Mrs. Ventura's Homework Policy
-Students will receive weekly homework assignments. The homework assignments will be consistent each week. They will include specific weekly sight words, sentence writing, math practice, and reading. They will receive a weekly reading log. Homework assignments and reading logs are to be handed in every FRIDAY in order for your child to receive a star on the homework chart. Students with the most homework stars at the end of each month will participate in Mrs. Ventura's Reading Party!
-Weekly homework assignments will be completed INSIDE your child's homework notebook that I will provide at the beginning of the year. This homework notebook, along with the reading log and any other pages will be handed in on Friday.
-Homework is part of daily habits of work - I can complete my homework daily. Please read on to see some articles that explain the importance of homework.
How can you help?
-Designate a homework space in your home. Fill it with pencils, crayons, erasers, and paper (The Dollar Store has all of this!).
-Help your child - if your child has a question, guide them to find the answer. Please do not give your child the answer: it does not help them to learn. We are teaching them how to be INDEPENDENT, but you are allowed to offer support.
-READING - Write down EVERY book your child reads. This can include independently read books, books your child reads to you, AND books that you read to your child!
Here are some interesting articles I found online about the importance of doing homework. Please read and discuss these articles with your child! Then establish a nightly homework routine with your child.
Taken from: http://blog.eskool.ca/parenting/why-homework-is-important/
1. It improves your child's thinking and memory
2. It helps your child develop positive study skills and habits that will serve him
or her well throughout life
3. Homework encourages your child to use time wisely
4. it teaches your child to work independently
5. Homework teaches your child to take responsibility for his or her
work
6. It allows your child to review and practice what has been covered in
class
7. Homework helps your child learn to use resources, such as libraries, reference
materials, and computer Web sites to find
information
8. It encourages your child to explores subjects more fully than classroom time
permits
9. It allows your child to extend learning by applying skills to new
situations
10. it helps your child integrate learning by applying many different skills to a
single task, such as book reports or science
projects
11. Homework helps parents learn more about what your child is learning in
school
12. It allows parents to communicate about what he or she is
learning
13. It encourages parents to spark your child’s enthusiasm
This next article was taken from: NYU Langone Child Study
Center
http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/homework_how_it_helps_how_parents_can_help_kids_get_it_right
Most
days, Matthew arrives home from school at 4 p.m. and relaxes for half an hour.
Then he gets out his homework book, reviews his assignments and begins his
homework.
Haley comes home ready to start her homework but can't remember what
assignments she has to complete. Sometimes she doesn't have all of the materials
she needs. Often her mom has to take her back to school to get a book in order
to complete the assignment.
Nicholas can finish some assignments quickly but writing assignments
take him a long time and he is often up late doing his homework.
As the above examples illustrate, some children seem to complete
homework effortlessly, while others have difficulty managing the academic
demands and organizational challenges it
presents.
Why
homework?
The purpose of homework is to review class material and practice
skills. As children complete their assignments, they become more invested in
and responsible for their learning. Homework places demands on children that
help them develop mental skills. It demands that a child concentrates, follows
directions, organizes materials, solves problems and works independently.
Homework offers a way to show a growing sense of competence and independence.
Additionally, homework helps forge a connection between school and home.
What
do researchers tell us about homework?
Studies comparing students who completed homework versus those who did
not indicate that homework can help improve performance on unit tests. Findings
were observed for students in grades 2-5 as well as in high school students. In
looking at results across several studies, the average homework completer had
higher unit test scores than 73 percent of non-completers (Cooper, Robinson,
& Patall, 2006). Thus, there is good evidence that doing homework not only
reinforces concepts introduced in class; it may bolster academic achievement as
well.
Research has challenged the myth that America's students are
overburdened with homework. According to national studies children actually do
not do enough homework. The Brookings Institute has found that on average,
daily time spent on homework in the U.S. increased from 16 minutes in 1981 to
slightly more than 19 minutes in 1997. However, the amount of homework assigned
to children ages 6 to 9 has increased from about 44 minutes per week to more
than two hours per week.
Additionally, homework for kids ages 9 to 11 increased from about 2
hours and 50 minutes to more than 3-and-a-half hours per week. A poll conducted
in 2000 by the Public Agenda Foundation showed that most parents feel homework
is about right. However, as both parents and children are busier than ever, it
is no surprise that some parents perceive an increased homework load, in part
because there are competing options for children including sports, music,
part-time jobs, and family responsibilities. Sometimes it's difficult to
imagine where homework will fit in.
What
do master teachers tell us about homework?
Homework should be geared towards the work of the classroom and, when
possible, to the interest of the child. It should be reflective of the child's
ability and be developmentally appropriate. Teachers should try to make homework
stimulating rather than a repetition of the day's in-class work. Giving choices
for how homework is to be completed, sending home a list to parents of
expectations and goals, and using a reward and tracking system for homework
completion are helpful ways to ensure participation. It is important that
teachers monitor homework progress and communicate with the family
regularly.
Teachers can prepare children for homework because it is a teachable
skill. Children need to know that there are good reasons for homework. Some
teachers don't assign any homework in the first several weeks of school.
Instead, they spend that time teaching children how to do homework. Along with
discussions about how to manage time, they teach, model and practice how to do
each of the possible choice activities. They provide all the necessary
materials, which the children take home, and the class talks about and practices
how to use and care for the materials.
Developmentally,
how much homework is appropriate per grade?
The amount of homework assigned increases as children grow older. In
Grades K through 1, 10 to 20 minutes or less per day is usual. From Grades 2-3,
20 minutes per day plus 15 minutes of reading is expected. When children reach
Grade 4-6, 20- 40 minutes per day plus 30 minutes of reading is the norm. In
Grades 7-9, homework can span as long as 2 hours per day or
more.
Once children reach middle school, with each new school year, the
complexity and quantity of assignments increases along with the assumption that
students should know how to do homework.
How
much help with homework is appropriate?
The most useful stance a parent can take is to be somewhat but not
overly involved. The emphasis should be on helping your child, not on doing
homework for them. Some useful strategies for becoming involved in your child's
schoolwork include the following:
Communicate: It is
a good idea to get an understanding of what teachers expect of your child. Meet
with the teacher early in the year to set a good precedent for facilitating
communication later in the semester, if need
be.
Monitor:
Talk
about the assignment so your child can figure out what needs to be done.
Reviewing a completed assignment is helpful. For younger children, it is
appropriate to help them with their homework and closely monitor their progress.
For children age 12 and over, you may want to leave it up to your child's
discretion whether he or she wants help.
If your older child does not ask for help with homework but you notice
that he or she is having difficulty, you will want to intervene and help your
child get outside supports (i.e., extra-help sessions with a teacher,
after-school study sessions, individualized student homework contacts, or a
tutor).
Encourage:
Regardless of your child's age, never underestimate the importance and impact of
your praise and encouragement. Talking about an assignment and showing interest
in your child's schoolwork may also help your child maintain his or her
motivation and interest. Be sure to reinforce effort and small
achievements (including the "process" - e.g., organizational skills and being
prepared), not just the finished product or outcome.
Model
behavior:
Parents' beliefs and practices are very important influences on children's
success. Show that you think homework is important by providing a consistent
time and place for it. Try and help your child see homework as an opportunity,
not a threat. Never use homework as a punishment and don't exempt kids from
homework as a reward. Both actions imply that homework is not fun and not part
of the routine and send a message that can backfire on students, teachers and
parents.
How
can I help my child be ready for homework?
By focusing on certain skill areas you can help your child complete his
or her homework with less stress and
frustration.
Choose a specified
space and time set aside for homework. Though recent studies
suggest that studying in different locations can be beneficial for memory, it
can be helpful to have a designated "go-to" quiet space. Remove distractions.
Help your child concentrate by turning off the television and limiting personal
phone use. You may also want to remind him or her that there is no such thing as
true multitasking; if he's listening to music and chatting online with friends
while doing homework, he's not giving his full attention to any of those
activities. Lastly, set a good example by reading and writing
yourself.
Make sure that your child has all the tools
and supplies needed to complete work. It is a good idea to
accompany your child to an office supply store at the start of each semester to
purchase new school supplies as necessary.
When your child sits down to tackle the evening's assignments, it can
be helpful to alternate subject
areas in which she is strong with those she finds more
challenging. For children with attentional difficulties or struggles in a
particular academic area, consider sequencing assignments in such a way so as
to improve engagement and minimize frustration. Youngsters who are strong in
math but weaker in reading, for example, may be well-served by completing a
handful of math problems, reading several pages, and then returning to
math.
Help your child set realistic
goals regarding how long each assignment may take so that he or
she knows that they will also have free time.
For long-term assignments or those that require multiple steps, help
your child dismantle the activity into small,
manageable components; starting the process early will help to
circumvent last-minute scrambling and panic and will inevitably result in a
better, more polished final product, and greater satisfaction when it's time to
turn in their homework.
Updated August 2011 by David Marks, Ph.D., Director of Educational
Outreach, Institute for Learning and Academic Achievement, NYU Child Study Center
This last article was taken from: Concordia
University
http://lessonplanspage.com/oss10benefitsofhomework512-htm/
Be
sure to tell your kids these “Ten Benefits of
Homework
Introduction:
“
I
hate homework.
How
can parents eliminate the nightly homework tug-of-war over
homework?
Students
are not excited about homework because they are bombarded with other options
that seem far more exciting. Let’s face it – homework is no more exciting today
than when we were kids. It was tough for us to do our homework and we did not
have nearly as many distractions as today’s students.
Their
world includes instant communication, multi-tasking, cell phones, exciting video
games, texting and social networking. Homework is vying for your child’s
attention against some tough competition.
Some
students think homework is a waste of time. Others understand the intrinsic
value of homework and take responsibility for doing it correctly and handing it
in on time. However, the majority of students are somewhere in between these
extremes.
The
students that do their homework without a nightly battle view their education
differently. They understand that for a couple of hours, schoolwork is the
priority, and then they can do something else. They understand that homework
teaches them where their strengths are and where they need to spend more
attention.
For
most students the problem may not be the homework, but in how they look at it.
In the “good old days” we did our homework because it was expected and because
there were far fewer options for our time. Don’t compete head-on with today’s
distractions, try a different tactic.
To
compete with the distractions, parents must get more buy-in on the importance of
homework. Your job won’t be easy, but perhaps this list can
help.
10
benefits
of Homework:
1.
Homework
teaches students about time management.
2.
Homework
teaches students how to setting priorities.
3.
Homework
helps teachers determine how well the lessons are being understood by their
students.
4.
Homework
teaches students how to problem solve.
5.
Homework
gives students another opportunity to review the class
material.
6.
Homework
gives parents a chance to see what is being learned in
school.
7.
Homework
teaches students that they may have to do things – even when they don’t want
to.
8.
Homework
teaches students how to take responsibility for their part in the educational
process.
9.
Homework
teaches students how to work independently.
10.
Homework
teaches students the importance of planning, staying organized and taking
action.
Conclusion:
School
and homework teach students important life lessons that they will use as an
adult. For example: It teaches them how to read and comprehend information,
communicate ideas with others, listen and take notes, remember things, solve
problems, how to develop a plan, set priorities and take action. Homework also
teaches students how to concentrate, write reports, spend time alone and helps
develop their curiosity about new subjects.
Parents
are competing with the Internet and instant communications for their child’s
attention, and it’s not a fair competition. Simply put, their world moves
faster, and in more directions, than our world. Our challenge is to mentor them
without lectures, inspire them and show them how take action on their dreams. We
must help them learn “the ropes.” but understand that they will use those skills
differently than we did.
We
have to show our children that homework is not boring. It is not a waste of
time. There are numerous benefits to doing homework correctly and handing it on
time. Students can benefit from the life skills they learn by doing homework and
then go back to the instant communications world of high-speed computers, the
Internet, cell phones, text messaging, social networking and instant messaging.
Homework then becomes a win-win situation for parents and their
students.
Background
Information:
John
Bishop is the Executive Director of Accent On Success® and author of
the
Goal
Setting for Students
®
book which has recently won three national book
awards.
-Students will receive weekly homework assignments. The homework assignments will be consistent each week. They will include specific weekly sight words, sentence writing, math practice, and reading. They will receive a weekly reading log. Homework assignments and reading logs are to be handed in every FRIDAY in order for your child to receive a star on the homework chart. Students with the most homework stars at the end of each month will participate in Mrs. Ventura's Reading Party!
-Weekly homework assignments will be completed INSIDE your child's homework notebook that I will provide at the beginning of the year. This homework notebook, along with the reading log and any other pages will be handed in on Friday.
-Homework is part of daily habits of work - I can complete my homework daily. Please read on to see some articles that explain the importance of homework.
How can you help?
-Designate a homework space in your home. Fill it with pencils, crayons, erasers, and paper (The Dollar Store has all of this!).
-Help your child - if your child has a question, guide them to find the answer. Please do not give your child the answer: it does not help them to learn. We are teaching them how to be INDEPENDENT, but you are allowed to offer support.
-READING - Write down EVERY book your child reads. This can include independently read books, books your child reads to you, AND books that you read to your child!
Here are some interesting articles I found online about the importance of doing homework. Please read and discuss these articles with your child! Then establish a nightly homework routine with your child.
Taken from: http://blog.eskool.ca/parenting/why-homework-is-important/
1. It improves your child's thinking and memory
2. It helps your child develop positive study skills and habits that will serve him
or her well throughout life
3. Homework encourages your child to use time wisely
4. it teaches your child to work independently
5. Homework teaches your child to take responsibility for his or her
work
6. It allows your child to review and practice what has been covered in
class
7. Homework helps your child learn to use resources, such as libraries, reference
materials, and computer Web sites to find
information
8. It encourages your child to explores subjects more fully than classroom time
permits
9. It allows your child to extend learning by applying skills to new
situations
10. it helps your child integrate learning by applying many different skills to a
single task, such as book reports or science
projects
11. Homework helps parents learn more about what your child is learning in
school
12. It allows parents to communicate about what he or she is
learning
13. It encourages parents to spark your child’s enthusiasm
This next article was taken from: NYU Langone Child Study
Center
http://www.aboutourkids.org/articles/homework_how_it_helps_how_parents_can_help_kids_get_it_right
Most
days, Matthew arrives home from school at 4 p.m. and relaxes for half an hour.
Then he gets out his homework book, reviews his assignments and begins his
homework.
Haley comes home ready to start her homework but can't remember what
assignments she has to complete. Sometimes she doesn't have all of the materials
she needs. Often her mom has to take her back to school to get a book in order
to complete the assignment.
Nicholas can finish some assignments quickly but writing assignments
take him a long time and he is often up late doing his homework.
As the above examples illustrate, some children seem to complete
homework effortlessly, while others have difficulty managing the academic
demands and organizational challenges it
presents.
Why
homework?
The purpose of homework is to review class material and practice
skills. As children complete their assignments, they become more invested in
and responsible for their learning. Homework places demands on children that
help them develop mental skills. It demands that a child concentrates, follows
directions, organizes materials, solves problems and works independently.
Homework offers a way to show a growing sense of competence and independence.
Additionally, homework helps forge a connection between school and home.
What
do researchers tell us about homework?
Studies comparing students who completed homework versus those who did
not indicate that homework can help improve performance on unit tests. Findings
were observed for students in grades 2-5 as well as in high school students. In
looking at results across several studies, the average homework completer had
higher unit test scores than 73 percent of non-completers (Cooper, Robinson,
& Patall, 2006). Thus, there is good evidence that doing homework not only
reinforces concepts introduced in class; it may bolster academic achievement as
well.
Research has challenged the myth that America's students are
overburdened with homework. According to national studies children actually do
not do enough homework. The Brookings Institute has found that on average,
daily time spent on homework in the U.S. increased from 16 minutes in 1981 to
slightly more than 19 minutes in 1997. However, the amount of homework assigned
to children ages 6 to 9 has increased from about 44 minutes per week to more
than two hours per week.
Additionally, homework for kids ages 9 to 11 increased from about 2
hours and 50 minutes to more than 3-and-a-half hours per week. A poll conducted
in 2000 by the Public Agenda Foundation showed that most parents feel homework
is about right. However, as both parents and children are busier than ever, it
is no surprise that some parents perceive an increased homework load, in part
because there are competing options for children including sports, music,
part-time jobs, and family responsibilities. Sometimes it's difficult to
imagine where homework will fit in.
What
do master teachers tell us about homework?
Homework should be geared towards the work of the classroom and, when
possible, to the interest of the child. It should be reflective of the child's
ability and be developmentally appropriate. Teachers should try to make homework
stimulating rather than a repetition of the day's in-class work. Giving choices
for how homework is to be completed, sending home a list to parents of
expectations and goals, and using a reward and tracking system for homework
completion are helpful ways to ensure participation. It is important that
teachers monitor homework progress and communicate with the family
regularly.
Teachers can prepare children for homework because it is a teachable
skill. Children need to know that there are good reasons for homework. Some
teachers don't assign any homework in the first several weeks of school.
Instead, they spend that time teaching children how to do homework. Along with
discussions about how to manage time, they teach, model and practice how to do
each of the possible choice activities. They provide all the necessary
materials, which the children take home, and the class talks about and practices
how to use and care for the materials.
Developmentally,
how much homework is appropriate per grade?
The amount of homework assigned increases as children grow older. In
Grades K through 1, 10 to 20 minutes or less per day is usual. From Grades 2-3,
20 minutes per day plus 15 minutes of reading is expected. When children reach
Grade 4-6, 20- 40 minutes per day plus 30 minutes of reading is the norm. In
Grades 7-9, homework can span as long as 2 hours per day or
more.
Once children reach middle school, with each new school year, the
complexity and quantity of assignments increases along with the assumption that
students should know how to do homework.
How
much help with homework is appropriate?
The most useful stance a parent can take is to be somewhat but not
overly involved. The emphasis should be on helping your child, not on doing
homework for them. Some useful strategies for becoming involved in your child's
schoolwork include the following:
Communicate: It is
a good idea to get an understanding of what teachers expect of your child. Meet
with the teacher early in the year to set a good precedent for facilitating
communication later in the semester, if need
be.
Monitor:
Talk
about the assignment so your child can figure out what needs to be done.
Reviewing a completed assignment is helpful. For younger children, it is
appropriate to help them with their homework and closely monitor their progress.
For children age 12 and over, you may want to leave it up to your child's
discretion whether he or she wants help.
If your older child does not ask for help with homework but you notice
that he or she is having difficulty, you will want to intervene and help your
child get outside supports (i.e., extra-help sessions with a teacher,
after-school study sessions, individualized student homework contacts, or a
tutor).
Encourage:
Regardless of your child's age, never underestimate the importance and impact of
your praise and encouragement. Talking about an assignment and showing interest
in your child's schoolwork may also help your child maintain his or her
motivation and interest. Be sure to reinforce effort and small
achievements (including the "process" - e.g., organizational skills and being
prepared), not just the finished product or outcome.
Model
behavior:
Parents' beliefs and practices are very important influences on children's
success. Show that you think homework is important by providing a consistent
time and place for it. Try and help your child see homework as an opportunity,
not a threat. Never use homework as a punishment and don't exempt kids from
homework as a reward. Both actions imply that homework is not fun and not part
of the routine and send a message that can backfire on students, teachers and
parents.
How
can I help my child be ready for homework?
By focusing on certain skill areas you can help your child complete his
or her homework with less stress and
frustration.
Choose a specified
space and time set aside for homework. Though recent studies
suggest that studying in different locations can be beneficial for memory, it
can be helpful to have a designated "go-to" quiet space. Remove distractions.
Help your child concentrate by turning off the television and limiting personal
phone use. You may also want to remind him or her that there is no such thing as
true multitasking; if he's listening to music and chatting online with friends
while doing homework, he's not giving his full attention to any of those
activities. Lastly, set a good example by reading and writing
yourself.
Make sure that your child has all the tools
and supplies needed to complete work. It is a good idea to
accompany your child to an office supply store at the start of each semester to
purchase new school supplies as necessary.
When your child sits down to tackle the evening's assignments, it can
be helpful to alternate subject
areas in which she is strong with those she finds more
challenging. For children with attentional difficulties or struggles in a
particular academic area, consider sequencing assignments in such a way so as
to improve engagement and minimize frustration. Youngsters who are strong in
math but weaker in reading, for example, may be well-served by completing a
handful of math problems, reading several pages, and then returning to
math.
Help your child set realistic
goals regarding how long each assignment may take so that he or
she knows that they will also have free time.
For long-term assignments or those that require multiple steps, help
your child dismantle the activity into small,
manageable components; starting the process early will help to
circumvent last-minute scrambling and panic and will inevitably result in a
better, more polished final product, and greater satisfaction when it's time to
turn in their homework.
Updated August 2011 by David Marks, Ph.D., Director of Educational
Outreach, Institute for Learning and Academic Achievement, NYU Child Study Center
This last article was taken from: Concordia
University
http://lessonplanspage.com/oss10benefitsofhomework512-htm/
Be
sure to tell your kids these “Ten Benefits of
Homework
Introduction:
“
I
hate homework.
How
can parents eliminate the nightly homework tug-of-war over
homework?
Students
are not excited about homework because they are bombarded with other options
that seem far more exciting. Let’s face it – homework is no more exciting today
than when we were kids. It was tough for us to do our homework and we did not
have nearly as many distractions as today’s students.
Their
world includes instant communication, multi-tasking, cell phones, exciting video
games, texting and social networking. Homework is vying for your child’s
attention against some tough competition.
Some
students think homework is a waste of time. Others understand the intrinsic
value of homework and take responsibility for doing it correctly and handing it
in on time. However, the majority of students are somewhere in between these
extremes.
The
students that do their homework without a nightly battle view their education
differently. They understand that for a couple of hours, schoolwork is the
priority, and then they can do something else. They understand that homework
teaches them where their strengths are and where they need to spend more
attention.
For
most students the problem may not be the homework, but in how they look at it.
In the “good old days” we did our homework because it was expected and because
there were far fewer options for our time. Don’t compete head-on with today’s
distractions, try a different tactic.
To
compete with the distractions, parents must get more buy-in on the importance of
homework. Your job won’t be easy, but perhaps this list can
help.
10
benefits
of Homework:
1.
Homework
teaches students about time management.
2.
Homework
teaches students how to setting priorities.
3.
Homework
helps teachers determine how well the lessons are being understood by their
students.
4.
Homework
teaches students how to problem solve.
5.
Homework
gives students another opportunity to review the class
material.
6.
Homework
gives parents a chance to see what is being learned in
school.
7.
Homework
teaches students that they may have to do things – even when they don’t want
to.
8.
Homework
teaches students how to take responsibility for their part in the educational
process.
9.
Homework
teaches students how to work independently.
10.
Homework
teaches students the importance of planning, staying organized and taking
action.
Conclusion:
School
and homework teach students important life lessons that they will use as an
adult. For example: It teaches them how to read and comprehend information,
communicate ideas with others, listen and take notes, remember things, solve
problems, how to develop a plan, set priorities and take action. Homework also
teaches students how to concentrate, write reports, spend time alone and helps
develop their curiosity about new subjects.
Parents
are competing with the Internet and instant communications for their child’s
attention, and it’s not a fair competition. Simply put, their world moves
faster, and in more directions, than our world. Our challenge is to mentor them
without lectures, inspire them and show them how take action on their dreams. We
must help them learn “the ropes.” but understand that they will use those skills
differently than we did.
We
have to show our children that homework is not boring. It is not a waste of
time. There are numerous benefits to doing homework correctly and handing it on
time. Students can benefit from the life skills they learn by doing homework and
then go back to the instant communications world of high-speed computers, the
Internet, cell phones, text messaging, social networking and instant messaging.
Homework then becomes a win-win situation for parents and their
students.
Background
Information:
John
Bishop is the Executive Director of Accent On Success® and author of
the
Goal
Setting for Students
®
book which has recently won three national book
awards.