With the return to school comes the beloved return of homework! In our house, gone are the days when reading for 20 minutes for the evening was the only expectation, along with a list of 10 spelling words or robust vocabulary meanings. These days, we have middle schoolers who are expected to devote a great deal of daily time to studying and reading.
According to more than 60 research studies on homework, Duke University researchers concluded that homework does indeed have a positive effect on student achievement in school.
In an effort to ease the daily homework regime, we put together a homework basket, assembled last year in an effort to have everything the kids needed for completing homework assignments in one place. It can easily be moved from various locations throughout the house and tucked away for easy clean-up.
The contents include:
Sharpened pencils
A battery-operated pencil sharpener
Scissors
Rulers
Glue sticks
Glue bottle
Dictionary
Thesaurus
Erasers
Paper clips
Colored pens and colored pencils
Sharpies
Calculators
Highlighters
What strategies do you use to ease the homework routine?