*******************************************************************************
Beginning in third grade, homework is the child’s responsibility and they are able to do all of their homework independently or we wouldn’t assign it. Tricky stuff that they need help with is our idea of classwork, where they have us and their peers for support. In third grade and beyond, parents’ role is to provide an opportunity each night for kids to do their homework. This means setting a time, quiet place, and materials/computer time for your child. If assignments are not getting completed, we will intervene with your child and offer some consequences here at school. We believe that your evenings should be spent as happy family time.
*******************************************************************************
Q: We don’t know our child’s password or login info.
A: Check the inside cover of your child’s planner. There are labels there with login info. Students usually practice logging in several times in class before we have them do it at home.
Q: My child practiced but didn’t log in. Or he/she practiced but you said it’s not showing on your side.
A: Kids have to log in so that we can monitor their progress and mastery of skills. You and your child can and should check your child’s log as well. Ask us and other kids to troubleshoot this problem with you and your child ASAP!
Q: I don’t know how to work Google Classroom.
A: You don’t have to know. Your child is supposed to know. We do it in class all the time. If your child cannot do it, just let us know and we will go over it again with your child at school. Sometimes, it is a matter of being familiar with a particular device at school and it looking different on a home device.
Q: There is a lot of homework.
A: The good news is that this is our homework pattern for the remainder of this year and next year, so once kids get in the swing of it and work out a weekly routine, there are few surprises. If your child is working for longer than 45 minutes (including reading time), please email us.
*******************************************************************************
Our goal for students is that they are independent in turning in their paperwork. While we do remind students where to store papers, when to check pockets for work that is due, where to put the homework, and ample time to organize, we do not make it a habit to take papers from the kids’ hands or folders. Eventually, students are able to take their completed work to the turn-in trays and file them accordingly for us to grade. Independence takes time, patience, and teaching! We each have a set of plastic trays in the back of the room that are labeled by subject. Students are responsible for making sure their names are on their papers and then for putting them in the appropriate tray. We are also moving more and more toward submitting assignments electronically.
As we mention at Back to School Night, if students do not complete their homework or just want some help, they will have the opportunity to eat lunch with us and to complete their homework (including Spelling City) during lunchtime and recess time in our rooms. When the homework is done, the student may return to lunch and recess. We have received many appreciative comments from parents for supporting moms and dads as they encourage their children to finish homework.
Most of our homework is skills practice time and finishing up classwork.
Most of our homework is skills practice time and finishing up classwork.
Math Facts: 15 minutes per day, 5 days per week. Work on addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division. If you are unsure of the grade level's speed and accuracy goals, please email us. Use www.xtramath.com and resources on the BCS34 wiki (link on right side of this page).
Spelling: We use http://www.spellingcity.com/ during the 2nd and 3rd quarters of the school year. We will provide your child log in information and directions. You can view your child's practice log and test scores at any time by logging in.
Math: Your child will use Compass Learning all year, 30 minutes per week OR MORE. Often there will be certain skills assigned for homework each week or each unit to correspond with in class work. This is an amazing site to practice math skills. We will provide your child log in information early in the year. You can view your child's practice log, scores, skill mastery, and many additional reports at any time by logging in.
Reading: Each child should be reading a MINIMUM of 20 minutes per night (3rd graders) or 30 minutes (4th graders). Reading anything counts! Kids can read alone, with a parent, or be read to. Research shows that the most growth in a child's reading happens when they have lots of reading time AT or BELOW their independent (easy) reading level--the one written on your child's report card and the letter at which your child gets books from our book room here at school each week.
When parents have questions about homework, we recommend that they first talk with their child and then ask your child to check with us the next day. If you are not satisfied with your child’s response, please email us and we can collaborate to help your child be more independently responsible for their homework. A lot of parents like to write their children reminder notes in the child’s planner. This is very helpful towards fostering independence!
*******************************************************************************
MONITORING YOUR CHILD’S HOMEWORK
By far, the area with which parents of third and fourth graders request the most support is homework. As teachers, we assume that if we see completed, correct homework that your child has done it independently and then had small help from you to “polish” it up. Two popular homework issues are (A) parents doing homework for their children and (B) children engaging parents in a battle over homework. We are here to help you avoid both.
Homework time should mirror classroom work time. Your child is able to work independently and successfully at school receiving only 1/27th of the teacher’s attention. The teacher shows the assignment to your child, explains the task your child is expected to do, encourages your child to ask questions to clarify what is expected of him/her, and then your child works on his/her own. The teacher periodically checks in with your child to ask, “How is it going?” When work time is over, the teacher and the child check in with each other to discuss what he/she got accomplished and what the next steps will be.
Homework time should be very similar. The following routine helps eliminate dawdling, whining, and other battles from your child over homework.
1) Have one-on-one time with your child at the beginning of homework time to discuss what he/she will be getting done. Try asking your child to estimate how long a task will take to complete. Setting a timer will then help your child to build their time management skills as they measure how long a task actually required.
2) Then, your child should work independently. It works best for most kids at this age if you leave the room. Worried that your child won’t work while you’re not watching him/her? Peek on him/her every 5-10 minutes and offer quick, quiet praise if your child is working. Not the case? If your child is off-task or just not producing work, ask in a non-judgmental voice, “How’s it going?” If you hear a complaint, ask, “Do you need any help?” or “How much longer do you think your math will take if you keep working at this pace?” Respond to him/her calmly and factually, then walk out of the room. (Provide very little attention and don’t get engaged in your child’s drama. Your child’s energy is meant to be on the task at hand--not to be directed at you.) If your child honestly needs help, try to keep it brief and focused to the assignment, and then when your child is back on track, leave him/her at it!
3) When your child completes the assignment, he/she should check in with you to show you that it is done and to ask any questions. This is your time to briefly “polish” the assignment as necessary. (Neat, complete, correct, capitals, punctuation?)
4) Provide natural consequences for doing high-quality homework efficiently. Usually, this means that your child will get to do or have something that he/she likes AFTER homework is completed, but if homework is a battle, then your child does not get to do or have that thing. Popular examples are tv time, video game time, computer time, snack, family game time, reading, or play time after homework gets done. Your child chooses how much time to spend each night on homework and how much on fun time.
Above all, please let us help you with homework time! If your child is resistant to working independently, let us know. We have many ways to support parents, and together, we can choose ways that work for your family.
*******************************************************************************
Here are some tried and true techniques to end the homework battle and to empower your child to be independent, responsible, and self-motivated!
Eight effective strategies:
www.teachervision.fen.com/teacher-parent-conferences/homework/5144.html
General Information and Strategies: www2.ed.gov/parents/academic/involve/homework/homeworktips.pdf
General Strategies:
www.middleweb.com/INCASEPrntHmwk.html
Our philosophy too:
www.pbs.org/parents/goingtoschool/helping_homework.html
Independence:
www.saratogafalcon.org/content/parents-doing-homework-not-beneficial-students
Responsibility:
http://www.loveandlogic.com/articles.html
Jim Fay and Robert Cline's book Parenting with Love and Logic
Dr. Robert MacKenzie’s book Setting Limits: How to Raise Responsible, Independent Children by Providing Clear Boundaries, has a great chapter called “The Homework Dance.” (All the other chapters are wonderful, too.)
