Greetings Families,
First, thank you to those who completed the homework survey. This information is very helpful to the fourth grade team as we consider what homework should look like. I do not have all the data for the whole team, but I do have what was contributed by you.
First, here is a chart that shows how much time families are spending on homework each night.
From this chart, most families are spending the amount of time on homework that the school has said is correct, 1 to 1.5 hours. One family said it is taking them longer than that. If this data reflects our class at large, that would mean 2 to 3 families are spending more than 90 minutes a night on homework. If that is the case for your family, please reach out to me for a way to remedy this problem.
From the data provided to me, it appears that the majority of our families are working on homework with their children about half the time or less, with more trending towards less. This is how it should be in fourth grade, as this is a good time to tell if they will sink or swim with more freedom. No one said little or none, which is probably good as well. Though we want to give students some freedom, some supervision and support is still necessary at this age.
There were also specific comments made that I would like to address.
One parent said that Singapore Math is difficult for them to teach to their child at home. I understand the challenges Singapore Math presents, as none of us were taught this way as children. However, when it comes to most operations, Singapore follows the same methods as us. When it comes to bar modeling, that is where things are more difficult. Most of us think is algebraic formulas because they are what we last learned. If you have specific concerns regarding Singapore Math, please reach out to me and I can try to schedule a time to meet with you to review how the program works and specifics you may have questions about.
One parent said it is hard to find the balance between homework time and free time. If your child is spending more than 90 minutes a night on homework, I can understand how this would be. There does have to be balance and I do not want students working on homework all night. If you would like help finding a way to better balance things, please reach out. It is difficult for me to generalize something like this, as each family's situation is very different.
One parent asked for no homework over the weekend. Many students request this each weekend as well. However, having students practice math and reviewing lessons over the weekend is important for memory development. If I teach a math lesson at 9:40 in the morning on Friday and the students don't see any math until 9:40 a.m. on Monday, a great deal of what was taught will be lost. That is just to much space in between lessons. I can see why families and students would like their weekends to be free, but educationally it is hard to make that work.
One parent said they would like to know about assessments further in advance. Something I have done over the past two weeks is put what assessments there are two weeks out. I usually place this after the lessons section in the weekly blog update. I do not list the science quizzes that are every Monday and Thursday, but all other assessments should be listed.
One parent said that they would like for homework to be more review, not new material. All homework is review of what has been previously learned, though much of it was learned that day. The point of that is that students need to practice the skills they learned during the day at home to allow for spacing. Many students will be able to do the work in class after being taught while the content is fresh in their short-term memory. However, when they get home, they have forgotten what they learned and it becomes a challenge again. The challenge is good, because it is struggling to remember and figuring it out that helps cement the content in their memories. If students are regularly forgetting what they learned in class and homework is nearly impossible, students should bring their textbooks and notebooks home to assist with homework. If this doesn't help remedy the challenge, please reach out to me.
One parent spoke to the science quizzes and burdens of so much homework. For the second quarter, I have reduced science quizzes to twice a week. They are a bit longer, but less often. I understand that many students found the science quizzes to be discouraging in the beginning, but the quizzes seemed to improve student learning as a whole. For example, early on, some quizzes were failed by nearly all of the class. Now, some quizzes still receive lower marks, but the class average is usually a B or C. Another advantage that quizzes do not show is the ability I have to refer to previously learned content. More students remember what was discussed previously and can make use of that information. The quizzes are not easy, but holistically they are beneficial. None-the-less, I know that some students continue to do poorly and I will do my best to support them individually.
As to the burdens of the homework, I sort of spoke to that previously. One of the challenges of having such a robust curriculum is that there isn't much time for remediation and review. Students are expected to learn the material in the given amount of time. For math and reading, we have special services for students who are falling behind, but we don't have the time or flexibility to offer those services for other subjects. That is why homework is so important, though burdensome. Students need time to independently practice and use the skills taught during the school day. Enough time for students to do that at school just ins't available. However, I want to make sure it is clear that I am here to offer support to families. There may be small changes we can make to relieve some of the stress homework is causing.
This has been a terribly long email and I may not have given the answers you were hoping to hear. Please know that I want to be supportive and don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions, concerns, or comments. Ultimately, the rearing of your child is your duty. I am privileged you offer me the opportunity to support you in that role.
Best,
Michael Naaktgeboren
First, thank you to those who completed the homework survey. This information is very helpful to the fourth grade team as we consider what homework should look like. I do not have all the data for the whole team, but I do have what was contributed by you.
First, here is a chart that shows how much time families are spending on homework each night.
From this chart, most families are spending the amount of time on homework that the school has said is correct, 1 to 1.5 hours. One family said it is taking them longer than that. If this data reflects our class at large, that would mean 2 to 3 families are spending more than 90 minutes a night on homework. If that is the case for your family, please reach out to me for a way to remedy this problem.
From the data provided to me, it appears that the majority of our families are working on homework with their children about half the time or less, with more trending towards less. This is how it should be in fourth grade, as this is a good time to tell if they will sink or swim with more freedom. No one said little or none, which is probably good as well. Though we want to give students some freedom, some supervision and support is still necessary at this age.
There were also specific comments made that I would like to address.
One parent said that Singapore Math is difficult for them to teach to their child at home. I understand the challenges Singapore Math presents, as none of us were taught this way as children. However, when it comes to most operations, Singapore follows the same methods as us. When it comes to bar modeling, that is where things are more difficult. Most of us think is algebraic formulas because they are what we last learned. If you have specific concerns regarding Singapore Math, please reach out to me and I can try to schedule a time to meet with you to review how the program works and specifics you may have questions about.
One parent said it is hard to find the balance between homework time and free time. If your child is spending more than 90 minutes a night on homework, I can understand how this would be. There does have to be balance and I do not want students working on homework all night. If you would like help finding a way to better balance things, please reach out. It is difficult for me to generalize something like this, as each family's situation is very different.
One parent asked for no homework over the weekend. Many students request this each weekend as well. However, having students practice math and reviewing lessons over the weekend is important for memory development. If I teach a math lesson at 9:40 in the morning on Friday and the students don't see any math until 9:40 a.m. on Monday, a great deal of what was taught will be lost. That is just to much space in between lessons. I can see why families and students would like their weekends to be free, but educationally it is hard to make that work.
One parent said they would like to know about assessments further in advance. Something I have done over the past two weeks is put what assessments there are two weeks out. I usually place this after the lessons section in the weekly blog update. I do not list the science quizzes that are every Monday and Thursday, but all other assessments should be listed.
One parent said that they would like for homework to be more review, not new material. All homework is review of what has been previously learned, though much of it was learned that day. The point of that is that students need to practice the skills they learned during the day at home to allow for spacing. Many students will be able to do the work in class after being taught while the content is fresh in their short-term memory. However, when they get home, they have forgotten what they learned and it becomes a challenge again. The challenge is good, because it is struggling to remember and figuring it out that helps cement the content in their memories. If students are regularly forgetting what they learned in class and homework is nearly impossible, students should bring their textbooks and notebooks home to assist with homework. If this doesn't help remedy the challenge, please reach out to me.
One parent spoke to the science quizzes and burdens of so much homework. For the second quarter, I have reduced science quizzes to twice a week. They are a bit longer, but less often. I understand that many students found the science quizzes to be discouraging in the beginning, but the quizzes seemed to improve student learning as a whole. For example, early on, some quizzes were failed by nearly all of the class. Now, some quizzes still receive lower marks, but the class average is usually a B or C. Another advantage that quizzes do not show is the ability I have to refer to previously learned content. More students remember what was discussed previously and can make use of that information. The quizzes are not easy, but holistically they are beneficial. None-the-less, I know that some students continue to do poorly and I will do my best to support them individually.
As to the burdens of the homework, I sort of spoke to that previously. One of the challenges of having such a robust curriculum is that there isn't much time for remediation and review. Students are expected to learn the material in the given amount of time. For math and reading, we have special services for students who are falling behind, but we don't have the time or flexibility to offer those services for other subjects. That is why homework is so important, though burdensome. Students need time to independently practice and use the skills taught during the school day. Enough time for students to do that at school just ins't available. However, I want to make sure it is clear that I am here to offer support to families. There may be small changes we can make to relieve some of the stress homework is causing.
This has been a terribly long email and I may not have given the answers you were hoping to hear. Please know that I want to be supportive and don't hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions, concerns, or comments. Ultimately, the rearing of your child is your duty. I am privileged you offer me the opportunity to support you in that role.
Best,
Michael Naaktgeboren