Monday, February 04, 2008

First Grade Homework

Small Niece is now half way through first grade at a very good school in Seattle. She loves her school, loves her teacher, and even claims to love homework. There is much debate about the value of homework in the younger grades, but those who do assign it claim that it prepares kids for later. I can completely understand this logic, but I was still amused to read Small Niece's great big weekend homework assignment:

1. Reading: Read or have someone read to you for at least 30 minutes (this one was the most serious, and I have to commend her teacher for requiring it)

2. Math: Mrs. Smith buys an orange for 60 cents. Think of two ways she could pay for it using different coins

.60 =

.60 =

(Here Small Niece had written ".60 = 167 corters" and ".60 = 57 dollrs." I asked her how she'd come to these answers, and she said her older sister had been helping her. After threatening smirking Big Niece within dire consequences, Small Niece and I worked out some better answers.)

3. Science: Tell an adult one thing you learned about Australia last week (At this point she turned to me and said "I learned that aborabinginamals were the first people in Australia.")

4. Writing: Keep a journal, and write at least two sentences each day. (This one was no problem, and in just a moment she had written "I lick candy. I want candy." She was confused when I asked her to add more)


Admittedly, none of this homework was a huge challenge for Small Niece. Part of that is due to her extreme brilliance, and another part is that desire by the teacher to keep things really manageable for everyone. I'm just happy that she actually looks forward to Monday mornings. May that stay with her as long as possible.

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