Homework is always a touchy subject...with students, teachers and parents. I believe that it can be very beneficial, especially when struggling writers go home and their parents work with them. This past school year, the homework routine was already put into place when I arrived in February. Each week there was a homework packet of between 3-5 pages, usually math and language arts, tying in some science and social studies with language arts when possible. The homework packet content always aligned with what we were learning in the classroom. My only objection to this homework packet, was that I did not have time to look through 22, 5 page homework packets every week. I knew that I never planned to give the packet a grade, but only to check to see if the students finished it, or at least attempted to do it.
My inspiration for next year's third grade homework is from
teach123-school.blogspot.com. My students had a very rough writing program last year and I need to find something to boost their interest in writing. I would love to use the journals as morning work, having the students write first thing in the morning. Then during the day I would take the time to write 1-2 sentences/questions for them to respond back for homework. I would have a rubric for them to follow and I would have it change throughout the school year (ie. number of paragraphs, use quotes, etc.).
