Homework

Homework in my class is pretty simple.  Students have a journal to write in every week.  Every week I will write back to them.  We will talk about whatever your student wants to talk about.  I sneak a few things in about format and handwriting along the way.   It is intended to be a conversation between me and each student.  It helps me to get to know each student personally.  It’s like having one on one time with a student each week.  I will also ask students to read at least 2 hours per week and record what they are reading in their journal.  We will go over how to record this in their journal.  Not only is it important for them to read, but it also helps me with conversations if they have left me with nothing to respond to.

The hardest part is keeping track of the journal.  Now, if you are thinking to yourself, we lose everything there is no way we are going to be able to keep track of a journal the entire year, fear not.  In the last 2 years not a single student has permanently lost their journal.  Occasionally students have lost it for a week or two but it has always turned up.  I think the reason for this is because it is important to them.  They want to see what I write every week.  They want their ideas to be acknowledged and validated.  When homework is seemingly randomly assigned it is not valued as much and there was a constant loss of both the notebook and the pages of work.

There are times where I let them off the hook for their journal homework because there is something else I want them to do.  Usually it is Storyline related and usually they need to do it at home because they need family input.  For example in our Newspaper Storyline students will bring home an interview sheet and interview people at home to gather relevant ideas.  I will try and put those on the calendar so you will know if they say “we don’t have to do it this week.”

I will admit that some students are more excited about the journals than others.  Some students would much prefer a worksheet that they can just do really quick, but usually I can rope them in eventually.

If you would like to take a look at the why I choose this method and the data and studies behind it please check out the page about my homework philosophy.  You can find it in the drop down menu under homework or click here