Prep School parents...... book reviews in Y2

[chocecclair]

Hi,

Just a quick question regarding reading and book reviews.

My 7yo Year 2 son gets a new book at school everyday. He is required to do a book review after every 2 books and so far we are managing fine.

I just wanted to check if this is the norm amongst other prep schools? He still has homework every Friday due for Monday as well as spelling and times tables tests every Fridays.

Hi, i just want to know, which prep school is your child going to? As far i know, in most prep school they are getting homeworks everyday and the expectations are very high...

Lordy me.. probably just as well we are too poor to send our kids to private school.. lots of pressure on parents re homework?!

I'm not a prep school parent but I am the parent of a YR2 child. He has weekly spelling and tables, weekly homework (numeracy only, fri due in mon) and a school reading book which he is responsible for changing when he has read it. We are supposed to do 10 mins reading a day together.

He has started writing book reviews at school but not as homework.

I would be questioning the thinking behind making a 7yo read a whole book every day. My 5yo (YR) reads a whole book every night because they are only 16 pages long. My Y2 child can take a week to get through a school book and 3-4 weeks to read a regular book. He could read a short book and write a review on it but if he had to do that every day it might be a bit limiting as to which books he will choose. I speak as someone who choose to review of mice and men in secondary school purely because its short.

My children are at a prep school one in year 1 and one in year 5. The older one has two 15 minute pieces of homework each night (mon to fri), 20 mins of reading per night and 21 spellings per week. The younger one has two 15 min pieces of homework per week which are given on a Mon to go back on the following Mon, 15 mins reading per night and 14 spellings per week. No book reviews though.

Homework is very much reinforcement of what they have already done, so I rarely have to help either of them, and just have to listen the the younger one read. Some nights it is difficult to fit in with after school stuff etc but generally OK.

He is actually not that bothered about the work involved! He is more than happy to do it to be honest. I just wanted to check what the other schools do.

They dont get homework everyday, just on Fridays.

We probably spend about 20mins everyday doing the spellings and timestables.

He is reading little novels, like the Seriously Silly books which can be up to 62 pages (though there is loads of illustrations so maybe the book should be about 40pages!)

That sounds like a lot of reading, but great if he's keen to do it. He will turn out to be a fantastic reader!

yes! he does read the first few pages at school so by the time i pick him up at 4, he is nearly half way there!

i

At my DC's prep school, they get the following in year 2:-

Around 12 spellings a week, tested once a week
Times tables, also tested once a week

Reading every night. A lot of the Y2s are on chapter books like Dick King Smith, and just change them when finished (maybe once a week).

1 homework exercise every weekend(usually maths, sometimes comprehension)

Spelling sentences one week night
Short maths exercise one week night (10 mins)
Short literacy exercise one week night (10 mins)

They do book reviews in school, but from time to time the weekend homework might be a book review.

Week day homework reinforces school work so no help required. Weekend homework occasionally requires a little help.

i must add that he doesn't have to fisnish the book everyday, he just does!