Why have homework?
Often
in our busy lives homework is seen as just another thing that has to be done
but it has a genuine benefit for parent and child.
-Regular homework promotes healthy study habits for high school – It is important that primary school
prepares children for
high school and by children completing some homework each night this
will assist
them to be better prepared for
high school routines.
-Homework helps improve reading (the basic building block for all schooling) – The quantity a child
reads has been directly linked to improvements in reading ability. Take home reading gives children
the
opportunity to practise their reading skills and, particularly in the younger grades, receive additional one-on-one support from an adult. It is also a valuable opportunity for parents to assist
their child with learning new
words and making meaning from text. Working at home on sight words helps children to develop a bank of known sight words that helps to accelerate their reading progress.
-Homework helps improve spelling ability (another essential building block for schooling) - Learning spelling words at home will assist with writing and recent research has indicated the importance of
learning to spell early
so as not to consolidate the incorrect spelling
of
words which can be hard to
break.
-Homework helps to revise concepts being learnt at school – At times children will be sent home
occasional tasks that directly
support what is being learnt in class.
Children will also be revising Spelling and Maths being learnt in class
at
that time.
-Homework strengthens the links
between school
and home - Parents can see how their child is progressing and
give them some
help on an
important subject
area.
What can I do to make homework hassle free?
Try
some of the following ideas to help make homework easier at home.
-Have a consistent time
that homework occurs each day. Children
respond well to routine and are more likely to do their homework if they know
they have a consistent time and place to complete it.
-Ensure that the
location where the homework is being done is free of distractions e.g. make
sure the TV is turned off.
-Have a small reward when
homework is completed e.g. watch 30 minutes TV or play a game with them.
-Be prepared to assist
and monitor. Often when children get stuck they ponder rather than ask for
help. By monitoring you can quickly help a child to move on and get through the
homework.
-Make homework a
positive experience by highlighting improvements rather than difficulties.
A Friendly Reminder
High
school students who need assistance with their homework or assessments are
welcome to attend study club on Thursday afternoons after school.
Rebecca