one homework plan

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one homework plan
By Sarah

I have found the following plan to be a middle ground for homework: I give an average of 45-60 minutes of homework a night (Mon-Thurs). They must read 20 min. a night (If they have a Content area reading assignment, they
can count it towards their reading homework log). They have a Spelling Contract to complete every week. It breaks down to one Spelling assignment per night. They have some math every night (I usually give around 10 problems). They have a science experiment or book activity for which they have one week to complete (due on Wednesdays). And, they have a social studies activity (i.e. Time

For Kids or News Article summary)for which they have 1 week to complete. We usually have a long-term project of some sort to complete in which case I help them break it up into shorter goals.

I have gotten positive feedback on my homework plan. No one has ever complained. One thing that parents really like about my plan is that I write all the homework on the board on Monday and the kids write it down. I give them assignments ahead of time - if possible - so that they can prioritize their homework and get it done according to their weekly schedule (we have a community that is big in sports). I even give them their reading logs on Friday evening and if they know they will have a hard time finding time to read on a day the following week, they can do their 20 minutes over the weekend. I have had many children take advantage of this option. Of course, I never give out homework ahead of time if it is directly related to a lesson I am going to teach.

I'm looking forward to seeing other teachers' plans. What a great idea to share!