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Homework strategies

Why do we have homework in 5th grade?  Why is it important? 


  • Practice
Homework gives us an opportunity to practice what we've studied during the day.  Therefore, the most important part of doing homework is being engaged in the classroom.  If you pay attention, ask clarifying questions and take good notes, homework should be relatively simple.  (Thanks Adrian!)

So much of school work is progressive.  That is, you need to know certain things in order to be successful at the next level.  For example, those having a challenge learning multiplication facts see how important they are when doing division.  The more complex the problem, the more important it is to know your multiplication facts in order to do the problem efficiently.

Practice is a good way to be sure you understand concepts: going over something over and over helps people remember.
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  • Thinking
Homework also gives you a chance to think about concepts outside the classroom environment.  When we were studying fractions, for example, you may have noticed how important they were when you were cooking or sharing a pizza.  If your little sister wanted to share a pizza with you and you asked her if she wanted 1/3 or 1/2 of the pizza, did she think 1/3 was a larger piece because 3 is larger than 2?  Be a good example for your little sister!

Thinking about school away from school can actually help you in school.  Think about that!

  • Preparation
Homework also prepares you, in many cases, for the next day's activities.
Isn't it a great feeling when you know what's going on?  Homework can do that.  It can serve as a review and even a sneak preview of what's coming up.

  • Expansion
Homework can also be used to expand or enlarge upon the concepts covered in the classroom.  With the time constraints within any given day, sometimes there's simply not enough time to branch out and explore concepts thoroughly.  In some cases, homework can serve us in this way as well.

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