Teaching · For Tutors · and families

Fifteen minutes on Sunday,
no lost homework on Monday.

A clean-out you do once a week: empty the bag, give every paper a place, check supplies and pack for tomorrow. Each week is saved, so you can see what keeps going missing.

Start this week’s clean-outWhat you get

The weekly clean-out

The worked example is three weeks of a made-up sixth grader’s clean-outs. Your checks save as you go and stay in this browser.

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What you get

Teaching · For TutorsAlso for Academics · Subject ResourcesFree

What you finish with
A finished clean-out each week: an empty bag, every loose paper sorted to turn in, family, keep or recycle, folders, supplies and tech checked, and tomorrow packed; a record of weeks done, the average time and the items most often missing; a printable checklist for the fridge.
Who it is for
Students in grades 3 to 12 who lose papers or forget supplies, the parents who help them, and tutors teaching organization skills.
Format
Browser checklist; each week saves as its own clean-out. Prints a blank checklist, one week or every week; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The For Tutors space in Caveat Teaching; also listed in the Subject Resources space (for families helping at home).
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Pick the same day each week and start a new clean-out.
  2. Empty the whole bag, then add each loose paper and choose where it goes.
  3. Check folders, supplies and tech; anything marked missing shows under Fix before tomorrow.
  4. Pack for tomorrow and rate how ready you feel.
  5. After a few weeks, read Most often missing in the side panel and fix that one thing for good.

Start this week’s clean-out

A routine, not a big clean

Four places for every loose paperTurn inWork that isdue: in theclass folder’sturn-in sideFamilyForms to sign,notes, flyersthey needKeep at homeGraded work andnotes to studyfromRecycleMenus, oldflyers, scrapFour places for every loose paperTurn inWork that is due: inthe class folder’sturn-in sideFamilyForms to sign,notes, flyers theyneedKeep at homeGraded work andnotes to study fromRecycleMenus, old flyers,scrap
Sorting is the step that stops homework going missing: a finished paper with no home is the one that is not turned in.

Why weekly works

A clean-out that happens on the same day each week takes less time each time, because less builds up: the worked example falls from 31 minutes to 14 in three weeks. Doing it at the same time, with the same steps, is what turns it into a habit rather than a rescue.

For the adult helping

Sit beside, do not take over. Ask where each paper goes rather than sorting it yourself, and after a few weeks step back to checking the finished list. The side panel’s Most often missing is the thing to solve together, for example a charger that lives in the bag.

Sources

  1. Dawson, P., & Guare, R. (2018). Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents: A Practical Guide to Assessment and Intervention (3rd ed.). Guilford Press (organization routines, fading adult support).
  2. Langberg, J. M., et al. (2018). Overcoming the research-to-practice gap: A randomized trial with two brief homework and organization interventions for students with ADHD. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 86(1), 39–55.
  3. Lally, P., van Jaarsveld, C. H. M., Potts, H. W. W., & Wardle, J. (2010). How are habits formed: Modelling habit formation in the real world. European Journal of Social Psychology, 40(6), 998–1009.
  4. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Parenting tips for school-age children (cdc.gov).

The worked example is made up. Checks stay in this browser until you print or export them. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.