My Homework Evolution


Hey everyone! Today I'm writing over at The Primary Pack and Laugh Eat Learn about my personal homework evolution and how I changed a negative into a big positive in my classroom. I have been posting a lot of photos on my Instagram and Facebook account about these changes and my (and my students) excitement over this revolution. With that, I've have had a lot of feedback and questions from all of you. I'm hopefully that I covered everything that you are all wondering about so let's start from the beginning... 


Homework. Just the word used to make me shake my head! Like most of us, we have been doing homework for the majority of our lives. Starting in elementary, middle and high school, I remember textbooks, page numbers to read/do, and thick packets of work. In college, I recall articles and textbooks to read, and papers upon papers to write. Even as a teacher, I dreaded homework. The students never did it. The parents expected and demanded it (mostly because they too have been doing homework for years and that's just what you do in school). Then there is me, caught in the middle of this love/hate relationship with homework.


LOVE

  • I love how you can teach a lesson that day and see the success when they use that skill or strategy at home in their homework. 
  • I love when students DO their homework. 
  • I love sending work home that is responsive and aligned to my lessons.
  • I love when we can correct our homework together and see them helping each other out with the problem set. 
  • I love to see them applying their knowledge from the lesson. 
  • I love rewarding them for taking their knowledge home and challenging themselves. 

HATE

  • I hate the prep behind homework. 
  • I hate how time consuming checking homework can be, especially because it takes away from our core learning time!
  • I hate sending home filler work to appease the parents that expect homework every night. 
  • I hate that the majority of my students come in with excuses on why they didn't complete their homework. 
  • I hate that I have to keep students in from recess to do their homework because they didn't do it the night before. 
  • I hate bribing them to do their homework. 
  • I hate(d) homework, who doesn't?! 
As you can see, there is way too much negativity up there so I knew I needed to change something. First, I decided to completely scrap everything I've ever done with my 3rd grade homework, and thought about the basics of what I wanted my students to do while they were home. I thought back to when I taught Kindergarten and used to give monthly homework packets from Kelly's Kindergarten. The skills we covered in class that month were embedded within this monthly packet. Yes, it was a packet but there was a ton of flexibility for the families of my students. They could do their one page a night, double up and/or work on the go. At the end of the month, my kiddos would bring back their packets and earn stickers for completing their work. Simple. 


I decided to jump back to that thinking but with third grade goggles instead. I knew I wanted my students to practice reading, writing and math at home. I knew I wanted them to continue to read at home for 25 minutes a night.


I knew I wanted the flexibility of giving a weekly packet out on Monday and not seeing it again until the following Monday (versus turning in a paper every single day for Ms. Sanchez to colle... I mean correct). I wanted the flexibility back for my families who had multiple things going on every night. I wanted families to divvy up the work they wanted to complete at home, on their own schedules. I knew I didn't want them to spend a lot of time at home working on these because frankly they are 8 and 9 year olds who need a break too! Ultimately this is how my Weekly Homework Packets were (re)born.


They were created on half sheets of paper, which save paper and time (2 for the price of one, anyone?). They draw the students in because they are much smaller than their old homework ways. They have a coloring option when they complete their nightly reading (who doesn't like to color?)


The best part is they are completely Common Core aligned, focusing both Math and ELA.  Each sheet is labeled with the Common Core State Standard for quick assessment of the standard. The format stays the same within ALL the monthly packets I've created so far, so you can easily change out targets that fit for YOUR classroom.

Yes, these are packets. Yes, they are not individualized based on every lesson in my classroom. But they can be!


Each pack comes with a table of contents with a brief title of the homework sheet and the standard, making it very easy for you to quickly grab what you need!  By the end of creating these packets, I will end up with a year full of homework that can easily interchanged between the months regardless of what you're teaching or where your students' needs are. ALL Common Core State Standards for both Math and ELA will be reviewed in these packets multiple times, giving you plenty of opportunities for spiral review throughout the year. 

Each morning, we gather at the carpet for homework check. It's quick, taking only a couple minutes, and simple. My homework checker says "Stand up if you did your reading last night". My kiddos stand, we count, they sit back down. Next, the homework checker says "Stand up if you completed one page from your packet." Repeat the above.


We add the two totals together and the homework checker adds the amount to our Weekly Homework Graphs. I was originally inspired by Stephanie from 3rd Grade Thoughts on her post about how she uses homework checks and graphs. By the end of the week, if we have met our goal, we get to have an allotted amount of free choice on Friday. This can be anything in your classroom. I've done snippets of videos, games, art time, silent ball, extra recess, etc. But what if the students are not being honest you ask? To quote Frozen, you have to "let it go". You continue to remind them to be honest, you move on that morning but you hold them accountable on Mondays (see below) when the packets are due. You, as a teacher, don't want to waste quality learning time on checking everyone's homework, every morning. 


On Mondays, students come in and we meet for morning meeting. We quickly do our homework check for Friday's homework (see above!). While they are unpacking for the morning, they turn in their previous weeks homework packets to my mailbox.


With my area prepped with homework punch cards, hole punch and brag tags, I quickly go through the homework in my mailbox, paying attention to their answers. If someone left a page blank, I call their name up and go over it with them. I make a plan with them to complete the page. I call the rest of the students who have turned it in.


A complete packet earns 5 punches on their Homework Club Punch Cards for the five days of week and a brag tag. These few incentives are free and easy to manage within your classroom.

You decide what works for you. Once I've created these packets, you should be able to interchange them for any month you teach a certain subject. For example, we are working on Fractions in my classroom right now (found in my March Weekly Packets), but maybe you are working on Place Value. No problem! Pull the math pages from my December Weekly Packets (where we focused on Place Value) and supplement them in for the month you need. I've specificity created a math and ELA frame so they could jump around.


And if you need to tweak a few things here, there or even create something completely different... I've created a Editable Weekly Homework Packet. The weekly covers are the only things that tie to the monthly themes. You as the teacher have the flexibility you need with these packets.


Printing is simple with these half sheets. It will cut down on paper and time. Simply copy double sided with the staple option on double staple on the left. Once you are done with your copies, all you will have to do is cut them in half and pass out! 

I've asked my parents to be honest with me in regards to the (drastic) change in homework. The great thing is that a lot of them reached out on their own to say they love the difference. They are finding the content matches with my lessons and their child's abilities. They are also loving the flexibility these packets have during the week. I know one of my students has soccer every Monday and Wednesday, so she doubles up on Tuesday and Thursday to complete them on time. They are still getting authentic homework but with tons more flexibility. 

I've seen my classroom's attitude about homework completely change in the last couple of months since I've implemented these Weekly Homework Packets. I'm not getting students running up to me every morning with excuses why they didn't do it. Lucky for me, I have the majority of my classroom doing their homework every. single. night. and best of all, they are excited about it. I don't have students staying in for recess every day. That gives me the break I need and the freedom they need! The benefits are endless. I'm happy to say that I finally have something in place that is easy on me (prep and classroom time in mind), fun for my students (but still has them using the skills they learn in class), and satisfies the parents and their "traditional" expectations.

20 Minute Italian Pork Chops

20 Minute Italian Pork Chops
20 Minutes is really all you need, I promise you. These pork chops are seriously amazing. The aroma alone is worth cooking it for dinner, let alone the taste and overall ease of the recipe. Jonathan was the one who originally thought of this tasty treat (see, I do give you credit, J!) and so when he brought pork chops home the next night, I was game!

20 Minute Italian Pork Chops
The key to this recipe is the seasoning. But before you season, you'll want to take the pork chops out of the packaging and pat them dry. They can just chill out (Haha... get it!) until they are room temperature. Once they have been out for a bit, you can begin the seasoning process. Be liberal with the salt and pepper! I know you might think it's too much, but trust me, the meat needs the seasoning to tenderize it and give it flavor! 
  20 Minute Italian Pork Chops
Before you actually begin to cook the tasty chops, make sure you have everything ready near you. This is what will help you keep this dinner done under the 20 minute mark. 

20 Minute Italian Pork Chops
Look at that crust! By searing the meat first before adding the additional seasoning and the butter, you'll be able to reach that mouthwatering view. Also, this is about the time your house is going to smell so amazing!

20 Minute Italian Pork Chops
So, what are your other favorite 20 minute meals? I would love to know more especially being a working teacher! If you found this recipe tasty and want to share/save for your friends, pin the image above and enjoy!


20 Minute Italian Pork Chops By Alexis Sanchez


Holiday Sugar Cookies RecipeIngredients: 

4 Boneless Center Cut Pork Chops (1.5'' Thick)
Salt & Pepper
1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1-2 Tablespoons Italian Seasoning
1 1/2 Tablespoons Garlic, Minced 

Directions: 

1. Remove pork chops from packaging and pat dry. Let the pork chops rest to room temperature before seasoning. Season with salt and pepper liberally on both sides. Turn a pan on high heat with a little olive oil and coat the bottom. 

2. When the pan is hot, place the pork chops on, letting them 4 minutes per side. Don't mess with them at all during these 4 minutes. Drop the temperature to medium high heat. Once they are seared on both sides, flip them to the edges and sear each side while rotating the meat around. 

3. Once the sides are seared, push the meat to the side of the pan (stack them if needed). On the other side add the butter and Italian seasoning. Mix both on the side until the butter has melted. Place the meat back into the butter mixture and baste continuously. Flip the pork chops over and continue the same process for 2-3 additional minutes. 

4. Remove pan from heat and cover loosen with foil. Let these rest for 5 minutes. Once the 5 minutes is over, you can plate the delicious chops, spooning over the drippings with your favorite sides and ENJOY!

5 Ways to Write About Groundhogs

The Curious Groundhog Book
Groundhogs Day is right around the corner, and I just began to think of all the ways we could write about them in my ELL classroom. With a variety of levels, languages, and grade levels, I wanted to come up with a couple of different ways my students can write and learn about groundhogs while using my newest writing craftivity, The Curious Groundhog Book. With about a week or so until the big day, these writing prompts can easily be added into your plans now with enough time for students to do some research before we find out if Punxsutawney Phil sees his shadow or not. 

Writing about Groundhogs

All of these prompts can be used easily on any of your Groundhogs Day plan but I especially think they will look adorable in this craftivity book! 

1. Making predictions about the groundhog's shadow

Before Punxsutawney Phil makes his appearance, students can easily begin to make predictions of the weather by checking for patterns, tracking the weather or simply by making a guess. Have them back up their claim with full sentences using what they know already! I'm going to be using this site to show my students the history of his decisions! 

2. Reflecting & tracking of the groundhog's prediction

After the announcement is made, students can use this books (or any type of paper) to track their personal prediction to see who is right and who was misguided. They can keep a graph on how many days it takes until spring comes and write about their data too!

Groundhog Day humor

3. Fun facts & information about groundhogs

There are tons of sites dedicated to fun facts of groundhogs in kid friendly language! Here is a bunch below:


5 Ways to Write About Groundhogs

4. Describe what it would look like in a groundhog's house

This one is where students can get a little creative! Show them a picture of a real groundhog coming out of a hole and have them visual what they think their hole leads to! They can use describing words to explain how the groundhog's house is set up and even compare it to their own homes. 

5 Ways to Write About Groundhog Day

5. Describe why the groundhog shouldn't be scared of his shadow

Your kiddos can use their reasoning to explain why groundhogs should not be scared of their shadows. You could even go outside and see if your students can see their own shadows and explain the some ways they might get over this fear! 

The Curious Groundhog Book
Click to Purchase Groundhog Book!
So, what are your plans for Groundhogs day? How do you celebrate in the classroom, if at all? What about the following days after Punxsutawney Phil's citing? I would love to know more about your classroom!  If you found this useful and want to share with your other teacher friends, pin the image below! 

5 Ways to Write About Groundhogs

The Quirky Test Post


The quick, brown fox jumps over a lazy dog. DJs flock by when MTV ax quiz prog. Junk MTV quiz graced by fox whelps. Bawds jog, flick quartz, vex nymphs. Waltz, bad nymph, for quick jigs vex! Fox nymphs grab quick-jived waltz. Brick quiz whangs jumpy veldt fox. 


Heading

  1. Bright vixens jump; dozy fowl quack.
  2. Quick wafting zephyrs vex bold Jim. 
  3. Quick zephyrs blow, vexing daft Jim. 
  4. Sex-charged fop blew my junk TV quiz. 
How quickly daft jumping zebras vex. Two driven jocks help fax my big quiz. Quick, Baz, get my woven flax jodhpurs! "Now fax quiz Jack!" my brave ghost pled. 



Subheading

Five quacking zephyrs jolt my wax bed. Flummoxed by job, kvetching W. zaps Iraq. Cozy sphinx waves quart jug of bad milk. A very bad quack might jinx zippy fowls. Few quips galvanized the mock jury box. Quick brown dogs jump over the lazy fox. The jay, pig, fox, zebra, and my wolves quack! Blowzy red vixens fight for a quick jump. Joaquin Phoenix was gazed by MTV for luck. A wizard’s job is to vex chumps quickly in fog. Watch "Jeopardy!", Alex Trebek's fun TV quiz game. Woven silk pyjamas exchanged for blue quartz. 



Minor Heading

  • Brawny gods just flocked up to quiz and vex him. 
  • Adjusting quiver and bow, Zompyc[1] killed the fox. 
  • My faxed joke won a pager in the cable TV quiz show. 
  • Amazingly few discotheques provide jukeboxes. 
  • My girl wove six dozen plaid jackets before she quit. 
  • Six big devils from Japan quickly forgot how to waltz. 
Big July earthquakes confound zany experimental vow. Foxy parsons quiz and cajole the lovably dim wiki-girl. Have a pick: twenty six letters - no forcing a jumbled quiz! Crazy Fredericka bought many very exquisite opal jewels. Sixty zippers were quickly picked from the woven jute bag.

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