Homework For Grade 3 English
Tabita Knezevic
But I never give homework just for the sake of giving homework. I believe that students will learn a work ethic when they need to put the time in to do a good job of something (like the times I described above), not just for the sake of doing thirty minutes of homework every night.
I stated earlier that I work very hard at the beginning of a semester to establish my routines and expectations. One is that students will work in class and will finish work at home when needed. Do they all do that all the time? Of course not. But I have found some ways to ensure that many do, most of the time.
We spend a lot of time in class on the process, whether that is the process of close reading, writing, researching, etc. Because I believe so strongly in learning how to learn, I build in time in my lessons so students can do the things they need to be successful in class. If you want a good example of this, read this post about how I teach the writing process with essay writing, or this one on the speaking process.
There are quite a few different views about whether or not homework should be graded. Some say absolutely not; others definitely yes. And still others choose to just give a completion grade but not grade the work itself.
Did this take a little bit more paperwork on my part? Yes it did, but I found that requiring them to redo the work was way more effective than taking points off. And soon I had fewer and fewer issues.
THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! I have been struggling with these issues since school started. These are brilliant suggestions and I am very excited to try them! Especially having them re-do an assignment when not following directions!
I really identified with your issues in grading homework. I can see how your idea of taking 5 percentage point off for each incorrect problem and 15 percentage points off for each problem that was not attempted can motivate students to complete assignments. At the same time, it does not discourage the students from making and learning from mistakes. I teach primary grades. What I have noticed with my class in particular is that my students are heavily assisted at home when completing their homework. At times, the homework is returned in their parents handwriting. How is it possible for these homework assignments to be graded fairly?
I grade homework unconventionally as well. Each assignment is worth 10 points. They receive 5 points in class just for completing the assignment according to the directions. Then, in class, I present all of the answers and allow the students to ask questions and correct their answers. Then, I grade 5 problems for accuracy. If they had an answer wrong and correct it during class, that counts as a correct answer. My hope is that they are paying attention and learning from their mistakes. So far, it seems to be working.
I like your suggestions, I allow my 4th and 5th graders to return an assignment as often as needed until they reach -0. My thought is that I want them to identify their error/mistake and correct it independently, if possible. If not, I am always willing to help. It does take more work some nights, however I know my students are understanding a concept and not just skipping over the concept.
I found your balanced solution thought-provoking and convincing. It makes sense to include a reward for effort ALONGSIDE accuracy in the grading practice assignments (not just one or the other as is often done), since practice is the main goal of the assignments, rather than focusing solely on accuracy, which I think is what should be solely measured in a test or final exam, in order to determine what students have learned. As you say, this is a good way to avoid demotivation through harshness while also avoiding demotivation through a lack of the accountability and feedback that can help students improve their performance.
I teach 6th grade and I do something almost exactly like this. I only count a homework assignment as 10 points, and most assignments are between 8 and 12 questions. I take off 1/2 point for each incorrect problem. Occasionally I will make a short assignment worth 5 points or a longer one worth 15 but I grade the same way. Students rarely leave the problem blank, but I may rethink this and take off 1 full point for undone work.
I grade homework on a rubric with four categories.
Quantity of Completed Work up to 5pts if all questions are attempted, Quality of Work completed up 5 pts. Procedures followed up to 3 points and Timeliness of Submission 2 points. All homework has a max of 15 points. This keeps the calculations simple and gives students feedback about their homework strength.
Hi Amanda,
At the end of the quarter, I add up the homework points each student has earned and divide it by the total possible. This homework grade becomes a portion of their overall math grade.
-Brigid
I love how you grade! This will be amazing for me next year! Once you've graded it, how do you go over problems? Do you go over every single problem or just the ones they asked? Can you walk me through it? Thanks!
Thanks Helen!
I think you will love this system. It really depends on the day. If the answers are easy to project, I put them up and have kids quickly check, then we pick a few to go over (usually their choice, but sometimes I choose one or two also). I try not to let this go on too long, since some kids got everything right and are ready to move on. I've saved the rest for the end of the period sometimes. Then we can split up based on who needs to go over more after the new lesson (see my video here: =5RyqwKU_W74)
I wish I could use this system... but my district will not allow me to take off any points for being late (their grade should reflect their mastery of the material, not when it was turned in, blah blah blah). And I'm still not clear how to turn a 1-4 grade into a % grade. We work on a 100 point scale. But I do really like it!
Hi Dana,
That's so frustrating! I guess you will have to do a separate system to encourage students to turn in work on time. There are a few ways to convert it to a percent grade. I like to wait until the end of the quarter. Then, let's say there were 35 homework assignments (4 pts. each) and a student had perfect scores on most, but had 5 days that he earned a 3/4 for being incomplete. This student would have a total of 135 out of 140 possible points in the "homework" category of the grade. That is a 96.4% homework grade. You decide how heavily you want to give "weight" to homework in the quarter grade and go from there, adding in the quizzes, tests, etc.
I hope you can use parts of this strategy :)
Have a great school year!
-Brigid
In some grading systems you can count the assignments as points instead of percentages. So, each homework assignment would be out of 4 points. In the end, the homework category would total to the percentage of points each student earned divided by the total number of points possible. I believe this is how I will tackle this next year.
I saw earlier in the comments that you turn the points into a percentage grade at the end of the quarter, but how can students and parents check progress and missing assignments throughout the grading period?
Hi Sarah,
I've always had an online gradebook program that students and parents can log in to see grades updated. I like to update them weekly online but I also have still kept a paper gradebook for recording it each day. Then it just takes a few minutes to sit down on a Friday and enter any updates or changes.
- Brigid
Oh, how I wish I could grade homework! We're only allowed to assign grades to homework if we actually mark it, and who has time for that? Instead, I check for completion, and each completed unit earns a 0.5% bonus added to their final exam. A lot of my grade 12 students indicated to me this year that the possibility of bonus marks was a big motivation to complete homework on a regular basis.
Hi Shannon,
Wow that is tough that you cannot give points for it. Awesome way to make it work anyway. I love the idea of motivating them with final points as an incentive. That's perfect :) Thanks for commenting!
-Brigid
Hi Emily,
I have tried a few different ones but my favorite was a Catholic school one that had the gradebook and planner all in one. (Good News brand maybe?) I type and paste in the lesson plans anyway from my own formatted spreadsheet, so the biggest thing to me is the gradebook included, and lots of lines so I can skip spaces and have two rows per student whenever possible (more room for footnotes, adjusted scores, etc. Thanks so much!
-Brigid
Hi Dennis,
The students just self-check their own work and ask questions to clear up any confusion. You can do this aloud, or by displaying the answers with a projector, or by having students show their work at the board as you go over and check it. The grades are based on completion only since it's their first attempt with the new lesson's problems on their own. Thanks! Have a great year!
-Brigid
Hi there! Thanks for explaining your grading system! I'm wondering if you require students to check their work?
I generally require corrections on homework, but y students are making too many mistakes and growing tired and frustrated with corrections (and I'm tired of checking and rechecking).
Because Math builds, I do want them to learn from their mistakes, but I also don't want to kill them with corrections. What would you recommend?
Hi Emily,
Yes, I do. It looks different each day, varying from just a quick check where I display / project the answers to a more complete review at the board. Here are some ways that work well for checking and going over the work: -over-math-homework
I like to mix these strategies up to vary it depending on the lesson.
Thanks!
-Brigid
Hi Sandy,
Since homework is not graded for accuracy, those shouldn't affect it too much - they can use that as a tool, but the homework is for their own practice, so if they just copy from it, they will be accountable and will struggle on the test.. Don't allow phones during graded work, like quizzes and tests... I love this idea where theyhave to turn in their phone when they walk in -media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/7a/6e/d3/7a6ed3b53ebf224e23c2e631139ff4e9.jpg