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When well thought out, homework serves necessary educational purposes for elementary school students.

Homework is only useful when relevant to whatever was taught that day. For example, if the class spent the week working on addition problems, then sending some home on Wednesday or Thursday night is appropriate. The work completed at home gives the student the opportunity for extra practice and repetition. But it is a mistake to send home a worksheet of addition problems on Tuesday if the class worked on addition Monday and subtraction Tuesday. Timing is everything.

Repetition and review are keys to learning. Therefore, homework should not be given until the student shows some mastery of the subject in class. Turning in a homework worksheet full of incorrect answers serves no good purpose, and does damage to the child's self-esteem and confidence in his or her ability to learn the subject. Going over something learned in class that day, however, gives the child the opportunity not only to review but also to make new connections. The child can go to school the next day feeling productive and smart.

Homework can also be assigned to give students extra time to complete projects. In long term assignments that require reading and research, it is appropriate to assign some of the tasks as homework. Teachers must ask the next day if anyone had questions on the previous evening's assignment. Homework is only an extension of what is done during the school day; homework is not a replacement for schoolwork.

Of course, if a student has trouble on any given day finishing an assignment, it can be finished for homework. In order for this to be beneficial, the teacher must make sure the child understands exactly what he or she is expected to do.

Homework should not take more than an hour to complete for 4-6th grade students, and about 20 minutes for 1-3rd grade students. It is not necessary to assign homework every night; it is beneficial for students to have some free evenings. Children spend a lot of time in school, and in order to lead full lives they do need time to play and time to spend with their families. Excessive homework is burdensome and takes away from family life. A little bit of homework is beneficial because it can cement a lesson learned in school.

Elementary school teachers who apply the above criteria for assigning homework will find their students enjoying more success in homework assignments and in school.

Learn more about this author, B. Taylor.
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