Super Challenge Question or Homework Redefined

Super Challenge Question or Homework Redefined

Homework is a perpetual problem for teachers. We want to engage parents in their child’s education by providing materials to work on at home. Teachers also strive to make the activities more than busy work. Should homework be for a grade based simply on completion or be strictly for practice? While brainstorming with a 4th grade team about the plight of their homework situation, an idea began to organically bloom in my brain.

The problem is this case was that the English Language Arts teacher sends work home one week while the Math teacher sends it the next. Both teachers had about 30% of students never turn in a homework assignment. They tried positive rewards through Class Dojo, negative consequences tied to lunch and recess as well as parent phone calls home. Feeling like all they were doing was running into a wall repeatedly, they asked for help.

I said, “You integrate Social Studies with the ELA lesson. Can you integrate homework?”

“Yes...” replied the teacher.

This is an example of what we came up with during our brainstorming session.

An ultralight airplaine tracked monarch butterflies migrating to mexico. She found that they traveled about 45 miles a day. The month of september has 30 days. How many miles did the butterflies travell in September?

Math – Solve the problem and show all work

ELA – Find 5 grammatical errors in this word problem

Homework does have the benefit of engaging a parent with their child's education but also can get in the way of family activities. This new direction for homework can take away some of that stress for students, parents and teachers. Giving less work but asking for more thinking can give families more time together without the turmoil of excessive homework and give kids the chance to be kids after a hard day's work at school.