Weekly homework packets will be sent home in students B.E.E. (Bring-Everything-Everyday) folders on Monday and homework packets are due Friday.
Homework time guidelines:
~ 10 minutes on spelling/math packet
~ 10 minutes of reading each night (20 minutes on 20 days of the month is our goal!)
Below is an article that gives some great homework information and suggestions.
Adapted from the article:
Homework: A Guide for Parents By Peg Dawson, EdD, NCSP
Seacoast Mental Health Center, Portsmouth, NH
Many teachers believe
that assigning homework offers other benefits besides contributing to school achievement.
Homework teaches children how to take responsibility for tasks and how to work independently. That
is, homework helps children develop habits of mind that will serve them
well as they proceed through school and, indeed, through life. Specifically,
homework helps children learn how to plan and organize tasks, manage time, make
choices, and problem solve, all skills that contribute to effective functioning
in the adult world of work and families.
Reasonable Homework Expectations: It is
generally agreed that the younger the child, the less time the child should be
expected to devote to homework. A general rule of thumb is that children do 10
minutes of homework for each grade level. Therefore, first graders should be
expected to do about 10 minutes of homework, second graders 20 minutes, third
graders 30 minutes, and so on. If your child is spending more than 10 minutes per
grade level on work at night, then you may want to talk with your child's
teacher about adjusting the workload.
Strategies to Make Homework Go More Smoothly: There
are two key strategies parents can draw on to reduce homework hassles. The
first is to establish clear routines around homework, including when and where
homework gets done and setting up daily schedules for homework. The second is
to build in rewards or incentives to use with children for whom "good
grades" is not a sufficient reward for doing homework.
Homework Routines: Tasks are easiest to
accomplish when tied to specific routines. By establishing daily routines for
homework completion, you will not only make homework go more smoothly, but you
will also be fostering a sense of order your child can apply to later life,
including college and work.
Step 1. Find
a location in the house where homework will be done. The
right location will depend on your child and the culture of your family. Some
children do best at a desk in their bedroom. Other children become too
distracted by the things they keep in their bedroom and do better at a place
removed from those distractions, like the dining room table. Some
children need to work by themselves. Others need to have parents nearby to help
keep them on task and to answer questions when problems arise. Both you and
your child need to discuss pros and cons of different settings to arrive at a
mutually agreed upon location.
Step 2. Set
up a homework center. Once
you and your child have identified a location, fix it up as a home
office/homework center. Make sure there is a clear workspace large enough to
set out all the materials necessary for completing assignments. If possible,
the homework center should include a calendar, agenda, or bulletin board on
which your child can keep track of long-term assignments.
Step 3. Establish
a homework time. Your child should get in the
habit of doing homework at the same time every day. The time may vary depending
on the individual child. Some children need a break right after school to get
some exercise and have a snack. Others need to start homework while they
are still in a school mode. It is usually best to get homework done either
before dinner or as early in the evening as the child can tolerate.
Step 4. Establish
a daily homework schedule. In
general, the homework session should begin with a review of all the
assignments. Make sure your child understands them and has all the necessary
materials. Ask your child to estimate how long it will take to complete each
assignment. If your child needs help with any assignment, then this should be
determined at the beginning so the parent will be available for assistance.
Incentive Systems: Many children are motivated by
the high grade they hope to earn as a result of doing a quality job. For some
children who are not motivated by grades, parents will need to look for other
rewards to help them get through their nightly chores. Incentive systems fall
into two categories: simple and elaborate.
Simple incentive systems. The
simplest incentive system is reminding the child of a fun activity to do
when homework is done. It may be a favorite television show, playing
outside, riding a bike, spending time with a video/computer game, talking on
the phone, texting a friend, or playing a game with a parent. Having something
to look forward to can be a powerful incentive to get the hard work done.
Elaborate incentive systems. These
involve more planning and more work on the part of parents but in some cases
are necessary to address more significant homework problems. More complex
incentives systems might include a structure for earning points that could be used
to "purchase" privileges or rewards or a system that provides greater
reward for accomplishing more difficult homework tasks. These systems work best
when parents and children together develop them. Giving children input gives
them a sense of control and
ownership, making the system more likely to succeed.
Building in breaks. These are
good for the child who cannot quite make it to the end without a small reward
en route. When creating the daily homework schedule, it may be useful with
these children to identify when they will take their breaks. Some children
prefer to take breaks at specific time intervals (every 15 minutes), while
others do better when the breaks occur after they finish an activity.
Building in choice. This can
be an effective strategy for parents to use with children who resist homework.
Choice can be incorporated into both the order in which the child agrees to
complete assignments and the schedule they will follow to get the work done.
Building in choice not only helps motivate children but can also reduce power
struggles between parents and children.
Write a homework contract. The
contract should say exactly what the child agrees to do and exactly what the
parents' roles and responsibilities will be. When the contract is in place, it
should reduce some of the tension parents and kids often experience around
homework. Parents should also be sure to acknowledge their children in a
positive way for following the contract.
Adaptations and Further
Support: Suggestions provided in this handout will need to be adapted to the
particular age of your child. Greater supervision and involvement on the part
of parents is the norm with children during the elementary school years, while,
by high school, most parents find they can pull back and let their children
take more control over homework schedules. Middle school is often the turning
point, and parents will need to make decisions about how involved to be in
homework based on the developmental level of their children. If problems arise
that seem difficult at any age, consult your child's teacher or a school
psychologist.
Resources
Canter, l. (1993). Homework
without tears. New York: HarperPerennial. ISBN: 0062731327.
Dawson, P. (2001). Homework
problems and solutions, UnpubLished manual. For information on obtaining a
copy, contact Peg Dawson at her e-mail address (pLease be aware that e-mail
addresses may change): pegdawsolI(iiJcoIIICflsl.llei
Dawson, P., &
Guare, R. (2003). Executive skills in children and adolescents: A
practical guide to assessment and interventions.
New York: Guilford. ISBN:
1572309288.
Romain, T., &
Verdick, E. (1997). How to do homework without throwing up. MinneapoLis:
Free Spirit Publishing. ISBN:1575420112.
Judy Silvester, Ed.S, NCSP
School Psychologist
Discovery Elementary, Frontier Elementary,
Summerwind Elementary
