by Mary Ann Neber

Created on: December 28, 2008

Did you finish your homework? The elementary child thinks that if he/she has completed any part of the homework assignment, than homework has been done. The average elementary student needs to be taught how to complete homework assignments. This concept requires organization and routine and this is where the parent develops skills in their child regarding homework assignments. The parent's ultimate goal should be for the child to complete homework independently since homework assisgnments are generally formulated as reinforcement to lessons done in class.

SET UP A HOMEWORK SPACE
Set up a place where your child should do their homework every day. A table, a desk, a snack tray as long as it provides your child with a definitive place where homework is to be completed.You should have your child do his/her homework at the same time every day.

TOOLS NEEDED FOR HOMEWORK
Provide tools for your child's potential homework needs. This may include pencils, a sharpner, pens ( if permitted, some teachers do not allow students to use pens in the primary grades), crayons, a ruler, loose leaf, an assignment pad or homework book, a dictionary, a thesaurus, a spiral notebook, with seperated subjects, labeled Parent Observations to be used at home only and a good eraser.

REVIEW THE ASSIGNMENTS
Review the assignments with your child by reading the assignment pad together. Make sure you show the child how to use an assignment list by demonstrating the proper books and pages they will need to turn to as they work. Help them read and understand what they are supposed to do in each subject. Show them how to check off a completed assignment by drawing a single line through the assignment yet leaving it readable, or by placing a check next to the assignment number.

LANGUAGE ARTS HOMEWORK
Language Arts assignments may require reading a story. If the teacher does not require a written response to the literature, then you as the parent should require a written synopsis of what the child has read. The parent should require a beginning sentence that contains the main idea of the story, three facts from the story, how the story ended and the child's opinion of the story. This will not only let the parent know that the child understood what was read, but will also develop reading comprehension and writing skills. If writing is requried for the homework assignment, eliminate the written synopsis and check the writing homework for a beginning, middle and ending, good sentence structure and spelling.

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