Homework

Homework: How much is too much? (click the link for the video)

Homework should not take more than 20 minutes per day (not including reading). Time at home with families is important and shouldn't be spent on hours and hours of homework. Trust me, we do plenty of work at school.

Benchmark Advance: With our language arts curriculum, the homework will be sent home after each unit is completed. There will be activities to complete daily, but you will need the consumable textbook we use in class. The first 20 days of school the curriculum has imbedded the routines and procedures necessary for the curriculum. Which means, the first unit does not begin until after 4 weeks of school. Each unit is 3 weeks, so expect to see the first activity calendar, along with their consumable textbook to go home around the first week of October. Research shows that consistent, quality home reading fosters strong reading skills. The reading workbooks and activity calendar will give parents the opportunity to listen to their child read, model fluency and good expression, and discuss about what they are reading. All of this helps promote a “pleasure connection” with reading for your child.

Reading: Students should be reading 20 minutes everyday. I am not requiring a reading log this year. Instead of a reading log at home students record their reading at school along with their personal reading goals. Students will also use the Accelerated Reading (AR) program to keep track of their independent reading levels and comprehension of the books they are reading independently through online tests. Parents will have access to all their AR quizzes online.

Reading Response Journal: I recommend giving your child a notebook they can use as a reading response journal instead of doing a reading log. They can write quotes they think are funny, write something new they learned from reading the book, or write whether or not they would recommend the book to their classmates and why, or write questions that arise as they are reading. They can also draw about what they have read. This is encourages reflection and comprehension of what they are reading.

Math: 2nd grade students will bring home their workbooks when we complete the unit in class. Inside their workbooks are black and white practice book pages that you can review with your child. I will also attach a cover letter including the new concepts we are learning for the next chapter and activities you can do at home. Each week your child will take a math fact quiz. They will move on to the next level when they get all the answers correct. Please check these quizzes and go over the facts that they have missed. Math fact fluency will make it a lot easier to learn the addition and subtraction up to 1,000 skill they will need to master by the end of the year.

Extra Practice: If I notice your child is struggling in an area, I will send additional work home. Typical things that may go home will be: site words on post-it notes or index cards, reading practice pages, extra "mighty math" or math fluency practice, reteach math pages, and so on. I will write a note on the top indicating that it is homework and needs to be returned within the next couple of days.

When is homework due?

Math and Language Arts homework takes about 3 weeks to complete. Once students compete them, they can turn it in for a stamp or sticker, but do require it. With busy schedules, work, and after school programs I am hoping to eliminate the stress over due dates on homework. Extra practice should be returned within a reasonable time since I may reassess whether the extra practice has helped your child learn the concept they are struggling with.

Homework Tips:

1. Have an organized space for your child to do their daily homework.
2. Have school supplies such as pencils, erasers, pencil sharpeners, and a journal ready and available for your child in their homework space.
3. Students should complete homework with the t.v. off so they can focus on what they are doing.
4. Help keep your child organized by checking their backpacks and making sure they are not storing assignments that have been returned or flyers and letters from the school.

Additional skills to work on at home:

1. 2nd Grade - Practice their addition and subtraction facts to 20 for fluency
2. Raz Kids - online reading program
3. Write a journal entry about their day
4. Write in their reading response journals
5. Play a game of Monopoly or Scrabble with your family
6. Watch a movie and have a discussion
7. Tell and/or draw a story
8. Follow a recipe and cook something together