True/False: Students always bring their materials to class?

False! We all have that one student would drives us up the walk because they never bring a pencil, pen, paper, or textbook to class. Admit it, you got frustrated because Tommy did not bring a pencil 12 days in a row. I always have a pencil to spare for students, but I get rather annoyed when they begin to abuse my "generosity."

                         

I always have something there, behind my ear! Anyway, I did finally give up the pencil war before the end of the year, my first year I supplied my students with 9 boxes of 24 count pencils, 2 boxes of 144 count pencils, and 9 boxes of 36 count pens. that is over 800 pencils and pens. I must also say this does not include the large box of pencils and pens my dad collect for me over the years while working as a janitor at a local high school. So, in all, i supplied over 1500 pencils and pens this year alone! That is CRAZY!!!! So, this battle ... can it be won? Everyday students "forget" to bring their pencils, pens, paper, binders, textbooks, calculators, and homework to class and we do the single most stupid thing! we either give it to them or allow them to go get it with little to no consequence, thus creating a more epic problem later! I have thought long and hard about this problem and how I hope to fix it! (or crawl in a corner and cry cause it failed!) so what do I plan to do? 

1) In the syllabus, I am going to put the following statement in the grading section. " Each student is expected to bring to class everyday the following materials -- a pencil, their binder filled with loose-leaf paper, their textbook, their textbook and their calculator. If they do not bring each of their materials daily, 3 points will be deducted from their daily homework grade for EACH item they do not bring to class.

Altogether that is five items and if they do not bring them they will loose 15 points from their homework grade. Which could result in a very low grade if it is an assignment, I decide to grade for correctness. 

2) If a student does not bring their homework to class or does not do their homework, I will make them fill out the "Why did I not do my homework?" report. Since I value my time in the classroom, I will check student homework as they walk into the door. This way I can do 2 things, take roll quickly and check to see if they did their homework. If they did not do their homework, I will give them the  "Why did I not do my homework?" report, which I will take up and put in their student file. 

3) I will use an idea my mentor teacher taught me, if I loan out a pencil it will have a little duct tape flag at the top, so I can keep track of each pencil i have loaned out. also the idea has surfaced on Pinterest. 

                              

how do you coax your students to bring their materials? Suggestions?