Calling all KS1 teachers, what do you think of this homework??

[greenbeanie]

Would be really grateful of your input on this. DS has just started yr1 and came home with his literacy and numeracy homework.

Numeracy was fine and completed quite quickly, my other ds who is in yr4 looked at ds2's Literacy homework and said it looked v. difficult and I have to agree.

Homework is to make up a character and draw it, give it a name, write 7 words to describe their character and then write sentences with those words in them. I know that ds won't be able to do this without a huge amount of input (not that I am unwilling to do that) but it does seem quite difficult for YR1. The YR1 teacher is an NQT and I just wonder if she has pitched it slightly wrong.

I seem to remember the exact same homework for one of my two (can't remember which one) so I wonder if it is from one of the standard homework schemes.

Yes, my oldest son had the same homework in year 2/3 and he is on the "gifted and talented" register, it just seems a lot for a child that is only just learning to write.

DS2 had a similar homework over the October half term last year when he was in year 1. They had been using the Aled Apple books during literacy lessons, and they had to think of another character to be friends with Aled Apple (if I remember rightly DS1 came up with Cai Cucumber). They had to make a model of the character (his was made out of an old kitchen roll tube with papier mache over it) and then they had to write about the character, things like where he lived, what he liked to eat, who his friends were etc.

That sounds really hard for the start of Y1.

Is it meant to be "ideas" rather than everyone do everything? e.g. all the children can draw the character and think of a name and then depending on their individual ability they can do more or less of the rest?

Lol, ds1 is in year 1 - he might be able to think up 7 words that might describe the character, and he'd manage to write about 3 of them (with me sitting next to him telling him each letter to write and reminding him how to form the letters properly). That would take about 10 minutes and he'd have had enough by then. The drawing would be ok though.

Actually the sentence part needn't be too bad - they can write X is word1 and word2 and word3 and word4 ...

I'm guessing the teacher didn't set this work for the whole class - there will be children who can barely write at all and others who can do this easily. Perhaps your son is at the lower end of the abilty group that got this work?

DD2 has just started year 1. She might quite like drawing the character, if she was in the mood. Would probably think of some words to describe it, but I doubt she'd manage 7. I don't think she'd manage the sentences.

It sounds like the sort of thing DD1 did in Year 2.

Too hard, Im a teacher and a SENCO. Teachers often give out homework without really considering what it is just because they have to give it. If the teacher is young and doesnt have children of her own this is even more likely. When I was an NQT and BC i gave year 1 homework to draw the shape of the moon each night for a week. It was the summer term and all the parents complained, rightly so, about the children wanting to stay up late to see the moon!

Ds has just done the homework, and I have to say I am surprised at how well he did although I came up with most of the sentences which he then wrote. I suspect I am a little overprotective as he has only just turned 5 and is the youngest in the class.

I still think it is rather ambitious particularly as it doesn't seem to be linked to any work that they have done yet on different characters.

Dh thought it sounded too difficult and he is also a teacher although I don't think secondary history and politics really qualifies him to comment on KS1!!!

Benandoli at the moon homework in the summer, I bet you were really popular.

I think that writing the sentences will be challenging - but that is not a bad thing surely?. Kids have to start somewhere. My dc (5) is keeping a diary and she tends to use the same sentence construction over and over - but that's the way to learn.

Too much for Y1 IMO. It assumes a lot of adult intervention for the typical Y1 child, which IMO is not the idea of homework, if any has to be given at all.

I work in a y1 class and the only "homework" we send out is reading, esp at this stage of the year.

Thinkin of the Y1 children I work with the majority would struggle with this and need a lot of adult help. Not sure any could do it completely independently and for some it would be impossible.

Type of thing I would do with Y2