As parents, one of our first questions is about homework. My thinking about homework, just like my philosophy on education, has evolved over time and with experience. In addition, I read the book The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn a few years ago. Kohn reports that there is no research showing a benefit to assigning any kind of homework to elementary students. Based on this evidence, and my experience, there will only be a few occasions for homework which will take the form of a project, an experiment, or research. My hope is that your child will come home excited to extend their learning or seek the answer to a pressing question and you will both have space and time to dive into it!

I would also encourage you to have your child read books of their own choosing for 20 minutes daily and read to your child every night. This is a great time to start conversations, make connections and share your love of literature. In addition, we will be making a push to develop fluency with basic addition and subraction facts that may involve some practice at home.