Glendale Unified School District
Mark Keppel Visual & Performing Arts Magnet 730 Glenwood Road • Glendale, California 91202 818/244-2113 • Fax 818/507-6542
Ms. Kristine Siegal, Principal
Mrs. Kelly Worley, Assistant Principal
21st Century Homework Mark Keppel Visual and Performing Arts Magnet School Glendale Unified School District, along with many others across the nation, is implementing the Common Core State Standards. These standards require different methods of learning for students as well as new and different teaching strategies for educators. The primary goal of Common Core State Standards is to ensure that our students are College and Career ready. As such, these standards focus on students becoming creative, collaborative, and critical communicators and thinkers. Teachers have extensive training in CCSS and will be implementing them in all classrooms. Additionally, our staff has worked together to create a homework policy to support these learning goals. Students will not be assigned traditional pen and paper assignments that are collected and corrected daily. Instead: •
Students should read nightly. This can include students reading on their own or being read to. Students can read any type of reading material on any topic they enjoy. Suggested Minimum Minutes Kindergarten: Up to 10 minutes daily Grades 1 - 3: 10 to 40 minutes daily Grades 4 - 5: 30 to 60 minutes daily
•
• • • •
Teachers may send home items such as study guides, word rings, math rings, vocabulary lists, spelling lists, etc. These guides and resources are for home use and will not be required to be returned. Accountability for using these resources will be based on how students do on assessments and other classroom activities. Teachers may also provide suggested activities for skill practice or family activities that support learning. Our District-wide online iReady program is available for students to use at home. Teachers will send home information regarding iReady, including login and password. On occasion, students may be asked to work on parts of projects at home. Unfinished classwork will not routinely be sent home as homework.
A list of resources available for parents who wish to seek out extra work for their child is attached.
Why 21st Century Homework? Common Core State Standards The primary goal of Common Core State Standards is to ensure that our students are College and Career ready. These standards require a new kind of learning for students as well as a new kind of teaching for educators. As such, these standards focus on students becoming creative, collaborative, and critical communicators and thinkers. Reading is at the center of the CCSS in all subject areas. We need to provide plenty of opportunity and encouragement for our students to read and to think. Preparing for the future Colleges rarely expect students to turn in daily assignments. However, they DO expect students to be able to read vast amounts and to be able to study and prepare for tests. We need to focus on helping students to be experts at these skills. Time to Read Research shows that the best way to become a better reader is to READ, READ, READ! When we assign traditional homework, students are less likely to read for pleasure. Better readers are better thinkers! Homework Research The abundance of research shows that homework provides has no positive effect on student achievement, especially in the elementary grades. We want children to spend their time afterschool on things that do have positive effects. Brain Research If a child practices a concept incorrectly, it can take 50 repetitions to unlearn the incorrect procedure and relearn the correct procedure. This means that we must be 100% sure that every child completely understands a concept before being asked to practice on his/her own. Attitude Towards Learning Homework can teach children that learning is a chore and may discourage natural curiosity and cause them to have a negative attitude towards learning if it is not meaningful and engaging. “Today, knowledge is free. It’s like air, it’s like water. There is no competitive advantage today in knowing more than the person next to you. The world doesn’t care what you know. What the world cares about is what you can do with what you know.”
Tony Wagner Harvard Innovation Education Fellow
Mark Keppel Visual & Performing Arts Magnet School st 21 Century Next Generation Homework Parent Resources The following are resources you may use to work with your child at home. More resources can be found on our website and may be provided by your classroom teacher. School Textbooks: • Everyday Math Home Links (primary) Study Links (upper grades) • Other workbooks at the teachers’ discretion • Textbook websitessee below Information Websites: • http://www.corestandards.org/ National Common Core Standards Website • http://www.smarterbalanced.org/ Website for the new test students will take in California in Grades 311 • http://www.cde.ca.gov/re/cc/ccssresourcesparents.asp California Department of Education Website parent resources page • https://www.engageny.org/resource/shiftsforstudentsandparents Understanding Common Core • www.gusd.net District Website • www.markkeppelelementary.org School Website Educational Websites: • www.kahnacademy.org Website with tutoring in many subjects • www.softschools.com Free math and phonics worksheets • www.spellingcity.com Spelling practice • http://www.mathsapiens.com Math practice, explanation, Grade 4 and up • http://www.glendaleca.gov/government/departments/libraryartsculture Glendale Public Library Webpage • http://www.discoveryeducation.com Discovery magazine website • www.worksheetworks.com Worksheets in all subject areas • www.julieballew.com Literature blog • www.artsconnected.org Arts website and resources • www.adaptedmind.com Math support
• www.superteacherworksheets.com Free worksheets • www.tlsbooks.com Free worksheets • www.funbrain.com Educational games in all subject areas • www.PBSkids.com Educational games featuring characters from PBS shows • www.NGAkids.com Art adventures and activities from the National Gallery of Art • www.code.org Computer coding website FLAG Korean Program sites: • http://www.kebikids.com Learning Korean: songs, readaloud, vocabulary development, etc • http://study.jr.naver.com Korean songs,games, and stories • http://www.donghwabang.com Korean stories • http://ch.yes24.com/Animation Korean stories • http://infant.kids.daum.net/study Study Korean • http://edu.buki.co.kr/bukiHangul Study Korean • http://kids.donga.com Korean news articles, thinking questions, activities for kids, Grade 4 and up) Textbooks Online: • http://www.eduplace.com/rdg/hmr06/ Houghton Mifflin reading series • http://activities.macmillanmh.com/science/ca/ McMillanMcGraw Hill Science Series • http://emccss.everydaymathonline.com/g_login.html Everyday Mathematics Series • http://www.macmillanmh.com/socialstudies/2009/student/ McMillanMcGraw hill Social Studies Series Typing: • http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/typing/ • http://de.typingweb.com/ • http://www.powertyping.com/qwerty/lessonsq.html • http://www.learninggamesforkids.com/keyboarding_games.html • http://www.funtotype.com/typinggames/
Educational Stores: • Lakeshore Learning 3848 E Foothill Blvd Pasadena, CA 91107 Phone number (626) 3563848 Teachers may also send home: • Guides for reading with your child including comprehension questions and hints on how to support your child’s reading • Suggested activities to interact with your child and/or enriching learning experiences.