Forums

A colleague and I were discussing homework for our students. What have you seen that works best? An assignment each night or a large packet to complete over the course of the week? What subject areas are key to reinforcing at home and where do you draw the line? Reading and math are the most often homework subjects but I think writing, spelling, and science are just as important. Additionally, how do you go about holding students accountable? Do you check it off or actually grade it? What happens it they don't complete it/turn it in? Please share what you have observed or have tried in the classroom!!

I am currently a student teacher, but what I have seen in the classroom is assigned homework for everyday of the week except Friday. The homework is checked for a completion grade, but then I go and grade the homework for the student. I have realized this is done because some parents do the homework for the students, or give them the answers.

I'm currently a student teacher and i use homework as if it a part of the lesson its self. I would teach a lesson half way assign homework then use that homework to cover up any misconception. Hopes this helps

I like John's suggestion on homework. Some days homework could be given and other days incorporate it into the lesson if time permits.

I'm a student teacher, and my lead teacher plans on having homework daily. It will differ from time to time and case to case whether it's for completion or accuracy, but it is certainly expected to be done. He is a really down to earth and intelligent man, and he, most of all, wants the students to get something out of the homework --- he also tries to make it be able to be completed in an half hour.

I definitely believe homework should be given each night. How else are they going to learn? Most of the time they spend in class is zoning out so to review it.... HOMEWORK! Don't overload, but just a couple worksheets isn't going to kill them.

I am currently student teaching and I have observed and implemented many different strategies for homework to determine the best way to asses my students understanding. Overall I have found that each class can be different in the way that they handle homework assignments. For one of my classes I assign homework every night (mon-thur) and they come in the next morning and get into their groups and exchange homework. If a student has not completed the assignment I quickly make copies of another students completed homework (I do not give them a blank homework assignment otherwise they will be able to do it in class and hand it in, but I give them the completed assignment to grade so that they are not left out of the activity and disruptive). I give the students anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes to discuss the answers they got (not to change them, they can however write notes to themselves about what they discussed with their classmates). NOTE* it is important that the students use pens when doing the discussion in class. We then go over the answers as a class and they peer correct. I then collect the assignments, bring them home to check that they were graded correctly (most of the time they correct it properly, but I always say I am taking it home so the students know a) they are being graded fairly and b) the students do not cheat) and I return them to the students on Thursday. This way they have study material to complete the quick quiz on Friday morning. I find that by having them discuss the answers together first allows for another level of learning that does not involve me. I often find they have a more genuine learning experience when they are taught by their classmates and teaching is the highest level of understanding so I know when my students get the concepts. The students explain why they got the answer they did which practices demonstration. Hope this helps!

As a future teacher I think about how I will handle homework assignments a lot! I've decided that I will never grade homework assignments based on whether they are correct or not. My future students will get a completion grade as long as it looks like they tried. Homework is meant to assess whether students can do something on their own, it's practice! Regarding your question about packets or individual worksheets, I think it is more valuable to give them one sheet of homework more often than one packet of homework less often (as long as both are of the same quality). I believe a packet may overwhelm the children. Hope this helps!

I am a parent and a future teacher (student teaching next semester). I think homework should be given as minimally as possible. I think kids are overwhelmed already, and so are the parents!!! Kids need more time to play, relax, read for pleasure; and time to do what they need to do with their family. Life is short.

As a future teacher, (student teaching next semester) I think that homework should be given. I think that it shouldn't be a lot but I do think that have students do a worksheet a week or some sort of assignment is a good idea. I am not in a classroom currently, however I do think that having homework (some) is a necessary evil. I believe that it is just another way teachers and parents can teach students responsibility and hold them accountable.

I have mixed feeling about homework like everyone else. Our 4th grade team gives minimal homework with the hopes that family time will be happening instead of hours of painful homework. Our math teachers give home homework on Monday and Wednesday (due on Wednesday and Friday respectively). The homework consist of some practice problems or a math puzzle. Reafing just has 30 minutes of reading and I think they have a choice board the students use. I teach Science (yay!), so I don't give roo much homework. Most of my homework is completed online through a LSM called Canvas. I generally have the students watch a video (no more than 5 minutes) and eith ask them questions from the video or have them do a 3-2-1. I also post discussion questions for them to respond to as well. I have had a pretty food success rate on students completing the assignments. I also allow them to complete in the morning as well as I know not all my students have internet or device access.

I am in early childhood which can be very different from 4th and 5th. However, I personally view homework to be extremely important in all areas. The most effective methods that I have seen homework done is in large packets for the week and baggy books with comprehension questions each night. In the large packets I have seen a teacher do all reading and math or a couple pieces of the packet to be reading, a couple math and some for writing, science or social studies. I have heard of some elementary schools doing away with homework all together. However, I personally feel that homework is important to help support the involvement of the parents in their child's education and if you do away with homework that is not giving the parents the opportunity to see what their child is doing and learning.

I definitely do not have all the answers as I am a student teacher, but I do my cooperating teacher sends home one packet of homework to be turned in at the end of the week and that has seemed to work for the kids and the parents! We haven't had any complaints so far when it comes to homework! I hope that helps! Thanks for the other comments for your insight on this dreaded topic!

I am currently a student teacher in a 3rd grade class and the whole grade level gives homework every day of the week. Every room has the exact same homework to avoid some students having too much or too little homework. They all hold the students accountable by checking the homework every day and checking it was completed. If it was not then they lose recess and have to complete their homework during this time. Also, they give the students homework for every topic throughout the week. Reading, math, and spelling is homework that is given everyday where are social studies, science, and writing are given at least once a week. I think the homework system that they have is good and the fact that every teacher is on board and participating in it is even better. It definitely helps the students to see that it is important and taken seriously.

My class is given a homework menu to complete over the course of a month. Students are able to choose from a list of activities to complete.

I teach chemistry...and with chemistry, I find that it really depends on the topic. Some topics I give homework every night...some times I give one or two assignments a week. There are many things where the best way to learn is repetition. Naming compounds/writing formulas, balancing equations, etc. My homework is generally short...should take them 10-15 minutes at most. Just the idea is to get them to think about it at home, and not just in the class. Because lord knows if they don't have "homework" they won't think about it.

From my experience in my field placements, I am realizing that parents often do help the children complete their homework quite a bit. Or students do not complete their homework at all and then are punished for not completing it. As a student, I dislike having homework that my teachers do not take for a grade. Throughout my placements, teachers do not give any points for homework, they just clip down. I do not believe that motivates students to complete homework. My personal opinion is that we should not give students packets of homework to students to complete at home. They do a lot of work throughout the day, the last thing they need is to go home and spend hours on homework.

I loved reading about all the ideas and feelings expressed over assigning homework. That is definitely a great topic to have and I found all the comments very insightful.

I think homework is a good thing but sometimes I think they should do activities in class that count as there homework. Homework should be given but if they have homework every night I feel like they will get overwhelmed. I find this topic very interesting. A great topic to discuss. Comments are very helpful!

I think that having students do an assignment a night is something that will really help teachers assess where each child is at and what more you might need to do for that child if they are struggling still.

Homework packets for the week would be an effective way to issue homework to the younger students. Everything would be directly there for them and they do not have to scatter through folders and notebooks to complete 4 different sheets of homework. I would personally include all the subjects we as a class studied and then attach a activity or puzzle to the end. Packets would also be easy for the teacher to grade and would probably benefit from having more students turn it in and not lose the homework.

Hello! Something I observed in my placements as a student teacher was 'Choice Homework'. The students were given a packet at the beginning of the week, and they were allowed to choose one homework assignment that they liked best out of the packet. What I liked about this homework was that the teacher had included engaging and fun activities or experiments, as well as the option to write a short 1 page paper over a particular topic given by the teacher. Some other choices the teacher had provided the students with included making videos showing and explaining any scientific experiment they decided to do at home. Another interesting one that the students loved included the students rapping a teacher provided educational rap (the teacher found various educational raps on youtube that pertained to the concepts they were learning). The choice was up to the students and they were to turn in their one assignment every Friday. The students absolutely LOVED this "homework". It was fun and they looked forward to it. Ive never seen a class ever get so excited to do and share their homework. In my opinion, this was a brilliant idea because it was so highly effective and can be modified for younger grades if need be. The students still had homework but were actually excited to do it, and most importantly, they were still learning! :)

On the topic of homework, I do agree in assigning it. I feel that it allows for continuous learning once outside of the classroom and to apply the knowledge they have gained from the lesson outside of the lesson as well. Whether it be a packet, a worksheet, or a series of questions is all up to the lesson, grade and classroom arrangement. As a future Special Education teacher, I do not think a packet would work best for my future students because they may or may not be able to handle a large assignment all in one setting. Worksheets or providing pieces of packets over the course of the week may work best.

Hi, I am a prospective teacher and I do believe that assigning homework is important. For the younger students I would assign a packet so that parents/guardians are able to keep track of their child's school work. I would focus on all subject areas as I believe they are each equally important. As for the higher grade levels, I would assign homework daily and add any necessary assignments I feel need to be worked on as the day progresses. I would definitely thoroughly check and grade homework assignments as that is where I will se where my students need further work and explanation on any given topic.

Everyone, Homework has been a spark of much debate, as of late. From what I have observed in the field is that most teachers do give homework, especially in math and reading. For some, they give homework to appease parents. Parents are of the mindset that if a teacher does not assign some type of homework, what is their child really learning. Also, it keeps parents involved and relieved. There is benefit to it. In terms of there actually being a benefit to homework, I do see benefit for it when it comes to math. To become proficient in math, it requires much practice. I believe assigning math homework that goes over past units/lessons is important to make sure students do not forget what they have covered. Most units/lessons do not go over past units, so it is key that students still practice old things they have learned. When it comes to reading, for me, I believe assigning a reading log so students make sure they read a set amount of time every night and to have parents sign off on it. When it comes to science, assigning projects or having students do something related to what they are going to cover or cover can be assigned. When it comes to social studies, which is been left on the back-burner, I cannot really say. Now, can teachers verify if the student actually completed it on their own or if their parents did it for them? You can never really know. But, over the course of the year, you will get to know your students and what they are truly about. You can tell whether work has been done by them or not. Going over last night's homework for the first 5-10 minutes can be done as a warm-up. In terms of grading homework, I believe a simple check or extra credit can be given. A reward of some type, as well. Homework teaches responsibility and teaches students they are also workers in a kind of way. This is just my take from what I have observed in the field and from teachers I have spoken to.

Hello Nicole, I am currently a college student at UC Berkeley taking a Cal-Teach course. From what I have seen in my field placement at an elementary school and from personal experience I feel that a homework packet over the course of the week works best since the students can complete it whenever it works best for them. They will also learn how to stay organized since they will have to take care of this packet. Also, I think that homework should be given at its minimal, just as a review of the material taught that week. It should take them about thirty minutes to complete per day because they can get overwhelmed at the point that they just start disliking school since they do not have time for themselves. I think the topics included in the homework daily should be reading, writing, and mathematics. You can have them pick a book and have them do burrito summaries, Mondays to Thursdays, to check that they actually read and from this you can also check their writing. You can also give them 3-5 math problems per day for them to review based on the lessons taught that week. When checking their homework on Fridays, just check for completeness and go over the answers with them if applicable for the homework assignments. If they do not complete it, you can have them stay during break to complete it. Homework should not be given during the weekends if they are in elementary school. This worked really well for me when I was in elementary school, so I hope this works well for your students. Good luck! Best, Miriam

I have seen many different teachers do many differnet things as well. It just depends on what you are using homework for. Are you just sending it home for practice? Is it being taken for a grade? Are you sending it home as a quick check up to see student understanding? I think homework helps teach responsibility. Also as they get older it is inevitable that they will have homework. It can help prepare them for what the next grades will be like. I know I student taught with someone who sent homework home purely for practice. She would look it over to see how they did, but did not take it for a grade because she knew she was not going to get it back from all of the students. This way it was not an end all be all for not doing homework. She was very aware of the district she was in, the parents, and the students home life. She would also send differentiated homework home. I loved this aspect. Although a lot of work, I really noticed that it helped the students and that the parents appreciated it. Again I think you should gauge your class at the beginnning of the year, the area in which you teach in and base it off of that. 

I have seen many different teachers do many differnet things as well. It just depends on what you are using homework for. Are you just sending it home for practice? Is it being taken for a grade? Are you sending it home as a quick check up to see student understanding? I think homework helps teach responsibility. Also as they get older it is inevitable that they will have homework. It can help prepare them for what the next grades will be like. I know I student taught with someone who sent homework home purely for practice. She would look it over to see how they did, but did not take it for a grade because she knew she was not going to get it back from all of the students. This way it was not an end all be all for not doing homework. She was very aware of the district she was in, the parents, and the students home life. She would also send differentiated homework home. I loved this aspect. Although a lot of work, I really noticed that it helped the students and that the parents appreciated it. Again I think you should gauge your class at the beginnning of the year, the area in which you teach in and base it off of that. 

I think that whichever policy is used it needs to get the children to do independent learning and also help them understand what it is they are trying to learn. Some do small assignments every night, others do no assignments or maybe sending a packet home with a few pages over the weekend. Get your cues from your students. They will key you in on what would be the best option for them.

The most common thing I've seen with students is packets of homework given out either Friday for the following week or on Monday. While packets are the most convenient way to assignment homework, many students get use to the repition of the assignments and are simply just filling out the worksheets rather than actually learning the material. I believe that homework should be completed in the classroom and sent home with students to review with their parents. This way, students are able to ask questions and teachers can observe if the students are learning and finding the assignments helpful or not. 

If you decide to go with submitting homework, I would suggest the packet method but sent home with students on Friday. This gives students the chance to look at the material they'll be learning the upcoming week and get a head start on their assignments especially if they're involved with after school activites. 

The key to homework is making sure it's more than just busy work. Recognizing that this can actually help the child out even more and using that knowledge to plan out your homework will go a long way. Making sure you know whether a student is completing it by themselves or with help is important. Encouraging kids to try their best and even if it's wrong, to keep going is ideal. Sometimes teachers only look through a packet to see if it's completed and don't care enough to see whether or not it was done correctly or to analyze what the student does or doesn't understand. This difference in attitude when assigning and checking homework can make the difference in your classroom. 

Hello,

I do not believe that homework is the best way to test a students ability to understand the content. I know from past experience that in high school I would just do the work to get it done. I wasn't really learning anything from it evne though I was getting a grade from it. I feel that giving a student a packet of work isn't a bad thing. We just need to give them more than one night to complete it. I think if we are giving them time through out the day to complete and and we are giving them 10 points for it that is incentive to get it done. I also think if we are teaching them a lesson on multiplication in math and we give them a packet of worksheets that they can complete through out the few weeks we are teaching it then this allows them to work on it on their own time and pace and they don't feel rushed to complete it. It isn't homework it is just work to help them better understand what they are learning and to deepen their knowledge on the subject matter. The only thing I think students should have to do at home is reading. I find that reading is very important and they should be reading 10-20 minutes at home each day. It doesn't even have to be a book. If they are reading the newpaper or never a magazine that is still reading.

I think homework can aid in students learning, when done the right way. Giving students busy work is beneficial for anyone involved. Giving students homework with meaning will actually help them with their learning. I think a packet of related  worksheets could help students. But we also need to be aware when assigning homework, that not all students go home to an environment where homework will get done every night. We need to take into account students home situations when assigning homework, and punishing students who don't get their homework done isn't always the best choice because for some students homework is the last thing on their mind when they go home. With assigning a packet, it could be worked on when students have some free time in class and could be completed solely in class if students use work time or free time to complete it and they wouldn't have to worry about trying to get it done at home. Making sure homework is meaningful and benefical to student's learning is important when choosing what to assign as homework. 

As a future teacher, does assigning homework to students is actually worth it? Or it is better to give students time to work on class.

I see your viewpoint on homework, but I also see benefits in it. From my observations, I have seen that homework give teachers an opportunity to see if students are learning the material. Even if the homework isn't graded it still portrays the level that the student is in. In my opinion, it is best to provide a small amount of homework so it will not seem too much for students.

While I do not think that is is possible to do away with homework completely, I do not find it to be a great opportunity for kids to learn.  A lot of times parents do not hold children accountable for homework.  This causes students to struggle in school.  Homework can be a disadvantage to a lot of students.0

I think homework can be a very tricky subject. I have not had the responsibility to assign homework yet, as I am still in college, but I do often think about how I will go about it. I feel as though a mixture of weekly packets and daily worksheets could be beneficial. Maybe in the beginning of the school year, the teacher could begin by assigning daily homework assignments for a week, and just check them off (maybe only collecting and grading one), and the next week, a packet could be assigned that is to be worked on every night. By using trial and error, the teacher can see what works better for her students. Are her students learning more from one way or another? Do they enjoy this type of homework of the other. I think that students can tell us a lot about themselves, and we should be coming into the classroom ready to pay attention to their needs! That is just my opinion, and I don't really have a lot of experience with homework. However, I believe that is how I would do it as a teacher. 

Thank you for your insight!

I agree with you about the homework topic. In a way though students should try to work on their homework to get more practice on the material we give them. As parents we should make sure we are not just doing the homework but rather than just guide the child on the homework and have them do it on their own. 

I think it totally depends on what age range you teach. If it is more of a junior high/high school setting I think packets to work through can be productive. However I am currently teaching 5th grade and students rarely receive any homework in science. Math is the most common subject for homework. The only science 'homework' students get is to study for a quiz or test.

Hi Nicole, I am as of now an undergrad at FIU. From what I have found in my field arrangement at a grade school and from individual experience I feel that a schoolwork parcel through the span of the week works best since the understudies can finish it at whatever point it works best for them. They will likewise figure out how to remain sorted out since they should deal with this parcel. Likewise, I feel that schoolwork ought to be given at its insignificant, similarly as a survey of the material instructed that week. It should take them around thirty minutes to finish for every day since they can get overpowered at the point that they simply start despising school since they don't possess energy for themselves. I think the subjects remembered for the schoolwork day by day ought to peruse, composing, and arithmetic. I also believe giving to much homework can be very overwhelming because students are in multiple classes so it is already a lot and teachers should take those things into consideration .

Hi Mitchell,

I feel that homework helps the students practice what is being taught in class. Lots of schools in Florida give Homework packets as well as different online assignments. I also feel that giving homework is an oppurtunity for students to connect with classmates, parents, and siblings. As a new teacher you dont want to overwhelm your students because that can also happen with excess amount of work.

Homework is just one of those things that is so controversial. In my opinion, i would give a packet to the students on Monday, and i would just explain to them that the packet had to be done by Friday. I would check homework to see if i had to review the lesson again or where students are not understanding. homework is a really important part of the learning process, where students extend their learning and study at home. homework does not need to be a long paper with many questions, it could be short activity the student can complete in order for the student to show they have understanding of what was taught. homework is great, but giving students the time and flexibility is really important.

If you give students homeowork it should be on a type of schedule.  Give Monday and collect Friday.  There is also not much evidence that homework helps support the learning of students, however I do see where it can.  I  

I am currently student teaching and assiting in classrooms, and both teachers I have worked with do not assign homework because they want their students to go home and study. However, I've noticed that it is pretty blatent that the students do not go home and study the material from that day. I think homework can be used to provide a guided study tool at home when necessary in the content. It also gives the students a little bit of responsibility as they will have to find the time to sit down and do it during their after school lives.

@Melissa Being that my school is a Title 1 school and many of the students are dealing with difficult situations outside of school, we shy away from issuing homework. Many of the students will misplace it by the time they get home or will not be able to focus and get it done at home. If my students don't finish their assignments in class, I will typically tell them to take it home and finish it. This alleviates having so many students with missing assignments. Normally they are worksheets, or I will assign them a quiz on quizizz.com. 

@ Karina Perrera  I totally agree that students should be issued homework. I was surprised when my principal expressed that he does not suggest the students at my school receive homework. I did; however, completely understand his reasoning. Many of the students do not have technology at home or they are living in difficult situations which makes it harder for them to complete their work. I still feel that they should be given a quick activity to do at home. It could be a simple worksheet or even writing a reflection in a journal. 

At my middle school, we have a loose 'no homework policy'. It is discouraged but is still allowed which results in low student participation. However, there is a math teacher who sends home a small packet each week and counts it for a grade. The packets review old material and provide practice for the material being covered that week. The homework is always given out on Monday and taken up on Friday. I think this consistency works well for students and allows them to work on their organizational skills while providing extra practice. In science, I think it is a little trickier. My school is very math and ELA focused which results in science and social studies taking a back burner based upon test scores. To combat this and help students gain a deeper understanding of science content while focusing on literary elements, I would prefer to send home weekly articles and annotation aids. This way students are increasing their literacy skills, it has a direct correlation back to class topics and it will improve this life skill.

In my class, I don't assign a specific assignment for homework and let the students know that anything we don't finish in class becomes homework. The problem I've seen with homework is the students remembering to do the homework. I've had classes where 70% of students didn't do an assignment and their grade suffered, however the students begin to feel more behind if I were to continue assigning more homework and continue not to keep up in class. In terms of deadlines, I give students to the end of the nine weeks. The issue becomes time management skills for students since many of them will put off their assignments, but I will then teach time management skills to the students through the year.

Having studnets work on organizational skills is very important for elementary and middle school students. i just started to teach 8th grade, and was surprised how many students would lose their packets, notebooks, planners, pencils and so on. I started to implement a daily check, if sutdents had all their supplies needed for learning that day, i would put a stamp at the back of their notebook. If they got 10 stamps then they would recieve extra credit points or a piece of candy if they did not need the extra credit. 

I have observed several classrooms ranging from pre-Kindergarten to third grade. What I have seen that works best is when teachers give only one assignment per day, alternating what subjects are being given each day. When students are given multiple assignments for one night, I have seen that they often are not able to turn it all in on time the following day or whenever it is due, or if they do turn it in, it is not their best work. This is because there was so much for them to do in one night that they rushed through it and did not put their same energy and effort into each assignment. Even some of my older third grade students were not able to complete multiple assignments each night, every school night. I have seen homework assignments be successful when they are given less frequently throughout the week. I have seen teachers tell their students to tear out specific pages in their math or reading book and take that page home for homework. I have also seen younger grade teachers give students a bingo or monthly calendar where for that entire month, there are different fun homework/engaging activities to do as homework with family members or siblings. The only problem that I have seen with this is if some students do not have as much family involvement as other students or have limited resources and cannot complete any of the assignments on the sheet, then they are at a disadvantage compared to other students who have greater opportunities at home.

While doing clinical observations in higher elementary classrooms, I have noticed that it is a common practice for teachers to assign one assignment a night in accordance to material covered in class. I recently read Hands-On Homework for Introductory Science by Chandralekha Singh that explains as an educator alongside a few colleagues, they created an inovative way to assign homework to their college level classes. This method seems to be adaptable for any grade level, even lower elementary. In this model, 1 to 2 assignments are assigned in class and are expected to be completed throughout the course of the week. This is said to allow students to understand material, challenge any preconceptions that they may have had, and act as practice with the scientific method. This method is also self-paced and empahsizes inquiry based learning. In my future classroom, I plan on implementing this structure for homework. I am eager to see the results.