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Original poster

Year 5 - middle school science homework - is this insane? Any teachers around?

21 replies

CocktailQueen · 14/10/2013 19:33

My dd has just started middle school, so Year 5. This week her science homework (which she got today, for Wednesday!!) was 'Research the heart and how it works, draw and label a detailed diagram. Also research the lungs and draw and label a detailed diagram. Also research the liver, kidneys, small intestine, stomach and brain. Star challenge: find out about the blood - what is is made up of, what the parts are called, what its functions are."

Well. DD was in tears by the end. She's a level 4a for science so quite able. This was level 4 homework - other levels had fewer tasks to do. But it took her 2 hours - with me supervising and helping, which I never have to do usually - and by the time she'd finished she had written 8 sides of A4, was pale, tired and fed up. I couldn't play with ds either during this time so he was fed up too.

I plan to write a letter to dd's science teacher tonight, saying this is a ridiculous amount of homework. Is this unreasonable??

Thanks for reading.

OP posts:
Hulababy · 14/10/2013 19:35

Way too much homework in one go, especially for Y5.

IslaValargeone · 14/10/2013 19:36

Yanbu

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 14/10/2013 19:37

Thanks!!!

OP posts:
Donki · 14/10/2013 19:39

I wouldn't give all that to a year 7 for one homework, never mind a yr 5. (Science teacher)

alterego2 · 14/10/2013 19:40

That sounds a lot. Are you sure that it was all meant to be done in one sitting? Perhaps the teacher meant it to be homework for a few weeks - or a half-term project - and your daughter misunderstood?

HesMyLobster · 14/10/2013 19:40

I agree that at first it seems a lot, but by research could it have meant just find out about, not necessarily write anything down?
A diagram of the heart is not a ridiculous thing to ask from year 5 - I recently did it with my yr 2 class.
Did it actually ask for her to write any of the research down?

curlew · 14/10/2013 19:42

Why did she do it all tonight?

But I agree- my year 8 wouldn't get anything like that much. But if he did- it would take him a lot longer than 2 hours- well done, MsCocktailQueen!

SanityClause · 14/10/2013 19:43

Blimmin' 'ell! The heart thing is a lot of homework. The rest is just ludicrous.

TheFallenMadonna · 14/10/2013 19:48

Research what about the liver etc?

My Dd is year 5, and she printed out and labeled a diagram of the heart, explained what each bit does, and gave 3 "interesting facts" about the heart for her homework a couple of weeks ago. I'd have been Hmm to have had more organs added into the mix.

RegainingUnconsciousness · 14/10/2013 19:51

That sounds like it's supposed to be spread over several weeks. Is it just the first one for Wednesday? Or perhaps it was set at the beginning of term and forgotten about till a reminder today? (This is the most common issue when I set this type of work to, rather older, students).

I know very little about the work and abilities of your average year 5 student though (disclaimer)

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 14/10/2013 19:58

She got a list with each week's homework for science home at the start of the term, so it is definitely just this week's homework! It has been fine up to now - this week has differentiated more between the levels (ruddy NC levels, bane of my life already).

For the 'Also research the liver, kidneys, small intestine, stomach and brain' but, she did three bullet points with info on each organ. That was the research. It was the heart and lungs that took up most of the time.

Curlew - they only started doing the heart in class today so she couldn't start it before now. It has to be in on Weds. She has a school trip and gym tomorrow so can't do homework them.

Lobster - 'research' may have meant 'just find out about' not necessarily write anything. But I read it several times and couldn't decide, so how is a Year 5 pupil meant to?

Thanks all. Glad I'm not being U!

OP posts:
bumpybecky · 14/10/2013 19:58

I'm a science technician in a middle school, my dd1&2 have been through the school too. This sounds like far too much for one homework. Next time I'd let dd spend 20-30 mins on it then write a note in her homework diary to say that's all she got done in the time.

There aren't many middle schools out there, I'm wondering if your dd goes to mine....

AuntieStella · 14/10/2013 19:59

I'd have thought an organ a week is plenty in KS2.

bumpybecky · 14/10/2013 20:00

cross posted, now you've written about the trip I'm even more sure! did the homework come on an orange sheet of paper?!

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 14/10/2013 20:19

OMG. Yes, Bumpybecky - how bizarre! Small world :) Don't tell the science teacher - I have written a note...

OP posts:
bumpybecky · 14/10/2013 20:45

If it is the same school I photocopied that sheet! :)

Original poster
CocktailQueen · 14/10/2013 20:48

It's got to be!! :)
Just spoken to another parent and his dc did roughly the same as we did, and took roughly the same length of time. He's a primary teacher and was a bit Hmm at the time it took too.

OP posts:
bumpybecky · 14/10/2013 20:49

I've sent a private message :)

sashh · 20/10/2013 11:53

I wish you had posted before this was due in, or that I'd seen it earlier. I have a 13 page introduction to "gross anatomy of the heart", it's part of a master's thesis.

octopusinastringbag · 30/10/2013 11:08

I don't think it is too much if it is given as an extended project in year 5 but it's too much for a weekly homework. It's more like what my eldest has been given as part of her triple science GCSE homework.

Daisyjane12 · 01/03/2014 20:55

My ds2 had this homework tooSad

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