Homework
Reading (daily Monday - Friday)
15 minutes a day: All students are expected to complete 15 minutes of reading at home for each day that school is scheduled (this includes days on which school has been cancelled, such as snow days). During a typical five-day week, this works out to a total of 75 minutes of home reading per week.
Students select their own reading materials: Students will read from a book, magazine, newspaper, or other text of their own choosing. Reading assignments are deliberately flexible to encourage students to select texts that closely match their interests and level of proficiency. There are three reasons why choice plays an important role in these homework assignments: 1) the element of choice motivates readers and increases their enjoyment of reading, 2) readers who enjoy reading tend to spend more time reading, and 3) readers who spend a lot of time reading tend to develop stronger reading skills.
All materials used to fulfill the homework requirement must consist mostly of printed text. Materials that consist almost entirely of pictures (Where’s Waldo or I Spy books, for example) are not appropriate for this homework assignment.
Special considerations: Though it is recommended that the required 75 minutes of weekly reading be spread out over 5 days, students may occasionally find it necessary to reschedule a 15-minute reading session due to a special event, an illness, or some other conflict. In such cases, the student may make up the missed session by reading over the weekend or by doubling up to read for 30 minutes on another weekday.
Verification: Given the self-directed nature of the home reading assignments, parent signatures will be required to verify the completion of this important work. Reading verification forms for any given week will always be due the following week on the first school day.