easily keep up with checking and returning homework, by simply moving the clothespins back to the next side for the next day.
