What a wonderful group of students. I thoroughly enjoyed myself today. I'm looking forward to a wonderful year!
I sent home two pages of homework tonight. I would like your student to try it on their own, but feel free to help if you need to. I realize that this may be easy for some students and very difficult for others. Please take a few days to see how they do and we'll communicate during Parent Information Night to see what is best for your individual student.
Reading homework consists of the five W questions (who, what, where, when, why), "reading for detail," which is the purpose for most students' academic reading. It is important that your student number and underline their evidence in the reading passage. I modeled this in class tonight. For some students this homework will take longer than any of us would like, but I have found that by sticking at it, most are very successful and will develop a great reading for detail strategy they can use throughout their academics.
The math homework consists of a math facts page that focuses on a single strategy and a backside of review (for most) questions that cover the spectrum of math content.
If your student spends more than 40 minutes on their homework with sincere effort, I recommend calling it a night. Try again the next night and look for improvement. It's important to me that we begin working hard immediately, but I am also sensitive to not overwhelming students. Learning is not a sprint and doing too much, too soon can shut some students down.
I'm looking forward to seeing you at Parent Information Night, next Thursday from 7:00 to 7:40. I hope you can all attend this important opportunity to learn about our year and share your questions and insights as well.
