I do weekly packets. Last year, they went out on Monday afternoon and came back on Friday morning. I'm seriously considering sending them out on Friday afternoons and having them due Thursday mornings this year, so they have the weekend to work if they choose to. A friend of mine does this and she loves it.
I do the weekly packets as well. So much easier on myself (as well as the parents of the kids). Sending them home Friday sounds good. I send their weekly newsletter that day, might as well send the homework with it! Thanks for the idea!
I also do weekly packets on Fridays, and I have them due the following Friday. As a parent of children who are involved in many sports, I like giving the kids an opportunity to work on it over the weekends. I've been doing this for a few years now, and it works so well for me!
We are not allowed to send packets anymore- unless we differenciate the packet. I am going to send word lists with several choices of activities and maybe a math page - although I would have to differenciate the math pages!
For spelling homework, I send home a bunch of stuff, but the students have the option of completing only 4, plus 2 required activities. I have options like rainbow spelling, word searches, sing your spelling words, etc., in addition to writing sentences and a mandatory workbook page. For reading, they have to read every day for 20 minutes (although most don't) and have an adult or older sibling help them complete their reading log. For math I generally have a couple of mandatory workbook (actually homework book) pages, plus some suggested activities, books to read, and/or webpages to visit. It sounds and looks like a lot when they first start out, but it's really not - and most of my kids and parents seem to appreciate the choices and don't complain about the mandatory parts!
A couple of years ago I switched from a packet to a brochure style. Our copier allows you to lay for homework papers in the feeder and make a double sided ready to fold magazine (card style). I tape the one page into their homework journal the Friday before. I also post the hw on Schoolnotes.com. This really saves a lot of paper. The front page is always the spelling words and what HW to do each day of the week. I also asterick special notes to parents.
Imagine a piece of paper. Now fold it in half like a book or a card. The hw is printed so that the 4 pages are made onto the 1 sheet of paper in a book style. Most copier have the function key for "magazine". You will be able to choose how many original pages you have. I choose 4 pages. When I put it into their journal I use one piece of masking tape on the left which is on top of the fold. I hope this is a better explanation.
So their homework is essentially on smaller pages. Does it shrink the font? And you tape it in their journal? SORRY - feel free not to answer. It's just interesting!
Yes, the hw is just made into smaller pages- 1 sheet of paper = the 4 originals. The booklet folds like a book - so, the fold is on the left side so that it opens to the right like a book. I put a 2 inch piece of masking tape on the fold into the journal so the pages can still be turned. The font size isn't too small. I really fill the page with the font before shrinking it. I encourage you to try it atleast once.
Lol - okay I am getting a visual now. I don't really have papers for homework BUT I will mess around with the machine and make a magazine fold just for the heck of it. It seems cool.
