Homework
West Deptford BOE Policy states that the appropriate amount of homework for a first grader is 20 minutes. This does not include the time it takes to read each evening. Listed below are activities that will support your child's learning throughout the year. We work very hard during the day and there is no research that shows that Homework in the primary years provides any benefits. The activities below are ways to support your child's academic growth, but will not be formalized assignments.
1. Practice Spelling Fundation Trick Words (on-going): These spelling words are listed in the menu under trick words. There are 3 words introduced each week. These are words that cannot be "sounded out" phonetically, we need to memorize them. Mastery of these words helps your child with both reading and writing fluency. Please support me in this goal!
2. Practice ARC Power Words (on-going): These words are to be memorized, not spelled. If your child is working on increasing their Sight-Word Vocabulary, they should have a practice book in their Reading Pouches. For a child to accurate memorize a sight word, we are looking for them to recognize the word with-in 3 seconds. To practice these words, I suggest making up flash cards on index cards and playing memory and go fish!
3. Math: Helping your child practice and memorize their basic math facts is a wonderful way to support them as they become problem solvers! There will be occassional Math activities to be sent home, but it will not be nightly. Logging your child on to their Reflex Math Account is a wonderful way to help them memorize their facts.
4. Read: There is nothing more valuable then reading to your child! It developes a love of books, enriched vocabulary exposure, an understanding of how stories are structured, and a beautiful example of fluency. As your child becomes a reader, providing them with opportunities to read to you is equally important! The most important thing is to choose high interest books for your child. Often that mean you read with your child...together working through the hard parts. Remember it is the love of reading that we are trying to instill. Books will be sent home with your child each week, but they can also access their Raz Kids account, which provides them with books to read online, at their reading level.
5. Play! There are temendous benefits to playing board games and doing puzzles with your children. Many board games help with counting money, adding dice, and reinforce one to one counting as you move around the game board. Card games like war reinforce concepts of greater than and less than. Add a twist to war and flip two cards each (to add or subtract). Strategey games help with critical thinking skills, planning, and problem solving. Memory games stregthen our short term memory, and if you use sight words or trick words...you can have fun while you practice. Never underestimate the value of play!