Homework

Why homework?

For me, there are 3 main purposes to homework:

1. To make connections between school and home so that students can have meaningful conversations with their family about what they are learning in school

2. To develop the skills of time management, organization, and planning – especially to prepare students for middle and high school, when homework loads are heavier (and the stakes for not completing it are higher)

3. To strengthen students' fluency with reading and math skills (for reinforcing skills they've learned in class, NOT for learning new skills)

For these reasons, I am very flexible when it comes to homework. It is not meant to be stressful, but rather to build up their capacities for managing unstructured work time. Assignments are introduced gradually, rather than all at once (see below). Some students are able to manage all of the homework right away; for others, it can be overwhelming at first. If homework is causing your child excessive stress, please reach out to me so we can modify their homework plan. 

Examples of modifications and supports:

• Reading for 15-20 minutes instead of 30 minutes per night (consistency is more important than number of minutes)

• Setting a timer for 15 minutes when sitting down to complete the math page, and stopping when the timer goes off, no matter how far they have gotten on the page (I don't want students spending an hour on a math page!)

• Daily check-ins with Ms. Q on homework progress

 Students should work with their parents to develop a consistent homework routine that works for them, and then try their best to stick to their routine! If your child forgets an assignment, or needs extra time to finish it, they shouldn't stress about it. Coach them to prepare to talk to me about it so we can make a plan together. Self-advocacy is also an important skill for them to development! 

Note: sometimes, students/parents ask me if they can have harder math homework. While I don't have the capacity to prepare different math homework for different students, if your child has math pages from another program (e.g. Russian Math) that they would like to complete in lieu of school homework, just reach out and ask. If I think they would benefit from completing the school-based homework, I'll let you know!

What are the assignments, and when are they due?

Homework is assigned each Monday and due the following Monday. On Monday, students will record the week’s homework in their Homework Planner. Therefore, students should keep their Homework Folder at home throughout the week; they do not need to bring it to school each day, only on Mondays.

Ms. Q's weekly homework typically includes:

• Reading (30 minutes per night, tracked in a log)

• 5 math pages (1 math page, or ~15 min, per night)

• Optional but encouraged: using Time4MathFacts 3-4x/week to memorize their multiplication/division facts. I have used this program for 4 years now, and every year, students are obsessed with this program; it feels like playing computer games to them, so they absolutely love it, but they're actually memorizing their math facts! 

Other Homework Notes:

• Unit 1 only: students also have a weekly social studies assignment (usually a family interview that takes about 20-30 total minutes to complete)

• No homework over holiday breaks!

Specials Homework:

• Mrs. Lechowski encourages students to practice typing 3 days/week for 10 minutes. She will share more information about this soon!

• Occasionally, Ms. Deb will give a brief science homework assignment (~1x/month)

Parents must sign two things each week:

• The Reading Log (every night)

• The student's Homework Planner (on Sunday evening, after the student has completed ALL of the homework assignments) – you only need to sign your initials in the "Monday" box, where the students write their assignments for the week

When will homework begin?

We will roll out homework gradually. This is a crucial moment to help your child establish their routines!

• Week of 9/15: Homework Planner + Reading Log

• Week of 9/22: Homework Planner + Reading Log + Social Studies

• Week of 9/29: Homework Planner + Reading Log + Social Studies + Math

• Week of 10/6: Homework Planner + Reading Log + Social Studies + Math + Homework Planning Guide (a one-time assignment)

How can I support my child with homework?

To support with homework routines:

• For the first few weeks of homework routines, I recommend daily check-ins to support them with building their independence and executive function skills. Check out the prompts below!

• Gradually, you can pull back the scaffolding ("gradual release"); maybe you only check in every-other-evening, or a few times a week. Of course, every Sunday, you should be checking in to talk about homework when you sign their Homework Planner.

• Positive reinforcement that emphasizes your child's efforts and growth with building their homework routines, even if they're not fully independent yet!

• After we have rolled out all of the key homework assignments and students have had a "taste" of 4th grade homework, they will get a "My Homework Plan" assignment, in which they create a homework plan with a parent to establish the nuts and bolts of their homework routine this year.

Questions to Ask Your Child About their Homework Routines:

Before homework:

• Do you have the materials you need?

• Do you understand what you need to do?

• Are there any words or directions you don't understand?

• What's your plan for getting your homework done?

• What do you need to feel ready to focus? Do you need a snack/water to give your brain fuel? Something else?

During homework: 

• What do you need help with? Be specific.

• Can we break the problem into smaller parts?

• Did you do a similar problem in class? What do you remember about it?

• Is there something you need to communicate to Ms. Q about your homework? Let's practice what you'll say to her tomorrow.

General homework routine reflection prompts:

• • What's working well with your routine? What's not working/challenging?

  • Is this spot an effective place for you to focus? Or do we need to try a new spot?

  • Is the homework schedule working for you, or do we need to adjust it?

I also provided all students with these two resources: a Homework Schedule Planner and a Daily Homework Checklist, both placed into sheet protectors so that they can use them over and over again with dry erase markers. These are their own resources to use at home! Should they need another, you can print these resources at home:

To support with homework content:

First, please note: The aim is for students to be able to complete homework mostly independently. Remember, when it comes to the homework content, the aim is to strengthen the student's fluency with familiar skills, not to learn brand new skills. New skills will be taught in the classroom by their teachers. So while your child may need a quick refresher with you, if they are not able to complete an assignment without heavy adult support, please let me know. It is not my intention to give parents heavy homework! 😁 

There are two exceptions to this:

• • Some assignments are intentionally designed to involve family members, such as "family interviews."

  • If your student was absent for the lesson in which I taught the skill(s), they may need heavier support from you. Unfortunately, homeroom time is extremely limited, so I'm not often able to go back and fully reteach a lesson to a student who was absent.

With that said, here are ways to support your child's fluency development in reading and math:

Math:

• Choose a question from the homework, and invite your child to talk through the problem and share aloud their thought process for approaching the problem. Ask them not just what, but more importantly, why they took each step. You want to get a sense: did they just memorize a bunch of steps with no real conceptual understanding of the underlying mathematical reasoning behind them? Or do they truly grasp the "whys" behind their work?

  • Asking them to talk through their thought process can also be a good way for them to "catch" a mistake on their own, rather than you pointing it out to them!

• "Math Talk" Prompts:

  • What is this problem asking?

  • What do you already know?

  • What patterns are you noticing?

  • What's a reasonable estimate for the answer to this problem? How do you know?

  • Where have you seen something like this before?

  • Could you solve this problem with another strategy? How?

  • Tell me about your strategy. Why did you do that?

  • Is your answer reasonable? How do you know?

Check out this cool resource below for other question prompts to get your child talking through their mathematical thinking, one of the most essential skills of "doing math."

Reading:

• The #1 thing you can do is simply hold them accountable to reading their 30 minutes a day. Reading is a skill like any other: the more minutes of practice they get, the stronger their fluency and comprehension will become!

  • When choosing an independent reading book, students should choose a book in which they can decode 95% of words successfully. If they want to read a more challenging book, I encourage them to do so with a family member.

• Talk to your child about the book they are reading. Talking about reading  dramatically improve students' comprehension skills – along with building connection with you! Here are resources with questions to jump-start your book conversations with them: