Friends School Haverford
Fifth Grade Homework Policy
At the fifth grade level, we believe that regular homework assignments serve to instill a sense of responsibility and to develop independence. Nightly homework gives needed time to review and reflect upon what has been covered on a particular day while the child works in a comfortable setting. In addition, homework assignments reinforce and extend concepts taught in class.
Before leaving school
Assignments should be carefully recorded in the homework planner and will be reviewed at 2:45 each day.
At the close of the day students should gather all necessary supplies, checking the assignment board for clarification.
Before leaving school, students should make sure they understand each assignment, speaking with a teacher for clarification, as necessary.
At home
Students should choose to work in a well-lighted, comfortable place.
Parents should encourage children to tackle the hardest or longest assignment first, while their energy level is highest.
Taking short breaks can do wonders: five minutes for stretching, getting a drink or a snack after twenty or so minutes of study can be most helpful.
Parents are encouraged to review the child’s planner on a daily basis. This will afford them an opportunity to know what’s going on at school. It will also keep them abreast of daily and on-going assignments.
Create, or purchase a large calendar. Post it where it is visible to the family. Have your child mark due dates of long-term projects on the calendar.
We feel that an average of one hour and a half is adequate time to complete all homework, including 30 minutes of reading. Long-term assignments such as Create Your Own Homework and science projects require careful planning. While there will be considerable attention paid to this aspect of each assignment, such assignments also provide an opportunity to reinforce the time management skills at home.
Should I help my child with his/her homework when problems arise? Our thinking is that if the child has made an independent effort and, even with parental encouragement, the child is still unable to satisfy an assignment, then it is acceptable to give the child guidance in any of the following ways:
Have the child explain the assignment to the parent
Have the child call the homework hotline for further clarification: 610-642 2334
ext. 140 for Tr. Karen.
Ask the child further questions to elicit further and deeper thinking
Encourage the child to brainstorm a list of possible ideas
Have the child call a friend
Suggest a different problem-solving strategy
Take a break and come back to the assignment later with a fresh outlook
Ask the child to write a note to the teacher, explaining the difficulty
In regard to assignments requiring a written response, we offer the following suggestions:
a) Speaking the response aloud before writing, is a good pre-writing technique.
b) Once your child has proofread, a written piece, read it over and point out errors you notice have been missed. Allow your child to discover the specific solution.
Should a problem arise with respect to homework time, or any other issue pertaining to homework, we request that you contact us directly, so we can make any necessary adjustments to better meet your child’s needs.
What should my child do if there appears to be no homework? This is a great opportunity to work on long-term assignments, weekly assignments or projects for coordinate classes. We believe that any time left in the allotted hour and a half should be used in reading – research, newspaper or, just for pleasure.
What should my child do if there is too much work? After one and a half hours of consistent effort, we recommend that your child stop! At this point, if there is still work left, we suggest that she/he write a note explaining that this is what has occurred and also detail the reasons that he/she believes there was not enough time to complete the work.
Thank you for your support,
Tr. Karen and Tr. Barbara