Get your lab book, lab sheet, colored pencils, ruler. So in one class period, we corrected the homework, worked on finishing a lab, and reviewed for the quest. Little time was wasted between checking the homework and doing the lab, and then the lab and review. Everything that the students needed was at hand, plus they knew what was next. Students are responsible for maintaining these papers.
Students come back and pick up their packet.
We have science 4 days a week. If the student is absent on a Monday or Tuesday, work is due Thursday. If the student is absent on a Wednesday or Thursday, work is due Tuesday. If students are gone more than 2 days in a row, special arrangements are made. When the students come in the first day of school, as they walk in, I randomly give them a letter and they find their seat.