To think my son should not be asked to write F*ing poetry in year 1 for homework

[Reallytired]

I feel its too soon. My son cannot spell and I would prefer it if he was given spellings for home work.

Frankly I think he should concentrate on basic literacy skills and hand writing.

so go and speak to the teacher so you understand the reasoning behind it.

Rhyming words are very good for spelling and basic literacy-you could have a lot of fun with it and illustrate.

My ds is yr1 and I would be devestated by this homework because it is so beyond his ability, but he has literally learned to write in the last few weeks. Perhaps they give out differentiated homework dependant on ability - if not then in my opinion homework( not class work) shouldbe pitched so it can be done by the lowest ability in the class,but then I suppose I would say that.

luckylady74, I am glad that someone understands.

The home work is totally beyond my son's ablity. He can make up a poem, but writing it on paper is a total nightmare.

I think its unreasonable to expect a 6 year old to write a poem when they can barely form their letters.

Why don't you record him reciting it and then say to the teacher he's more into performance poetry

I think you are wrong about this one, really tired. They need some sparky fun things to do so they get the point of it.

COuld you write it out for him, and then get him to copy it out?

The tape idea is actually a really good one. He could write it out (even if it doesn't look brilliant), illustrate it and have the tape to go along with it. My dds would have loved to do something like that aged 6!

DD1 is yet to bring home a list of spellings (she's in Y2); and has to write a poem for her 'term homework'. I assume this means that the class members (they're Y1/2 of widely varying abilities) work out a poem with their parents and depending on their literacy level someone writes it out. She's learning about 'connectives' in narrative, not spellings. I think this is quite marvellous.

Spellings are important, sure (and I wish DP's spelling was better!) but drilling kids in them will put them off the infinite possiblities and joys of the written word.

...I was an early years trained teacher

I would be perfectly happy with a recorded poem. I would just be happy for a child to be motivated.

You need to ask your child's teacher -what is the point of this poem? Is the focus on handwriting/spelling/content?

If it purely content then the writing of it shouldn't matter.

The idea of poetry as homework is a very good one, but it sounds like the teacher is taking the fun out of it by focusing on the handwriting rather than the actual poem.

DD is almost 6 and not writing yet (we live in Germany) but loves making up poems. She has a big one with Wurm und Turm und Sturm and "Der Wurm geht munter runter von der Turm" or something.

German pedants, feel free to correct my grammar, DD does.

Poetry is a fan-fucking-tastic thing to do with children as long as there is a very fluid idea about what poetry is and clear guidelines.

Maybe you should clarify with teacher whether he/she is looking for good rhyming words or good handwriting or both.

something my Y3 son has just done sometime that may be appropriate - using interesting ideas and the imagination is just as good as rhyming lines

OK, take a line and repeat it with different / interesting second lines

ie

I couldn't hand in my homework because .....

• it got eaten by a crocodile I couldn't hand in my homework because .....
• My sister used it to make paper chains I couldn't hand in my homework because .....
• think of your own line here

or

The funniest thing I ever saw was .....

• a monkey dancing to 80's music The funniest thing I ever saw was .....
• a giraffe doing limbo dancing

We He really enjoyed thinking of silly endings and writing them down. Your son is not expected to do this without help with the spellings, its creative writing development

Mmm... I live in Ireland where kids get spellings each night from around Y1 age and I have to say I am pretty horrified at the howlers that come on letters from kids in English schools (year 5s who are going into secondary school making basic errors between there/ their/ to/too/two as well as spelling errors). Our young ones write acrostic (sp?!)poems where each line begins with a letter of the title eg "Summer": first line begins with s, second with u etc... it puts a bit of structure to get them started and kids find them fun and no need for adult input

blimey pofaced - spellings each night from Yr 1? How long does that take each night?

Writing poems in year 3 for homework is fine. Enjoying reading poems is a lovely thing to do in year 1.

My son is being expected to do something that many adults would find difficult, and he struggles with letter formation and spelling.

My objection to this homework is the sheer amount of input that I am expected to put in. It is home work for me rather than him.

Parents should provide a comfortable and well lit place and encourage a child to sit down and do their homework. They should not actually do the homework.

Learning spellings is dull, but important. I would like my son to have spellings once a week. I think every night is excessive.

Does he have to write it, though?

When I used to test my class on their spellings I would ask them for a theme in which I had to make a sentence with each word relating to that theme.
eg One week was 'chocloate' so each of their words had to be put in a sentence about chocolate.

I will do this testing my own son when the time comes.

As to the poem I would ask the teacher what the point of the poem is
Homework should be a consolidation of what has been taught in class, not something entirely new.

By age 9 in Ireland it is Irish and English spellings and written work...plus maths and tables!

chocolate (how on earth did I get that word wrong!)

lol at Reallytired ....

OK I tried to help. I assume DS is your eldest and you have NO idea what parental homework delights are in store for you over the coming years. I just tried to give you a simple idea to work with but you seem determined to be negative.

As for the rhyming endings use cat. rat. hat. endings on the second line.

Just wait until he starting having to write a story for weekend homework and gets midweek 8 answer comprehension or 3 pages of NHM Maths on the same evening as you have other commitments!

Reallytired, you are not being unreasonable.

For a child that age to be given homework it should be important and worth doing, like spellings or tables. This is not. If they are going to be writing poetry, let them do it in class.

It's easy to think, what a lovely idea. But some children don't want to do homework at that age and if it's to write a poem there is absolutely no point in making them do it. So they learn, gradually, that homework is optional. If you have to force a child to do it, what's lovely about that? You don't feel very creative when you'd rather be playing football.

There is a place for poetry and creative writing but it is not in homework at that age. It is in class.