How much help do you give your 8yo with homework?

[CocktailQueen]

We have a learning log project to do every half term. DS v resistant to homework. I usually have to encourage him every step. Today he has to draw a simple object and label it.

How much help would you give? He's made a mess of drawing the object and is now labelling it using squint lines and tiny text disappearing off the end of the page.

Is it too much to ask for him to think about presentation, using straight lines, adding a heading etc? We talked about all this before he started but he's completely ignored it. I usually help quite a bit with presentation and have decided to let him do his own thing this time - but we did a practice one together and have talked about what he needs to do.

He is a bright boy but doesn't like writing. Presenting things is not his strong point. But he has to learn, doesn't he?

Arghhhh.

[CocktailQueen]

Anyone?

[Byrdie]

Very very little! I also have a messy child. She presentation is appalling, but then again, - lot of the maths homework is on the computer so her scibbles to work things out aren't ever seen. She is also bright but we don't have any resistance to doing homework. I did help her the other day with figuring out how many vertices, edges and sides there were on differenr objects and then there was a really hard problem where you had to figure ot what shape it was (really obscure shapes!) with just how many vertices, edges and sides info. But i really don't help much on homework and never have. She won't listen much to me and she will listen to the teacher so i guess it's up to them to pick them up on it. Have you got a parents eve coming up? I would add it as a question to the teacher.

[CocktailQueen]

Thanks.

Just had parents eve; didn't think to ask then.

He'll start middle school in Sept and will get lots more homework then so needs to be more organised about it.

[Byrdie]

He's 8 though right? So year three. Isn't that already middle school? Or are you abroad? In the uk, infant is till year 2 (turning 7) and then year three (turning 8) is junior school, both are primary and then on to secondary after year 6.

[CocktailQueen]

In the UK. Year 4. Middle school is Year 5 to 8.

[Byrdie]

Oh dear. Now i'm totally confused - is this the case in England? I've never heard of this categorisation. Year 8 would be secondary school in year two but is it also refered to as middle school? Or is this system used outside of the uk? I've heard of infant and junior, prep and pre prep... I'm off to google...!

[Byrdie]

Wow - a whole new school system i had no idea about. There are hardly any of these middle schools so don't post where! It could out you in an instant! I wonder what the thinking behind them is? Is there a benefit for the kids? I can imagine one or two of my friends would love this idea as some of their kids weren't quite ready for the leap to secondary at 11. Sounds like your son is bright and able and probably more academic though.