Homework in first grade?! I wanted to share the QUICK homework I send home to my first grade students. It is simple to use for teachers and only gives a few students skills-based activities to complete each night!
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For the five years I taught first grade I
was always trying to perfect the homework process. I wanted it to be simple for
me, differentiated for my students, and not be too time consuming for either of
us!
I tried many different options (sometimes all in one year - BAD IDEA) and finally settled on a homework packet that I
would send out each week on Monday that is returned on Friday. It made it
simple for me to prep, copy, staple, and send along. However, each week I would
look at our skills we were learning or reviewing, scour through tons of old workbooks, search online for the *best* pages, make my copies, and finally send them on their way. It was WAY TOO TIME CONSUMING! I also knew that having all my students completing the same
homework was a disservice to the ones who may not need practice with that skill
and the students who may be working below that current standard.
In this digital age I thought there must
be a quicker way to find the pages I needed for my homework packet. So I
created my own system and my own pages that work for my needs. I know everyone does homework differently and many have differing beliefs on homework in first grade in general but I thought I would share my own system because, well, it is what has worked best for my classroom and may be beneficial for others!
First, I always like to send home newsletters each week to my students' parents! I keep them pretty simple and let them in on what we are learning in the classroom. Some parent read it with their child, others read it by themselves, others don't read it at all. Either way, I like to send em home! It helps me stay organized and can be a great reminder tool for my parents when we have open houses, parent-teacher conferences, and field trips.
I have one template per month and then change the date and wording each week!
Behind the weekly newsletter I send home different homework pages based on all sorts of factors. I like having options!!!! I made at least one page for each topic I teach throughout the year. I have never been a fan of longgggg homework that is too overwhelming and I think students just need *quick* reinforcing practice each night so that played a big role in the way I set up my homework. You can see a little more about the homework pages below.
Again, I like having options and I know most teachers do too! So based on the skills I'm teaching that week, a student's ability level, parent involvement, I will send home what I believe to be a reasonable HW packet for the week. You can do the same for your students!
^^ Again, it's all up to YOU!^^
Maybe you don't send home homework because in your community it doesn't get sent back. Well, these quick check-ins can easily be made into morning work that only takes minutes to complete while students practice their skills.
If you think this type of first grade homework might be for you or you want to try and switch it up this year, go ahead and take a closer look at some of the pages in my unit by clicking the unit below and downloading the preview!
Let me know what you think!
Here are some closeups of a few pages (more to be seen in the preview!):
Labels: back to school, homework
