How much homework do you give your second grade students? I know my students will have nightly reading and spelling words to practice, but how much other work (such as math) do you send home?
My students as well as the other 6 2nd grade teachers in my school give: 20 minutes of reading 2 math pages (these come with our curriculum and are VERY easy) 1 language arts page (subject/predicate, nouns, verbs, adj, mixed review, whatever we are working on) Spelling homework (Monday: Write the spelling words on the sheet provided Tuesday: Write words 1-5 in sentences Wednesday: Write words 6-10 in sentences Thursday: Write words 11-15 and bonus in sentences Friday: No spelling homework) This year I wanted to change my spelling homework to more fun things, but my team wouldn't agree. My principle is trying to get every teacher in each grade level sending home the same homework.
Reading nightly, spelling list each week, math as determined by math curriculum, high-freq. & vocab cards at the end of the week after they've been practiced in class during the week.
Packets go home on Monday and are due on Friday, there is spelling every night, reading log (20 minutes every night), math twice a week, science one night a week, history one night a week.
The second grade at our school only gives spelling homework and reading on a regular weekly basis. We send math when we see that a particular student needs extra practice with a specific skill. Our rule of thumb is about 20 minutes of homework and 15-30 minutes of reading a night depending on the child (and the parents) for 2nd grade.
Students have about 20 minutes of homework a night. Monday, they have a short spelling workbook page and are to read the story from the Reading book at home. Tuesday they were to read Time for Kids and complete the skills page. Wednesday is some kind of worksheet, depending on what we were studying in class. Thursday is to study for the spelling test and another short varying worksheet. Friday they have to write any misspelled words from the spelling test five times each and use in a sentence. I allowed two days for the Time for Kids (hard reading level), but otherwise, homework is expected back the next school day. Also, every night students take a book home from our classroom library and are expected to read it when they have the time - the books count toward their monthly Reading Goal when parents sign a slip indicating the book is done. Occasionally I have a project (like a diorama, family story or making something) which is more involved, and students have at least a week to finish those. I'm not doing Time for Kids this year (trying a new magazine), so I'll have to adjust it, but still plan on giving homework. I figure if parents/students know there is homework EVERY night, it will be more likely to get done.
I send a packet home on Monday also and it is due Friday. Monday: spelling words...write 3x or in sentences Tuesday: math Wednesday: making words or language worksheets Thursday: reading summary *Students are expected to also read for at least20 minutes per night. The homework, including the reading, should take them no longer than about 40-45 minutes. (I think the norm is about 10 minutes per grade level. 2nd grade= 20 minutes...3rd grade=30 minutes, etc.)
We are limited to 30 minutes of hw in grade 2 by school policy. I typically give 15 minutes of readng, a math page, a spelling hw choice.
I have my kids read for 20 minutes, they will have a log to fill out. On Tuesday & Thursday they will have reading response to also do. Spelling (write words 5 times, ABC order, write each word in a sentence & study for test). We use Saxon math, so they do side B for homework.
Our school board has set 30 minutes of homework for grade 2. I try to keep mine the same for every night: the Homelinks page from Everyday Math, and reading (log). My families by and large do not speak English, so the homework needs to be something students can do independently. If homework isn't completed, the consequence is no recess - generally most kids finish it.
For spelling homework what type of words do you use? Last year I used my 100 words they should know by the end of grade 1. These words then went up on the word wall. Also do you then test them for the spelling some time that week, if so how may words are considered plenty?
Every Monday spelling words are sent home to be studied. Other than that, if they use their time wisely they will not have homework. I don't like to spend a lot of time grading so I don't send it home.
Last year we had a spelling contract that had several different activities(write words 3x each, use the words in a sentence, draw a picture of each word, write a letter to a friend/story using 8 spelling words). They had until Friday to get 20 pts(each activity was worth 5,10 pts). This was Mon-Thur homework. We had collaboration(where our team met w/ each other/planned, the kiddos rotated to library,computer,guidance) so we didn't have math on that day so that day, we would send home a math review sheet. Reading for 20 minutes was also homework, the students had a log the turned in on Friday. Hope this isn't too confusing.
