Attendance Reflection Worksheet

Instructions: Reflect on your attendance experiences, discuss with a partner, and set a clear goal. Refer to the strategies from Attendance Presentation Slides as needed.

1. Personal Attendance History

How many classes have you missed in the last 4 weeks? List the approximate dates and number of days missed:

2. Reasons for Absence

What were the top 3 reasons you missed class? Describe each briefly:

3. Academic Impact

Explain how these absences affected your learning. Provide at least one specific example (e.g., missed assignments, difficulty understanding new concepts):

4. Strategies to Improve Attendance

Choose two strategies from the mini-presentation or your own ideas. For each, explain how it could help you attend more consistently:

• Strategy 1:

• Strategy 2:

5. Pair Discussion Insight

With your partner, share one new idea or insight about attendance. Write down the most helpful point you heard:

6. Your Attendance Goal

Write one specific, measurable attendance goal for the upcoming week:

Attendance Warm-Up

Quick Poll & Brainstorm (2 minutes)

• Ask students to raise their hands if they missed any classes last week.
  - Record the total on the whiteboard under “Reasons for Absences.”
  - Invite volunteers to share why they were absent (e.g., illness, appointments, transportation issues).
  - Jot each reason on the board to build a class-generated list of common challenges.

This warm-up engages students immediately and surfaces authentic reasons for absences, setting the stage for deeper discussion on solutions and strategies.

Attendance Cool-Down

Duration: 3 minutes

1. Write Your Goal
   • On your sticky note, write one specific, measurable attendance goal for the upcoming week.
   • Use a SMART-style sentence (e.g., “By Friday, I will arrive before the bell every day”).

1. Reflect Briefly
   • Under your goal, answer in one sentence: Why is this goal meaningful to me?

1. Share & Display
   • Turn to a neighbor and take 30 seconds each to share your goal and reason.
   • Place your sticky note on the Attendance Goals Board or keep it in your planner as a reminder.

Great job! Remember that small, consistent steps build big habits.

Attendance Discussion (3 minutes)

Objective: Students will share insights from their pair discussions, deepen understanding of attendance challenges, and collaboratively build a set of strategies to improve consistency.

Discussion Guidelines

• Speak one at a time and listen respectfully.
  - Build on classmates’ ideas: start with “I agree because…” or “Another perspective is…”
  - Keep comments concise (30–60 seconds) so everyone has a turn.

Discussion Prompts

1. Share Your Insight
   
   • Invite 2–3 pairs to share the most helpful point from their worksheet (“Pair Discussion Insight”).
     
     Follow-up: Why do you think that idea stood out?
2. Identify Common Challenges
   
   • Refer to the whiteboard column “Challenges.”
     
   • Ask: Which challenge do you see most often among classmates?
     
     Follow-up: Why might that challenge be hard to overcome?
3. Brainstorm Strategies
   
   • Refer to the whiteboard column “Strategies” and the list on Attendance Presentation Slides.
     
   • Prompt: What additional ideas or tweaks could make these strategies more effective?

Deeper Questions (if time allows)

• How does consistent attendance relate to skills you’ll need after high school?
  - What role can friends or family play in helping you meet your goals?
  - How can our school community support students facing barriers (e.g., transportation, health)?

Teacher Wrap-Up

• Summarize key challenges and strategies on the whiteboard.
  - Emphasize that no single strategy fits all—encourage students to mix and match.
  - Transition to the cool-down: “Now that we’ve discussed these ideas, let’s set a personal goal to put them into action.”

Use this discussion to reinforce a collaborative classroom culture and empower students to take ownership of their attendance goals.