Homework
At Dothill we believe that homework is an important part of a child’s education as it aids in developing core skills that serve and support them for life. Homework also reinforces learning and helps children practice and retain key knowledge and skills across the curriculum. As children move through their education journey, there will be an expectation that they complete homework, starting this journey in primary school sets the routine and importance from the offset. We have the following homework expectations for our pupils.
Reading
Reading at home is an effective way of improving children's reading fluency and support them in all areas of the curriculum. We strive for all pupils to have love for reading and see this as a hobby.
We ask that all pupils read least 4 times a week. Each time they read; they should record it in their reading record with the date they read.
All children in EYFS and Year One are following Read Write Inc and will therefore bring home two reading books. One will be the book they are reading within their group, the other will be a book to enjoy based on the story they are reading. Children are not expected to read both books every night but please make sure that both books are read throughout the week.
It is important that your child brings their reading diary and reading books to school every day as they may need to be changed. Teachers will collect in reading diaries throughout the week and check what reading has been taking place.
Maths -EYFS and Key Stage One
Each child has a NumBots log-in. If your child does not know their log-in then please speak to the class teacher. NumBots helps to develop mental arithmetic skills and builds confidence with number. We ask that children use this frequently across the week to support their knowledge and understanding of number. It is good for young children to practice little and often.
Maths – Key Stage Two
Each Child has a Times Tables Rock Stars log-in. If your child does not know their log-in then please speak to the class teacher. Times tables are the fundamental skill to develop fluency and confidence in maths. Little and often is the most effective way to memorise facts and increase the speed of recall. Because of this, we recommend spending 5 minutes a day on TT Rockstars, rather than completing the homework all in one go. The expectation is that children will spend, as a minimum - 15 minutes on Garage, 2 minutes on Studio each week.
Spelling
It is important for children to have regular practise of spellings. Try to make this engaging and not always a sitting at the table writing the words. Children could spell the words using magnets, writing in the garden with chalk or a wet paintbrush or shouting them out verbally.
Click here to access spelling lists for all year groups.
Topic Project
Each half term we will send home an optional piece of project homework. This will be linked to our foundation subjects (history, geography etc) for that half term. Projects provide an opportunity for more extended research into a subject and allow children to be creative in their response. Children can respond by making a leaflet, a presentation, a 3D model, a piece of art work, write a poem – the more creative the better!
If you would like further information then please refer to our homework policy or take a look on our class pages that can be found in the parent section of the website.
Here are some suggested links, to further support learning at home
http://www.primarygames.com/math.php
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/5-7-years/counting
https://www.topmarks.co.uk/maths-games/7-11-years/problem-solving
http://primarygamesarena.com/Subjects/Maths
http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/websites/4_11/site/numeracy.shtml
http://www.primarygames.co.uk/