HOMEWORK
The best homework parents and whanau can give to their child is to love them and to talk with them NOT at them. Talking about home and family chores and experiences, reading or telling stories to your child, asking them about what they learned at school are how they begin to hear language and form the foundations of their literacy learning. Going outside and playing a game with your child creates talk and fun with your child. Card and Board games are fantastic ways for the whole family to interact and have fun together.
Parents please remember – television, playstation and computer games do not feedback verbally to your child so the learning is minimal. Adult interaction is best.
After school give your child time to wind down before they do their homework. Time for homework is always tricky and you need to persevere to find when it suits your child and family.
Homework does help to set good habits for learning for the rest of the learner's life.
Homework may not always be a specific teacher/school set task but there is an expectation that all students do some form of homework at least four nights a week.
1. Reading: All learners are required to have a large book bag. Junior learners will bring home a book to share with an adult at home. This is an opportunity for the adult and child to sit together and share the book, talk about the pictures, the words and the story content.
Older learners should silent read to themselves then retell what they have read to a home adult. The older readers may bring home a fluency reader or they can read their
Duffy book or a Library book. If your child is not bringing these books home then check they do have a book bag.
2. Number/Maths: Practicing families of facts (tables) - addition, subtraction, multiplication and division is essential for quick recall and ease of solving number problems.
3. Topic or theme study: Researching books and the internet on the current class topic being studied at home increases learner knowledge, especially if a home adult is taking interest and discussing what they are learning with them.
4. Written Language: Providing your child with the materials to write stories, letters to family members, make cards, write lists etc gives your child opportunity to practise writing and spelling words correctly. Often they will have words to read and write over and over as part of their literacy programme.
Belonging to the Public Library at Glenview, Dinsdale or the City Library is very beneficial to the whole family in developing lifelong reading habits.
Parents are requested to support their child with their homework and help the school by ensuring that any books are returned to school the next day, so teachers can do the necessary follow up on the homework.
It is really appropriate for parents to support their child in after school activities of a recreational nature e.g. sports teams, music lessons, swimming lessons, dance groups, etc.