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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Topic homework project

38 replies

bookeatingboy · 26/02/2017 17:12

At our school there is a culture of pupils being tasked with some type of project assignment related to the current topic in school.

Design and build a miniature garden, make a musical instrument, design a water filter to clean dirty water etc. Now I certainly don't know any 8 year old that could do any of the above without lots of parental input.

I've had enough... I actually agree with homework, but these projects have turned into a competition between the parents and I really hate the fact that the school is dictating to me how I should spend time with my dc. I say this as someone who is fully committed to supporting the school in any way I can. I am of the opinion that any homework set should be able to be completed independently by the child with minimal input from the parent. I'm very close to just refusing to do them anymore but my 9 year old is really worried about how the teacher will react.

Please tell me if this type of silliness goes on in your school

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TeenAndTween · 27/02/2017 15:31

Spoke too soon, see above.
DD2 y7 has just come home with the draw or make a castle for FRENCH
Does not even have to be labelled. This is a pointless homework. Would be OK if it were Art or Tech. We will find a way to meet the brief with least stress.

WinkyisbackontheButterBeer · 27/02/2017 15:35

That is very odd. The only explanation I can think of is that they will learn the French words for the castle parts in class but then I would expect that you wouid be asked to label the parts in English.

TeenAndTween · 27/02/2017 15:43

I agree it is odd.
They have already learned parts of a castle and drawn and labelled a castle in their exercise books.

I would query the value, but I need to save my querying for more important things (and have already used my quota of querying for French earlier this term).

kesstrel · 27/02/2017 16:11

Teen I agree it's better if it's accompanied by a leaflet. My elder daughter is dyspraxic too, so that has probably influenced my view. But my younger daughter didn't like this kind of project either; she would far rather have been doing something more academic, like a report. I think that should be an option. In Year 8 her homework was once to do a comic or story-board about a famous scientist; she ended up doing a proper report, with illustrations pasted in, because she was so sick of doing that kind of homework; but even then she wasn't sure if it would be 'acceptable'.

jamdonut · 27/02/2017 17:09

You are never going to please everyone! For every child that likes "academic" homework, there are those who prefer the practical stuff. Or, none at all.

bojorojo · 27/02/2017 17:10

Trying to make french "interesting" by making a castle ends up dumbing it down really! There will not be any substitute for learning the grammar later on! It is a disservice to the brighter children.

TeenAndTween · 27/02/2017 17:18

bojorojo Not too bothered about that as y7s are generally light on homework and the school gets good results with this approach. It is just that it might turn into a stressful homework in this particular home.

Witchend · 27/02/2017 17:22

Dc's juniors had a year of these.

What really irritated me was they'd spend ages (neither me nor the dc are artistic) making it, to say nothing of having to go and get craft supplies for them.

They'd then take them into school and there were two possibilities for showing them. Either they'd all be given post it notes to go round and stick comments on others' work. Which meant the popular children would have a project filled with "Brilliant" "I love it", and the un-popular children would come home with a sticker that said "bit messy". This had no relation on how good the work was at all.
The other way they showed them was put them on a shelf at the back of the room and told if they wanted to they could have a look at them at break.

Way to go and pointing out how pointless it was.

They stopped it after a year thank goodness.

Ds (who is very interested in WWII) watched dd2 making a shoe box air raid shelter (complete with furnishings, and carrots in the garden because she wanted to) and commented when it was his turn he was going to get a handful of soil, put it in the middle of his shoebox and put a sign saying "Danger UXB".
He isn't proud of his work.

I think that it's sad when parents say that they won't help with homework and think that it can be enjoyable if it's embraced

I think what is particularly sad is these sort of homeworks mean the child who is already aware that their parents don't really bother much about them gets it rubbed into their faces when they come in with something they have worked on hard on their own and see the fantastic creations that other parents have spent hours on.

Original poster

bookeatingboy · 27/02/2017 21:47

I think that it's sad when parents say that they won't help with homework and think that it can be enjoyable if it's embraced

I don't know where you got that from, I help with homework and then some, only this evening we have done extra spelling and times table practice, which both of my dc love doing.

As I said, my issue is that the CT is telling me how to spend my time with my children. I don't interfere on her time with my children, so expect the same in return.

Not wanting to build a model of something that will probably get thrown away does not mean that I don't want to support my dc, it simply means that I want to spend our family time how I see fit.

Sadly the parents who don't support their dc with homework will probably avoid making a model of something too!

OP posts:

WinkyisbackontheButterBeer · 27/02/2017 23:40

Sorry, I think there has been a misunderstanding. I wasn't referring to you at all. I was talking about the very small number of parents of children in classes that I have taught who flatly refuse to help their child with any homework, regardless of what it is. Sorry if that wasn't clear.

witch I completely agree. That is sad to see but those children are going to see other parents helping their children no matter what kind of homework is set.

ittooshallpass · 27/02/2017 23:55

My DD here's the project home work so we don't do it.

Spellings, reading and maths are non negotiable but project work, meh.

Teachers also tend to forget that parents work. Full time. All year round. So setting holiday projects is a nonsense. We don't get half term off. So don't need you to set us a little project to keep us busy thanks. We're up at usual time doing work and holiday clubs...

ittooshallpass · 27/02/2017 23:56

Hates*

MilkRunningOutAgain · 01/03/2017 18:34

We used to get this from primary school but luckily under the new head this has completely stopped. No more making musical instruments with a child who hated it. Actually I posted earlier today complaining about the school and the new head, but I have to admit this is a real positive!

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