EXTENDED HOMEWORKS
Research and independent learning skills are becoming increasingly important to students in this information age within which we are living. These critical skills are also necessary in order to meet the demands of coursework in Key Stage 4 and beyond.
To this end we are changing the way that homework has been traditionally set for Year 7 students, in order to establish early, the skills that they will need to use throughout their studies. From September 2009 fewer, longer homework tasks will be set. These tasks will often span several weeks and will involve the need for students to be organised and plan their time very carefully. Students should not need to spend more time each evening on these tasks. However, it is recommended that they spend between one hour and one hour and a quarter a day keeping up to date with their extended homework tasks. A suggested timetable for work on these tasks is available below – this however is entirely flexible, but may help students to keep on track of their tasks and organise their time.
suggested timetable
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Weekends |
| Science | English | Maths | Science | ICT | Maths |
| MFL | Geography | History | English | RS | English |
| Technology | Music |
Students will of course still be required to meet deadlines set by their teachers, however they may require additional support from home or teachers to do this at the beginning of Year 7, until they become more skilled at planning their time. Homework club is available in the Macmillan Academy Library during enrichment time and all departments offer subject support sessions, which students are encouraged to attend if they need any additional assistance.
All extended homework tasks are available for parents/guardians and students to access through the Macmillan Academy website. Students will also be given paper copies of each task by their class teacher. All tasks are designed to help extend the learning that takes place in the classroom. Teachers will set the extended homework tasks in lesson time and full guidance will be available. Interim checkpoints will also be explained and progress regularly monitored to ensure that students are working on the tasks regularly to enable them to meet agreed deadlines. Written feedback in the same format for all tasks (see Feedback Sheet) will be given to students on completion of each task to allow students to reflect on their achievements and set themselves targets for future tasks. Parents/guardians can also make a comment at this point, to further assist the progress of the student.
Preliminary trials of these types of extended homework tasks have proved very successful, students have found them useful and interesting in extending the learning that has taken place in the classroom a step further.
feedback
Download the sheet by clicking the link below
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