The Evolution of Homework Collection - A New Routine To Keep It Simple

Teaching is a wonderful world of constant change. Although some of the changes we make in our classrooms are mandated, many are based on our own professional judgement. We are given the creative power to tweak our classroom environment and routines in ways that make each school day meaningful and exciting for students. One of the best things about being a teacher is making small tweaks within a year or throughout several years to maximize efficiency in the classroom. 

Tweaking Your Homework Collection Routine

One of the classroom routines I have been tweaking every year for seven years is my routine for collecting homework. Those first few minutes when students walk into the classroom are filled with a lot of hustle and bustle...and an occasional unexpected surprise. Homework collection should be quick and seamless. A few routines I have tried with short-term success are:

TURN IN BIN

Students place their homework in a turn in bin. The pros? Homework submission was quick for students. The cons? I often found nameless papers and it took too much time to sort through the pile to figure out who had & hadn’t turned in homework.

CORNER OF THE DESK

Students place their homework on the corner of their desk before starting their morning work. Teacher walks around and collects homework from each student. The pros? I was able to greet each student at their seat first thing in the morning. It was easy to see who had & hadn’t turned in homework. The cons? The collection process was time consuming and homework crowded students’ work space.

STACK ON THE STATION 

Students place their homework in a pile at a central location on or near their table group. Teacher walks to each group’s “turn in spot”, thumbs through papers and collects. The pros? I was able to collect homework fairly quickly. The cons? My less organized students who benefit from visual cues (they didn’t take note of the flat stack of papers piled near their seat) consistently needed reminders to turn in homework.

My Favorite Homework Collection Routine

The routine that has been most efficient for my students is very similar to the group station routine with an added layer of organization. The Homework Drop Box makes turning in assignments quick and easy for students and teachers. 

HOW IT WORKS

At the end of each day during Tidy Up Time, our Teacher’s Assistant places a drop box at each table group. 

When students arrive the following morning, they walk to their group drop box, find the file folder with their name on it, and drop their homework inside the folder. Students place their assignments in their folder standing tall in portrait-style rather than laying down in landscape-style. This allows the teacher to quickly walk to each station, thumb through each folder and instantly see who has and hasn’t turned in homework. 

The teacher can then grab the top of all the papers at once and pull the assignments out into a neatly organized pile. 

In my classroom, the Teacher’s Assistant then moves our drop boxes out of the way until we need them later in the day, or until the next school day. 

Having a smaller file box at each group, rather than a larger one for the entire class eliminates the problem of a long line to turn in homework. This means students settle into their seats and start their morning work without wasted time.

Although some of the changes we face as teachers tend to throw off our equilibrium for a moment, focusing on smaller changes that benefit our students helps bring us back to a more balanced and efficient groove in the classroom. 

BRING THIS ROUTINE TO YOUR CLASSROOM

If you are interested in trying the Homework Drop Box routine in your own classroom, grab my free Homework Drop Box Labels here and my favorite study, slim file bins here.

New Year, New Procedures (With The Kindergarten Smorgasboard)

There is just something so new and fresh and exciting about a new year!   It's about improving and starting new and making changes.  The classroom is no different!  Every January, I make changes in my classroom whether it's something big or just some small tweaks!   

This year I decided to go big!

Go big or go home, right?!

I've always been a believer of homework.  I believe it builds responsibility for our kids.

I have never believed in grading homework or penalizing students for not having or doing their homework.

Then I started reading some recent articles and research about homework.  More and more research is supporting not giving our kids homework because there is no benefit!    This article from Alfie Kohn has some great points!

So....my new procedure is no more homework!

Instead of daily homework, I am encouraging parents to do 3 things:

1.  Ask their child about what we learned at school.  I use the Remind app to communicate with parents.  Each day I sent out a Remind notification and tell parents one or two things we learned or worked on at school.  I then ask the parents to talk to their child about those things!

2.  Read with their child daily.  And have them listen to their child daily.  We send home books weekly so our students have emergent readers they can read.  They can also read their library books!

3.  Practice sight words.

My principal is supportive of my plan and we're going to monitor data for 2 months to see if there is a noticeable effect in the positive or negative!

My other new procedure is more music!

During writer's workshop I play music from Rock A Bye Baby while the kids are writing.  It adds such a relaxing, refreshing atmosphere to my classroom.

So...now we're playing the music anytime we're working!   During centers/workstations, writing and anytime we're working independently the music is on!

I started this last week and found that the kids loved it and it made a difference in our focus and made for a much for comfortable work environment!

You can find Rock A Bye Baby on iTunes and Pandora!

An InLinkz Link-up

Homework: The Great Debate!

Ah, the great debate...HOMEWORK! It's Kim here from For a Love of Teaching, and before I continue I must explain a little bit about myself. I'm no longer a classroom teacher. This past summer I accepted the position of Technology Facilitator at my school. However, I taught 3rd & 4th grade for 14 years where I assigned homework on a regular basis. So, I do feel that some homework is essential in establishing self-discipline and independent study skills in students.

Homework tends to be a love/hate relationship for teachers, parents, and students. Parents either hate homework and complain about it, or they love it and beg for more. In my school district, we have a homework policy that helps clarify general expectations for students, parents, and teachers. It explains the reasons teachers may assign homework. It gives "suggested" minimum amounts of time students should spend on homework, and it provides ways parents can support their child's learning environment at home.

When I taught in the classroom I always tried to follow the time chart. As a parent, I know how limited time at home in the afternoon can be.

I knew that assigning the right kind and right amount of homework was important. I knew that homework needed to be based on the application of concepts learned in the classroom. I also knew that it needed to be goal oriented with timely feedback provided for students.

When I taught 4th grade, I required nightly reading and students recorded their reading on a reading log that was checked daily. Students were also given a spiral review of weekly math (Math 4 Today) to complete that was given to students on Friday and due the next Friday. It was also essential that 4th grade students master multiplication facts 0-12 in order for them to be successful in math. For the first semester of school, students were required to practice memorizing multiplication facts at home. All three assignments we're goal oriented with reading and math goal charts were kept at student's desks, in their binders, and/or displayed in the classroom. Timely feedback was provided and rewards were given for successful completion at the end. 

As a teacher, I strongly believe that the love for reading starts early. I ALWAYS required nightly reading at home even when I gave breaks with weekly math homework. I encouraged it over holidays and highly recommended it during the summer months when our students were not in school. I always sent home this visual as a reminder to parents about how important reading is at home. You can download it for FREE in my store!

I think the biggest issue with homework is that some teachers don't think about the objective of the homework assignment before giving it to students. I've seen this happen time and time again with my own children. I think, as teachers, we have to ask ourselves:

1) Is it meaningful? 

2) Can it be completed independently?

3) Is it the right amount? How long will it take to complete?

4) Is it based on concepts learned in the classroom?

5) Is it manageable for the teacher and student?

How do you feel about homework? Do you give it? If so, how much? I'd love to hear your thoughts!

Responding To Requests For More Homework (Core Inspiration by Laura Santos)

In my ideal teacher world, the school day would be longer and homework would be eliminated. Unfortunately that world is not yet a reality...but there are big changes being made in our district that give me a strong hope. In the mean time, homework in my classroom is very straight forward.

Our Homework Routine 

Each afternoon, my students fill out their homework planner, which consistently lists the following assignments:

• Reading: 20 minutes or more each night
• Math: problems that correlate to the skill taught in class that day. On the back side of their homework assignment are the problems they completed successfully in class. If they ever doubt their ability to solve their math problems at home, they can simply flip the page over and see a visual reminder that they can do it. It's a built-in confidence booster. 
• Work Work: Students select one activity from our Wacky Work Work Menu nightly. 
• Other: This is where students record reminders if they need to bring items to school the following day. For example: "Wear P.E. shoes tomorrow" or "Bring library book tomorrow". Their parents also receive a text via Remind for these notes. 

I have the benefit of working at a school where parent participation is extremely high. I am so grateful for this because I know when my students head home each night, they will be asked follow up questions about their day, be given time to read each night, and have someone there to answer any questions they may have about homework.

Responding To Requests For More Homework

One challenge of working with highly-educated and supportive parents are the multiple requests for additional homework. My response to these requests is as follows:

Your child has spent six hours or brain power learning new academic skills and enriching their education. When they get home, they need time to unwind, time to focus on reading for pleasure, for exploring their hobbies and interests, and most importantly, time for outdoor exploration. If you want to further enrich your child's already highly-enriched education journey, provide them time to do these things.

So far, that response has worked like a charm. It's what I truly believe in my heart and I think sharing that with my parent community helps them feel connected to my teaching philosophy. Hopefully it continues to work until the day I can finally do a happy dance because homework has been eliminated completely! Fingers crossed. :)

To learn about more about my teaching philosophy and take a peek at other daily routines in my classroom, visit Core Inspiration by Laura Santos.

Homework - A SPECIAL GIVEAWAY!!

When I taught 3rd grade, our team discussed how we wanted to handle homework for the year. We agreed on a weekly homework packet that included some math, spelling, and reading activities. We actually sent the packets home on Friday, and they were due the next Friday. Many parents requested having a weekend to do the homework since they were so busy during the week.

I am not a fan of hours of homework everyday, but I do think a small amount is good to give parents a chance to connect with their kids and see what they are learning in class. However, we all know that some families are just super busy, and really might not have the chance to work on even a small amount of homework every night. So, I'm a big fan of the weekly packets. Students can work on a little each day, or double up some days if they need to.

Which brings me to our fabulous GIVEAWAY! Alexis from Laugh Eat Learn has donated some of her awesome homework packets to be given away to a lucky winner!

These packets are such a time saver, and also a paper saver, since they use half sheets. You can read all about why Alexis created these and how she uses them with her own class on her blog HERE!

To enter to win her 3rd Grade Weekly Homework Packets: Fall Bundle, just enter the rafflecopter below!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
If you'd like to try a sample of her packets, you can download this freebie HERE!

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!

Homework in Kindergarten {Alex from The Kindergarten Connection}

Homework can be a highly debatable subject in the education world! Just as there are parents who love it and parents who don't, there are also teachers who love it and teachers who don't!

What to do? 

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In all honestly, as a teacher, I am not a huge fan of homework, especially not for full day kindergarten students. Now that many kindergarteners attend school all day, 5 days a week, I feel like they really need to go home after a long school day and just PLAY. Go outside, run, jump, yell, and spend time with family. 

I do also understand that sometimes it can be helpful to set up "school night routines" and I also know that reading at home is crucial to early literacy.

So, my version of homework is "School to Home Book Bags!" 

I used to send home a nightly reading log. However, while some parents filled it out, there were many who forgot, or it got lost, eaten, left on the bus - you name it. 

Plus, after awhile, they just weren't that FUN. For some classrooms they are - but mine were losing their touch! 

I needed something to motivate kids to read at home and encourage their parents to read to them as well. 

My teacher next door told me about take home book bags, and I was hooked!

Each school day, the kids may take home ONE book from the classroom. I know what you may be thinking at first. "EEEK! My books! They may lose them!!" I have not had that happen yet.

They are not allowed to borrow another until they return the previous book, so they are very motivated not to lose them!

However, if you have a limited selection of books, there are sites like Reading A-Z that you can print books from and avoid the issue altogether.

Each student gets a ziploc bag with their name (cheap and easy to replace if they rip, etc) to store their book. They also get a reading log that their parents can help them fill out with the date and name of the book they read (it can be one from home or the library too)

The reading logs always stay inside the bag. They get changed out monthly.

My kids may change books every single day, every other, or however often, but they may only have one book out at a time.

I have found this to work very well for my class. I have some students who may not have a lot of books at home, or need an extra bit of motivation to get interested in reading with mom or dad.

This provides a boost of excitement, and parents also like it because they get to experience new stories with their children.

Plus, we know how important it is that kids are reading and being read to!

You can download your own copy of the book bag from HERE if you are interested!

Homework... to give or not to give? {Stephany from Primary Possibilities}

Homework.... always a hot debate with teachers, parents, and even students.  No matter your opinion or take on homework, you will never make everyone happy.  You have to find the perfect balance for your classroom and for yourself.  This year I chose to go with a Reading Folder as my daily homework.  I looped with my students from last year and knew that their biggest need was reading fluency.  Because of this, I chose to make this the main focus of my homework.  

I included these great literacy handouts in my homework folder.  I printed them on colored paper to emphasize their importance and have the students keep them in their reading folder.  They include awesome tips for parents and students to use while reading at home.  

These are from a great FREE resource from Primary Punch.  You can click on the image below to go grab it up! 

In addition to the literacy handouts, I include a Daily Reading Log.  Students record the date, title, their feelings about the book and if they are ready to take an AR test over the book.  Once we got rolling with this in the morning, it was awesome!  The students are learning how to choose books that are appropriate and interest them.  They are also learning to be responsible by filling out their reading log and switching out their book each day. 

  (You can click on the image below to download the reading log for free!)

How do you use homework in your classroom?

Homework, To Give or Not to Give... {Aloha to Second}

Homework, homework, homework.  Everyone has different opinions about homework.  I hope you can find my information helpful!

At my first teaching position, I gave homework each night.  I created a Kindergarten Homework Pack.
  I created it in order to help myself stay organized for the year.  I wanted to make sure that I was hitting all of the standards and providing my students with a variety of homework pages.  I tried to make this packet as easy and useful as possible.  I absolutely love it and got great feedback from parents. 

I print off this fun cover and staple it to the front of a folder.  You could even add your name (the teacher) on the star so if it gets lost they know who to return it to!

  There are calendars available for each month of the school year (mid-August to June) within the packet.  This allows you to stay organized and provide parents with an outline of the month's teaching points.  I like to place the calendar on the inside of the folder.  This way, parents know what to expect each week (and it helps me remember what goes home!).

I just staple the calendar inside the folder.  You could also use folders with the three rings and place a page protector on it.  Then, put the calendar inside the page protector. 

There are also editable calendars for you to adjust!  Yes- I said EDITABLE!  I know that some of you have different schedules throughout the year, so you can adjust some of the assignments.  I made over 160 assignments so that you can place them where you want them and even remove some if you would rather use a different assignment!  There are two different editable options within the pack so that you can pick what meets your needs.

Examples of homework pages

I do not give homework on Fridays - just Monday-Thursday.  The homework assignments are only 1 worksheet a night.  They cover reading, writing, and math curriculum.  The style of the homework is also repetitive so that your little kinder students can complete the assignments without parent help if necessary.  

Examples of homework pages

I know that Kindergarten seems too young to give homework, but I feel that it really helps them become more responsible.  My students also loved getting homework because they felt like "big kids." 

Examples of homework pages

Now for some of my Reading Wonders users - this homework calendar follows the Kindergarten Reading Wonders curriculum.  When the letters of the alphabet are introduced, as well as the sight words - this homework packet follows the calendar!  But, as I said there are editable calendars so that you can make adjustments to follow your class needs if necessary.  Therefore, you do NOT have to have Reading Wonders for this packet to be useful.

Here is another great deal - I will update the calendars each year!  Once you've purchased the product, you get an update for free.  Woo hoo!  :]  We always want to try and make our jobs as easy as possible, and I am here to help you!


I reward my students for completing their homework by allowing them to write their name on a ticket and place it in a jar.  At the end of each month I draw out 3-4 names (depending on how many points I have on Scholastic) and those students win a book.  The kids LOVE this, and they even get excited to just put their name in the jar.  Its a quick reward and doesn't cost me any money. :]

As for my new school, I am not allowed to give homework in kindergarten.  I am not totally opposed to this, but my kids ask me daily if they can have homework.  I agree, they are little and should stay little.  However, if they are eager to learn more, then why not?  Plus, I think one 5 minute page each night is not a big deal.  I also didn't make homework mandatory so if the kids were busy one night it was no biggie if they didn't bring in their homework the next day.  

As I said, my new school doesn't allow homework.  However, we have a school wide goal to read 23,000 books this year.  Therefore, my kids are reading books each night.  I send home a book bag with a book and reading log.  The kids fill out the log each night (with parent help) and we track the number of books they read at school to help us reach our goal.

You can find a copy of my reading log here!  I hope you enjoy it.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you have found something useful on my post that you could use in your classroom. :]