Curriculum : Homework
Homework Policy
- as outlined in the "Student, Parent and Teacher Handbook"
Homework is seen as an integral part of Knox Grammar Preparatory School's philosophy on teaching and learning. It provides for extension and consolidation of what is developed in the classroom. Parents are expected to support their sons in developing a regular homework and study routine according to their timetables.
Homework is defined as the preparation students do outside class time to help them learn, including projects, assignments, assessment tasks and private study. It is always integrated with the learning outcomes of modules of class work. When students complete homework, they complete specific learning tasks in the short term and add to their long-term knowledge and skills levels.
Short homework exercises may be set in Kindergarten to Year 2, however, the School's clear requirements commence at Year 3:
From Year 3, all boys will have homework set for completion Monday-Friday. Set work will be noted in your son's Home Lessons Diary. Please sign your son's Diary if he has made a consistent effort to complete his work.
Timeframes for the length of time its students for:
Years K-2 (Early Stage 1 and Stage 1):
short homework exercises may be set.
Years 3-4 (Stage 2):
no more than 45 minutes of homework including 15 minutes of Reading and or Research.
Set work incomplete after that time will be accepted by teachers provided that the boy's Home Lessons Diary has been signed by a parent.
Where there is no signature, a school detention may be given.
Years 5-6 (Stage 3):
No more than 1 hour of written homework including 20 minute of Reading and or Research.
Set work incomplete after that time will be accepted by teachers provided that the boy's Home Lessons Diary has been signed by a parent.
Where there is no signature, a school detention may be given.
No boy should spend more than their allocated timeframe completing homework activities.
Should your son have difficulty completing homework, please offer appropriate assistance and let the teacher know that assistance has been required and given.
1. Homework seeks to:
develop cognitive skills through repetition and reinforcement.
consolidate, reinforce and revise work which has been covered or completed in class.
aid and stimulate creativity through assignments.
encourage independent learning and skills which engender autonomous and self-directed study.
develop research skills through the completion of projects.
assist in the preparation of new work.
2. Homework Expectations
Students are expected to keep details of homework set each day in their Diary.
Students are encouraged to develop a homework routine, aiming to produce quality work on the day for which it is set.
Students should allocate a certain block of time which should be set aside each day for Homework and study. Students should have five minute rest breaks after every half hour of work. If students find one large block to be too difficult to manage then shorter periods of time with longer breaks should be considered.
Use of time should be planned by completing projects, assignment or preparing for a test over a period of evenings rather than deferring work until the last moment.
Students should ensure that their work is well researched and presented.
Students should concentrate on developing effective time-management skills in devising a homework routine and meeting work and assessment deadlines.
3. Setting up a Homework Routine
It is important to plan homework and set up a study routine in accordance within the above framework. Students should take into account individual subject demands which arise from time to time; thus, flexibility within the homework regime is also suggested. Sport, music and other co-curricular activities also need to be considered. Where homework is set which requires consistent application towards a deadline (e.g. a project, an independent learning task), students need to include this in the homework schedule. Homework needs to be conducted in an atmosphere conducive to study. A set time of the day should be allocated for homework without distractions and interruptions. Parents and students are urged to negotiate these aspects so that a systematic approach to homework and learning may be developed.
4. Absence from School
Class work and homework should be caught up as soon as possible after returning to school and preferably before the student returns to school. This is particularly important if there is a long period of absence from school. Students are advised to be proactive in contacting their teachers for work which has not been completed due to absence. It is each student's responsibility to ascertain what work has been missed and to catch up on that work.
5. Types of homework
Homework is set in order to increase a student's understanding of a topic or theme and for the aims of practice, preparation and extension.
Homework which is generally set may include the following:
worksheets, projects, assignments, exercises set by teachers along with corresponding requirements such as due dates, format and length.
take-home assessment tasks and preparation for assessment tasks conducted at school.
content learning (study) including drill work, mastery of spelling, language, grammatical rules and vocabulary.
making study notes and revising these for tests and examinations or to ensure mastery.
practical work and/or extension work.
wide Reading for English or reading English texts
As a general principle, there should be no excuse for not completing homework set. If set homework is not completed from the previous day, teachers may require that it be completed during Recess or Lunchtime under supervion in the classroom.
6. Using the School Diary (Years 3-6)
Apart from this homework policy, the School Diary also indicates the extent and range of homework that should be done by students. It includes a Homework-Study Timetable chart. The School Diary is also one communication tool between staff and parents. Parents are encouraged to scrutinise the Diary for Teachers' comments regarding their sons progress, particularly regarding homework.
To assist in the communication between home and school, messages or comments from teachers to parents, or from parents to teachers, may be written in the Diary. A parental signature in the Diary indicates to the teacher that homework is being monitored at home.
7. Inability to Complete Homework (Years 3-6)
Where a student has exceeded the recommended time suggested for homework as set out above and has been unable to complete all homework due the next day, he must have his parents sign a note in his Diary to that effect to indicate to his teachers that he was not able to complete the work as required.
8. Completing Homework at School (Years 3-6)
The Preparatory School Library is open Monday to Friday from 3.10 4.30pm where homework may be completed in a supervised, quiet environment. Students are encouraged to make use of this resource both for research and homework. The students are required to sign in and a parent is required to sign out their son.
Should homework be taking longer to complete than the guidelines suggest, parents are requested to notify their sons teacher. The boys have a very full life and it is important that the appropriate balance is maintained between School commitments and outside interests.
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