This is a resource page in support of homework. If you or your child don't fully understand an assignment, you may find what you need here. This page summarizes the general purpose and expectations and offers tips on building a solid homework habit. Sub-pages for each curriculum area contain specific explanations of common assignments and, in some cases, links to support resources. These can be found at the curriculum links directly at the top of this page, immediately below the header image.
Schedule and amount:
Homework is assigned Monday-Thursday. As of now, all assignments are given one day and due the next. Starting in October, some assignments will have longer due dates. Per district guidelines, homework is planned to be 40 minutes per day for 4th graders and 50 minutes for 5th graders.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What do we do if our child forgets an assignment?
I'm now posting assignments on the front page of this blog. There is enough information there to spur the children's memory. All assigned activities are ones that we've practiced in class at one time or another, so they usually will know how to do the assignment without further prompting. However, many activities are (or will be!) also explained on the homework curriculum sub-pages. Consult those if your child seems unsure how to proceed.
2. What should we do if our child doesn't have the resources to complete their assignment?
A few things can be found on the resource pages here: printable versions of some math materials, editing guides, etc. Otherwise, children should do their best to get what they need: call a classmate to get spelling words left at school, for example. If the required assignment just can't be completed because of forgotten material, please have your child do some other worthwhile homework activity: reading, writing, doing a science experiment or math game, etc., and send a note accordingly. In this way, the routine is maintained and children won't get the idea that forgetting means they have no homework to do.
3. What do we do if our family schedule keeps our child from doing homework?
Whenever an important event keeps your child from doing homework, just send me a note saying so. Family celebrations, trips to a museum or concert or game, etc. are wonderful opportunities and I don't expect children to miss those in order to do homework.
4. My child consistently gets her/his homework done in less than 40 minutes. Should she/he be getting more homework?
There will always be some variation in how long it takes individual children to complete assignments. If you feel that the quality of work is good, you could encourage your child to extend the assignment, or switch to reading, writing or a math game for the remaining time. Of course, if your child's work seems rushed, encourage your child to dig deeper or strive for higher quality.
5. It often takes my child much longer to complete assignments than the 40 or 50 minutes planned for. What should we do?
Assuming this isn't due to fatigue or lack of preparation, let me know if assignments take too long and I will see if an adjustment makes sense. It's not easy to know just how long an assignment will take, and your feedback on this is very important to me.