Homework

This is what my school, in most grade levels, will send home as the cover sheet for student's homework packet.  The reading skill is 1 page of a little bit of phonics, sight words/high frequency words, grammar, comprehension, and writing.  The math page is a review of what was taught that day.  The story is a student reproductible from the houghton-mifflin reading program.  All of the reading skill pages are kept in a binde r along with math skills and short stories.  These binders are kept in the workroom for all teachers to access. 

On Friday grade level teams meet together to coordinate what skills and objectives will be taught the upcoming week.  Each team member has a digital copy of the homework template.  Each team member takes turns organizing, compliling, and copying the homework packets for each student on the grade level.  Each grade usually has a schedule layed out for the entire school year of who will be doing the homework packets on which week.  If a teacher is planning on being out of the school for personal leave they will usually proceed with putting homework packets together before they leave.  Once homework packets have been copied, either by the teacher or by clerical, they are placed in a rather large stack for teachers to take the needed amount for their class. 

This method is a huge collaborative effort.  The biggest part is that teachers on each grade level are teaching the same concepts in math and reading.  The reasoning behind this collaboration is so that no class is moving at a more accelerated rate or a slower rate than another.  One class doesn't have more difficult homework than another.  And ultimately no one parent is comparing one class or one teacher to another.  All teachers and classrooms are equally superior.  This eliminates any competition, jealousy, spite among staff that inadveratnly occurs when one teacher 'out shines' another.  All teachers share any ideas they will be implementing the upcoming week, everyone has a copy, no one is left out, and each teacher can make the objectives and activities fit the needs of their classrooms and students.  As for homework, if a child needs more challenging or modified homework that can be done as needed.

Over the past decade of teaching in Title One and non-Title One schools this is a far supperior method to managing homework.  Any compromise a teacher needs to make to collaborate outweighs any reason to go off on your own.  I think this was initailly established by the administrator with the help of experienced teachers.  It continues with collaborative teachers.

For a copy you can use and edit as needed for your needs you can downlaod it here at Teacher's Notebook .  I hope you get a chance to collaborate with your team members each week!