Homework Assignments - Suggestions?

Tell the teacher you need a system where she checks your daughter’s assignment book before she leaves school for the day to be sure your daughter has everything down.

My child’s teacher sends home a homework assignment sheet for the week every Monday…what a dream! But this is only second grade. The other thing she does is write the HW for the week on her web-site every Monday. It includes the spelling words and notes for the science or social studies units. Older kids do need to learn to write thier own assignments. but there needs to be a system where the teacher makes sure your daughter has them before she leaves school. That is not too much to ask. They just need to get into the habit of doing it.

Janis

A few thoughts —

1. The teacher could email you everyday what the assignments are.
2. If writing is a problem your daughter could carry a small digital recorder and speak her homework into it.

I aslo have a 10 year old daughter with dyslexia……….her teacher bought all kids a planner(we reimbursed her) and she checks it daily to make sure that she has everything correct. It is a great concept and has really helped me!!

Planners will work for this only if teachers are willing to check it. My son used a planner last year, great teacher signed everynight. This year we are struggling to get the teachers signature, or consent. My ten year old son isn’t LD, just not assertive. This helps.

My older LD son hates to write in his planner, but in seventh grade he is graded on having his planner filled in.

Hope this helps.
Shel

My 10 year LD child is in a parochial school this year too for the first time so I know the transition you are dealing with. He has some individualized work (15 spelling words instead of 20) and he can cut and paste a copy of vocabulary definitions to notecards instead of writing out definitions (he writes slowly). His teacher also doesn’t take off for spelling unless it is a spellng test. His teacher has a very structured approach—there are certain things always due on certain days, which has helped us a lot.

As far as knowing what is due, my son does not have his planner checked by her. He knows what work is modified and the rest is copied off the board. Does her teacher not write what is due on the board? His teacher also posts to a education bb the assignments, but not on a daily basis, so only so so it terms of help. We have also called other kids in his class—when he doesn’t know what the assignment is, although that hasn’t happened very often.

Paraochial schools are usually very good on structured approaches which is what your daughter needs. I think I would try to find out from other parents whether other kids are having problems knowing what the assignments are. Hopefully not. My son was having problems in spanish—and other kids were too. Noone knew what the assignments were. This is a harder problem to solve. (I spoke to the spanish teacher—she talks in circles and refuses to write assignments on the board because she needs the material there for next class. Thank God it is only a 1/2 hour a week). If it is just your child, it is a matter of getting her adjusted to teacher’s system and/or figuring out what supports your daughter needs to succeed.

My son seems to do fine now without his planner checked but it used to be critical. It was in his IEP in the public school. Since she is transitioning from an LD school where she probably was not expected to use a planner, I would start with asking the teacher to sign her planner each day to verify she has the assignments written down. You could also ask her teacher to email the homework but I think that is less preferable. For one thing, it is more of a burden to the teacher and I am always sensitive to that since I know my child is more work than others. And second, and most importantly, your daughter needs to learn to get the assignments in class. She just needs some supports now.

Beth

Thanks to everyone for your suggestions, they are much appreciated. We met with the teacher last night. Apparently, she was had been misinformed by the 4th grade teacher. She was under the impression that the kids had been taught last year about using a planner, so she only needed to reinforce the habit — which she did the first two weeks of school — and had totally forgotten that the four new kids (of which Nic is one) may not have had any experience with the use of a planner. Lots of parents had voiced concerns! She was writing the assignments on the board, but only at the end of the school day, and Nicole just doesn’t process and write quickly enough to get all the information in the planner in the time allotted. Her teacher will now write them on the board after each period, and then review them at the end of the day. She will review Nic’s planner each day to see that she has the information down correctly. In addition, the teacher had established “Work in Progress” folders and “Homework” folders which the kids were to use — Nicole just didn’t remember about them, and we hadn’t been told so didn’t know to check. The teacher is young, and enthusiastic, and cares much that the kids are successful — so we’re hoping we will continue to find way to make the program work for Nicole.

Like others have suggested„,the “Planner” is a excellent Idea. This has worked for us too.
But it also depends on the teachers to keep up with it.
Our youngest child with Learning Difficulties has a planner and the teachers are GREAT about writting reminderss and such in it..I to initial and put any notes in the book.
But now, our 13yro son, who has had difficulties with homework, those teachers are not disiplined as well when it comes to the assignment book. Our son does not have a LD or anything but has a hard time with “Keeping it together”..so initialing the agenda was suggested. I keep doing regardless of them. I figure if anything is ever missed they can not give me a hard time…I didn’t see it in the assignment book„like we agreed upon. (In writting)
But our son seems to be doing better this year. Last year he was in 6th grade and I think some of the lack of “keeping it together” was a totally new way of “schooling”…basically difficulties adjusting. He even said he disliked the Middle school. But no problems at all this year. He is liking it.
Sorry to go on and on.
Binky.

As a teacher, I prefer to keep my classes flexible and assign homework according to the progress we make or don’t make. I find rigid overplanning means running the curriculum past the students rather than teaching it to them.
Perhaps the student could meet with the teacher before going home each day; or perhaps you could arrange to check with the teacher daily by email.

Some schools now have websites where teachers post the nightly homework and students may log on to those websites at night to check their homework. As someone else suggested, you might also ask the teacher to e-mail you the assignments if your daughter continues to have trouble writing them down.

My son had great difficulty in the area of homework. Getting the assignment down and remembering the stuff he needed to do it. To make it easier I attached a small pencil case and a two pocket folder to his assignment notebook (the school gives this out). Everything was handy. One pocket is “take Home” and the other is “Take to School”. All day long he carries this with him and puts all worksheets, handouts, permission slips, etc. in the folder. At night we go through it together (the more involved he is the more independent he is) and as homework is done it goes in the “Take to School” pocket. He gets a sense of accomplishment from emptying one pocket and filling the other one.

We also arranged several homework “buddies”. If you have several the same child doesn’t need to be called every day and there’s a backup to call. Working with the teacher to identify the “buddies” I then called the kids’ Moms to ask if a call to their child to verify the nightly assignments was OK. It’s worked well.

Out resource room teacher also keeps a calender of all test dates and project due dates. She also keeps copies of project outlines so lost ones can be replaced. Thomas isn’t assigned to the resource room but stops by there at least 1-2 times per week as he’s leaving school to check the calender. I have him write in his assignment notebook which days he’s going to stop by and check.

Tom is in 7th grade but wasn’t diagnosed as ADD/Inattentiveness until 9 months ago. He went from A/B grades to C/D/F grades with the increased workload and responsibility levels that were expected with middle school. With the parochial school’s support, a very structured homework environment at home and alot more active support from me things have greatly improved. Meds are still an issue and the right combo still hasn’t been found but we’re working on it. Good luck.

I’m curious why the private LD school didn’t work out.. If your daughter needs extra tutoring and accomodations - too bad the LD school could not meet those needs (guess they should not advertise themselves as LD-oriented then, huh..)

My ADHD/LD (dyslexic/language) dd is at a private LD school (in Maryland) - they are very organized and the teacher checks that homework is written inthe daily planner; all subjects are taught in a multisensory structured sequenctial way, small class sizes - so far (our first year there) she is thriving and we like what we are seeing.

Kim