Evening Homework

We have not taken many road trips lately, so I thought I would post a little bit about our day-to-day life.  Tonight it occurred to me that I have not shared what homework is like at our house.

The Bookbag:  It's really more like a portfolio/briefcase.  I thought it was strange that everyone buys these for school and not a larger bookbag like in the states.  The UK kids constantly have to take forest school clothes, PE kits, rain gear.  A bookbag initially seemed more practical.  I have since figured out that the kids have just 1 peg to their name.  By the time they hang up their coats, scarves, hats, etc. during the winter.  There is little to no room for any bookbags.  This is a space saver and efficient for the classroom structure in British schools (at least at ours).  Plus this costs you 2.50 GBP which is less than $5.  School supplies are provided by the school, so their is no need for binders, pencil cases, etc.

Phonics Practice: This is our first activity of the night. Most of the primary schools strongly emphasize phonics.  They break them into 3 sets.  The kids learn the first set when they are in Reception and move onto sets 2 & 3 in Year 1.  Sierra has had to learn all three sets in 6 months, but thanks to the hard work of her teacher she is now caught up with the class.  They are given sounds to practice each night and review. Each sound has a saying to help the kids remember.  Then they say the sounds for each word below.  The handouts look like this: 

Spelling Words:  Sierra's spelling words are assigned at the beginning of the week based on the sounds she is learning or sight words that their group is working on. We are to find "fun" ways to practice the words, and she must write her own sentences by the end of week using her words. By the way, you may notice the handwriting is a bit curlier than the US.  The handwriting structure for the young ones is designed to be pre-cursive.  Eventually, students will progress to cursive writing around Year 4 and will begin joining letters. 

Leveled Reader:  She is assigned to a guided reading group based on her reading level.  At the end of the school day, kids select books based on the color they are assigned which corresponds to the level of reading they can handle.  If you look closely at Sierra's book, you will see a turquoise tab in the left corner.   She also has a blue reading diary that goes back and forth between school.  The teacher writes notes about what they read and the parent records nightly reading.  My favorite feature is the guided reading record at the back.  The teacher notes progress and which standards they are working on in their guided reading groups at the back of the book.

This can take us up to an hour each night depending on the length of her book.  However, Sierra looks forward to it and feels really confident.  I am so impressed with what her teacher is able to get the students to do at such a young age.  I only wish I could steal all the good ideas and take them back to my former school district.  :)