Homework!... how it looks in Room 10

I'm linking up with the Lesson Plan Diva with this post about homework in my room... looking forward to seeing what everyone else does for homework too!  So, this post is an oldie, but a goodie!  :)

In my class, students have homework every night except for Fridays.

Each night, they have a math page (Homelink from Everyday Math), Speller's Choice, and 15-minutes of required reading from a book of their choice.

My students have a homework sheet that they get in their HORSE folders each week. Teaching 2 grade levels, I had to figure out how to manage this without making a ton of extra work for myself... so I tweaked my homework sheet to fit both grade levels. I made it a fillable PDF so I didn't have to worry about formatting or text changes from my home to school computer and then I just had to fill in the date and assignments each week from my school computer! You can see it below.

I don't use every Homelink and, since I don't send homework on Fridays, I do pick and choose the most valuable Homelinks to send home.

When I check folders in the morning, I do it while my students are completing their morning work/eating breakfast in the classroom. I pull out the math, check to see that spelling was completed, and put a star/sticker/stamp in that day's box if homework was completed.

I have a homework tracker booklet that I made that is a grid. Each students' name is written down the left and I write the dates across the top. If homework was completed, they get a check. If spelling wasn't done, I write an "S" and an "M" for math. If they forgot their HORSE, I draw an "X". The "class grid" file is for sale at my Teacher's Notebook shop or on TpT- here's a peek at it! The "name" column is fillable so you can type students' names in.

At the end of each month, any student who has completed 100% of their homework, gets invited to be in the "Homework Club". The kids LOVE it! Last year, I had 100% participation every month and the kids loved eating lunch with me in the room, so that is how we celebrated every month. I usually brought cookies or some sort of treat to share with them during our lunch too. At the end of the year, I always have a pizza party for the kids who have been in the club every single month. And those kids (the "Homework Hall of Fame") have their names printed on a sign that will hang in my room forever! They love looking back to see who they know from my former classes that are in the "Hall of Fame"!

"Homework Club" is a huge incentive to my kiddos and they take their homework completion very seriously! I do TOTALLY understand that when a 6 or 7 year old doesn't do their homework, it isn't their fault... it's more likely a parent issue. So, I do take that into consideration. And if you miss one night of homework, I do keep you in the club if you complete it late.

Habitual non-homework doers may need time in class to complete it. I know we are trying to instill responsibility in our students, but I also try and think about what is happening in my students' homes that might prohibit them from having the necessary support to complete their homework.

So, that's my homework in a nutshell!