In year 5/6, it is estimated that it will take a child approximately 30 minutes to complete their homework each night. If you find that it frequently takes your child longer than this to complete their homework, please do not hesitate to contact me.

SPELLING

Your child will bring a list home every Monday evening with 10 words to learn to read and spell. The children will be assessed on these words during their Literacy hour on the following Friday morning. Your child should practice these spelling words every night.

A good method of developing their spelling skills at home is by using the 'Read, Cover and Write' technique. The child will be read or be shown each word in turn, they will then cover this word and then attempt to write it. This should be done 3 times for each word. By doing this, your child will be able to self-assess his/her own mistakes and he/she will know exactly what needs to be done to remedy the situation.

In addition, I also ask your child to copy his/her spelling words into their homework book. Your child can then choose any 5 of these words and think of appropriate sentences they could include the words in. This should all be completed in their homework books and handed back in to me by Thursday.

READING

I would encourage your child to read or be read to each night at home for around 15 minutes. Your child's reading ability will be assessed at the beginning of the year. The children will be allocated reading books based on their ability. These books should be read both at home and in the class. The children are given opportunities to read within school time, e.g. by individual reading, group reading, guided reading, etc.

A reading record sheet will be included within your child's book. This states which book he/she is currently reading, which pages have been read in school, which pages have been read at home and a comments box. I ask that you sign your name next to the pages your child has read at home and leave an appropriate comment so that I know on the following day that your child has read and if there are any problems.

In addition, I would suggest that your child should also seek to read other material at home. This should be anything in which your child has a particular interest in. My personal favourite as a young boy was 'The Beano'. I remember waiting in anticipation all week for the next edition to be published (however, I'm not sure how much the free sweets included with the comic influenced me).

I cannot stress enough how important reading is to a child's education. Children often like to immitate adults. Aim to take advantage of this by reading a magazine, newspaper, book, etc. in front of your child. This may inspire them to want to read on their own free will.

LITERACY and NUMERACY

Your child will also receive homework based on work which has been learned in class during the week. This homework will usually be given on a Friday and I would expect it to be completed by the following Monday.

Other

There may be occasions when other work is taken home to be completed. This may be a particular project or simply work which has not been completed within class time.

Please note:

If you or your child find any aspect of the homework difficult to understand, please feel free to come into class to have a word with me and I will be more than happy to try to resolve any questions you may have (I don't bite). If your child loses his/her spelling/homework sheets, please let me know at your earliest convenience so that I can prepare additional sheets for you. Homework is an important part of your child's education and learning. Your co-operation in ensuring that the best is done for your child/children is most valued and appreciated.