Samantha Smith Elementary
Homework Guidelines

Samantha Smith Elementary believes that homework is an important extension of classroom instruction, and it establishes a foundation for study skills and work habits.  Homework provides the following opportunities within a student’s learning experience:

Practice/Study Skills:

This is the most common type of homework and the most simple.  It is given to help students practice specific skills so that mastery is attained.  Material is presented by the teacher in class, and a homework assignment promotes practice by the student, either at school or home.  This also includes students reading silently or aloud and/or parents reading to children. 

Preparation:

The intent is to prepare students for the upcoming instruction.  Students may be asked to read ahead in a text, to make notes, or answer questions related to classroom instruction. 

Extension:

Extension assignments ask the student to go beyond simple recall of knowledge.  Concepts or skills are applied to new situations.

Creativity:

These are usually long-range assignments requiring several days or weeks to complete.  Students are required to integrate many skills in the process of completing the final product. 

The amount of homework varies from grade level to grade level and from day to day.  It generally increases as a student progresses to higher grades.  Reading is an important part of every student’s homework, and we encourage students to read daily at home to reinforce their fluency and comprehension skills.

Kindergarten = 5-10 minutes
Grade 1 = 15-20 minutes
Grade 2 = 20-30 minutes
Grade 3 = 30-60 minutes
Grade 4 = 60 minutes
Grade 5 = 60 minutes
Grade 6 = 60-90 minutes

 As always please direct specific questions to your child's teacher.

Physical Activity Log: 

During Physical Education classes, our mission is to promote the learning and partnership with students and families to support life long physical fitness and wellness. Students are given an activity log calendar each month to track and encourage physical activity outside of the school day. Students record the activities, at least 3 times per week for 20 minutes with the fitness element involved (ex. cardiovascular, flexibility, and upper and lower body strength). Students turn these in at the end of the month and receive recognition.