Homework
For many years, there was a rule of thumb at Sousa that students and parents could expect to have two follow ups to school work every night at home: about 15 to 30 minutes of reading, and about 10 minutes of homework “times” the student’s grade level (e.g., 20 minutes for second graders and 50 minutes for fifth graders), practicing work that had been learned that day or recently in class. With the advent of Common Core Standards, the staff agrees that the latter part of this “yardstick” is probably under what most teachers assign to most students on most nights.
The reading portion is still a good goal for every student: to spend 15-30 minutes each evening reading. That could include books from school or those from your home or the library. Studies are clear that “nothing is better than reading and writing to develop children’s reading and writing.” (Allington, 2001) Establish a quiet place, free from distractions, where your child can read each day and try to keep the expectation consistent. Of course, you may want to read together on occasion!
The second portion of the homework expectation is harder to quantify. The purpose of homework is to have your child independently practice what they have learned that day, or very recently at school. After instruction, guided practice, and some independent or group practice in class, can the child apply what he/she has learned at home on his/her own? This does not mean you can’t help your child with some assignments, but a move towards independent work for the student is the key. A better rule of thumb for homework expectations these days is probably closer to 20 minutes “times” the student’s grade level, especially in the upper grades. Each teacher at Sousa will give homework guidelines, usually during Open House and/or in a Welcome packet. If you have specific questions or concerns regarding homework, contact your child’s teacher.