Homework in Key Stage 1 And The Early Years

Below is the Homework Guidance for Pluto, Mars and Neptune Classes.

Reading

Enjoying reading together is easily the most important thing. If you regularly share books with your child you'll make a big difference to his/her success in school.

We hope that you'll find time to read stories to your child regularly, every day if possible. In addition it's important that you share your child's reading book, each day if possible, and make this an enjoyable experience for you both.

Ideas you can use include:

• Read the book together, especially if it's new.
• Take it in turns to read a page each.
• Encourage your child to sound out unfamiliar words, but don't let this become a struggle: step in and give the word before it becomes frustrating - this is not a test!
• Use the pictures as a prompt, and discuss what they contain.
• You don't need to read the whole book at once, sometimes a few pages is plenty.

As your child starts to become fluent is certainly not the time to stop reading together. Show a keen interest and continue to enjoy stories and other texts together. You can talk about all sorts of things: the plot, the characters, the facts in an information book.

Regular reading together at home is truly valuable and will certainly make a substantial difference to your child's progress in school.

Reading Targets

Beginning in Pluto Class (as the children are individually ready) children are set reading key word targets to practice at home. These are tailored to meet the needs and attainment level of each child, and tested on a four weekly cycle to begin with. This time frame will shorten to bi-weekly as children's pace of progress increases. Each time children achieve their target they will receive a certificate and a sweet.

Spelling Targets

            The routine we encourage is SACAWAC: Say the word And Cover the word And Write the word And Check the word. It helps children if               they say the word as they write it.

The final check is important of course. If the word has been written incorrectly, notice the bits that are right and then try again... Please do help your child by checking spellings with him/her. It's best to notice slips sooner rather than later.

We also extremely recommend the 'app' Spellosaur. Children are already experiencing great success in using this to practise!!

Maths: Noticing numbers and learning number facts

There's almost no end to the games you can play that involve numbers: snakes and ladders, board games of all sorts, dominoes. Count objects. Count out coins and sweets when spending pocket money. Count up to 10, 20, 100. Count backwards from 10, 20, 100. Notice numbers and use them in conversations with your child.

When children start to learn number facts (5 + 5 = 10; 6 - 4 = 2) practise them often to make them stick for good. Work together to learn and rehearse pairs of numbers that total 10 or 20. Also multiples of 10 that total 100, e.g. 30 + 70, 60 + 40. Within Year 2 many children start to learn the simpler times tables: the 2's, 5's and 10's. Please check your class' weekly learning letter to see what they are up to and give a little help at home where you can. 

Keep it all fun!

Don't forget: Your child also has access to great maths games using their Sumdog login! If you have lost this please ask your child's class teacher. 

Other Tasks

From time to time children will have other tasks to do at home such as collecting things, making things or finding things out. They are unlikely to be able to do any of these unaided and, anyway, it will be far better if you are involved too. Talking about what you are doing will double the benefit of any task: that's how young children learn! You'll find these tasks on weekly learning letters. 

How Much?

Something like 10 minutes a day would be great.

Health Warning!

If your child experiences difficulties with a homework assignment, or it seems to be going on too long, please don't worry. Encourage your child to do what he/she can in a reasonable amount of time and then simply leave the rest. We certainly don't mean to cause strife at home.