What are your thoughts on it? I feel like kiddos are in school all day so homework should be kept at a minimum. I would prefer none at all except on long holiday breaks.
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Not a fan - they are in school for 6 hours a day and I think that is more than enough.
Reading every night should be their homework
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Homework that reinforces the lesson and can later aid in quiz or test prep is great in my book. I don't think busy work is helpful just for the sake of giving kids something to do at home. For young kids, K-2nd, I don't think homework needs to be given every day for every subject. If my child wasn't getting take home assignments or was always able to find time to complete them in school by 3rd grade I would be concerned.
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@Mrs. Lemon-Lime: why would you be concerned?
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Research shows that about 10 min per grade level is appropriate. 3rd grade = 30 min, 6th grade= an hour, etc. If it is designed to reinforce skills, it's great. I have very mixed feelings about reading logs.
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I'm not a fan of busywork that forces parents to do the homework for them. I don't think homework at the kinder level or 1st grade is necessary.
I don't recall getting any homework until the 4th grade, but i was usually able to finish my work at school.
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@DesertDreams88: that's how our school words it as well 10 mins in 1st, 20 in 2nd, etc.
However it literally takes 3 mins usually in 1st gradeWhat don't you like about reading logs?
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@DesertDreams88: What are your thoughts on reading logs? When do they start them nowadays?
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@DesertDreams88: I totally agree with this recommendation. I am equally love/hate with reading logs haha
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I *think* in NY they start state wide testing at 3rd grade, so that's when I think age appropriate homework should be.
ETA: no homeworks during vacations!
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I think some homework, probably along the lines of 10 minutes per grade level an be beneficial. I think it can reinforce the material, give an opportunity for parents to get involved, and create a dialog between parent and kid about what they're learning. I'm thinking along the lines of practicing spelling words and some math word problems, not just a stack of worksheets.
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I am very anti-homework. I think lessons should be taught and reinforced in the class, not at home. I don't bring my work home and have to do it after dinner, my kid shouldn't have to do that either.
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@LindsayLou: this exactly. I like the idea of homework because it will give me an opportunity to engage with my children on what they are learning at school.
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@LindsayLou: @Truth Bombs: my favorite homework of the week is Thursday's - its called "Ask me" and there are 10 questions like "Ask me what my favorite book was by the author XX" or "Ask me what a math family is"
Its a nice way to learn about his week
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@regberadaisy: its 3rd grade in PA too!
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@Mamaof2: if my kid was always able to complete homework at school that would signal a) he was using recess to work instead of playing & interacting with other kids or b) the teacher's lesson was too short and purposely allotted for kids to start homework at school or c) he was able to finish his school work and homework at the same time and perhaps needed to be challenged more. There are probably other things to consider, but homework at 3rd grade seems more than reasonable to me. I don't want homework at that age to be an all night thing, but 30-60 minutes worth of work is fine.
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@Truth Bombs: Exactly. Some kids, my stepson included, will just shrug their shoulders and say they don't remember when you ask what they learned today. A few minutes of homework starts a conversation, and gives them a chance to show off what they can do and be proud. It's also helpful to see what areas they might be struggling in, so you can provide some supplemental help. Conferences and checking in with the teacher is great, but knowing exactly where your kid is at with the material on a daily basis is invaluable.
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@Mamaof2: That's exactly the kind of homework I think is appropriate! Something that engages kids with what they're learning and gives them a chance to share.
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@Mamaof2: love that! If I ever teach lower elementary, I'll have to remember it for sure!
@ShootingStar: haha that's definitely a factor that teachers think nothing about, since our job inherently requires taking home work!
For all of the people that think that there shouldn't be homework, I hope you understand the difficult pressure that most teachers face in regards to test scores... testing should not dictate our educational decisions, but since testing affects our admin's perception of our abilities and district's/state's perception of our school.... it's a difficult pressure to balance.
Assigning homework is usually necessary independent practice because they don't get enough time in school anymore. Testing, assemblies, picture days, special events, all of those things eat into instructional time more and more and it's difficult to accomplish with the state / the district / your principal wants you to do, and what you believe you should do, in the time that you were given. Also, at least in my school, most of the kids are very below grade level in part due to lack of any enrichment/teaching ages 0-5. Even our kindergarten teachers have to play lots of catch-up, and the gap gets worse as they progress though the grades.
Excuse the run on sentences, I'm typing one handed.
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@Mamaof2: see something like that i wpuld be completely ok with it.
i want tp hear About my lo day without spending precious time on worksheets. Their little brains need a break!
I remember as a kid 5th grade and up spending hours dpong homework bc we were boggled down with assignments at my school. It also took me longer then the average kid tp complete them and often had to wait til my dad got home drom work (or wake up super early if he worked late) to do my math homework bc i didn't understand it. looking back at such a young age, i think that was ridiculous amount of stress, work and pressure put on by my public school.
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@regberadaisy: well then, that brings up the question if high stakes testing in third grade is appropriate
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@LindsayLou: @Truth Bombs: plus just knowing what your kid is learning in school is important. I remember both of my parents providing additional input on topics they felt were glossed over. Homework also allows parents to reinforce values like not giving up just because something is hard. For some reason math homework always seemed to have a little twist that wasn't taught in class, but was sure to be on the test.
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When I was a kid, we didn't have homework until 5th or 6th grade. I know my son will have homework when he starts school this fall. It's not much, like a page a day. The 10 minute per grade rule that people have mentioned sounds appropriate.
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@Mamaof2: @Freckles:
Pros of reading logs: Sometimes it pushes students to read more, it can encourage parents & children reading together, it can motivate students who are goal-oriented or reward-oriented, it gives a structure for regular reading.
Cons of reading logs: It can make students think that reading is "work" and not an enjoyable pasttime, it puts a burden on the parents (to sign it & observe it) when homework really should be on the kids, it focuses on quantity of reading and not quality (quality=discussions of the text, thinking about the text, etc).
Reading logs also rely on extrinsic motivation, which (research shows) decreases intrinsic motivation. Now, I know tons of things in life and parenting rely on extrinsic motivation (sticker charts, potty rewards, timeouts, paychecks, etc) BUT I think we have to be very judicious and careful about using extrinsic rewards, and make sure they are always accompanied by conversations about the intrinsic value.
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@DesertDreams88: ah I get it! We started reading logs in the 4th grade but honestly I hated them bc I really loved books and would read 1-2 books a day. My log would have numerous pages filled out and it was just a reason for kids to tease me.
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As a 5th grade ELA & SS teacher, this is what I did for reading logs... I used reading logs off and on my first couple of years, quickly made it optional. Each reading log was an entry into our "reading raffle" and I would pull raffle tickets weekly. Students could choose from the prize box, which had cheap books, school supplies, and privilege passes.
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@LindsayLou: @Truth Bombs: good point. I don't like the idea of homework but I can see my daughter coming home and not talking about her day after having to talk all day long. Homework will give us something to talk about.
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I very much dislike reading logs for many reasons. I don't know one reluctant reader who has fallen in love with reading because of a log. There are many ways we can encourage non readers, but none of them involve a log.
Even for avid readers, logs are tedious and a pain. I read like crazy as a kid, yet my mom would still be panicking in the drop off line at school and fudging titles so I would get my "prize". Life is too busy to record every book. Books are too enjoyable to log every minute.
Homework in elementary should be reading in whatever form promotes the most enjoyment - reading picture books, graphic novels, blogs, newspaper, chapter books, audio books, being read to. I recommend 20-30 minutes for my K-2 students.
I also encourage my students to explore passion projects as "homework" - an ongoing project that they design, research and present on their own time that is 100% driven by their interests. There's no requirements for this, nor does it count towards their grade, but I have seen some INCREDIBLE results and projects from my elementary students on everything from Minecraft to the physics of Hockey to journalism to veterinary medicine.
Overall, I want my students to enjoy time with their family , participate in extra curricular activities, and even spend time doing absolutely nothing if that's what helps them relax and unwind at the end of an already long day
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@DesertDreams88: as a parent, I feel like 3rd grade is too young for mandatory testing. But as a child I don't remember it being a big deal to me. And obviously hasn't had any detrimental effect in my life long term.
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What is the educator's view on packages of work to complete over the course of the week versus daily homework?
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I think homework at K-2 is totally unnecessary. Starting in 3rd grade, a small amount of homework is good for subjects where you need a lot of practice to understand a concept--language, math. It's not enough practice to say, learn the words for the kitchen area in Spanish in a 30 minute lesson and then never see/think about it again and expect the next day for the kids to go on to the next lesson and retain any of the previous knowledge without the practice homework offers.
I only think there's an issue where teachers teach different subjects and assign homework with no regard for what other teachers are also assigning homework--but at the school districts I've worked in, that's easily solved by the grade levels discussing who assigns homework when.
I personally hate the "family project" type homework where you are supposed to do it with your kiddo--because I feel like that's homework for me, and my life is hectic enough. Maybe I will appreciate it when LO is older, but when our daycare sends that stuff home, I'm a Grinch and just don't do it. She's only 2.5 and one week her homework was to draw flags that represent where her parents are from. She's 2.5! She's working on simple stuff, like drawing shapes and faces and letters--she can't draw a lion holding a sword on a field of several blocks of colors!
just no.
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I'm ambivalent on homework. It depends much more on the "what" rather than the "how much" regarding whether it's a good idea or not.
As for reading logs, I'm in the "firmly opposed" camp if we're talking about ones where you tally up books solely by the number of books read. A tally does not account for quality, and I suspect that it usually works in opposition to the goal of getting children to read excellent books. I think most parents would prefer that their child read one really excellent book that challenges them and takes time instead of a bunch of mediocre ones that they can just plow through.
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@looch: I'm torn on this. I know it is more convenient for families, but I feel like the work loses its authenticity. I might send home math practice that ties in directly with what I taught that day...so if I send a sheet home on Monday but we aren't learning the corresponding material until Thursday it isn't really beneficial. And I am pretty anti-homework as a teacher, so if I'm sending it home I want it to be worthwhile.
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@Mrs. Lion: Thanks for your input!
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@DesertDreams88: @Charm54: @Mrs. Lion:
I would love some suggestions for how to handle 1st grade reading logs. For K it was optional and with a new baby we just did our nightly reading (most often before bed and us reading to her). Now in 1st I know she needs more independent time but her love of books right now is from the longer stories we read to her nightly. I hate to ruin that because she feels like she has to trudge through a boring early reader book just to get her mark on her reading log.
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For my students, we read different genres so they only record when finished with the book and the genre they read. I host a Biography tea when they are done with first book to launch the year's genre study. Parents may help the child come up with a prop or costume to help child present their story (report) of who they are and life gleaned from reading at the 'White House' gathering. This year, I am planning to host at the (imaginary) governor's mansion.
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@T.H.O.U.: I have only taught upper grades and the kids were allkwed to read whatever they wanted at night, so I am not much help. At our school though the goal was enjoyment of books and vocabulary exposure, so as your child's teacher I would want you doing whatever she enjoyed. I would definitely talk to the teacher and see what the goal is. If it is building fluency then the leveled book may be important. Maybe you could do MW leveled book, TTh family book?
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@T.H.O.U.: I would have a conversation with the teacher asking to be exempt from the reading log this year. I would assure the teacher that you will be reading nightly with your daughter and if at any time he/she has concerns about your Dd's reading progress to contact you.
That being said, it is important for your Dd to read books by herself, too. You might want to set up a routine where she reads a book to you first, then you read the longer chapter book to her. And it doesn't always have to be those early readers (though those are great practice for fluency/sight words)- she can pick any picture book (even if she can't yet read the words) and retell a familiar story or read the pictures. A lot of meaning making and comprehension work happens when she does that, too. The goal is to get her seeing herself as a reader in every sense of the word.
Long story short, I bet a conversation with the teacher would clear up the hassle of the reading log. They likely just want to ensure your child is being exposed to literacy at home, which your daughter clearly is!
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@T.H.O.U.: Have you asked a librarian for some companion book ideas that might be interesting for your daughter based on the book that you are reading aloud to her?
There has got to be something out there that is similar enough to be interesting to her that she might want to explore it on her own.
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@T.H.O.U.: reading logs are new to me - so the teacher is more concerned with the number of books the child reads vs. the minutes spent reading?
Our logs are monthly - they are expected to read at least 20 mins a day for 20-25 days a month - my kids put a sticker on the sheet each night they read and turn it in at the end of the month for a prize
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48 comments