Workboxes and Work Strips

This is Hali's work strip. It is 3 strips, has four Velcro slots each. I let her decorate her own so it will be personalized to and for her. When we come into class, we do the 3 P's. The prayer, preamble of the constitution, and the Pledge. Once we are done with that, they begin their work strips. If box #1 is listed on her strip, she goes over the the shelve and takes out the work that is in that box. She then takes the number off her strip and attaches it to the box with that coordinating number. At the end of the day, all the work boxes SHOULD have 2 numbers on them. That way I know everything is completed.












This is Abby's work strip. Here is it turned to the afternoon section. I cut out and used different signs and also have some blank cards that I can attach to hers. I put the fun activities in at the end of the day. For example this particular day, box number 7 had a wooden doll house that we are constructing.
I decided I didn't like the idea of the boxes laying about once they were empty, like the original work box system suggests. I know that this was a proven method for her, and will work for most. However with 5 of us in a classroom full of computer stations, manipulative's and books there was just no way.







This is Nicks work Strip. Customized just for him since he is such a football nut. I didn't do any pre-assigned or printed cards. The reason for this is that I don't feel that my senior should be micro-managed. He is well beyond the age where he should KNOW what is expected from him during the school day and perform to that level. So what I have done is use a dry erase marker and list the general things I want him to accomplish for the day. For example, the first card will say Story Prompt. For years my kids have written a creative story every morning based off of a starter I put on the dry erase board. The second card may say Rome, which is a unit study we are currently working on. The third may say SOS, which is the computer bases curriculum that we are using for 5 of our subjects. Number four strip may say work with Abby. He then knows that at some point I am expecting him to help her with the assignments that she can't do on her own. The next strip may include things like photojournalism, yearbook, graduation preparation and planning, sign language, or reading....

Aaron' work strip works just like Nicks. I have chosen NOT to micro mange him either. The reason is different however. Aaron will stay up late in the classroom and work on assignments for the next day. That way he has more time to work on the activities he loves, and for some strange reason (genetics, perhaps?) he does better work later in the evening. So for his strip I will include all the things I would for Nick, plus Aaron's extra electives. Once his work strip is done he is finished for the day. He is able to work at his own pace and is also learning how to be a self starter and a finisher of the objectives set before him.

So this is our work box and work strip story. I won't bother to show you the actual work boxes at this point because they are basic plastic bins, placed on a shelf, numbered 1-12 with an extra large bin for projects that are too big to put inside. In my opinion, its not the boxes that make this project~ I think any kind of box will do.