Intentional & Effective Homework (Angie from Lucky Little Learners)

Ah, yes, the great homework debate!  Hey everyone, it's Angie from Lucky Little Learners and I am here to talk to you about my view on homework.  Now, let me back up a bit and tell you that I teach 2nd grade in Minnesota and me being a primary teacher will need come into consideration while you're reading this post.

I'm just going to come out and say it, I'm not a huge fan of homework...the way it has been traditionally assigned!  Let me explain...  Ask yourselves these questions:


Is it fair?  Is it accurate?  Is it specific?  Is the feedback timely?  I have been doing a lot of research on homework lately and I have stumbled upon a lot of interesting information.  A lot of my information comes from Douglas Reeves.  He is the founder of Creative Leadership Solutions and can be found on Twitter by clicking HERE.

In my classroom, the only homework I assign is reading.  My second graders are expected to read at home every night.  I use Remind to tell parents what learning target we are addressing so they can pull that into their child's nightly reading homework.  For example, this week we have been working with fiction story elements so I took a picture of my anchor chart and texted it to my families.  Then I encouraged them to ask their child about the characters, setting, problem, and solution after reading at home.  We continue to spiral this focus into the school day as well.

 I think the biggest challenge I face when it comes to homework isn't the kids, it's the parents.  It's so hard to please them all.  Some parents think homework is essential and some prefer a teacher NOT sends homework at all.  Being a teacher that isn't a big homework advocate, it's going to be my focus to educate parents on the research and findings that I come across in an effort to better educate them on the WHY's instead of just saying "That's what I believe."  What do you assign for homework?  I'd love to hear your thoughts!