This is my first year teaching 3rd grade. I was wondering how much other teachers gave their students for homework each night? I am making my homework packets right now. I student taught first so I'm not sure if I am giving them enough. Thanks!
I give ~30 minutes a night, plus 20 minutes of reading. For math, students may practice math facts for 10 minutes, play an internet game for 10 minutes, or do a worksheet. For spelling, I provide a list of choices and they get to pick one. Then, I give either a science or social studies puzzle/sheet (just one a week, not nightly). Instead of a traditional reading log, I am going to try a reading graph. They will make a bar graph of their reading (book, magazine, internet, etc) and answer basic questions (maximum, minimum, range, mode). So if they fake their reading, they still have to do some math!
I like the idea of giving out homework at the beginning of the week in a packet and having that due on Friday. Does anyone see any problems with this? I also have thought about providing a calendar each week with the homework for that week or having students write their homework for the entire week in their agenda books (assuming they'll have them at my school.) While I realize you're always going to have the parent who complains about too much homework or not getting it done because of football, I like the idea that students and parents can start learning how to budget their time more.
My homework is weekly. I think it helps when families have church or afterschool activities. No one has complained about that. The only complaint I've had is that sometimes the child struggles with the activity sheets. So this year I've provided choices with math facts or internet math games. I think that is the best way for me differentiate my homework with minimal time. I wish my total number of minutes wasn't 50 minutes a night (30 HW + 20 Reading), but that is my school's requirement since we didn't make AYP.
I have never given homework packets in all the years I have taught! Do you require all daily work to be turned in to you before going home so you know exactly how much homework the kids are getting? I have a few kids every year that take a ton of daily work home over the course of the year....I can't stand the thought of adding more work to kids like that! Please give me some more info, I'm curious as to whether I should be doing more!!
This sounds great, but I can envision so many of my kids just not doing it! Do you take a grade on it? Can you please give me more info on your packets? I know the kids would benefit from this extra practice, but our school does not require set amounts of homework, and I fear parents would be mad at me!!
You always have a few kids who don't do the homework. But instead of getting in trouble daily for not doing it, it's only one day. We have to make the kids miss recess to do it, so instead of it being every day, it's only once a week (and even then I rarely make them miss *all* of it). For the parents who do ensure that their child does homework, it let's them work around their schedules. This is my first year of giving options and the reading "graph," so I'm not sure how well it will work. We don't do a lot of worksheets at my school. It is usually smartboard lessons, slate activities, or a project. So I never have a child who takes classwork home to finish. I do not take a grade on my homework. It is just for practice. Some kids get help, and others don't. Plus my district doesn't allow it, even for just completion. The only complaint I had last year was that my homework was too hard for some of my low students. So I want to differentiate it by providing choices. But if a parent won't sign off on it, then there are still the traditional worksheets that they can do instead. I'll see how it goes!
My kids will have homework for 30 minutes a night, Monday-Thursday. They have reading for 15-20 minutes and will then complete their Book Log (title, author, start/end page, interesting words, answer 1 question). They have to do a timed drill for 2:00 with addition or subtraction problems to increase speed/accuracy. They will complete a spelling activity from a grid of choices.
I don't give routine homework. Sometimes a project requires work at home, but that's not what most think of as homework. My students do take home things they chose not to do during the day (e.g., fooling around talking instead of working).
I have the support of an entire school doing the same thing, and I know it's NOT like that in most schools. It works really well, though... a natural consequence of not finishing work during school is to take it home. I also require them to make their best effort. If I see a kid working hard for 30 minutes solid, I will sign off on their work even if it's not finished. OTOH, if a kid gets the concept, I will have them do three problems (for example) in a row 100% correctly and then sign off on it. Then they can work on a choice project. No need to spend 30 minutes getting bored to death.
Well, since I am new I am not sure what 3rd grade usually does, but I know our board has something that has 10 minutes per grade for somework....I try to make sure to follow that last year, 5th grade approx 50 minutes-30 minutes reading and voc, and math-usually a review from class. With that said, 3rd grade 30 minutes, I am thinking 15 reading-with a weekly log and weekly spelling-we do not have a certain list I will create these words, and a math fact sheet 1 day, seem like too much?
Typically my students will mostly have 1 sheet of math hw(except on test days). On Monday they read their new reading story at home. Anything else they have started out as seatwork at school. If they don't finish it (and they get PLENTY of time) then the seatwork becomes homework. Ocassionally a student will have a lot to do, but it isn't a daily thing. If it gets to be a habit, then I work with them to get it finished. I don't usually grade HW, unless it started out as seatwork.
Our board requires a minimum of 30 mins for 3rd (10 per grade level). I have found that I NEED to send homework though. I have taught K through 3rd and had homework in every grade for the review. There is just not enough time to teach all of the standards and get all of the review time in that I've found students really need to remember skills. I typically do spelling practice and math practice on worksheets and they have a reading log to fill in each week with comprehension questions. Each should take 10 mins to do but I also teach them that if they are not able to pass the spelling test with that much practice, they need extra help/practice. If they are not progressing in reading, they need extra help/practice. If they are struggling with the Math, they need extra help/practice. I have explained this to parents at the very beginning and most of the them have been very responsive and don't complain. I do not send homework on the weekend because I believe that this is family time. If something came up during the week and they choose to do it over the weekend. To do this I don't count the homework late until the following monday. I do not like the packets with everything going home on one day because too many students wait until the last night to do it all and I feel that they lose the point of my homework practice that way (LOTS of parents admitted to this of the few years I did it this way!). This way a little goes home every night to help with spacing it out, but those nights when there is too much going on for a family they know they can catch up the following day without consequences other than more time for them.
I think that Mon- Thurs I'm going to have at least a math practice sheet a couple nights-- usually no more than 5-7 problems. I always require students to study their spelling words each night, and I think that I may do a reading comprehension sheet that is due on Friday. The reading comprehension may have 2 stories- 1 fiction and 1 non-fiction story with comprehension questions. I won't "grade" it, but I will count that they did their homework. As far as if a student is goofing off in class and is not getting classwork done, then they are to finish that work at their recess time. If they couldn't get their work done when they were supposed to then they will need to make it up. This is what the 3rd grade team has come up with.
I am new to third grade but I really like the idea of a homework packet because then if students have something come up from the previous night (as things often do!) the students aren't giving you a ton of excuses as to why the homework could not get done. Also with a homework packet, the students are learning to be independent and budget their time accordingly. I do like the idea of incorporating a reading chart or graph of some kind. I don't know if minutes read would be best or genre of book... lots to consider. Even though I think the packets will take longer to grade the students are getting time that is available to them to do homework and find time for the review. I can see the benefit to everyday homework though because then students are getting the review they need every day. I have just taught so many kids in the past that either have their parents make up excuses for why homework is not present the next day or students who have unstable home lives and often cannot complete homework on certain nights for one reason or another. The packet seems to be the compromise I find. Plus, you can always add in a challenge page for those students who need enrichment activities that students can choose to do!
Another option might be to assign on Monday and have the work due by Wed., or assign on Tues. and have it in by Thurs. That way the skills are being reviewed while it is fresh and you can catch any who might not have it down before testing or giving a quiz at the end of the week. Just my
Oh that is a good idea! I was thinking of doing a packet Monday and having it due thursday so (hopefully) I can have it corrected and reviewed by Friday to take home in homework folders. I know that may be a stretch but I figure if I can't get the homework all corrected in one night (especially since I only have 14 students!) then I am giving too much! I guess that will be a good way for me to check on that aspect as well! I love the suggestions! Thank you!
I have reading logs due every Monday with a total of 2 hours of reading. I don't grade them but give incentives for turning them in. I use the Pizza Hut Book It program for every 4 reading logs they turn in. I give a lot of math homework. We don't have a lot of time during class, so most of the time they have to finish their math work from class. I like it because kids can do the work on their own if they can handle it, or work with their parents for extra help. They have silent reading every morning and can ask me for help with their homework or finish it during that time if they were busy the previous night. I do grade their homework.
I do homework packets that go home on Monday and are due the following Monday. They are required to read for 20 minutes 4x per week and do a response activity (they have 6 to choose from on the reading log, like making connections or inferring). I also send home Home Links from the Everyday Math curriculum, and usually a homework sheet connected to science or social studies. I like the packet as a means of teaching time management. And I know parents appreciate having the option of skipping a night of reading if they need to due to other obligations like church or sports. It is possible for kids to finish by Friday and turn it in then; I encourage this so they can enjoy a weekend free from schoolwork! I only give an effort grade for homework. If a student doesn't turn in their work the Monday it is due, they move their name down to "nearing proficient" on the behavior chart because they are breaking the rule of "Be responsible."
