10 year olds " project"

[Tortington]

i have twins - so everything i say x 2

year 6
came home with a project today they have to do a project of their choice. this must include an contents, index, bibliography and glossary of terms. front and back cover appenendix.
this project includes a presentation to the class - daughter asked if she could do hers on an ohp ( am of a mind to stick it on my laptop and borrow the sodding projector from work)

they have a few weeks to do this - fair enough.

does anoyone else in the universe think "........but they are only 10 YEARS OLD"??

AND
this is sats year too with exam pressures
AND
the head already hates me as i have already complained about this years school trip at the cost of hundreds x2 to the isle of sodding wight. to which they again .....again refered me to the poor fund aaaarrrrrrrrrgh i dont want the money i want the school to stop putting parents in thisposition.

custardo, I know the pressure. I've had it too, but x1 and my son is not yet in year 6. He had tons of homework over the summer holidays - I complained about it on a thread here (holiday homeowork blues) can't do links.Too busy with son's homework coaching to learn

He had to read 4 books (ok with that) then write 4 reviews, 200 words each, so 800 words, then do a history project, and learn his times tables. At the time I thought if I had more than one child at the school, I'd go nuts. So I really sympathise with you.

In your position, I'd be tempted to cut as many corners as poss, pare the project down to the minimum, copy text straight off the internet, anything you can get away with to make it as easy for you and your twins as poss. Of course learning can be fun and I am sure you like to see your children getting enthusiastic about schoolwork, just as I do, but sometimes homework demands is simply making them jump through hoops to please the teacher or the head (the imdividual teacher may not agree with the homework policy either). I think as a parent you just look at your child and know when enough is enough.

Thanks Beety!

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No,I didn't SueW - maybe you're younger than me? I'm 34 and until aged 9 we did absolutely nothing except (very boring) basic reading, writing, spelling, and maths. For the last two years of primary school we had the odd lesson of music, art, or - very occasionally - even science!

How things have changed.

I also have all of my written reports from primary school too ... they consist of a small piece of paper (about half A5) with 3 grades, a reading age, and a sentence!

Forgot to mention - we had spellings and times tables to learn at home, but no other homework AT ALL until secondary school. We never even took a reading book home.

I actually think that although it is a pain for parents and all, this kind of homework is not a bad thing.
I moved countries when I was 10 (from the UK) and had a real shock as I had no idea how to do a project ... my new teacher did a great job of humiliating me in from of my new classmates as I didn't know what a bibliography or glossary was. I got into major trouble for not doing my project at home but it hadn't occured to me that I was supposed to, as my lovely UK State Primary School in 1979 never ever ever gave any homework ... not even tables or reading. I only learned my times tables when I went to University to train to be a teacher!!! I had trouble with disciplining myself with homework throughout my secondary education and University degree because of the crap education I was given in the 1970s.
Yes ... it is a pain in the bum for parents but think about what it is teaching your children ... when they get to secondary school it will be so important for them to be able to research and record their findings in every subject they do ... why not give them a little helping hand now to show them how ....
I will now duck ....

My stepdaughter had to turn the Murder In The Cathedral story into a contemporary newspaper report. Dh and I are journalists so we had a lovely time doing it - thinking up funny headlines and subheads, teaching ds about how a newspaper story is structured, putting in on the computer in columns and designing a masthead....then we realised it wasn't our homework at all and we'd completely ignored her for ages! Agree some homework can be fun, but I still think kids get far too much of it - hate it most when it actually stops you doing things as a family which IMO is more important.

I remember doing projects at school - but these were in the classroom, not at home. I still have my work on the 1968 Mexico Olympics somewhere. I think projects can be good fun and educational. I have no objection to them.

I do have an ojection to making a project homework from start to finish. It's one thing if most of the project is done at school and your child can easily add to it at home, but quite another to take the teacher's time, experience and school resources out of the equation and assume the parent and home will fill the gap.

Some children can't call on their parents to help them as much as others. Many parents work and have more than one child to think about in the evening. Other parents don't. I don't have a particuarly pressurised life, but even so, I don't get home from work until approx 6.30 pm. Both my sons want my attention. I can't easliy disappear off with my ds and spend lots of time on the internet researching a project with him - my 4 year old ds would kick up a huge fuss. Had I but the one ds and didn't work, I could give him much more time. And we are lucky - we have a computer at home. And my son is lucky because I am interested in his education and literate and numerate so I can help him with it.

Our school's homework policy states that parents are expected to spend 2 or more hours a week helping their year 5 child with homework. It's not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, but that's not the point. The school are saying that they recognise the child needs adult input do to the work. The work will be marked and graded, so children who don't have much adult help are more likely to get poor marks. And that's not fair.

I remember doing projects at school - but these were in the classroom, not at home. I still have my work on the 1968 Mexico Olympics somewhere. I think projects can be good fun and educational. I have no objection to them.

I do have an ojection to making a project homework from start to finish. It's one thing if most of the project is done at school and your child can easily add to it at home, but quite another to take the teacher's time, experience and school resources out of the equation and assume the parent and home will fill the gap.

Some children can't call on their parents to help them as much as others. Many parents work and have more than one child to think about in the evening. Other parents don't. I don't have a particuarly pressurised life, but even so, I don't get home from work until approx 6.30 pm. Both my sons want my attention. I can't easliy disappear off with my ds and spend lots of time on the internet researching a project with him - my 4 year old ds would kick up a huge fuss. Had I but the one ds and didn't work, I could give him much more time. And we are lucky - we have a computer at home. And my son is lucky because I am interested in his education and literate and numerate so I can help him with it.

Our school's homework policy states that parents are expected to spend 2 or more hours a week helping their year 5 child with homework. It's not a lot of time in the grand scheme of things, but that's not the point. The school are saying that they recognise the child needs adult input do to the work. The work will be marked and graded, so children who don't have much adult help are more likely to get poor marks. And that's not fair.

Place of worship in this case is a religious establishment unfortunately. I literally don't have the time, which makes me feel bad that dd may get marked down as a result.

Tigermoth, I couldn't agree more. I have said this before but I think homework is really, really unfair as those who come from educated backgrounds, have interested, motivated parents and have access to books/internet plus a quiet place to work will always do better than those without. At least if you do stuff at school there is equal access to materials, the teacher, research equipment books etc. I really don't see why parents should be set homework time. That's crazy as well as unfair.

Well said aloha

We had to buy a pc a year ago because we were getting so much home from school saying they had to look up this that & the next thing. What about those parents who can't afford or don't want to buy a pc? I have a stack of history books at home because that is my particular love, but one of mine had to do tons of work on "a river". We had to cobble it together between the other 3 kids geography text books, an atlas & an encyclopedia!!! It wasn't the best piece of work I've ever seen, but we were a bit stuck! The child whose homework it was got precisely nothing out of that little exercise. It's just one more thing to dump on mum.

Ghosty- I dont think parents mind helping their children to learn its just a logistical problem with time. DS has just started year 6, every night he has 2 lots of homework each should take about 40mins, sometimes they take less but some take much more.Three nights at week he is not home from school till 6.15 and one night not till 7pm. Tonight for example, he got home at 6.15, had tea and a bath and then did homework, solidly till 9.30pm, then went to bed to do his 15mins reading for school. luckily he loves school work and does not complain, the downside is that he wont leave anything half done or not do it as well as he could, so if I say "thats enough, stop now" he gets really upset. I dont think his siblings will be so uncomplaining when its their turn to do this work. Personally I only had an hours homework when I was doing O levels. What do they do all day at school for goodness sake?

As a secondary school teacher I have to admit that I am quite surprised at how much homwork these little primary kiddies are getting. Our school (and the last one I worked out too) have a homework policy that gives year 7 pupils 2-3 homeworks a night, of 20 minutes each. Maybe 4 pieces over a weekend. Goes up to 30 minutes in years 8 and 9. I don't give much more to my GCSE lots either as I know if I give them too much they just won't do it.

That's exactly it Miggy. I have 3 coming home with homework, and 1 other preschooler who needs daily and regular physio, because he is disabled, not to mention the time taken to just get him moved around, fed, cleaned etc. I just don't have enough time for it all.

Poor kids - when do they get time to just chill out??!!

I really really think the homework thing needs to change from quantity to quality. Better that they spend 1/2 hour on something that really catches their imagination than 3 hours plodding through unimaginative rubbish.

My children are very young but when I read threads like these I do wonder whether homework is just being set for the sake of it rather than to fulfil some clear objective.

Sorry - turned into a bigger rant than I meant it to but I do think these kids deserve a life.

jmg - I wonder that too. I was told by senior teahcers that I should set homework because it is on the homework timetable I did explain that it may not always be necessary every week though. At our place it is all policy and not much commonsense at times I think.

Homework is fine so long as it has a clear objective - I'd find out more from the teacher if you can as some of what I read here does sound like a lot of work for the children , and the parents, involved.

My DD is only 5 and has reading every night. The books are 32 pages long so take at least half an hour. At weekends we get a book and homework. Most weeks its maths sheets which she normally breezes through and enjoys so really not an issue at the moment. However one week we got a really good interactive piece of homework which had to involve the parents - it was so much more fun for her and so much more educational IMO.

Don't get me wrong I'm not complaining about the quantity of homework she is getting at the moment. But it did strike me that when the teacher had put some real thought into it the quality of output was sooooo much higher.

I do really have an issue though with the older kids that some of you are talking about here. I did not do any homework other than reading until I was in secondary school and that was the norm then. So had plenty time for dancing lessons, music lessons, sport etc all which were very valuable in the long term!

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Our main children's libraries in Sheffield have internet access for children too, so I think it is becoming more common yes.

I think it's good that on-line centres and library internet access is increasing, but this still doesn't mean that primary school children will see any benefit. As robinw says, they still depend on being taken there by parents, and in many cases, will need someone to help them do a search for a topic.

What about families who have one primary aged child and 2 or 3 toddlers, pre-schoolers and babies? Unless one parent or another adult can look after the younger ones, library resources are still not within reach of primary aged children. TBH we have hardly used libraries in the last few years. Just the odd mad dash in to get some books - certainly not time to browse or use the internet. I can't make my younger son stay quiet and still for too long so he will disturb the other users, but hopefully this will change as he gets older. Why Oh why don't more libraries have creche facilities for families so older children and parents can use the library without younger children distracting and annoying others? I only know of one library that does this.

Also - homework often has to be given in at a set time each week. In our school you lose marks if you go over time. For a child dependent on using libraries, dependent on their opening times and vacant computer space, deadlines are even harder to keep.

I imagine things get easier for secondary school children. At least they are not so dependent on adults to take them everywhere, they can start to go to libraries and other places on their own and hopefully have the basic skills - reading, writing etc - and know how to use the internet better.

i hadnt realised what a storm this subject has cooked up. children should obviously be givn homework - no question - give them 15 mins reading and a maths sheet to do every night - i have no problem.

i do wonder how other parents cope, i do but barely. geting home at 5.30 cooking tea and chores lead to 7pm - then i have evening meetings as does DH a couple of times a week. and we have 3 children to help with homework.

i manage to help youngest twin with his reading whilst the other two are washing the pots - this is straight after tea. then daughter does the project reaserch and any other reasearch on the inernet and likes to send e - mails too which i have to watch over as best i can.

i couldnt imagine traspsing 3 kids to the local library to do the reaserch on a computer after working my arse off all day - i wouldnt have the inclination TBH.

now our sodding printer has broken and DH is getting it in the neck - cos am worried about "my" project..... which is really daughters project.

can you imagine doing at this as a single parent with no access to a computer or printer with babies or twins or 3 or 4 kids round your ankles??

its just out of proportion

can you imagine my divorce reason ? " i cant standhim any longer .....we have no printer and i cant get my year 6 homework done! we have no life as i am doing homework with three kids until 10 pm then am too knackered for any hanky panky.....and i dont get to come on mumsnet"!