The staff at Walker Elementary School believe that homework is a valuable part of the instructional process. Homework provides a structure to ensure learning of the skills and knowledge gained in the classroom and lays the foundation for students taking responsibility for their own learning. Teachers, Parents, and Students each have responsibilities that empower student growth.
Purpose of Homework: The purpose of homework is to strengthen academic skills, reinforce concepts taught by teachers, develop student responsibility and accountability, and promote parent awareness. Positive results of homework include better retention of factual knowledge, increased understanding of material, improved critical thinking, concept formation and information processing skills, as well as enrichment of the core curriculum. Our goal is to create assignments that promote one or more of these outcomes. We recognize that homework is not the only circumstance under which after-school learning takes place. Many leisure-time activities teach important academic and life skills. We believe in the importance of balancing leisure, learning and family time. Homework will fall into one or more of the following categories:
Teachers' Homework Responsibilities:
Parents’/Guardians' Homework Responsibilities:
Students' Homework Responsibilities:
Guidelines for Homework Time: DAILY HOMEWORK IS A DISTRICT AS WELL AS A SCHOOL POLICY. Schedules may vary slightly from teacher to teacher, student to student, and assignment to assignment:
Grade UTK/K - an average of 10 minutes per day, 4 days per week Grade 1 - an average of 15 minutes per day, 4 days per week Grade 2 - an average of 20 minutes per day, 4 days per week Grade 3 - an average of 30 minutes per day, 4 days per week Grade 4 - an average of 40 minutes per day, 4 days per week Grade 5 - an average of 50 minutes per day, 4 days per week
Students are expected to read outside of school on a daily basis. The reading should be a balance between self-selected readings and teacher assigned readings. This can include various online reading programs such as GetEpic, Reading Eggs, Renaissance, RAZ Kids etc. Teachers may provide guidance as to selection of reading material to ensure that students are reading a good representation of appropriate fiction and non-fiction materials. The following are suggested guidelines for accomplishing this goal.
Grades UTK to 3, 80 to 100 minutes per week. Grades 4 and 5, 120 to 150 minutes per week.
If your child spends substantially more or less time each day on homework than indicated, please communicate with your child's teacher immediately. In collaboration with your classroom teacher, we can modify homework assignments to meet the needs of the student and family.