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#494985 - 02/08/06 04:29 PM To Much Homework?
UpNorth88 Offline
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 46
What is the right amount of homework for a 4th grader? How much time do you spend in an evening helping with homework? My 4th grader is a smart kid but we are spending a lot of time on homework every night especially math. They just keep pushing these kids along. At least I get a refresher.

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#494986 - 02/08/06 04:36 PM Re: To Much Homework?
RR Jen Offline
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Running and riding everywhere ...
Between spelling words, 5 sentences (using spelling words), math and 30 minutes of reading for AR my second grader is doing over an hour of homework every night! He's a "star speller" every week and always makes his AR goal...but it's still a struggle for us. Right now our biggest struggle is neatness. He wants to get it done so he rushes through it making careless mistakes and very sloppy handwriting. Then mean old mom makes him rewrite stuff because it's messy.

My oldest is in 6th grade...I'm trying to remember 4th...but it doesn't seem like it was a tough year for her...5th was heck...an hour of homework and another 30 minutes of reading every night. So far 6th has been pretty easy.
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#494987 - 02/08/06 04:37 PM Re: To Much Homework?
The Incredible ComplyGuy Offline
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The Incredible ComplyGuy
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The he11 of suburbia
Mine has only about 1/2 hour per night, not including projects. Math has been a problem though -- the schools are teaching these strange alternative ways to solve problems. This may help kids with learning difficulties, but holds back the smart kids. Teaching to the standardized tests instead of basic skills like multiplication tables.

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#494988 - 02/08/06 04:55 PM Re: To Much Homework?
XODUS Offline
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XODUS
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Posts: 4,384
Heck, my kid is only 4 and we already do a 1/2 hour of homework. Of course it's because I want him to know multiplication tables instead of how to use a calculator but oh well.

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#494989 - 02/08/06 04:57 PM Re: To Much Homework?
Skyline Offline
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I always heard that a good rule of thumb an hour per week per grade, ie 4th grade, 4 hours. But this may be an old rule of thumb.
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#494990 - 02/08/06 05:29 PM Re: To Much Homework?
cheekEE Offline
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Easy Street
Quote:

I always heard that a good rule of thumb an hour per week per grade, ie 4th grade, 4 hours. But this may be an old rule of thumb.




My childs teachers have always told me to let them know if we are doing more than 1 hour of homework (excluding reading) a night. When my daughter was spening 2 hours a night she was terribly cranky and didn't really work effectivly. Her teacher helped her make better use of her school time.

You might have a quick phone call with the teacher to see what her/his expectations are.
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#494991 - 02/08/06 06:13 PM Re: To Much Homework?
thomasj Offline
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Pennsylvania
My daughter was in 4th grade last year and it seemed like we had at least an hours worth of homework a night outside of special projects and reports. I complained about it then, but this year in the 5th grade she almost never has homework and it kind of ticks me off. I wish now that she had homework as it seems like this year she is not learning anything new and is just wasting her time, not pushing herself. I guess as parents we are never happy!
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#494992 - 02/08/06 06:15 PM Re: To Much Homework?
Princess Leia Offline
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Alderaan
Quote:

I always heard that a good rule of thumb an hour per week per grade, ie 4th grade, 4 hours. But this may be an old rule of thumb.




So when they graduate they'll be in school for 7-8 hours and doing 12 hours of homework? Doesn't leave a lot of time for sleep. Sounds excessive to me. I'd have a serious talk with the teacher if that were the rule.
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#494993 - 02/08/06 06:16 PM Re: To Much Homework?
Raiderette Offline
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New Mexico
My step son is in 6th grade He has about 4 hours a night. Math and spelling are the worst. Some nights it's less, and some nights it's more. I suggested using some free time at school, but he claims there is none. One night I was helping him for 2 hours with 4 math problems. They weren't easy, and all work had to be shown. My daughter is in kindergarten, and she has about 30 min of homework a week. Piece of cake.
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#494994 - 02/08/06 06:17 PM Re: To Much Homework?
Raiderette Offline
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New Mexico
Quote:

Quote:

I always heard that a good rule of thumb an hour per week per grade, ie 4th grade, 4 hours. But this may be an old rule of thumb.




So when they graduate they'll be in school for 7-8 hours and doing 12 hours of homework? Doesn't leave a lot of time for sleep. Sounds excessive to me. I'd have a serious talk with the teacher if that were the rule.



Notice, it says PER WEEK, not per night. 12 hours a week for a college student is nothing.
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#494995 - 02/08/06 06:18 PM Re: To Much Homework?
Retired DQ Offline
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My son is in 4th grade, he generally has the following schedule:
Mon, spelling, math, geography
Tues, math, science, health, reading
Wed, enrichment, math, reading
Thurs, math, reading, spelling study

Then there are the special things, like his biography on George Lucas; and a geography report on Italy and various chapter tests he has to study for.

He does about 15 minutes in aftercare and another 1/2 hr-45 min at home.

I generally do not help him with his homework; he does it while I make dinner. Of course, if he has a question or doesn't understand something, I do try to clarify it for him. I honestly do not remember my folks helping me with my homework, because they felt that if I got something wrong, the teacher should explain it to me.

(He is a good student, so maybe this isn't normal...)
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#494996 - 02/08/06 06:18 PM Re: To Much Homework?
The Incredible ComplyGuy Offline
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The he11 of suburbia
My teenagers have classes that I didn't even take in college. I couldn't help them with their homework if I tried.

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#494997 - 02/08/06 06:22 PM Re: To Much Homework?
Retired DQ Offline
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To be frank, I can't figure out his 4th grade math...
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#494998 - 02/08/06 06:46 PM Re: To Much Homework?
Princess Leia Offline
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Joined: Jun 2004
Posts: 1,975
Alderaan
Quote:

Quote:

Quote:

I always heard that a good rule of thumb an hour per week per grade, ie 4th grade, 4 hours. But this may be an old rule of thumb.




So when they graduate they'll be in school for 7-8 hours and doing 12 hours of homework? Doesn't leave a lot of time for sleep. Sounds excessive to me. I'd have a serious talk with the teacher if that were the rule.



Notice, it says PER WEEK, not per night. 12 hours a week for a college student is nothing.




I'm going with the "uh-duh" on this one. I misread it to say 12 hours per day, Now it seems reasonable

I'm back in school now and figure about 2 hours of study time for every hour I'm in class. Rough estimate.
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#494999 - 02/08/06 06:51 PM Re: Too Much Homework?
Truffle Royale Offline

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Posts: 17,395
Never ceases to amaze me that my gran, in private school, never has homework. The school believes it is their job to get the work done in school where the teacher is available to help and evenings should be spent with parents, reading, or taking lessons in things like dance or an instrument. Montessori schools also don't test or give out grades. The children have to be taught how to take tests so that they can take the standardized testing required by the state.

Mind you, this third-grade gran has done research papers including building something pertinent to the subject on Sumaliens, rain forests and a number of other topics.

All of this makes me wonder if the homework in public schools is really an offshoot of overcrowding and the teacher's subsequent inability to really do their job properly so they have to rely on homework and parental help to get the lessons fully taught.

Bottom line, because this child lives with me, I'm glad she doesn't have homework that I wouldn't be able to help her with!

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#495000 - 02/08/06 06:58 PM Re: Too Much Homework?
*nUnZeO* Offline
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and the teacher student ratio
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#495001 - 02/08/06 07:55 PM Re: To Much Homework?
cheekEE Offline
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Easy Street
Quote:

My step son is in 6th grade He has about 4 hours a night. Math and spelling are the worst. Some nights it's less, and some nights it's more. I suggested using some free time at school, but he claims there is none. One night I was helping him for 2 hours with 4 math problems. They weren't easy, and all work had to be shown. My daughter is in kindergarten, and she has about 30 min of homework a week. Piece of cake.




Have you asked his teacher about modifying his work load? My daughters math teacher lighted her class load (like change her assignment from 30 problems to 20) so she had to finish her work and not spend so much time at home. Her english teacher did the same thing.
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#495002 - 02/08/06 10:36 PM Re: To Much Homework?
tahdah Offline
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Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 932
There have been many studies done where they say that there is no value in having homework. I find that my kid had so much in grade school, less in middle and basically only math so far in high school (9th) grade. I don't remember much homework in grade school, but do remember much in Jr. high and Sr. high.

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#495003 - 02/09/06 07:29 PM Re: To Much Homework?
~~~izzo~~~ Offline
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~~~izzo~~~
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Posts: 513
NY
My third grader averages about an hour a night on homework. Plus, she has to read at least 15 minutes a night, write a paragraph about it, and she's tested at the end of the week on it. Now, in my daughter's school does math completely different from all the other schools. It's nothing like we were taught to do. I'm talking about basic adding, subtracting and all. I have to learn how to do this math as well. Pretty crazy that I can't tell her to just carry the one and so on. She's onto multiplying now. Yikes! I haven't quite figured out how to do it yet. (freaky huh) She has to help teach me so I can help her later. I think it's a pain in the butt myself and don't see the point of it, but she has no problem with it.
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#495004 - 02/09/06 07:47 PM Re: To Much Homework?
cheekEE Offline
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Easy Street
She probably learns a lot from teaching you how to do the math.
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#495005 - 02/09/06 08:20 PM Re: To Much Homework?
~~~izzo~~~ Offline
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~~~izzo~~~
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NY
I'm sure she does. She's a smart one though. Always has been. I can always count on her being at the top of the class. (wish I could say the same about my other one)
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