Homework!

Outdated? Or is there a way to make it work for everyone?

Homework... most people have an opinion on it! Some children love it, some don't. A recent poll of 10,000+ on journal.ie shows the debate is fairly split in favour of homework in primary school. But if you are a parent I am sure you will agree that it can be difficult to find time to fit homework into busy family life. In primary school, if you must set homework it should be short and sweet. Some follow the rule of 10 minutes per year (10 minutes for infants and first, 20 minutes for second class and so on). We need to explore ways in which homework can add value to family time by making it fun in addition to reinforcing what a child is learning in school. Is there a way homework can enhance family time rather then invading it?

Teacher Time well spent?...

I have always held strongly to the value that if a child spends time doing written homework, it is absolutely crucial that a teacher corrects that work and gives feedback to the child. You cannot expect a child to put time and effort into something that is not going to be valued by their teacher. But on the other hand, is it time well spent by a teacher who has to set and correct pages of written homework every day or week? Would a teacher's extra time be better spent planning more creative lessons? How valuable is written homework in primary school setting anyway? I have not found any research to suggest that it holds any academic benefit at all.

The importance of language...

However, there is lots of research to support the importance of language at home for a child's development. We need to consider the importance of language as the foundations of all learning, particularly in the infant years but also right the way through a child's education. It is no coincidence that the New Language curriculum was introduced first. The team involved in making the new curriculum fully understand the importance of language as the core of a child's learning. So perhaps this is a good starting point when we consider how to link school learning with home learning through the medium of homework. As infant teachers, more than anything we need children to be read to as much as possible. Children need constant exposure to new vocabulary with plenty of time given to talk and discussion beyond the classroom. This has never been more important than now, when so many children seem to have their heads stuck in front of a screen at every opportunity! Vocabulary is paramount, if a child does not have a good bank of vocabulary, they cannot communicate, comprehend or write.

Homework that promotes and enhances family time...

As a busy working mom, I found it difficult to get through my daughter's daily writing practice, daily readers, phonics and anything else I found in her bag for homework. After a busy working day, I wanted to spend my time going for a walk, reading books or making dinner and chatting to my child about her day... not to mention getting my girls to bed by 7. So I felt homework was invading on my precious family time. As an infant class teacher, I was instructed to set a homework sheet that had a daily writing activity, a daily reader and phonics as was the tradition of my school. I really struggled to correct homework daily as I was required to do. So last year I decided to create the Less Stress Language Homework Sheet as an alternative to daily written activity sheets. They have been received with great enthusiasm by parents and teachers alike.

So here's how my homework sheet works...

Each week’s double sided homework sheet includes

• Note to parents/Family Activities - I mention any relevant activities or school events. I also to update parents on our current topic and ask for any old toys that would enhance our Aistear play. Occasionally I would also add a list of suggested family activities that a child could choose from including: Go for a walk with a grown-up to collect some leaves. Read a new book. Learn to ride a bike. Go swimming. Ask a grown-up about their favourite pastime when the were small. Try a new food you've never tasted before. Anything goes here and the children could tell me and the class about any of the tasks they completed, if any, on a Friday.
• Suggested daily phonics activates - We do a letter a day and ask parents to revise the letters learnt at home. Personally I question the benefit of having phonics home work in the early days. I find parents are not always familiar with the letter sounds and struggle to enunciate them correctly, and through no fault of their own could actually be teaching sounds incorrectly. I think it would work better to wait until the children are fluent with all the sounds before sending home word boxes to practice blending with the exception of children who need specific intervention support. But that is how it is done in my school at the moment so I make sure I offer the parents plenty of support through my class blog. I also suggest that parents download the Jolly Phonics app for their phone as the can hear the correct annunciations of each sound and the jingle etc. We had a local printer make up these My Sounds Book, we used to stick the pictures into a copy each day so this is a major time saver! it also refers to tricky words and correct letter formation.

• Wordless Readers - I send home wordless readers until the children have a good understanding of how to blend. You can't expect parents to teach children how to blend in the early day. Practice it yes, but not teach it. Even when children are more fluent with reading they shouldn't get a new reader every night. They should read it one night as a unfamiliar reader and the next night as a familiar reader. How often you change readers will also be influenced by how much support you have in school to work on reading with the children in smaller groups, Do you get a resource teacher in to do reading groups? If so the children might be able to get through books at a quicker pace.

The other activities are to be completed at parents’ convenience over the week.

• Written Work - One simple piece of written Math or English work completed on a Thursday (or whenever suits) suitable for a child to complete independently.​

• Poetry – The main focus of the homework sheet is a simple short poem that encourages language and discussion during family time. In the footnote of the sheet parents can selection of open and closed questions that encourage the child to think and discuss with their grown-up.​

• Creative Tasks – each homework sheet gives creative drawing and colouring activities to encourage children to draw, exploring shape and colour, building confidence when drawing and strengthening fine motor skills necessary for handwriting.

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Trust that parent's have the best interest of their children at heart...

Being a mainly language sheet it does involve a certain amount of trust, but I had a few ways to encourage children to complete the sheet. Through little drawing activities in the questions I could quickly tell who was reading the sheets. I would do plenty of homework competitions where rewards would be given for their good effort, the children always know I greatly value their best effort. And I would get the children to perform the weekly poem with their own actions on for our class blog.  

Twinkle Twinkle Chocolate Bar from Ms Murray on Vimeo.

Homework Fridays! 

Because the homework sheet is related to the current theme and mainly literacy based, I timetable one of my literacy lessons on a Friday for correction and discussion of the homework sheet. I give it a 15/20 minute slot and recite the poem, discuss the questions raised and chat to the children about how the children incorporated any of the tasks into their week at home. What really shines through is how they learn to see homework as an enjoyable family activity. A good accomplishment every week. Trust me, the children in my class love homework... and long may it stay that way!

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If you would like your own years supply of Less Stress Language Homework Sheets you can purchase them on my online store at a special introduction rate just click here! 

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Further Reading:

Is Homework Good For Kids? Here's What the Research Says.
Homework In The Primary School
​Is homework an unnecessary burden?​ 
Primary School Homework - How to Help
Coping With Homework
This is why I'm against Homework

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​Zara

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