Homework

Nightly homework should be an extension of what students are learning in class. I believe homework helps reinforce learning as well as student responsibility and accountability.

WHAT TO EXPECT:

• Homework will typically be assigned four days a week, Monday through Thursday
• Long term projects may require work to be done over the weekend
• Students will write their assignments in their Agendas and use their homework folders to bring assignments back and forth between home and school.
• How long it takes for your child to finish his/her homework will likely vary depending on content and difficulty. Forty-five minutes to an hour is the approximate time I aim for. If a certain night’s homework takes an unusually lengthy amount of time to complete, please let me know.
• Some assignments that can be expected weekly include:

1. 20 minutes (at the minimum) of reading at least 4 times a week. Each night of reading should be annotated onto their R.U.S.H Calendar, which will be turned into me at the end of each month.
2. Sadlier Vocabulary completed nightly with a quiz on every other Friday
3. Pearson Realize Math Workbook pages

STUDENT RESPONSIBILITIES:

• To neatly and accurately record your homework assignments in your Agenda and take his or her homework folder from school to home and back each day.
• To take home necessary books, notebooks, worksheets, and supplies
• To demonstrate your best effort on your homework (which means try everything, even if it’s tough!)
• To seek out support from a parent, sibling, friend, or teacher once you’ve first tried it on your own
• To keep your homework neat and legible and always write your name, date, and number on the top
• To pack all of your homework and supplies in your backpack to bring back to school (it helps to get packed up the night before and not wait until the morning.)
• To pass in your homework when you arrive in the morning
• To take responsibility for late or missing homework by letting Ms. Burnham know first thing in the morning and signing the Homework Book and returning the completed homework the next day

HOW PARENTS CAN HELP:

• Provide a calm, clean work area— perhaps a desk, kitchen table, bedroom, or living room
• Arrange a predictable time for homework to be completed
• Keep homework supplies handy (pencils, pens, crayons, scissors, calculator, ruler, dictionary, erasers, paper, pencil sharpener, tape, glue, white out)
• Check-in with your child as he/she works on his/her homework—but as I say, "Parents have already been through 5th grade." Please allow your child to work independently, and work through the challenges.
• Be prepared to provide your signature on study guides, tests, quizzes, project assignment sheets, and for R.U.S.H that are due on at the end of each month.

NO TEARS HOMEWORK POLICY:

If for any reason your child does not understand the homework and is feeling frustrated, please have YOUR CHILD write a note or send an e-mail explaining where they became confused and frustrated. I will be happy to sit down with him or her the next day and clear up any confusion.

HOMEWORK CHECK-IN:

Each morning the students are responsible for turning in their homework. If an assignment is missing or incomplete, students will stay in for recess until the homework assignment is turned in and complete. If missing homework becomes a persistent problem, I will arrange a conference to problem solve ways to improve the situation.

* MATH FACTS ÷:

It is essential for fifth grade students to become proficient with both their multiplication and division facts. Accurate and quick recall of math facts will reduce stress and frustration later in the year when we tackle more difficult and complex multiplication and division problems. As such, in the beginning of the school year students will frequently participate in oral and pencil and paper math fact drills to improve their skills as a class. These drills will end before Term 1 ends, however, you should continue to drill your child at home on a regular basis. Math facts are something that can be reviewed in the car, over breakfast, or between soccer games. Practice, practice, and more practice will help your child become a better student in math.