Homework In Reception

[Guest]

Can you believe I've already had some parents asking where is their child's homework - some of the kids have only been in 3 days so far I'm in Reception class. Do you give homeowrk on a regular basis? I'm not starting children on a reading book until we've done 4 weeks phonics teaching and only then it will be the children who are ready.

I'm starting my phonics teaching (phase two) next week - would you send home the letters of the week (or some words to practice belending and segmenting?) I do feel it's a bit too early for the majority of the children however I am aware that some of my children (the ones with older brothers and sisters) are requesting homework already and these are quite able children and I don't want to hold them back. I do not do worksheets in class - I used to do the Jolly phonics ones in my first year of teaching but quickly realised that this wasn't the way I wanted to go. However do you think that for the children who enjoy the worksheets (because although I dont' like to admit it there was quite a few) these could be sent home as the letter sounds have been done?

Any advice would be warmly welcommed - I would really love to know what 'homework' people are sending out and how regularly.

Thanks in advance.

[Guest]

Hello,

We have started our Phonics this week, (we are using Jolly Phonics) and sending the worksheet home, together with some advice for parents as to how they can help their child. Such as games they can play e.g. I spy, spotting the letters when they are shoppping on packages etc.

Hope this helps.

[Guest]

Hello,

We have started our Phonics this week, (we are using Jolly Phonics) and sending the worksheet home, together with some advice for parents as to how they can help their child. Such as games they can play e.g. I spy, spotting the letters when they are shoppping on packages etc.

Hope this helps.

 

 

Hi,

 

I also use Jolly Phonics in my class, we do a sound a day, which we look at as a whole class, do the worksheets in class in small groups, which then gets put in a folder for each child and the letter and picture of the action is cut off and stuck in individual books for the children which they take home each day (bring back the next) so they can practise this at home. We also practise all the sounds we have learnt so far, daily. I write cvc words on the whiteboard made up of the sounds we've done and we practise blending together and in small groups. I give reading books out when children are ready, but I give books with no words initially. [/font]Sue

[Marion]

Initially my reception homework is to practice letter sounds and to begin to blend/segment words with letters taught so far. I find it is often the parents who are asking for homework who fail to spend a few minutes each night on these skills, perhaps they want worksheets..........

[Guest]

Unfortunately I have to say I agree with you Marion - they do want the worksheets. After all a worksheet is very easy and simple and there is not preparation required by them and they can easily see when their child is 'finished' - and 'compare' their child's work to others. I gave out lots of ideas for helping children's learning at home in my welcome pack including lots of different ideas for mark making (in custard, gloop, rice etc), playdough recipes, simple number games etc but parents do not seem to want to do this.

Edited September 22, 2007 by Guest

[Guest tinkerbell]

I have the same problem in my school.The HT has just sent the parent questionnaire home and one of my reception parents wrote her child was just getting used to full days in school...the next point she made was 'I would like a reading book each night with a parent comment book', this lady knows the children get reading books later in the year.You just can't please everyone.

 

I send a sound book home with the sounds we have learnt that week,a library book to share and a maths game.Next half term i will do a parent'phonic/reading session'and then send reading books..when I and the children are ready!!

Tinkerbellx

[Rea]

Oh please dont give them homework

I hated having to drag my lads from their playing or even from staring at the TV to read or do a worksheet, in the end I just stopped doing it, all through primary school actually, with the deputy saying 'well, if he does it we'll mark it and if he doesnt then its up to you'. She didnt like me.

I remember at a parent/govenors meeting someone raised their hand to complain there wasnt enough homework throughout the school, so I had to raise my hand too...

Some parents are so silly, their children are still babies and should be left alone to play and think and stare

[Guest]

at my sons second primary school the head teacher, who was his class teacher refused to give out home work in his school, he said they should be playing instead! what a great out look that teacher had for all of his children, this hasn't done my son any harm but left him with great memories of the head teacher and his school. My son did not suffer with being behind on school work when starting the middle school and in fact he all ways does his home work with out grumping! however he has now started high school and is getting loads of homework!

[Guest]

Oh how I agree Rea!

 

My daughter has just started year one and last year we had to read with them every night and do homework which is possibly manageble if you are at home with your children. My daughter goes to breakfast club and after school club as I work full time. We often get home at 6 (if we walk and go to the park) and she goes to bed at 7.30. This means I have to spend this time, which I think is precious, having dinner and trying to get her to do her reading or her homework. She is very tired and needs to wind down and I know she is seeing reading as being a chore no matter how much I try to be enthusiastic.

 

Sue

[Beau]

I think I have made my feelings about homework for young children very plain in the past too! If homework must be given out I would value a simple hands on activity suggestion for us to do together during the week, rather than a worksheet or list of words to write. Both my girls were very tired when they got out of school and needed that time to spend on activities of their own choice. The whole homework thing can easily become a chore and a battleground if too much is given. Don't bow down to these parents if you don't think it is appropriate for them to be having homework.

[catma]

I'm ambivalent re "homework" but I would always want children to take books home - not reading scheme books but stories for their parents to read to/with them. A comment book was also useful. In my last class they didn't have set days but could change as often as they wanted - although after a week I would chase them up. Each day thise that wanted to change would have a chat about the book and what they liked etc. Right from day 1 they had their book bag and this was part of their homework. Do you have a homework policy?? Ours clearly stated that homework for under Yr1 was parents reading with their child and taking part in activity based tasks that would be given as appropriate to the curriculum. So sometimes letters/practising their name, sometimes finding all the numbers in their kitchen and making a list of them!

Cx

[Guest]

We send home a reading book a day with a comment book, to start with the books are without words and then with a few simple words TO SHARE not read by themselves. We also send home our Jolly Phomics worksheets in a book for the children to colour and do the writing IF THEY WANT TO. Key words go home when the children are ready. We give each child a welcome pack with dominoes, cards and dice in too so they can play simple games, we send home suggestions for these. It is very much 'it would be great if you could read with your child but don't worry if they are too tired to start with'.

[Guest]

Just had to add my experience as a 'new' parent of a 4 yr old foster daughter. ( my own son now 23 yrs)

She started school September, she brings home a reading book, no pictures. What made me laugh ( trying not to over analyse and be concerned) is that when I ask her to look at the pictures and tell me about it........, she talks in what can only be described as using stinted, robotic words, ie: "The..........mum.........is..........cross..........the..........ball..........broke.........the.........flower."

She calls this reading ( having heard her older brother read)

No excitement, no intonation, no flow......only after role modelling how I tell her the story does she see the book as fun

 

 

Peggy

[Phil]

I have to say that personally I HATE HOMEWORK, I understand all the theory about why it has been set but this is week 2 of my sons 4th year and again we have had the homework row all morning with him howling, last weeks hwk took most of sunday, this week we have done a bit every night but it still took 3 hours this morning!

 

and that does not include his daily reading log in which he has to write about the books he has read.

 

and then we have hwk for my year 2 son,

 

and they can not possibly sit at the table together as they wind each other up.

 

then his reading book,

 

then their school uniform sorting

 

there went my sunday!

[Guest]

Hi!

We have a book of sounds as we introduce each letter, using Jolly Phonics scheme.

 

They have an independent reading book, which parents change with them as often or as little as they want. They choose a book with their child after school from a selection of books. The parents sign the books in and out, which allows us to monitor the books they are choosing. Parents seem to like this though.

 

This year I am setting up some "learning bags", a bit like a story sack. Based on either a story book or a theme such as shape, the bags have a book, game, toy etc to play with their parents. The children will all have a chance to take the bags home to share with their parents for a couple of nights on a rota basis.

 

We also send home things like a bear diary, each night a different child takes the bear home and we share the diary the next morning. The children love doing this sort of thing.

 

Hope this is usefull to you.

[Guest]

Rea - thanks for some straight talking. When do children actually have time just to 'be' - it is essential. Keep the homework away for as long as possible - could you run parenting workshop on the benefits of play?[/size[/font ]]

[Guest]

My 3 year old came home from the FSU with his library book yesterday, which he said was his homework. He was so proud to have homework like his siblings that I had to read it to him and his Dad had to read it to him, he was most firm that the others weren't allowed to listen as this was HIS homework. He really loved having the 1-1 time that this "homework" gave him. I think that if homework is appropriate and get parents spending 1-1 time with their children then it is not a bad thing.

[Rea]

That was my point really alm, I supported both the lads if they were interested in doing, finding out and listening. But when I had to drag them kicking and screaming and then have the tears when they didnt know what they were doing and said I was wrong, and 'thats not what the teacher said', I decided to give up and let them play.

If homework is to be used at least let it reinforce whats gone on in class, let it be at the childs level, so I dont do all the research which kind of defeats the aim and let it be something that neednt happen after school, between tea and bed. Homework that was the best, we found we could do as we went about our usual weekend activities, shopping, going to the bank, walking, feeding the ducks, holidays in the mountains, bus and train rides, visiting family... I have never seen any evidence that making my lads do homework was a benefit to them. Obviously there are those children who dont get to have outings and who dont have a parent at home who can offer alternatives, but those parents are more likely to be the ones who wont do the homework anyway, so I really see no point in it at all.

The message from my sons primary was that homework was to prepare them for the work they would have to do in secondary school, but they were prepared for that as age allowed not because they had practiced, and anyway, they have always had less to do in secondary than they ever were expected to do in primary.

I say let them play, in point of fact, world of warcraft, a computer internet game helped my youngest son in his science sats. He was asked how to make copper and from playing the game, he knew.

 

 

 

And here endeth todays sermon, you may all now go about your daily lives