Ugh homework...

[Orangeanddemons]

So we have to make a story box...marvellous...looks like an entire weekends work for dh and I..

Last week we had to research the history of the local area for a presentation in class. She's 7 ffs. Another nice weekends work for me.

Also when do you stop needing to listen to them read. She reading books aimed at 9-10 years old, and reads all the time on her own. Do we still need to fill in the frigging reading diary...

If it's her homeowrk then it should be what she can do herself. By all means support her, provide materials and help her with techniques, but DO NOT spend all weekend doing it for her!

Pictures drawn by her and cut out by her will be fine for characters and props.

what is a story box?

I think you still need to listen to them read, not necessarily every day but regularly - it is a different skill to reading to themselves. I would get her to fill in the reading diary if she reads to herself and then you fill it in when you listen to her read, even if she only reads a couple of pages to you and then more to herself.

You are supposed to listen to them read, but it's ok to drop off a bit. I think my parents stopped listening to me once I could read and "it ain't done me any harm". We listen to DS (just 7 but v. good reader), but not every day. Don't really bother with the reading diary though, mostly he's reading books from home rather than school....

DS1 is in secondary school, we are still expected to listen to him read and sign his diary that we have done so. I stopped listening to him read for a few years (he was comfortably reading books like Harry Potter by age 5), and when I started listening again in yr5 he had lost a lot of his reading out loud skills - expression etc. It's become a time that we really value together. I read to him a bit and he reads to me.

Homework she should be doing herself. In yr 1 last year DS2 used to have to research projects on the net (or books if we had them) and also based on his knowledge from school and write it up. Don't know about a story box whether that is something she could do unattended or not though as don't know what it is.

I think DD2 lost her reading diary sometime early in Y3, teacher never bothered replacing it. In Y2 I used to get reports of how well she read from the mum who heard readers. I used to smile and non, she'd refused to read for me for months.

This was a blessed relief after having to find a 1000 ways of writing DD2 read beautifully and a 1000 ways of, politely writing rubbish hasn't got a clue, in DD1's reading record.

(DD1 is dyslexic and learned to read just in time for her SATs)

Hi orangeanddemons:

Feeling the need to be a devil's advocate here but saying, first off, that I highly agree with Ihatespiders - this is your DC's homework and they should do it.

Sure provide materials, dig out scissors or tape, provide pencils & paper - maybe a snack - but you shouldn't be 'doing it'. You may need to give them a gentle push to get started - you may need to say no tv or video game until homework is done - or if the teacher hasn't explained what a story box is, you may need to search for an explanation or post a question on MN - but that's as far as your involvement should go.

Now the devil's advocate bit....

(context: my DDs are now in Y4 and Y6)

Our school rarely sends homework home - for DDs at most formal homework amounts to 10 - 15 minutes of effort (minimal at that) and is now due on a Thursday so doesn't have to be done at the weekend.

Homework is rarely levelled - all pupils do the same thing - and for my girls often is way too easy. The bulk of 'homework' is taken up by the school suggesting 20-30 minutes of reading a day - after Y1 books are not sent home (apparently too many lost books) so it's obligate on parents to supply reading material. There has never been any written homework. There is no marking of homework - just a tick (no initial even) in green by the teacher to acknowledge homework is done. There are no repurcussions for pupils who don't do homework.

Now over the years I've complained about lack of homework (I've also frequently posted about this here) and I've watched friends who's children went to the same nursery who've gone on to different primaries here in Birmingham and had homework like yours (build WW2 air-raid shelter, talk to grandparents about experience of WW2, learn 5 facts about our town, learn 10 facts about a Roman bath, etc....). Like you - they've complained and moaned about all the time taken from their weekends.

But - their kids all passed the 11+ with flying colours (some tutored, but most just did bond books) here and my DD1 just missed out (although will know for sure in March) she's roughly 10 points below last year's cut off.

So complain away all you like - but I feel I have a child working 1 year or more behind her counterparts all the way through and I can see the damage this is having to her life chances.

I would have far rather given up a few hours at a weekend to homework in primary than be in a situation now of dreading the mediocre senior school DD1 is now most likely doomed to be heading off to because she just didn't have the skill set to shine on the 11+.

DH and I are left wondering if we should have bankrupted ourselves to provide a tutor - but the King Edward schools (the state-funded grammar schools - entry based on highest scores) here all advised against tutoring for the exam.

We live in doubt and worry - and sincerely feel had DD1 had those funky homeworks that involved thinking, creativity and writing (instead of 10 ridiculously easy subtraction problems and a list of spelling words to memorize) she could be heading in a very different trajectory.

oh by the way local senior school only gets 45% of pupils to 5 A-C GCSE's. Most children graduate to be care assistants or work at homebase (at best) - it has never in it's history sent a child to a big name Uni.

So complain away - but perhaps think about the long-term benefits too....