Aloha All,
Hoping everyone is having a good weekend.
Our hearts continue to go out to those in and around Lahaina, and to those touched by the tragedy.
Homework
Homework in 2G.
We'll start homework next week, after Parent Orientation (Tuesday) and Statehood Day (Friday: no school).
We won't have time to go into the ins and outs of how we do homework on Tuesday, so we thought it best to get this out now. Likely we will have time for a few clarifying questions.
Over the past 10 years teaching at HNS and doling out homework to 2G students, we've learned a few things.
We Can't Make Students Do Homework
We cannot make students do their homework.
Ultimately, homework is an at-home activity quite outside our jurisdiction and sphere of influence.
We know not all parents see homework similarly:
Some don't believe in any homework, ever
Some don't require homework on nights their students have baseball, gymnastics or karate, but will require it when no extracurricular activities are scheduled
Some enjoy a strict homework time and process if, for no other reason, than to get a little down time (which all parents need!)
Some add homework on top of 2G homework.
When we experimented with no homework, not only did we notice a change in the classroom, but many parents soon requested reinstatement!
We would encourage all parents to support 2G homework, but we leave that decision to you.
Encouraging self-motivation & independence
The way we do homework in 2G is a little different from S.O.P. (See below!)
2G homework is designed such that students soon learn to do it themselves, run it themselves, and enjoy being independent.
Homework: Mon - Thu
never over weekends or holidays
While we believe in the value of homework, we do not wish to burden 7 and 8 year olds.
Homework should be manageable, even fun, but not onerous.
We set homework Mondays through Thursdays.
We do not assign homework over weekends.
We do not assign homework over breaks.
And with the Money Card Homework complete, we should be able to stick to all of that!
2G homework is TIME-BASED, not packet based
It may take a while to "get" time-based-not-packet-based homework, but this fits with much of the time-based work we do in class, so your student will likely not have difficulty with it!
A good image to keep in mind:
Imagine a 2G class comprised of students with a WIDE RANGE of 100% normally distributed competencies, background knowledge, abilities, skills, experiences
Some have finished all 7 Harry Potter books, others are still learning to decode unfamiliar words more fluently — all of which is 100% normal in a 2G class: no one is "behind"!
Some recite their multiplication tables (3G math) at the drop of a hat while others are still counting on their fingers — all of which is 100% normal in a 2G class: no one is "behind"!
It's remarkable what 6 months of rapid brain development — par for the course with 7 and 8 year olds — does for perceived abilities and real competencies!
Now, give everyone the same homework packet and...
Some are "done" lickety-split
Some labor for hour upon hour, sometimes not getting it all done
The student who, at least "right now," has a few more academic skills isn't challenged
The student who, for "right now," is still mastering the 2G curriculum — as s/he should be! — is burdened and may be put off homework, if not school
Every student works her/his "learning edge"
As you may have picked up already, in the classroom 2G every student works her/his "learning edge."
In phonics, students who already "get" Book 3 and 3.5 lessons can speed through them, soon to find themselves challenged more in Book 4, 4.5 and 5.
Students who may need a bit more time to absorb and practice Book 3 lessons are not pushed faster than they need to go.
Similarly in math, while we all work the same topic — addition, subtraction, money, time, data and graphs, etc. — if students finish all the relevant sections in Level C (we always start in Level C!), they can go onto the same topic in Level D.
Students who reach Level E for the same topic find themselves really challenged!
So if your 100% Perfectly Normal 2G child is just rearing to go and wants to go to Harvard or Oxford or Todai (東京大学) or La Sorbonne next year, or the year after at the very latest, we will not hold her/him back!
And if your 100% Perfectly Normal 2G child wants to work at a perfectly normal 2G pace, or, for some topics, needs a little more time to absorb and practice, s/he gets that time!
We carry this "learning edge" idea over to homework.
Quick summary
So, so far:
We can't make students do their Mon-Thu homework
We believe homework can be valuable, especially in developing self-learners and independence
2G homework is time-based, NOT packet-based
As with classwork, students work their personal/individual learning edge with homework
Homework 20-20-10-10
The numbers in "Homework 20-20-10-10" refer to time increments.
20 minutes of math
20 minutes of writing
10 minutes of independent-level reading
10 minutes of 100% independent play — no screen, no adult organized activity time
Most 2G students learn to set a timer — an iPad timer like the one we use in class, or a kitchen timer, etc. — and work their 20-20-10-10 (which needn't be done in that order, altho' independent time is best left to the end!)
Students need time to set up, prepare, etc. and this should be included in their 20-20-10-10 structure.
Put otherwise: 60 minutes of homework is plenty for a 7 or 8 year old!
Math: 20 minutes
Most commonly, Math (20 minutes) is IXL math.
Students should know their usernames and passwords; if not, there should be a card with that information on it in their homework folders.
Students continue to work from where they left off in class.
In a future communication we'll share how to work with students who may, at home, still not "get it"
Students need not finish a section, nor may they stop when one is finished.
Students work for 20 minutes.
When the timer goes off, the math section of their homework is done.
(Students who love math and want to keep going and going and going are best told, "That's fine. You can do more than 20 minutes AFTER you finish the other parts of homework.")
Writing: 20 minutes
Mondays and Tuesdays are typically handwriting (20 minutes)
Most 2G students need to work on their handwriting and/or writing stamina.
Very often poor handwriting is the result of weak hand muscles.
The stronger hand muscles are, the better handwriting becomes and the longer students can write.
(After the rough draft stage and final draft of Tree House News, some student said, "My hand hurts!")
Wednesdays and Thursdays typically involve "free writing” (20 minutes).
The beginning of the year may see a little more handwriting (e.g., Mon, Tue, and Wed)
The end of the year may see a little more free writing (e.g., Mon - Thu).
Reading: 10 minutes
For reading homework, students need to be reading independently.
A child's independent reading level is, almost always, WAY BELOW their reading interest level. ("This is SOOO boring!")
But reading research underscores again and again the importance of "easy" -- i.e., 100% independent level) — texts to develop fluent reading skills.
And students need only read for 10 minutes during homework!!!!
An independent-level text is one your child can read with 95% accuracy without any help.
When a student asks, "Can I read this for homework?" we check for independent reading ability by turning to a random page and asking the child to read it.
If the student is missing words, decoding unknown words super-slowly, etc. we say:
This is a good personal reading book, but it's not the right book for homework
You can read that on your own time.
Remember, homework reading is only ten minutes!
Let's find something you can read all by yourself, even if it's not a book you want to read on your own time.
If there is any pushback during the reading part of Homework 20-20-10-10, it is that books that students can read completely by themselves are almost always "below" their reading interest level.
Again, they need only read the "boring book" for 10 minutes.
We will support this during our library visits. Students can check out:
1 homework — independent-level — book for homework reading
1 personal book, of any reading level, that they can look at and get help reading either at home or at school
Again: reading research underscores the critical importance of independent-level reading.
100% Independent Play: 10 minutes
Many parents love this part of homework as it guarantees them 10 minutes of "me" time!
100% independent play does not include:
any adult organization (e.g., soccer or piano practice, adult-suggested activities, etc.)
any screens — so no phones, tablets, computers, game stations, etc.
Students are more than welcome to:
read "anything"
draw or color
play in the garden (with parental permission)
play with a sibling or pet, provided no adult supervision required
play with Legos
lie on their backs and stare at the ceiling
lie on their stomachs and stare at the floor
etc.
The goal: 100% independent play for 10 minutes.
Set the structure & watch your student flower!
It's not uncommon to hear parents say, after a time, "My child comes home, gets out the timer, pulls out her/his homework, and does it all by her/himself!"
This is the goal.
It's good for your fast-developing child.
It's good for you!
So if homework is something you believe in and support, our recommendation is to help your student set up the homework structure a.s.a.p. — it's easy to remember, "Homework 20-20-10-10" — and then, once in place, kick back, relax, and watch your child grow!
"My child does tutoring on Tuesdays & Thursdays"
If your child does tutoring after school — and we are BIG PROPONENTS of tutoring when indicated — s/he does not have to do homework on those nights.
Just let us know when those days are.
Tutoring or homework is plenty for a 7 or 8 year old after school.
Now, if your soon-to-be-a lawyer child does tutoring during school hours — and we are BIG PROPONENTS of tutoring when indicated — that does not get her/him out of homework!
Yes, astute students have tried that nearly every year! : )
Hopefully this provides a good introduction to 2G homework.
As noted at the top, we won't have time to go over all these details on Tuesday (Parent Orientation), but we may have time for a few questions.
By all means email questions, thoughts, concerns, this-Starbucks-on-me tokens, and any ideas that might make 2G homework more successful.
