Yes, I know it’s Sunday, but with the ending of school, I’ve been MIA in the blogosphere. Jessica at Joy in the Journey is hosting an AWESOME linky party – Tricks of the Trade Thursday and with this week’s subject being Homework Collection….I had to jump in! I’ll get on track next week!
I am a supporter of homework. I know how difficult it is to get students to actually complete homework – but I also see the benefits when it connects to current concepts as well as a review of concepts that students have not done well with. I know that many teachers don’t feel this way, but *shrugging* to each his own. Besides that, it is required at our school. So win/win for me!
When I moved to my new school three years ago I went from being responsible for 50 students to 100+ students…..Whoa! Believe it or not – it makes a HUGE difference! I also went from having 100 minutes to 55 minutes with students……Double Whoa! Before, we had 20 minutes of Self-Selected Reading everyday and I could use that time to collect homework It’s taken me three years to come up with something that is workable and I can keep up with.
Students are given a weekly “Homework Sheet” on Monday that isn’t due until Friday. I got this wonderful idea from our 8th Grade ELA teacher. She does it for the entire 9 weeks, but sixth graders can barely keep up with assignments week to week! 🙂 It is in three parts: reading that focuses on concepts, writing/grammer, and independent reading.
Although it isn’t due until Friday, I still check daily to make sure they’re on track. On Monday, I use PowerTeacher to create a roster that highlights the homework outlined for the week. I have a student in each class period that checks off on the clipboard and I use Class Dojo to award points for those students who are on track. I also have them stamp on the assignment as an additional incentive.
On Friday, students staple the Homework sheet to the loose-leaf paper that they’re required to complete the assignments on and turn it in to me. Students who do not have their homework lose Class Dojo points and are given a Missing Homework slip that is completed by the student and signed by the parent.
They complete both sides and I cut the slip in half. I keep one and attached it to the signed parent one after it’s brought back. Each part is a separate grade and I average the three grades to given them a Weekly Homework Average. Students that have a stamp for every assignment get an additional $5 in Jefferson’s Bucks.
Students are also required to write their homework down in their agenda daily. As their ticket out the door, I stamp their agenda.
If you’re interested, you can click here to download the Missing Homework Slip from my Teacher’s Notebook Store.
Until the next time!