Homework management strategies to track student homework completion on a continual basis.
Homework and school go together like peanut butter and jelly. Many school districts in North America are debating the advantages and disadvantages of homework, but currently homework is still a part of the learning process.
Each day, students in the same class will have different amounts of homework to be completed each evening. Some students will have none while others will have homework in each subject area. Keeping track of student homework can be daunting with all the other tracking items such as assignments, attendance, and projects.
Implement a homework tracking system to ensure students are finishing their homework on a continual basis. Track homework completion, homework difficulties, incomplete homework, homework tracker, and homework helpers.
Homework Completion Chart
Create a chart to record homework completion of students. Place names on the vertical axis and the title of the homework on the horizontal axis. The horizontal axis gives you more room to print the homework assignments. As well, on the opposite side of the horizontal axis, place the date.
Record keeping can become overwhelming with all the little details. Have a homework completion sheet for each subject. As you create report cards for the students, it will be easy to see who has completed the homework and who has not.
As well, it is a good idea to track the homework with a highlighter. Green highlighter indicates homework is complete, yellow is some of the homework was complete, and a red highlight indicates the homework was not completed. This is a great visual to see which students are often not completing homework, check marks can blend into the paper and it is difficult to quickly distinguish between check marks and x’s.
Homework Difficulties
Students have different levels of aid at home. Some students are able to get assistance for the more difficult questions while others are on their own. Create a homework difficulty chart for students to complete at home for questions they do not understand or do not know a strategy to answer it.
Create a homework difficulty form that allows the students to record the question and what they find difficult about the question. Also, they should include the strategy they used or what they think the question means. A teacher will have quick reference to what students did not understand. Homework Difficulty Forms are to be handed in first thing in the morning. As well, students will write homework difficulty form for the question to allow the teacher to see if the homework was or was not completed. If a student fills out a homework difficulty form, the homework should be marked as completed.
Incomplete Homework
Create a form for incomplete homework. Students are given the form indicating the homework not completed and their reason. Students must have a parent sign the form and it must be returned to school by the next day. If the form is not returned, the teacher will call the parents. It is important to write a letter home at the beginning of school to indicate the incomplete homework process. Parents need to be informed of their students’ failure to complete homework at the beginning not a few days before report cards.
Homework Tracker
Many students use an agenda to track their homework. However, too often long term homework assignments are forgotten. Create a monthly homework tracker chart. Students use an abbreviation for subjects and will record the homework daily. A monthly planner allows the students to visualize what homework needs to be completed and what efforts are required to begin long term assignments. As well, parents can quickly look at the homework tracker to observe what assignments are due short or long term.
Homework Trackers should be reviewed by the teacher to ensure students are writing the correct information. Students should only record their homework in the chart. If a student finishes the homework in class, it should not be recorded.
Homework Helpers
Students have a variety of things circulating in their minds during instruction time. Some students listen to the detailed instructions, while others zone out. Set up a system for each student to have 3-4 homework helpers. Students are able to call a homework helper if they are having difficulties or need clarification on what is due the next day. As well, students should input on their homework difficulty chart if they received any help from another student.
For more homework tips, see Parent Strategies for Creating a Successful Homework Center.
