What should Y10 be doing in the summer?

[livvvvvv]

I'm just wondering this as some teachers are giving my DS way more homework to do over the summer than others. For example, his science teacher wants their class (top set) to do 12 past papers over the summer, while the french teacher just suggests "learn a few words a week".

Has your child been given much homework to do over the summer?

Mine never had any!

Mine is Year 10 and hasn't been given any - yet! She suspects her geography teacher will give them something - I wouldn't be surprised if a few more do. One of her friends has been told by a couple of teachers they are expected to revise over the hols.

My DD is very self motivated, thinks flash cards help her to revise, so wants to get some more done in the hols in readiness for GCSEs next year.

DS1 hasn't been given any to do. I do hope school has arranged something to do. Not only it is GCSE exam next year, but also it is boring if there isn't any homework to do, DS1 would just spend all his time play games and reading. So I have to find something for him to do.

To be honest I think they should mainly be relaxing, with possibly some getting up to speed again in the last week or so. (Unless there are major issues with passing maths or English).

Year 11 is a long hard slog.
DD had MFL CAs to prep over the Oct half term plus other work.
She worked all through Xmas holidays bar 5 days over xmas itself as she had mocks second week in jan.
She had MFL CAs to prep in the Feb half term plus other work.
She worked all through Easter holidays and the summer term half term.

If they worked for end y10 exams, and did appropriate revision notes for them, they should be allowed to enjoy the summer imo.

Dd has CAs to prepare for.

We have not broken up yet, but I hope work set will be minimal. DD1 needs the rest, she has been neck deep in end of year exams and still is in CAs. Reading set books for lit would be OK.

12 past papers is a lot!

I'm head of Years 10 and 11 at my school. Our school is an independent school so we have a longer summer holiday than most others.

Over the summer between Year 10 and 11, I would expect students first and foremost to relax! Physical exercise - whatever they enjoy - is also a good way to get a change of scene and also get healthy for the demands of Year 11.

Other good ideas for the holiday include these, within reason and as appropriate for the individual student's circumstances:

• try and maintain their levels in any languages they're studying, perhaps using a website like Conjuguemos for 10 mins. or so once or twice a week or watching that language's news or films

• if they study Art, take photos and do portfolio work as outlined by their Art teacher (if you go on holiday or for a day trip somewhere exciting, it might be a good opportunity to take some photos for next year's Art work)

• practise musical instruments for pleasure, relaxation and also in preparation for any Music exams. coming up (could also listen to set works)

• re-read the GCSE English Literature set texts they studied in Year 10 (they could watch a screen adaptation or filmed stage production of their drama one while following along in the text)

• if they struggle with Maths or an area of Maths, do some exercises as recommended by their teacher, again, little and often (a weekly session of 20 mins.?)

• make sure they have gone through their end of Year 10 exams. and understood where they went wrong

• only if bored / keen!! Look at the little quizzes, etc. on BBC Bitesize or watch YouTube tutorials e.g. on specific science topics

• to broaden their English vocabulary, reading broadsheet newspapers and listening to things like high quality documentaries can help. Or try to learn a few of these words per week and how to use them in sentences: [[http://www.geoffbarton.co.uk/files/student-resources/GCSE-A*/GB-Top-level-vocab.pdf High Level Vocabulary]

• "prepare" for Year 11 and GCSE revision with admin. tasks like making sure they haven't lost books, that sheets are stuck in or filed, getting their books and equipment ready for the start of the new term, both at home (organising desk / shelves / study area with books in easy to find places) and in their schoolbag. Be aware of dates of mock exams., controlled assessments, coursework deadlines, etc. Also start waking up at "school time" a week before term begins again! (Can be gradual!!)

Other tasks might be SUGGESTED by subject teachers, but, really, relaxing and taking a break from the school routine is essential.

The summer holidays are a chance to rest, try new things, and grow up a little so that they return ready for a long school year.

DD is dyslexic, but keen to apply for medicine where GCSE results can count. The breadth required for GCSE was always likely to be harder than A level where she would be taking subjects she found easier. So she put in more effort than might be normal, and certainly more than her brother did.

The one important thing she did was work on her MFL vocabularly. She learns orally, so it was a few words each day, with me testing. Plus a family holiday aimed at her gaining exposure. By the end of the summer she knew all the vocab in her textbooks, which put her at a huge advantage through Yr 11. (I speak, or used to speak both languages, so did not mind the practice, but otherwise its something a sixth former or student might be able to help with.) She ended up with A*s which was quite a feat for someone with her SEN profile. Ideally she would also have had a few English tutoring sessions to keep up her writing skills, but these did not happen.

I can also see why a bit of maths practice could help a child who struggles. It can only help if you start Yr 11 with core skills firmly in place.

Beyond that we "rewarded" both DC for finishing books, and tried to ensure that they spent as much time as possible not playing computer games or watching Netflix. Nothing else.

DS1 has been at home on his own, so far, he had gone to town with his friends for 2 days, I am quite happy for this. But for the day he was at home, he must have played games a lot, judging by his ipad battery usage.

I fully support the relaxing idea, but if school give some stuff to do, no need much,and it can be different, just for a couple of hours a day, there are still plenty of times left for relaxing. I always think our brain need good stimulation.

I think LockedOutOfMN's post is really useful, thanks.

DD was planning on doing some revision, but think that'll go out the window. She wants to do lots of art planning to get herself prepared for next term's work, they've been told they'll be getting quite a bit of maths and they've seen what DD described as a "manual" for Year 10 holiday homework! She convinced she'll get geography homework, so I'm beginning to suspect she's going to get quite a bit of homework for each subject. She needs a rest so I've said if she gets quite a bit of homework in one subject to concentrate on that and forget the revision.

Ds has a maths booklet, is supposed to read a book for classical civilisation, research his DT project and re read Romeo & Juliet. Don't think a huge amount for 8 weeks holiday. He has plenty of time to relax, play his PC and catch Pokemon.

Autumnsky Thanks! Feel free to PM me any questions or to ask for any resources for your son.

Hope everyone's children are enjoying the holidays...or looking forward to them when they finally arrive!

lockedoutofmn - thanks for that post - very useful.

So far this is what has been set:

• the science teacher who previously set 12 papers (who isn't teaching them next year anyway) now says '2 or 3'
• English want them to read through Great Expectations (they're studying it in September) and also to make quote cards for An Inspector Calls and Romeo and Juliet
• French want them to use this vocab express website to go over vocabulary
• RE want them to create revision folders
• Computer science want them to complete this list of 'code challenges' given to them by the exam board

I'm still thinking this is too much; Year 10 has been a long year with lots of controlled assessment, the first experience of exams etc. so surely the 6 weeks should be spent relaxing and not working almost as hard as he would be anyway?

Nothing!
The clue is in the word - 'holiday'

Sleep, go out with their friends, maybe work part time if they want a little extra cash, go on a little holiday or to a festival.

It's a holiday, not a study break.

Livvvvvv Thanks!

I would suggest streamlining the tasks to something like:

• 2 past papers for science (don't have to be done all at once, could break each past paper into half hour long sections)

• read Great Expectations (could read along while listening to the audiobook: - there are various audiobooks on YouTube if this one's no good)

• find key quotations from the plays online

• do 2 x 10 mins. per week on the French website

• R.E. revision folders - can you help with this? It sounds like mostly an admin. task which some kids hate and others adore. I guess it's a good idea to get into the habit of making revision folders as they'll need them to revise for mocks and then GCSEs.

• Computer science 'code challenges' - how long do these take? Is 30m per week enough to get at least a couple done over the summer?

Livvvvvv I've PM-d you.

lockedout - thanks again, now that you've put it like that it doesn't seem like much. On our school VLE they have the book, audiobook and a film version so that should be useful. About the RE, he already has some stuff from his mock, but because they had an awful teacher last year who didn't teach them anything to do about the syllabus, they can't really do much else. I don't think the code challenges will take much time at all, he's already done 6/20 and is better than the teacher (as I was told by his teacher at parent's evening) so that's not a problem at all.
Thanks for your help :)

and thanks for that PM :)

Just remember that whatever they do over Summer means time saved later when they're back and being bombarded with other demands.

Take language vocab learning. They have to do it sometime. Surely it's better to do say 10 hours over Summer (which they won't miss) as opposed to trying to fit yet another 10 hours in later when they are also being hit with big homeworks every night and weekend.

I'm sure they can manage an hour or so less glued to their mobiles or xboxs a couple of times a week - it's hardly going to ruin their lives is it?

12 past papers in one subject is ridiculous. They take what, an hour and a half each?
I'd say half a past paper per week and then go through it and check the answers. So that they don't forget everything over the summer.

Vocab learning is good and that's what my Y10 boy will be doing over the summer. And nothing much more.
He's got some homework but not more than 3 hours work per subject and he tends to do it in the last week of the holidays and so do his friends.
Most of the summer he will spend doing nothing! And swimming, playing football, going on holiday with us, going to the cinema with his friends, etc.