Guide for Teachers
Grades 10–12
Guide for Teachers
Grades 10–12
Homework Guide for Teachers, Grades 10–12
© Crown copyright, Province of Nova Scotia, 2011
Prepared by the Department of Education
The contents of this publication may be reproduced in whole or in part
provided the intended use is for non-commercial purposes and full
acknowledgment is given to the Nova Scotia Department of Education.
Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Homework guide for teachers: grades 10–12 / Nova Scotia. Department of
Education. English Program Services.
ISBN: 978-1-55457-390-5
1. Homework—Handbook, manuals, etc. 2. Education, Secondary—Parent
participation—Handbook, manuals, etc. I. Nova Scotia. Department of
Education. English Program Services.
371.30281—ddc22
2011
Contents
Introduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Homework Guidelines . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Homework is . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Homework is not. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Homework should . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Homework should not. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Homework time. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
What makes homework a good thing?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
What about differentiating homework?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
What is the role of student choice in determining homework?. . . . . . . 5
What forms of homework are not recommended?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
What about reading for pleasure?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Establishing School Homework Guidelines. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
School homework guidelines should include. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Supporting Homework Success. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Improving homework that involves reading. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Project work as homework . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Homework follow-up. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Helping students assume responsibility for homework completion. . . . 11
Recommended school-wide homework supports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Recommended teacher-provided homework supports. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
Tools and strategies for organizing and managing homework. . . . . . 13
Technological supports for homework. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Blended Learning at the Nova Scotia Virtual School. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
The Role of Families in Successful Homework Experiences. . . . . 15
Conclusion. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
Introduction
Homework is an assigned activity that students complete outside of
regular class time. When assignments are purposeful, engaging, of
high quality, and given in moderation, the assignment of homework
by teachers is positively associated with student learning success.
The public education system is Nova Scotia is designed to create
equitable learning opportunities for Nova Scotian students.
Given that equity is a core value, educators recognize and act to
ensure that the successful completion of assigned homework, like
other factors in student success, serves to create learner equity
rather than perpetuating forms of learning inequity that create
disadvantages for some learners.
To be a fair and equitable practice, homework deserves a critical
examination and the development of principles and guidelines to
inform its purpose, role, and value in student learning.
Homework competes for time and priority with other aspects
of the student’s life, and the amount of time that families have
to supervise the completion of homework or to tutor children
successfully is limited. For homework to serve as a support for
student success, it must be meaningful, independently completed,
and based upon student learning need, and it must adhere to
recommended time limits.
This booklet provides guidance to teachers as they consider the
purposes, roles, and value of homework in the learning success and
achievement of diverse students in grades 10 to 12.
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
Homework Guidelines
Homework is
• purposeful learning designed to meet identified needs
• a recommended strategy to support students in finding time to
read for pleasure
• a recommended strategy to support students in completing some
portions of the writing process outside of regular class time
• an opportunity for students to independently conduct primary
research in the home and community
• an opportunity for students to independently reflect on and
apply in-school learning
• a supportive strategy designed to assist students as they prepare
for assessments
• a recommended way for students to practise skills that they understand
• an activity that is usually completed independently and with no
requirement for intervention by family or the teacher
Homework is not
• busy work
• an effective way for students to practise skills that they do not
understand
• a recommended strategy to teach students time management
• a “catch-up” strategy when a student is routinely unsuccessful
in managing in-class work time
• a way for students to regularly complete in-class work
• a recommended activity for winter and March breaks
• always necessary or recommended
• ever to be used as a disciplinary or punishment measure
• assigned marks for the purpose of calculating grades
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
Homework should
• be developmentally appropriate so that it can be
completed independently
• consolidate classroom learning, either through specific activities
or through project-based learning
• address learning needs and guide student choice among
well‑designed learning activities
• be timed, planned, coordinated, and monitored by teachers
who share a group of students
• frequently require the practice of physical skills
• be a reasonable and rational undertaking that engages students
in inquiry
• encourage students to contribute positively to their communities
• encourage and support reflection by students on their learning
preferences, achievements, and goals
• facilitate communication between the home and school in
support of student success
• accommodate students’ out-of-school schedules
Homework should not
• create inequity or otherwise disadvantage students’ learning
success due to time or resources available within the family to
complete homework tasks
• exceed the recommended time limits
• create an economic burden for families
Homework time
It is recommended that students in grades 10–12 not exceed the
following daily (four nights) maximum total time for all homework
in all subject areas:
Grade 10 90 minutes per day (maximum 6 hours per week)
Grade 11 120 minutes per day (maximum 8 hours per week)
Grade 12 120 minutes per day (maximum 8 hours per week)
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
Homework is not necessarily a daily requirement. If project work
is assigned as an alternative to daily homework, then ample time
must be allotted over several weeks for the completion of the
project. Project work is not intended to be assigned for completion
during holiday periods including winter and March breaks.
What makes homework a good thing?
Clear and purposeful homework assignments consolidate and
extend in-class achievement of learning outcomes. Homework can
be a wonderful opportunity for families to learn about life and
learning at school and to witness students’ growing independence
as learners. Teachers are encouraged to collaborate to ensure that
the students they teach in common are able to stay within the
recommended homework time maximums.
What about differentiating homework?
One size does not fit all when it comes to assigning homework at
any age or grade level. Homework should be assigned and aligned
to meet the specific needs of individual students. Assignments
should authentically support and extend a student’s learning so
that they can more confidently and solidly meet outcomes. Welldesigned homework engages students’ interest, accommodates
their out-of-school schedules, supports their achievement of
learning outcomes, and places no financial burden on families.
What is the role of student choice in determining
homework?
Student choice is highly valued in the classroom as a way to engage
students and to utilize their learning strengths and preferences.
Students should have opportunities to choose how homework
as an independent learning opportunity is completed. Giving
students choices such as a visual representation or a performance
as a response to a reading in class goes a long way to motivating
students to complete homework.
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
What forms of homework are not recommended?
• extended projects or assignments that do not have, by design,
clear and explicit requirements, time lines, teacher and student
check-in conversations and progress reviews, or available
teacher and information resource supports
• assignments that require family intervention or tutoring to complete
• assignments that require access to resources that may not be
available in the home or for which access has not been provided
by the school including, but not limited to, technology, Internet
connection, computer printer, magazines, and newspapers
• assignments that require family expenditures
What about reading for pleasure?
Reading at home for pleasure is to be encouraged at all grade
levels. Student choice in reading material is critical to the
development of a love of reading. Both fiction and non-fiction
are excellent sources of reading and must be valued equally. A
requirement to log and reflect on reading reduces the pleasure of
reading for many students and should be an occasional, rather than
a regular, homework activity.
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
Establishing School
Homework Guidelines
Each school board is required to have a homework policy. In most
instances, board policy states that the school should develop school
guidelines for homework in consultation with their communities.
Board policies and school guidelines must be compatible and
consistent with provincial policies and guidelines.
School homework guidelines must include specific feedback
strategies by which students, their families, and teachers indicate that
coordination of the assignment of homework is meeting the guidelines
or requires adjustments. Further, schools must include homework
guidelines in a student handbook or similar publication that is readily
accessible to teachers, students, families, and the community.
School homework guidelines should include
• established guiding principles for the assignment of homework
• a description of teacher checks to ensure that homework
assignments can be completed by students within the
provincially recommended time allotment
• information for families about establishing an environment in
the home or access to an environment and time for the regular
completion of homework
• descriptions of how homework connects with the school program
• sample flexible schedules for students to complete homework
assignments
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
• a commitment to provide students with advance notice so that
they may plan their homework completion and balance family
and community commitments
• confirmation that homework need not be a daily requirement.
• identification of opportunities for students to complete
homework at school, such as a homework club
• identification of key periods, including holiday periods, when
homework will not be assigned
• recognition that students/parents/guardians need opportunities
to negotiate time for homework
• commitment to coordinate within the school homework
assignments from different teachers
• processes to discuss the impact of homework with students
and families
• a communication plan to ensure that the entire school
community, including students and their families, knows the
school guidelines on homework
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
Supporting Homework Success
Students find little support for homework success when the
homework assignment’s purpose is unclear or unstated, as in,
“Read pages 135–147 for Thursday.” To be successful, students
need instructional supports that establish expectations for what is
to be learned and how to approach the homework task.
When assigned textbook pages, articles, or other reading
assignments, students need to know the purpose for reading,
and will benefit from a brief discussion of the topic to gain a clear
sense of the expected learning. Otherwise, less-fluent readers may
see the homework assignment as too onerous, and they are not
likely to complete the assignment. They may disengage from the
homework altogether and experience further alienation, which may
result in in-class disengagement as well.
Discussing the topic prior to the assignment of homework
encourages students’ curiosity and questions about the topic,
while developing student interest and background knowledge that
support their success with difficult texts. Small group-discussion of
key ideas and collaborative learning strategies such as a jigsaw of a
number of related readings engage students to learn with and from
one another.
Reminding students to use particular reading strategies to extract
meaning from new-to-them text structures such as charts or graphs
will support successful meaning making. Teachers should model and
remind students to scan text features such as headings, subheadings,
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
bolded text, and graphic information before they plunge into the
text. Scanning the text to identify connections, questions, and
strategies for learning from the text is also a helpful strategy.
Many teachers create graphic organizers to guide the reading.
Students use them to record key ideas and questions to organize
information they will discuss further in class. The graphic organizer
is then used in class as a quick review of the key ideas and concepts
and can be spot-checked to monitor what students are gaining
from their independent homework.
The use of multimedia resources in class supports students’ success
with homework. Video, audio, animation, and short bulleted
chunks of text support concept formation, help establish a
connection between what is known and what is new, and generate
student interest questions and engagement in the topic of study
before students attempt difficult texts independently.
Improving homework that involves reading
Homework assignments that state “Read pages 135–147” can be
improved in a number of ways to increase student learning success.
• Provide regular class time for reading and reading support.
• In class, discuss the nature of the reading students will undertake
outside of class time and the key ideas they will encounter
• Prior to the reading, have students articulate their knowledge of
and questions about the topic.
• Review the text features of the assigned reading to identify
what students know about the text and its organization.
• Supply students with a graphic organizer tailored to support
their interpretation of text.
• Have students construct a graphic organizer of key ideas and
supporting details after they have read the text.
• Pose a helpful, overarching question to guide students’ reading
of the text.
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
Project work as homework
Project work that is to be completed at home and/or partly in class
should be structured to support students’ growth as researchers,
effective time managers, independent learners, and engaged and
engaging communicators and presenters of their learning.
Well-designed projects that are, in part, completed as
homework include
• assessment criteria
• clear curricular rationale and learning outcomes
• time lines
• check-in points
• an outline of requirements
Homework follow-up
Teachers often take a few minutes during class to have students
present their homework results to a peer group, small group, or the
whole class. The teacher may circulate, listen, and ask questions
about a few selective presentations to identify the following:
• What did students learn about the topic?
• What new questions do students have about the
homework topic?
• How might students further pursue learning in this area?
• Was the homework assignment clear?
• What instructional next steps are needed for learners to be successful?
Helping students assume responsibility for
homework completion
Students learn to assume responsibility for the independent
completion of homework through a process of successive and
structured release of responsibility. It is therefore important that
homework assignments are geared to the realities of students’
developing skills to avoid undue frustration and disengagement.
In grades 10 to 12, the use of a homework notebook and student
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
self-monitoring and recording of time spent on homework
assignments are successful strategies used by many schools.
Providing time and an in-school location for homework completion
during the school day supports students who may not have
a homework environment available within the home. Some
schools establish supervised breakfast, lunchtime, or after-school
homework clubs that support the completion of homework.
Recommended school-wide homework supports
• established school homework guidelines that address equity
issues present in the school community
• before- or after-school homework clubs based in the school
• school and classroom websites with calendars of upcoming
assignments, in-progress dates of significance, assignment
due dates, resource links to class handouts, resources, and
recommended support links
• opportunities for teachers to support individual students in
their learning
• coordination of homework assignments with other teachers that
share the same students
• discussions about homework practices, including feedback
strategies by which students, families, community coaches, and
teachers indicate that the coordination is succeeding or is offtrack and needs review
Recommended teacher-provided
homework supports
• clear and purposeful homework assignments
• opportunities for students to meet with their teachers for
homework clarification and support
• homework assignments that respect the complexity and realities
of families’ lives and time
• homework that can be independently completed by students
using the resources provided by the school
• a homework buddy support system
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
• graphic organizers that support students’ homework
reading success
• individual, small-group, and whole-class feedback on homework
assignments
• clear opportunities to relate what is learned through homework
to in-class lessons
• homework tips to share with students
Tools and strategies for organizing and
managing homework
• a homework notebook and/or a student agenda that includes
homework and space for other involvements that require time
and scheduling
• posting homework and other assignments and information that
support successful completion on a class website and in the
student’s notebook
• encouraging students and families to consult the class website
and/or student notebook for updates on homework, homework
resources, and other class learning activities
• requiring a homework signature to indicate that the student has
worked independently for an appropriate time to complete the
assignment
• a note area for family comments about the homework
• a daily routine by which students record and review homework
• for extended assignments, developing with students or providing
them with template checklists (yes, I’m finished because ...)
• materials management strategies such as “out the door” book
bag checks and peer checks
Technological supports for homework
In addition to posting homework on a whiteboard or within the
student’s notebook or calendar, teachers may establish a routine of
posting student homework assignments and samples of homework
success on the class website for family interest. Postings of successful
homework examples should not contain students’ personal
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
information. Homework samples can be used to model and guide
homework improvements. Teachers who have classroom websites
may establish links on the homework page to class handouts, class
notes, extra readings, graphic organizers, and perhaps, an e-mail link
to the teacher or to a classroom discussion forum.
Teachers may encourage students to use the telephone or EDnet
web mail to collaborate with a homework buddy, homework circle,
or ongoing classroom work group. Assignments for which such
collaboration is encouraged should include the contributions of
participants as would any good group learning experience.
Blended Learning at the Nova Scotia Virtual School
Public school teachers are encouraged to contact the School Board
Online Coordinator to request a blended learning Moodle environment.
Moodle is a safe, secure, password-protected virtual classroom that
extends and enriches student collaboration and learning.
Access to Nova Scotia Virtual School blended learning environments
will allow teachers to post resources and instructional supports
and establish curriculum-focused discussion forums, calendars, and
scheduling information that assist with students’ organization and
success. From schools, local c@p sites, community libraries, and
other locations with Internet access, students may access a teachermanaged content management system with interactive features
called a Moodle. Moodles are web environments controlled by the
teacher that serve to support, extend, and enrich the students’
learning environment.
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
The Role of Families in Successful
Homework Experiences
Teachers can expect that when homework assignments are designed
to meet learner needs, most families will feel less need or pressure
to step beyond the roles of establishing an environment, time, and
supervision for homework.
Teachers should encourage family members to notify them via
a note, e-mail, or telephone call when the student seems to be
having difficulty or is unable to complete the homework. Teachers
need to know this for re-teaching purposes.
Curriculum information flyers, school newsletters, brochures
and information sheets, and the school and classroom websites
are useful vehicles to encourage families to play supportive and
informed roles in successful homework.
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H o m e w o r k G u i d e f o r T e a c h e r s — G r a des 10 –12
Conclusion
The Nova Scotia Department of Education and its educational
partners recognize that clear and purposeful homework
assignments adhere to recommended time limits and consolidate
and extend students’ in-class achievement of learning outcomes.
To communicate with parents/guardians and with students about
homework, the department has developed several pamphlets.
Let’s Talk about ... Homework (grades 4–6, 7–9, and 10–12)
assists families in dealing with homework, and Homework Tips
(for students, grades 4–6, 7–9, and 10–12) provides much needed
information for students. These pamphlets are available in schools.
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