Homework

If school has not already started for you, it is about to begin.  As a teacher with two busy children who both play sports, our family time is limited.  I dread the nights when the kitchen table becomes a battleground for homework.  I'm sure many parents feel the same!

Homework should be engaging for students, help connect families with what students are learning in schools, and be PURPOSEFUL!  Purposeful does not necessarily mean that you are practicing mathematical skills taught that day in class.  The purpose can be broad - to help students talk about mathematics!  Here are two ideas for homework that can help you engage students:

1.  Give students a problem that they will be solving in class the following day.  The homework is to read and begin the problem. By not requiring completion of the problem, you take away the pressure students feel for a "right" solution.  Some students will discuss the problem with friends and family members - and talking about mathematics is something we want students to do!  Students can jot down the ways they might begin the problem.  Again, the tentative nature of the assignment means that students don't have to worry about having the "right"answer.

When students come to class the next day, have them work in groups to share how they would begin the problem.  Give them sentence strips or index cards to record their strategies.  After a few minutes, stop the class and ask them to share some of their strategies.  You can group their cards into similar strategies.  If they wrote their name along with their strategy, students will know who is thinking in a way similar to them and who might have some new ideas to share.

Then students can begin working on the problem!  If they are stuck, they could try one of the strategies you charted or talk to people using those strategies.  Rather than spending time in class to have students understand the problem, they can come ready to begin the work!

2.  Find an interesting pattern or number and ask students to find out more about this number.  For example, the number 29 is special.  Why?

• It is a prime number.
• 29 plus 2X^2 is a prime number for every value of x up to 28.  29, 31, 37, 47, 61, and so on.

Students can discuss these patterns and test whether or not they work with other numbers.  Again, students are thinking deeply, making connections, and communicating about their mathematical thinking!

Have a wonderful start to the school year!