In all subjects, students will be expected to complete assignments and daily work, which will often require some study and work at home. Completion of homework and other assignments contributes to student success as a learner. Therefore, it is important that homework and study responsibilities be carried out as promptly and diligently as possible. One way for teachers to help students learn and be successful is to assign appropriate and meaningful homework. At Woodman School, teachers may give homework for several reasons:
- To reinforce learning through further practice and skill development (ex. Math fluency, French vocabulary review)
- To enrich learning through independent study, individual research and experimentation
- To develop independent study habits
- To enable students to complete assignments that they were not able to complete in class
The amount of time students spend on homework is contingent on many factors: how quickly they read, how much they finished in class and the knowledge base they have brought with them from other places and schools. In an environment where students are learning a new language, the length of time may increase further still. This means that it is difficult to put a precise, standard number of minutes on the amount of time students should spend studying. The Calgary Board of Education outlines that Grade 5-6 students may be expected to complete up to 20 minutes of their total homework load per day. Grades 7-9 students may be assigned from ½ to 1 hour of homework per night. If students find that the amount of time they spend varies significantly from the above guidelines, they should seek help from their teachers. Teachers are aware of, and take into consideration, the challenges that students experience when completing homeroom independently in French, if there are minimal supports at home.
Homework is to be recorded in agendas or the format of their choice daily. Assignments are available on D2L shells/Google classrooms to support homework. While teachers strive to coordinate project, assignment and test dates, there may be times in which students are not able to complete all their homework. Students should discuss any requests for extensions with the individual teacher before the due date. It is the student’s full responsibility to ensure that any homework that accumulates, due to absences from school, is collected and completed within a reasonable amount of time.
Take note of a few other points regarding homework/tests.
- Homeroom which does not reflect the actual level of student achievement completed in class may be subject to review or re- completion in a supervised setting.
- Tests will not be given, nor long term assignments due, on the first day of school after a long holiday, a weekend or school
- Homework will not be assigned on extended holidays such as Winter and Spring Break. The holidays allow students, as life- long learners, the opportunity to explore and expand various interests.
- If a student is absent from school, they are responsible for making up missed assignments. In case of absences, teachers will give them adequate time to make up missing work or assessments. D2L/Google Classroom will be an important source to reference.
- Homework may be assigned during overnight school trips to a limited degree, should there be time within the daily schedule to do so
- Students may be required to create alternate work completion plans and timelines with their teacher, in the event of overnight school trips