When I first started teaching, I assigned homework every night. I mean, that's how it's supposed to be done, right? Hmm... Maybe in a math class. But in an English class, it became an exercise in frustration. My students JUST DID NOT DO IT! There, I've said it again. I'd call home. A few might get a little better for a few days. Then they'd fall right back into their old habits. And who has time to grade all that work? I could barely keep up with tests, quizzes, essays, etc.
So I eventually gave up on the nightly homework assignments.
There were only four types of homework that I gave.
1. Long-term projects: This includes things like research activities, posters, journals, etc. Students would have two or three weeks to complete projects outside of class and turn them in by the due date.
2. Finishing up: If we began an activity in class and some students didn't have time to finish, I would let them finish for homework.
3. Reading: Students did SSR (Sustained Silent Reading) for me and were expected to finish a certain number of pages by the end of the grading period. They got 20 minutes reading time in class, but I encouraged them to read outside of class as well. Since these were books the students chose themselves and were intended to be read for pleasure, I felt this would not be too onerous for them.
4. Vocabulary homework: I gave students a list of 10 vocabulary tone words each week on Wednesday. For homework, they had to write a sentence with each word. These were due the following Wednesday, when they had their quiz, and counted 20 points of the quiz grade. I gave very detailed instructions for sentences because they were intended to help students improve their sentence fluency.
Maybe you have had better luck with assigning homework than I did. If so, high five. If not, I hope the above lets you know that you are not alone and gives you some ideas to make your life easier.
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