Homework Causes Brain Damage.

When I was teaching I had a magnet that read - Homework Causes Brain Damage- on my teacher bulletin board to remind me how much I hated homework as a kid.  And I was good in school!

Asa teacher I assigned homework mainly because kids have to have homework,right?

But I've been rethinking homework. Here's what I believe now:

1. It's usually the parents that complain if the kids don't have homework.

2. Doing homework every week can reinforce a sense of self discipline and responsibility in students.

3. Students should learn 10 spelling words and 10 vocabulary words every week. Spelling words should be pattern based, long a, long e etc. or sight words/high frequency words. (More on this subject later).  Vocabulary words should be given to the student with the definition already provided and should be drawn from upcoming readings.

4. Students should do 10 math problems a week, of course connected to what's being taught.

5.If the teacher is not going to conference with the student every week about the homework, what's the use?

A parents best friend in supervising homework is a kitchen timer. Together parent and child decide in what increments homework will be tackled. For example 20 minutes and then a 5 minute break.