Homework and Organization
“I left my notes in my locker.” “Where
is that homework paper? I know that I finished
it in study hall yesterday.” “I knew I should have
started this earlier; I’m never going to get this
done by tomorrow.” “What test? I didn’t know
we were having a test today!” “Oh no, the
printer isn’t working and I need this next
period.” “Really, the dog did eat my
homework!” “Homework? Who does
homework anymore?” Sound familiar? It does
if you know any middle or junior high school
students! One would think that they would
have learned by now…….
Parents need to set school work as a
priority, not something to do after everything
else is finished. Expect that it will be well
done—no excuses. If your children don’t do
their best work—they can have a do-over. If
they refuse to do the work—you can be in
charge with incentives and consequences. If
they refuse or “forget” to bring the work
home—use an assignment notebook and check
assignments through Skyward. If a child takes all
night and doesn’t get anything accomplished—
try using a timer and make sure that
distractions are not taking away focus. If your
child comes home with a book bag full of loose
papers every night—take time to help your
child put them in the correct folders.
Organization takes practice, instruction and
support. Students who make the most progress
with organization and homework skills are
those whose parents stick with the program
and teach and reinforce the skills needed.
It is important to define homework. To
many students, homework is something that
requires writing answers on a piece of paper to
turn in tomorrow. If they don’t have a
worksheet or pages assigned to answer
questions, then they don’t have homework.
Students need to understand that homework
takes many forms. It might be going over class
notes each night, reading and mapping key
information from a textbook or doing research
on the internet. Homework can be small
chunks of a long term project that isn’t due for
two months, not necessarily something that is
due the next day. Homework might be making
flash cards of vocabulary words that need to be
studied for a unit test or practicing those math
problems that weren’t correct. Developing
these skills now will help your child down the
road when the course work load continues to
increase through high school and college or
trade school.
Begin by making sure that your child
knows what homework is assigned and brings
home the correct materials to do the work. Use
a planner of some type to write down
assignments. Sometimes it is helpful to have “a
month at a glance” calendar so that it is easy to
see what long term projects are coming up or if
there are going to be several things due on the
same day. It is also good to have a daily list as
well. Be specific about your homework. For
example, don’t just write down “math
homework”, write down the problem numbers
and pages. Most teachers give several days’
notice for a test. Write down the upcoming test
each day so that you can look over the material
in small chunks. It is better to study something
for 15 minutes four times than once for a
consecutive hour. A parent can make a child
accountable by asking to see the assignment
Homework and organization
book each evening. Be sure to reinforce good
habits!
Get organized to bring home the right
materials. Every student is different, so decide
what works. One option is to have one binder
per subject. In this binder you can have dividers
to separate handouts, tests, quizzes, class
openers and notes. The downside is that it can
be a lot to carry and you have to remember to
bring it to class and home. Another option is to
have an AM and a PM binder. You can still have
dividers and will have only one binder to
remember in the morning and one in the
afternoon, but things can get crowed with
papers. Some students only carry one binder
and that certainly does make things simple, but
sometimes it gets too big and heavy. A
folder/notebook combination works for many
students. You can color-code folders, keeping
notes on one side and homework on another. A
small notebook can be inserted into the pockets
of the folder, making everything in one place.
You can also match the folder color to the book
cover color, making it easy to keep everything
together in your locker. Another option is to
have a homework folder to keep all work to be
done or completed. You will never lose your
homework, but you have to remember to put
homework into you binders/folders when
finished and remember to take the folder with
you at all times. Do not just use a book bag
with no organizers or your homework will get
lost in the abyss never to be found again! Be
sure to organize your folders each night and
soon organization will become a habit. Some
teachers at the junior high school give notebook
quizzes where a student is asked to simple write
down information from there notes—an easy A
if you are organized.
Keeping the locker organized can help a
student easily bring home the correct materials.
Hang up your book bag and coat. Try to keep
the number of coats in the locker down to one!
Take home the 10 extra T-shirts, sweatshirts
and coats home. To help remember what is
needed or classes or home, separate everything
by putting morning books, notebooks etc. on
the top of the locker and afternoon materials
on the bottom. When you come back to your
locker between classes, if you have homework,
put your materials directly into your book bag.
That way it is fresh in your mind and you won’t
be struggling at the end of the day when the
busses are waiting to try to quickly remember
everything. Stack your binders and books
together by subject in your locker. If your folder
is small, you could even put it inside you book
as long as it does not damage the book or your
papers. Never throw loose papers into the
bottom of your locker. Take it home with you
and find a home where it belongs. At the end
of every marking period, clear out your papers,
save them at home in case you might need
them, and start fresh.
As a side note, in order to minimize
homework, encourage your child to make good
use of their study halls and other down time
such as waiting for the bus at the end of the
day, time during homeroom, mornings for those
who arrive early , free time in class, or on the
sports bus to an away game etc.
Once everything makes it home, decide
what is the best time to do homework. Some
children need a break from school when they
get home. Others would rather just do it and
get it out of the way. Timing may depend on
bedtime or what other activities or
commitments the child has. Figure out what
works best for your child. Set a time to do
Homework and organization
homework every night. Even if there isn’t a
written assignment, students can review notes,
study for an upcoming quiz, or work on a long
term project.
Now it is time to decide organize a
place to do homework. There needs to be
enough room to spread out materials.
Minimize distractions like Phone and TV (i.e.
Turn them off—do not check Facebook every 5
minutes or text your BFF). Try to be removed
from people walking around and talking or
children playing. Some people find listening to
music helps, others find it distracting. Even
though your child may say that they can
multitask, they may be able to, but at a price of
less focus and concentration. Make sure that
there is good lighting and materials such as
paper, pencils and markers. Be comfortable,
but not too comfortable that you doze off
zzzzzzzzz……..
Many students find it is better to do the
hardest work first while their minds are fresh. If
you can’t get an answer, take a break, do
something else and come back to it later.
Taking a ten minute break between subjects will
actually enable you to get more done.
Remember to use your notes if you get stuck on
a problem. When finished parents should look
over the work and make sure that it is
completed. Put all work back in your book bag
so that it is ready to go in the morning.
What if your child doesn’t cooperate?
You may need to make a homework contract
outlining your expectations and responsibilities
and your child’s responsibilities. Build a reward
system to reinforce good homework habits.
Keep on top of homework with Skyward.
With hard work and persistence, doing
homework can become a habit that will serve
your child well into their future years of
schooling.