Homework

First Grade Homework Guidelines 2017-2018

This year our school goal is to examine our homework guidelines. Our goal is to ensure homework is meaningful, family friendly, age-appropriate and inspires a love of learning in all students. Reading will be the focus for all students across Placentino. A weekly reading log will be sent home for your child to complete. Students should spend 10 minutes per night reading or being read to by a parent. We hope that the love of a story will spark conversations and promote storytelling.

Students can be read to, read independently or share their reading with another family member (or pet, stuffed animal). We will include some optional questions and discussion points to help deepen comprehension and make their reading more meaningful.

While reading is the primary focus, we understand many families have expressed an interest in extension opportunities to practice all skills and strategies students learn at school. We will provide optional extensions for math and reading that you and your child are welcome to explore.

Some optional activities can be found on our classroom web pages or on the Placentino webpage under “cool sites”.

These activities include; but are not limited to:

• Raz-Kids
• Lexia
• Spelling City
• Reading Street Practice

Throughout the year, reading may take on a variety of focuses that support classroom and school wide projects. Reading at home will allow your child to practice and give you an opportunity to be involved in your child's reading growth on a regular basis, while promoting a love of reading.

In our initial review of the research on the impact of homework on student learning, the most beneficial activity at the early education level is reading or being read to. Homework should be authentic, meaningful and engaging.

While working with your child, please encourage him/her to use the following reading strategies:

• Point to each word as your child reads it.
• Look at the picture if your child gets stuck on a word.
• Go back and re-read if your child gets confused or stuck on a word.
• Look for parts/chunks of a word that your child may recognize.
• Have your child get his/her mouth ready for the first sound in the word.
• Flip the vowel sound from the short vowel sound to the long vowel sound.
• Does it make sense?

Comprehension questions to ask after reading:

• What is the setting of the story?
• Who are the characters in the story?
• What is the plot of the story (first, next, then last)?
• What is the problem/solution in the story?
• What does this story make you think of (personal

connection, text to text connection)?

**Remember if any words become too frustrating for your child, please tell them the word.