Below we look at some of the benefits of giving your children homework and we try to answer some homework related questions. In general primary children enjoy doing homework so it’s important to exploit this to their advantage.
Why set homework
- Time is an issue mentioned above. By setting homework you are effectively extending the children’s study time.
- It provides an invaluable link between you, the teacher, and the parents. Through the homework you set the parents can see what their children are learning and can hopefully guide them in the learning process.
- It’s important for children to see the relevance of what they do in class and to have some sort of continuity to the lessons they have with you.
- It is also an excellent way for young children to develop their autonomy and start taking responsibility for their own learning.
How do I set homework?
The key is to fully explain what you what them to do through demonstration. Keep it simple and short.
With very young children write a simple sentence which explains the homework like ‘Draw a picture of the story’. Photocopy this sentence prior to the class and help them to stick it into their books. Where exactly you they stick it will depend on what system you have going with the work you give them. They may have a general book for homework but with the smaller ones this is unlikely. The sentence should be simple and clear as they will need lots of guidance from their parents who don’t necessarily speak English.
With older children you can write the homework onto the board for them to copy. Again you should prepare the wording to make it clear and short so you don’t waste too much time writing down homework.
How much homework should I set?
- There are already many demands on young children so you shouldn’t expect them to spend hours on a homework task. Not only would they be discouraged, they would be very unlikely to complete the task effectively. Check with the teacher first to get an idea of how much time is reasonable.
- Don’t forget either that you don’t have much time with them in class. Giving homework also implies marking homework or at least going through it in class. This is not about creating more work for you but making the work you do easier. Homework provides continuity to your lessons and gives you and the children a sense of direction. Keep it short and make sure it fits logically into what you’re doing. Don’t just give homework for the sake of giving it.
What different types of homework are there?
- Collecting things
With very young learners you can base your class work around topics like food, toys and clothes. These topics lend themselves particularly well to collecting objects at home to bring into class. If you’re doing a lesson on food get the children to collect food labels to make a class poster in the next lesson. If you’re doing clothes and/or colours they can look in magazines and collect different types of clothes again for making a class poster next lesson.
- Re-telling the story
If your class was based on a story you can ask the children to tell someone at home about the story. This will encourage them to think again about what you did in class. If they can’t remember it all or tell it differently it isn’t important. The objective is for them to simply evoke the lesson at home.
- Pictures
Again if you’ve been working on a story they can draw a picture of their favourite character or scene. Or you can ask them to draw a picture ‘from the story’. This leaves it open for them to interpret what they’ve heard and use their imagination. Make sure you ask them to tell you about their pictures the next time.
- Writing
With slightly older children you can take the previous story-based idea and extend it. They could write a summary of the story in three sentences. They could draw a picture and label it with as many words as they can remember from the story.
- Exercises
They could also do more traditional exercises based on grammar points you’ve looked at in class. Lots of workbooks provide ready-made exercises you can use or adapt for your students. It’s certainly not as fun as other types of homework but, taking into account different types of learners, you can use this approach from time to time to help them learn more effectively.
When do I mark the homework?
It’s vital that you go through their work in the following class. Primary children will have spent a lot of time and effort on the task you set them and it would be unfair not to give it the feedback and attention it deserves.
- You can create a routine which encompasses going through homework at the beginning of every class.
- If you have very short classes then the tasks you set should be of an appropriate length so as not to take up the next class marking their homework.
- With small classes you can ask everyone to open their books at the page of their homework. Show the younger ones an example at the same time so they quickly find the page you need to check. Then move round the class marking their work. The advantage here is that you are sure to see everyone’s books. The problem is with large classes the children will get bored while you move around the class. To solve this problem either have a first activity that the class can get on with without needing your help or simply limit this approach to your small classes.
- Alternatively during the lesson make sure you see everyone’s books and make you comments as and when you see a child. The only inconvenience here could be that you leave a child out and forget to mark their homework. To solve this problem leave a couple of minutes at the end of the class and ask if there is anybody whose work you haven’t marked.
How do I mark the homework?
- With very young learners I find drawing a happy face next to their work when they’ve obviously put a lot of effort into it is always well received and encourages them to take pride in their work.
- I use some standard expressions such as ‘excellent work’ ‘well done’ ‘great drawing’ ‘very good work’ and I use their names as much as possible.
- Be positive whenever you can.
- However, there’s no point in saying that something is excellent if the child has clearly demolished his book and has forgotten to actually do the homework! Be realistic as well. You could simply draw a sad face next to the offending scribbles or scissor cuts to show you’re not happy.
- Don’t be too hard on children who don’t do their homework. It may not be their fault and it’s not as if they’re studying for their finals. Speak to the teacher about individual children. They may be able to tell you if they are always unlikely to do a task you set and ask what approach he or she takes where homework is concerned and the child in question.
Internet links
This site has loads of photocopiable homework worksheets that you can get ideas from on lots of different primary topics.
http://www.primaryresources.co.uk/english/englishhome.htm
Have a look at publishers websites for free resources you can use for homework. Here’s the link to Longman ELT.
http://www.longman.com/young_learners/teachers/resources.html
Here is an example of a downloadable worksheet for the Longman site.
http://www.longman.com/young_learners/pdfs/FoodnDrink.pdf
This site is provided by Macmillan Heinemann ELT. Some great free resources.
http://www.the-bus-stop.net/free.html
The British Council's LearnEnglish Kids site has lots of fun online activities which could be set for homework.
http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/kids/
By Jo Bertrand