Hi All!,
I am so excited to link up with the wonderful ladies at Kinder Tribe and share my Homework and Communication Folder for What Worked Well Wednesday!
One thing that I believe is so important for pre-k and kinders is homework. Why should learning how to follow a routine and practicing readiness skills, stop when the children leave school? Good study habits start early. Even if it's just a little something, they should begin practicing a homework routine.
So this is what I've been doing. I ask parents to buy the plastic folders with pockets. One pocket is labeled "RETURN" for items that parents need to return. The other pocket is labeled "KEEP" for items such as student work that has been checked, notes from the school, etc. I used a sticky for mine but for you, I made these labels:
Upon opening the folder, the parent will find their child's Behavior Chart on the "RETURN" side. Here's my Behavior Chart. It may be a little detailed for a general ed. class but a general ed teacher could use it for a behavior intervention plan. Breaking the day up into segments allows for more opportunities to earn positive marks. (FYI our district is using Frog Street for pre-k this year so Read Aloud = Story Time.)
Also on the "RETURN" side is the Homework Packet. Here's the cover sheet. I put together a packet and top it off with this cover. There's No Homework on Fridays:
Next comes the Name Tracer page. I want my kids to practice tracing their name every day until they can write it on their own. Here it is with my name:
This year I've added a new page to my homework packet. It's the Read Me a Story page or the Reading Log. In an effort to increase my student's stamina for sitting and listening to a story or other presentations in class, I ask my parents to read their child a story at home every night. If the child has a favorite that they want to hear over and over, I'm fine with that.
Parents are asked to put the title of the story they read and initial the form nightly. That's the best I can do for accountability. If everyone is playing fair, then it all works out wonderfully for the little ones! =0)
Finally, 1 (one) simple page of practice from things we're learning in class for each night Monday through Thursday. That's it! Every night the kids have to do 3 things:
1. Trace their name,
2. Listen to a Story.
3. 1 practice page from what we've learned in school.
Not too much, and not too little for a 4-5 year old. It's just enough to put them on the right track for developing good study habits. This homework packet has been working out nicely in my class. The parents and students are responding well to it. I hope that it is something that you can use in your classroom.
You can get a FREE copy of this Homework & Communication Folder from my TpT store by clicking on the cover below:
Be sure to stop by
Kinder Tribe for more "What Worked Well Wednesday" posts! Thanks for stopping by! =0)
