Like many of you, I’ve had a very busy summer. As it is coming to a very tragic end, homework has been on my mind for some odd reason. Random, right?
Well, my thoughts are, “What exactly will my students do for homework this year?” I hate homework in kindergarten for the simple fact that I hate giving “worksheets” for homework. My first year, I did like the rest of my team and sent what was called a Study Buddy Bag. It was just a book, a ring of sight words, letter cards maybe, and whatever else that child needed to work on. I didn’t like the accountability on that.
So, for the next three years, I did a homework calendar. I loved it. However, it seemed just right in the beginning, but then it got a little too easy, especially for my quick learners. I could have changed what they were doing, but I don’t like changing huge things mid-year.
So, I started to do a little research to see what all is out there. I needed some new ideas. Each picture links to the blog post where I found each of the homework ideas.
First up! Heidi Songs Resource
She offers a weekly homework sheet for the students. What I like about it is the fact that it’s not TOO much at a time. I like the way it is laid out with room for weekly activities that are going on. This kind of meshes newsletter and homework together as one.
The Daily Cupcake
WOW. I love finding new ideas. I have never seen a homework journal, so to speak. We do every type of journal in class from A to Z, but never did I think to do a journal type of thing at home. I also never thought how simple and easy it would be to just send the same little notebook home. And this gives space for parents to leave notes – which is an awesome idea. Very simple to have everything laid out for the parents on what is expected. I would possibly put the notebook in a binder. I don’t know. Great idea overall, however.
And of course everyone knows about monthly calendar homework. I used that for three years. This is what I need a change from.
Busy Bees
Homework for the entire year. In a binder. The whole year. So…when I read this post – they day it was posted – I fell deeply and madly in love with the idea of making copies ONCE and never having to make a homework copy again. I’m not sure I would put the entire year in all at once. I might do a semester at a time. I’m too afraid they would lose pages, and I’d keep having to replace them. I LOVE this idea, though. It would make life so much simpler. She set it up to go with DIBELS progression, which is a great idea. It’s always weird going one way at the beginning of the school year, and then adding in a letter naming sheet, and then a nonsense word fluency sheet, and then words for phoneme segmentation… Just weird. I like how there are areas to check-off for completion. Again, accountability on some of it is iffy, but this type is a lot easier on YOU throughout the year. And I can just quickly send a book home with them.
What do YOU do for homework? I’m still not sure what I want to do or will do, but this helps me with the possibilities of what could be done.
