1st Grade Homework Policy
2017 – 2018
August 21, 2017
Dear Parents,
In recent years there have been many studies that suggest students should be doing less homework in the afternoon after spending an entire day at school. While LAUSD has not officially changed the homework policy, the district did remove the homework grade from our new report card. The first grade teachers have thoroughly discussed the LAUSD homework policy and have decided not to send home an official weekly homework packet.
Each week we will be sending home a Week at a Glance. In this you will find the sounds, sight words, spelling words, spelling patterns, and reading comprehension strategies that we are focusing on for the week. We will still be giving a spelling test each Friday. Please don’t feel like you need to drill and kill these words with your child. All of us will continue to teach the words and spelling patterns in class. You may choose to make flash cards with your child and practice a little before each test, but this is not required.
In addition to the Week at a Glance, we will be sending home a weekly fluency passage. This is intended for you to practice reading at home each week with your child. As educators we feel that reading with your child is the best and most effective practice. We encourage you to read to your child as well as having your child read to you. Both forms of reading are very beneficial to emerging readers. As you read stories, ask open ended questions pertaining to the characters, setting, problem and solution of the story.
The Week at a Glance will also include information regarding the math unit tat we are on and the concepts that are being focused on in the unit. Math can be practiced anywhere. You can encourage your child to solve mathematical problems while helping you cook dinner, read recipes or while you are grocery shopping. We encourage you to discuss time with your children, focusing on analog and digital clocks while discussing time to the hour and half hour.
Each of us will go into more detail regarding the homework policy during Open House, Tuesday August 29 @ 6:30 PM and during the 1st grade Coffee Talk, Thursday, August 24 @ 8:15 AM.
Warmly,
The 1st Grade Teachers,
Mrs. Cole, Mrs. Kerr, Mrs. Parks, Mrs. Williams and Mrs. Sanchez