Homework
Philosophy
A small amount of homework is assigned each night for three reasons:
Students can benefit from independent practice of concepts taught during the school day. While homework cannot replace instruction in a classroom setting, it can reinforce what has been presented and allows students to experience material on an individual basis. This can help solidify the foundation and/or prompt further questioning that, in turn, promotes deeper understanding.
Homework is one of only a few available vehicles for students to learn responsibility, accountability, the meaning of consequences, organization, and perseverance. These are the qualities necessary for students to succeed in middle school and beyond. Our goal is to send students to middle school who are well prepared for the level of responsibility and self-reliance they will most likely be needing.
We feel that assigning homework allows us to communicate with parents about what students are learning and how individual students are performing. Although parents should not be involved in students completing homework, they should take the time to review what students have done. This offers parents a taste of the content of learning and whether or not the student is struggling.
Policy
Students can expect an average of 30 minutes of homework per night, depending on speed and disruptions at home. It is important for students to establish a consistent homework routine. Our recommendation is for students to complete homework directly after school. Day planners are specifically designed to help students stay organized and diligent about what assignments are due. We recognize that students have numerous other commitments after school, but we believe time spent on education is among the most important. Please help your student by planning a manageable amount of after-school activities. Please use planners to foster real-life management skills by helping your child track after school club meetings, sport and music commitments, and family appointments in the planner, just as adults do with their calendars.
Homework is expected to be done independently. This includes daily homework, weekly assignments, and long term projects. Fifth graders are more than capable of doing the assigned work in the expected timeframe.
Homework volume and assignment difficulty are adjusted based on student needs. If parents have concerns about homework volume and/or difficulty, please let your teacher know as soon as possible. Based on a needs assessment and reflection by both student and parents, further adjustments can be made.
For homework to be considered complete, it should be taken home, finished according to instruction and to the expected level of quality, AND returned to school. If homework is incomplete or left at home, conversations will serve as a reminder about important qualities, such as accountability and responsibility, that seeing a task through to the end is intended to promote.
Optional Parent Assigned Homework Resources
Real life applications proven to correlate to student success:
read together
playing strategic board games
eating together as a family
playing outside
writing/emailing extended family members
writing grocery lists
journaling highs and lows from the weekend
independent reading time each night
English Language Arts
Discovery Education (found in MyCherryCreek in the MyLibrary section)
Math