3.13. Homework and Planners

Any work the teacher plans or approves the student to complete outside of the regular classroom, and without their immediate and direct supervision, is homework. Homework as a vital link between home and school and can serve to unite parent, child, and teacher in the educational process. Parents can support their children by providing a structured time and specific study space for homework completion.

Essentially, there are three types of homework assignments:

1. Practice: Following classroom explanation, illustration, and drill, practice exercises promote mastery of new material.
2. Preparation: Preparatory homework assignments usually relate to the reading of an assignment before it is discussed in class.
3. Extension: Extension assignments encourage the student to go beyond the work done in class. Frequently, projects and problem-solving assignments (with application of learned skills and research) are used as extension options. This is probably the most beneficial to students since it is the most individualized.
   

Daily Homework Expectations:

• Gr 1-2 – 15 to 20 minutes
• Gr 3 – 30 to 45 minutes
• Gr 4-6 – 60 to 75 minutes

Silent reading and reviewing memory verses homework is in addition to these guidelines.

Planners:

• To establish a consistent procedure for students to record homework assignments, each Gr 3-6 student is given, and expected to use and reference, the school provided planner.
• In some cases, the teacher may initial the assignment as written by the student, and parents must initial the notebook indicating that the homework was reviewed.
• Students whose planners are lost or unusable must purchase a new planner through the office.