DS1 is in Yr 5. His first piece of homework this term consisted of the six times table, plus some colouring in. What am I to make of this?

[SixSpotBurnet]

I was worried enough by DS1 assuring me he'd learned "nothing" so far this term. But my worries have been considerably augmented by his first piece of homework this term, which as I say essentially consisted of the six times table plus colouring all the numbers from one to 100 which are divisible by six.

This is just risible for Yr 5, though, isn't it?

Is it worth speaking to the teacher, or am I just going to put her back up? None of the DSs have had her before, so she's an unknown quantity. DS1 does usually get some enrichment maths, but he hasn't been told of any so far this term.

Goodness. I was quite shocked that dd's first piece of homework this term (Year 4) consisted of 2 & 4 times table! I assumed it was 'revision' to ease them in gently but still!

What's 'enrichment maths'?

Could be revision work - DS is Y4 and his first maths homework was splitting numbers in to thousands, hundreds, tens, units. With options for x thousands is the same as 10x hundreds. This to me was revision - altho it took a while as he had to write out eg 2734 = two thousand, seven hundred and thirty four.

But we also have to get him fluent in all his times tables to supplement that.

(oops, two thousands seven hundreds three tens and four units)!

At least it a times table! (see my Y5 homework thread here.

Do they have to make a note of what they see when they look at the moon? At least this gives them experience of scientific observation and note-taking.

My ds has just started Y5 in a very high performing school. And his homework consisted of pulling apart numbers into 1000's, 100's, tens and single units. And something to do with teh 6 times table.
So I think they are just doing some revision before getting stuck in properly. Because last year they were doing division etc, and it certainly was harder than the homework just received.

Maybe it is meant to be revision, but still!

tonton, "enrichment" seems to be the new term they use for what was formerly referred to as "Gifted & Talented".

In answer to your question i'd wait to see what next homework is before talking to teacher.

Malory, sure, but it's just so laughably below the level that DS1 normally works at.

Anyway, as someone else said, at least it only took up 5 minutes of his weekend and left him lots of time for reading his atlas (and helping DS2 with his homework, which was a bit more stimulating).

The term's only just started: do you really need to worry about whether he is working at his old level already?

IME regular revision is a good thing. I know loads of adults who have forgotten their times tables, despite being intelligent people who have attended good schools.

Quite possibly because they moved on immediately after they had first learned them and never had to go back there again. Dh is a case in point.

As a university teacher I am always flabbergasted by how much my students manage to forget between leaving college and arriving at uni. The most embarrassing instance being when I taught someone who had come from my Dad's Sixth Form class. He kept going on about how his students know this, that and the other. 'Oh, no they don't', I said. 'They did. Slight difference.'

I tell my dc's that the easy picking-up work at the start of each year is part of the teaching rhythm and something they will be grateful for in the long run.

dd1s (year 4) was the 2x table

she was delighted (still only got 10 out of 12 though )

I suspect the teacher is just starting gently. My yr 4 child's new teacher started last week with a maths test, most of the class got 0/5, 3 got 1/5. dd1 (who got 0) was upset. Though the teacher explained they'd all know all the answers by the end of term. She was demoralised.

That is reassuring. Okay, we'll see what the next lot of homework is before I get out my Finger of Judge!

What about the fact that he says he hasn't learned anything yet? Should I just assume that that's also because everything she has covered so far this term has been revision?

I just answered on the other thread too, we have had splitting into 1000,100,10,U as well.
TBH I'm thrilled! DS1 has moved to a new school, we've never had homework before. It's nice to know we're doing the same as everyone else.

Our school has stopped giving out maths homework. We just have spellings, times tables and a half termly project. I must admit I was glad when I found out as the maths homework always caused headaches in our house, not because my children couldn't do it but rather it took up time after school when they wanted to do other things rather than work.
My yr5 who's good at maths has been complaing at the ease of the work done in school. He's been recapping things done in yr4.For him it's not challenging but for the majority it's beneficial. His tables homework this week is 5's and 10's and he like PoorOldEnid's dd is delighted! Try not to worry it's early days the teacher's still probaly trying to assess if every one is working at the level the last teacher said they were.