Has this happened to you too? Your child …

…your child gets their homework out and doesn’t have a clue about what they are supposed to do?

 

I can’t tell you how many times this has happened to me. Between my own three children and my students that come to me in my learning center. They brought their homework home…hurrah! But, they are absolutely clueless about what they are supposed to do.

 

Typically one of two things happens then. Either they just start doing the page of homework, just writing anything down so they could be done with the page of work, OR they sit there, completely frozen, just staring at the worksheet. If they rushed through and I’ve checked the sheet over, invariably, more times than not, they have done the assignment incorrectly. The problem was they didn’t actually follow the directions. What a concept, following the directions.

 

I can’t begin to tell you how many times my students did worksheets without reading the directions. But, they weren’t the only ones. No, I must admit, my own kids did the same thing. So, my question to you is:

 

Are your children reading the directions?

 

A key piece to doing homework and doing it correctly is to be sure your children are reading the directions. It always amazes me as a teacher to see my students just plow right into the page, often getting questions wrong, simply because they haven’t read the directions. So, first have your child read the directions to you. Then ask him/her what the directions are telling them to do. You might be surprised at how many children have trouble explaining what the directions are telling them to do.

 

Do your children understanding the directions?

 

If they didn’t understand the directions, you can help explain them to your child. It is helpful to have your child underline the key words in the directions to be sure they know what to do (e.g. underline the words, circle the pairs, draw a line from one to the matching words, fill in the blank using the list words, etc.). Go through one or two of the problems or question with them to be sure they understand what to do. Then they should be able to continue the work on their own.

 

If you can’t figure out the directions either, you might want to call one of your child’s classmates to see if they understand the directions. Or, you can always write a note at the top of the paper for the teacher to read the next day.

 

BTW: There are many easy reference guides available to help with writing projects and math homework. We believe the most effective and comprehensive guide for writing projects is the Writer’s Easy Reference Guide. For math homework the most comprehensive and effective reader friendly guide is the BT Easy Math Reference Guide.

 

Don’t forget, to get FREE homework and teaching tips, go to www.bonnieterry.com/blog

Please pass the article along to those you think might benefit! And, leave a question or comment by clicking on comment. 

 

 

Hope this has been helpful.

 

Bonnie Terry, M. Ed., BCET

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