Formative Assessment
In this section we looked at some of the "throw-away" phrases that are often used in school and replaced them with our own useful phrases.
Parents as Partners
I loved all of the resources provided in this chapter. I am a huge believer of parents as partners in education.
In my own junior classroom, I might provide several avenues for parent involvement including:
1. Start of year package including: class calendar, student information form, and volunteer form.
2. Weekly digital newsletter including photos, a re-cap of the previous week, a look ahead to the following week, and helpful tips on helping the student with specific curriculum tasks.
3. Monthly Student Newsletter: students will work together to create this newsletter including samples of their month's work, articles on their achievements, and photos.
Activity
For this assignment, I created a homework policy for the classroom. In retrospect, the 5 mark penalty for late assignments is way to high.
The following is the letter I might send home to parents:
Homework Policy
Dear Parents and Guardians,
With the start of the school year quickly approaching, I am writing to inform you of my homework policies for this year. It is important that you read and understand these policies, as well as discuss them with your child.
Why do I assign homework? I believe homework is important because it is a valuable tool that helps students make most of their experience in school. Homework helps reinforce what has been learned in class, prepares students for upcoming lessons, teaches responsibility and helps students develop positive study habits. Homework is also helpful for parents and guardians as it provides them with a window into the daily classroom.
When will homework be assigned? Homework is assigned on a daily basis. Students will likely have small assignments to complete each evening. Larger projects and tests will be scheduled with ample notice. Each student will be instructed that they must record their homework in their agenda book every day. There is a month at a glace calendar for an overview of due dates and events.
What are your child’s homework responsibilities? I expect students to do their best on each homework assignment. I expect homework to be carefully done. All written work must be completed in ink (blue, black, or blue-black) or be computer generated. I also expect homework to be completely finished by the due date.
What are my responsibilities? I will check all homework assignments and record them in my grade book. I will support good homework habits by giving praise and other incentives.
What are parents’/guardians’ homework responsibilities? Parents/guardians are the key to making homework a positive experience for their children. Therefore, I ask that you make homework a top priority at home, provide necessary supplies and a quiet homework environment, set aside a time everyday when homework should be done, provide praise and support, and contact me if you notice any consistent problems.
What will happen if a student does not complete their homework assignments? If a student chooses to not do their homework, they will be asked to complete it and they will lose 5 marks for each day on their end product. After three late or incomplete assignments, the student will serve a detention, and a phone call will be made home. If this problem becomes persistent, the parent or guardian will be notified and avenues of support for the students will be discussed to ensure this problem does not continue. All late or incomplete assignments must be signed by a parent and returned to the teacher.
What about legitimate reasons for a student not completing a homework assignment? If there is a legitimate reason why a student is unable to finish the assignment, please send a note to me on or before the date the homework is due stating the reason it will not be or was not completed. The signature of the parent or guardian must be present in order for the excuse to be accepted.
What material is my child responsible for if he or she is away from school? If your child is healthy enough to do schoolwork, he or she is responsible for calling a homework buddy to get the day’s homework. On the first day of school, students will be assigned homework buddies. They will come home with a note in their agenda book listing the name of their homework buddy, along with their phone number.
What materials will be needed to complete homework? Many students will bring home the necessary materials for their homework assignments, however; it might be prudent to have the following supplies at home just in case: pencils, paper, glue, scissors, tape, staples, white out, markers, pencil crayons, calculator, ruler, geometry set, folders, highlighters, hole puncher, cue cards, and paperclips.
I hope this letter has provided you with the information you require to help your child succeed this school year. I look forward to a healthy parent/teacher partnership and I thank you in advance for your help and support.
Sincerely,
Ms. Albert
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