Homework for a 5 year old - how much involvement needed.

In article , Stephanie says...


"Ericka Kammerer" wrote in message
...
Barbara wrote:
Banty wrote:

In article .com,
Barbara
says...

SNIP

I think homework for 5 yos is awful. So I'm not much help.

Yeah - I think she should involve herself right to the school board.

Banty

A lot of 5 year olds are in first grade (school districts like NYC with
a 12/31 cut-off; do any school districts still have a 1/31 cut-off?).

No I'm referring to homework being given at such a young age.

I admit I was being flippant..

Banty


I knew that!

It's just that when people refer to 5 year-olds, I think most people
think kindergarten. But in school districts with later cut-off dates,
that's not the case. NYC still has a 12/31 cut-off, so there's a lot
of 5 year olds in first grade. When I was a kid in Philly, the cut-off
was 1/31, so first grade was 1/2 over before I turned 6. While I don't
advocate a lot of homework for first graders, I don't find it
unreasonable, either.

I do. There's precious little evidence supporting
the notion that homework for early elementary does *anything*
useful. Encourage reading at home. Send home a list of
spelling words for the week. But don't load them up with
daily homework in first grade. It's just flat out ridiculous,
and ultimately, I believe it has a lot of negative unintended
consequences.

Best wishes,
Ericka


I don't understand the concept of getting ready for 3rd and 4th grade
homework in kindy and 1st grade. But that's just me. (Or then it isn't since
I've seen such articles on the 'net).



Especially if you consider that the given reason for homework in the 3rd and 4th
grade, absent any evidence that it does actual educational good, is that the 3rd
and 4th graders need to "develop good homework habits" for later!

Some years back when I needed to give a presentation for upper mangement, my
second-line manager wanted me to 'dry run' a presentation for him to make sure
it'd go OK. My first line manager, on learning that, sceduled a 'dry run' in
front if *him* the day before that to make sure the 'dry run' would go OK!
aRRRRGH A year or so later, there was a Dilbert strip on exactly that topic.

Maybe there are pointy-haired elementary school teachers.

Banty