Homework Menus

Click here for more information about Kindergarten Homework Menus!

If you are like me you get LOTS of unsolicited feedback about your homework each year.

"It's too easy.  We need more!"

"It's too hard."

"It only takes us 7 minutes to complete the whole week..."

"It takes 2 hours, tears & a bottle of wine for me to get this child to write 3 words that rhyme with cat."

Everyone has an opinion about homework because we all have that reference point from our own childhood.  At my former school we stopped including spelling words in our homework and the parent response was similar to the way the Bible describes the Apocalypse.  Their argument was that kids need to learn how to spell.  Our stance was "Duh, of course they do!"  Spelling words don't need to be the centerpiece of homework though.  There are more important standards that children need to work toward and this opens up the possibility of more engaging home learning!

For me, homework is about finding a gentle balance between family time/extracurricular activities and continued learning.  I believe that in kindergarten and first grade homework should consist of brief tasks connected to classroom learning.  It can serve as a gradual release of responsibility from teacher led concepts at school to practice with those skills independently at home.

Another important component of homework is that it provides parents with the opportunity to measure their child's learning.  It allows teachers, students, and parents to work closely to develop a "team" mentality.  We are all working together for the students success!

Since I've started using my most recent homework format Kindergarten Homework Menus and First Grade Homework Menus, the critiques I've received about homework have been replaced by more engaged parent discourse about things they see their child struggling with and what else they can do at home to support their little person, which was an unexpected and pleasant surprise!

Click here for more information about First Grade Homework Menus!

For the past year and a half I've been experimenting with new homework formats.  Last year, I taught first grade and created Homework Calendars.  These were VERY successful and I saw more completed homework than any year prior.

The August Menus have simplified tasks and a book log.

This summer I was thinking about how much I liked the calendar format but I wondered if I could increase student engagement by making their homework choice drive. This is when I came up with the idea of a Menu!

Each month includes 4-5 tasks for Reading, Phonics, Writing, Science, and Math.  Each Menu also includes weekly high frequency words (I prefer to use Fry words, find more information HERE).

The tasks are tied into what we are working on in class and students choose one task to complete each night.  They complete the task on notebook paper and color in the square on their Menu.

In Kindergarten, the month of September focuses on letters and sounds and then students work with 5 high frequency words per week from October-May.  Kindergarten students are introduced to the first 150 Fry words through these Menus.  The First Grade Menus plow through the first 340 Fry words at a rate of about 10 per week.

***TIP:  Instruct parents to help students set up their tasks!  They can complete multiple tasks on each page to save paper.  Students will need help setting it up for the first few months but after that they become self-sufficient!

Both Kindergarten and First Grade packs include monthly high frequency word assessments (pre-assessment & post assessment) to help gauge student acquisition of these words!

You will also find book logs and a dual June/July Menu for continued learning through the summer.  The August Menu serves as an introduction to this home learning format.  You will see a practice book log and an abbreviated Menu with simplified tasks.

                          Kindergarten Book Logs                                      First Grade Book Logs

Both Kindergarten and First Grade Homework Menu downloads come in the form of a compressed file.  In each download you will find:

1. Completed print and go Homework Menus (1st grade also includes the old Calendars).
2.  Monthly High Frequency Word assessments.
3.  The Three EDITABLE options:

• Blank, fully editable PDF of the monthly Menus.
• Menus with set tasks and editable high frequency words.
• Menus with set high frequency words and editable tasks.

4.  Blank, EDITABLE Calendars that can be used for a multitude of purposes.  I use mine to communicate behavior grades with parents.

                       Fully editable                                                                                     Editable
                     (tasks & words)                             Editable tasks                      High Frequency Words

           

 

Please note that the directions are not editable on any of these forms.  Please review them to ensure your satisfaction!  I will add this option in the future but that is not something I will be working on anytime soon!

Editable Monthly Calendars that can be used for multiple purposes.  I use them to communicate daily behavior.

For more information about Kindergarten Homework Menus or First Grade Homework Menus please check out the product descriptions and the FREE PREVIEW!

Lottery Update

Lottery tickets are still the jam, (see my previous post about lottery here) this year they seem more popular then ever!  I've had to repaint my tickets several times.  So I decided to add a few more rewards!

I added the things I've noticed my students enjoy but they didn't fit into my previous rewards.

The prizes are:
Computer-30 minutes of computer time before class each morning
Treasure Chest-choose 1 item out of the treasure chest
Lunch in Class-1 lunch in class with a friend and the teacher
Share a Book-bring a book to school to read to the class
Pick a Job-choose a class job to take over for a week
Candy-choose 1 piece of candy out of the candy drawer
Pencil-choose 1 pencil out of the pencil drawer (& sharpen it in class..OMG! Why is that so exciting?)
Teeny Tiny Treat-you know all that junk you get like stickers, book marks, crayons, erasers, etc...

This is what my teeny tiny treat drawer looks like:

The tickets are still free but now there are a few more "prizes"!  Check them out and if they work for your class feel free to download them today!

Click here to get these lottery tickets!

Jackpot...A Behavior Rewards System

Behavior rewards.

I feel like I've tried 'em all.

I used to do pennies and had a store that students could "purchase" junk from.

Pro's:  students learned the coins and trading up through a real experience which made money a lot less abstract.

Con's:  it was a lot of extra work for me because I had to help count and trade up one-on-one for practically half the year before they really "got it".

Last summer I found this pin on pinterest and it pinspired me (I'm out of control, channeling Steve Jobs right now, putting a "p" in front of everything, someone stop me!) to create a new behavior system.  I needed something that was easier for me to incorporate, still exciting, and got the parents involved.

I used the idea I got from that pin to create "lottery" tickets.  On each page there were 2 pencil cards, 2 candy cards, 1 before school computer time, and 1 treasure chest.

I printed 10 pages, laminated them (laminating is very important) and then cut out each card.

To make the scratch off paint I mixed 1 part dish soap with 2 parts silver acrylic paint then painted over the picture.  For example 1 TBSP dish soap, 2 TBSP silver acrylic paint.  Then let dry.

Students use a coin to scratch off the silver paint that reveals their reward!  You can repaint each card and put it back into the rotation!

HW showing off the new shades she picked out of the treasure box this past Friday!

Did I mention that lottery tickets also make me the best teacher in all of the America's?  From sea to shining sea there is no one greater than me...according to twenty 6 year olds at least :).

To earn a Lottery ticket each week a student must have A behavior (which means they stayed on green all week), their parents have to initial or sign their planner each week, and they must submit completed homework by Friday.

I like this system because it holds all parties accountable.  For a student to get green/A behavior they have to follow class and school rules as well do their work, participate in class and do their homework.  I have to plan engaging lessons to help keep them on track, as well as keep up with their planners and homework so they can get their behavior rewards.  Parents have to sign or initial the planner which means they are keeping up with their child's behavior/checking notes from me and helping their child get the homework done.

If my lottery tickets work for you feel free to grab a free copy from my TpT store!