homework of holidays

Why We Should Give Students a Homework Break Over the Holidays

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I have so many fond memories from holiday seasons growing up: the smell of delicious food being made by my Mexican and Filipino families, warm light on the faces of my relatives, and lots of laughter. As I got older, though, things changed—mostly because I had so much homework to do.

Instead of joking with our relatives at the holidays, my brother and I would often sequester ourselves at the edge of the room, thick textbooks open and pens in our hands. Sometimes, we’d miss events altogether. When we did attend, the ramifications could be intense. During one spring break, I chose to go to an Easter party with my family. But by midnight, I was stress-weeping because I had so much work to do by the next day.

As a teacher, I now understand the temptation to give work over school breaks. There never seems to be enough time to do the projects or read the texts I’d like to with my kids, and asking students to work or read during breaks eases that crunch. I also worry that my students will lose some of their learning in the weeks they are gone.

Recently, though, my school created a new homework policy that, among other things, encourages us to avoid giving students work over extended school breaks. Our administration cited studies that raise questions about the benefits of hefty doses of homework.

I worried about how this new plan would affect my curriculum pacing, and about what my students might “lose.” But I realized that my concerns were really about my desires, not what was best for my students.

The new policy led me to re-evaluate my assignments and timing, and I ended up being able to make adjustments so my kids could complete necessary projects without working when they should be recharging. I’d worried about my students’ learning, but recent research challenges our long-held belief that students’ learning “slides” significantly over long breaks.

Taking the stress of homework out of my students’ holiday breaks is important. They deserve an opportunity to relax and rejuvenate as much as I do—particularly if they are overscheduled to begin with. Young or old, we all need rejuvenation time. In addition, more studies are demonstrating the benefits of down time for students. Having unstructured time recharges them, but also allows their brains to build connections that strengthen and improve their executive functioning.

We need to be mindful of other factors that complicate homework assignments over holiday breaks. We don’t always know what our students’ lives are like outside our classrooms. Do they struggle with access to the resources necessary to complete assignments? Do they have stressful home situations?

Here are a few ways we can send our students off on a positive note when they leave us for holiday breaks. I’m trying them myself this winter!

Provide activities that support students reconnecting with themselves, their loved ones, or their community.

While we want to avoid giving mandatory work to students, we can offer opportunities and ideas for learning-friendly activities they can do during their break. Maybe that’s an optional/extra credit project that asks students to interview a family or community member (though we should also provide time after break for those who couldn’t work over break). Or maybe we can offer students some ideas about how they could use their time to take care of themselves or their communities. We could provide reflection questions once they’re back from break, to help them find meaning in the experience. Encouraging students to use their time to volunteer or take care of themselves allows us to help our kids grow not just as students, but as people.

Offer opportunities to find a new passion, set goals, or reflect.

While some students may travel or connect with family, some of our kids may have a lot of free time over their break. We can encourage them to use the time to set goals for the year, dream big and draw or write their five-year plan (remind them this is for fun and plans will change!), or reflect on their year or life so far. We can also encourage students to discover something they’re passionate about, or use the time to pursue something they love.

Deepen your relationships with students and allow them to open up to you.

Sometimes, our kids are simply not given the space to dive deeply into something that lets them tell us who they are. Give students a project that allows them to explore their identity or have them write a story about their lives. This will not only provide some critical thinking, reading, or writing enrichment, but more importantly will provide valuable insight into our students’ lives and help us build deeper connections with our students. We can return the favor by completing the project ourselves or writing a story and sharing it with them.

After the break, see what stuck with students.

Instead of returning from break with the mindset of what was “lost,” give students a chance to share everything they remember from the last unit. Instead of assuming they all had a great time they want to share, welcome kids back with an opportunity to celebrate the experiences that stuck with them from their breaks. Help students generate a class-created study guide so they can review what they learned before the break. This gives them space to support one another and remind each other what they learned, as well as gives us an opportunity to praise students for what they’ve retained. It also provides important feedback for us on what stuck over the break and what we need to reteach.

Ultimately, our students look to us not just for academic growth, but to support their growth as human beings as well. Taking away homework stress over break may cause us to change our short-term plans, but providing them with opportunities and resources instead can have some long-term benefits that can change their self-perception and their lives more than a packet of homework ever could.

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How to Do Your Homework During the Holidays

Last Updated: January 5, 2022 References

This article was co-authored by Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed. . Alexander Ruiz is an Educational Consultant and the Educational Director of Link Educational Institute, a tutoring business based in Claremont, California that provides customizable educational plans, subject and test prep tutoring, and college application consulting. With over a decade and a half of experience in the education industry, Alexander coaches students to increase their self-awareness and emotional intelligence while achieving skills and the goal of achieving skills and higher education. He holds a BA in Psychology from Florida International University and an MA in Education from Georgia Southern University. There are 8 references cited in this article, which can be found at the bottom of the page. This article has been viewed 50,439 times.

Sometimes, even if you are done with exams for the academic term, you end up with homework during your school holiday. Whether you are making up work, preparing for a new class, or simply already have to start working on next term, it is possible to get your homework done during your holiday and still enjoy your free time. All you need to do is set a schedule, designate a space to study, and stick to your plan—we'll show you how!

Organizing Your Time

• Try setting aside consistent times for certain subjects every day. For example, if you know you will have time in the afternoon, set aside a block from 2pm to 4pm to work on your homework.
• If you need to work on multiple subjects over the holidays, alternate your study time from day to day. You may want to work on your history homework on Mondays and Wednesdays, and your maths work on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
• Use a personal planner or calendar to mark down your study times, and write what assignments you want to work on for each day.

• Studying distracted can actually make it more difficult to learn and retain information. When you designate no-study time, it’s important to stick to it so that you don’t miss vital steps or information in your school work.

Setting Up Your Space

• If you are traveling and you forget something, it may be difficult or expensive to get a replacement on the go.
• To avoid missing anything, look at each assignment before you leave and make a checklist of what materials you need to complete that assignment. Go through the checklist and make sure you have packed everything you need to take with you before you leave school.

• If you carry a phone or tablet with you regularly, set reminders on your digital calendar so that you get instant notifications.
• If you use a planner, write reminders down there as well, so that you know what you expect to do and when you expect to do it.

• Clear your study space of all distractions. If you work at a desk, for example, make sure that only your computer, your notebook, your school books, and materials relevant to your studies are set up.
• Make the space more comfortable by providing yourself with comfortable seating, good lighting, and accoutrements such a blanket that may help you feel more relaxed in your space.

Working On Your Homework

• Apps like Freedom and LeechBlock allow users to temporarily block certain sites or set whole blocks of time where the internet is inaccessible.
• Tools such as FocusWriter and Focus Booster are designed to help you track your time to accomplish specific tasks.

• Taking occasional breaks has been found to improve attention and potentially make your overall studying more effective. [7] X Research source Even if you are focused on an assignment, try to include breaks to keep from overworking yourself.

• Do try to avoid packing schoolwork into times that won’t properly allow you to focus, such as on a tour or during a family get-together. Save the school work for designated study time or your leisure time.
• Make sure your environment is compatible for the work you need to do. For example, avoid bringing your computer or scientific calculator to a beach setting, which could damage such equipment.

• If possible, save any editing for a time when you are not on a trip or dealing with family visits. Find a low-stress point in your holiday where you can go over the work you’ve done thus far.
• See if any of your peers would be interested in exchanging assignments and peer editing. Arrange it with a friend before you leave school, and set exchange deadlines for the two of you.

Expert Q&A

• Do not save all of your homework for the last day of your holiday. This makes it more likely that you will not get all of your work done on time and at a satisfactory level. Thanks Helpful 10 Not Helpful 0
• Let your friends and family know your planned study schedule so that they can plan not to disturb you during those times. Thanks Helpful 9 Not Helpful 1
• Make sure you have a way to contact your teacher, such as their email address, in case you have any questions that arise while you are away from school. Thanks Helpful 8 Not Helpful 0

You Might Also Like

• ↑ Alexander Ruiz, M.Ed.. Academic Tutor. Expert Interview. 18 June 2020.
• ↑ http://www.sqa.org.uk/sqa/68908.html
• ↑ https://psychcentral.com/news/2011/02/09/taking-breaks-found-to-improve-attention/23329.html
• ↑ http://www.hercampus.com/life/campus-living/how-not-over-or-under-pack-winter-break
• ↑ http://ameritech.edu/blog/tips-make-environment-best-study-space/
• ↑ http://www.ecampusnews.com/top-news/apps-media-distractions-947/
• ↑ http://www.medicaldaily.com/health-benefits-beach-3-reasons-hit-beach-summer-246789
• ↑ https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/561/01/

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Holiday Homework Solutions

Holiday Homework Solutions for class 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11 & 12 (During Summer Vacations) facility for the academic session 2022–2023 is being maintained to help the students and parents to do the holiday homework comfortably in Summer 2024-25. You are requested to upload your holiday homework in PDF format based on Latest CBSE Curriculum 2024-25 and get the solutions with in a week. You can also ask your Maths or science problems through Discussion Forum. If the problems are related to NCERT or NCERT Exemplar Problems please refer to NCERT Solutions page to get this. The solutions of holiday homework should be uploaded along with the school name at the end of this page. Notification of completion of homework will not be given by the website, you have to check yourself after a week for the solutions.

Download NCERT Solutions for all classes. Students of the upper primary level (Class 6, 7 and 8) are already well informed and are keen to find and learn more. According to CBSE, while assigning and preparing homework for the students, it is important to note they are able to develop the skills like relating, thinking, concluding, inferring. Homework should be such that the student neither feel it burdensome nor they lose interest in the subject matter. Moreover it is useful in providing them a happy experience. Homework therefore needs to be thought about and worked upon differently. Emphasis should be given on Vedic mathematics, designing quality homework rather than its quantity. Download NCERT Books and apps based on latest CBSE Syllabus.

Encompassing the aforesaid ideas, the CBSE has brought forth a Manual, “Alternatives to Holiday Homework” for classes VI to VIII. It is collection of ideas transformed into suggestive activities that are creative, interesting, meaningful and interactive, enhancing various skills, directly or indirectly related to subject matter providing students to enhance their learning and gaining knowledge based on NCERT Books following the latest CBSE Syllabus.

Suggestive Holiday Homework for Class 6

• Holiday Homework for Class 6 Hindi
• Holiday Homework for Class 6 English
• Holiday Homework for Class 6 Mathemaitcs
• Holiday Homework for Class 6 Science
• Holiday Homework for Class 6 Social Science

Suggestive Holiday Homework for Class 7

• Holiday Homework for Class 7 Hindi
• Holiday Homework for Class 7 English
• Holiday Homework for Class 7 Mathematics
• Holiday Homework for Class 7 Science
• Holiday Homework for Class 7 Social Science

Suggestive Holiday Homework for Class 8

• Holiday Homework for Class 8 Hindi
• Holiday Homework for Class 8 English
• Holiday Homework for Class 8 Mathematics
• Holiday Homework for Class 8 Science
• Holiday Homework for Class 8 Social Science

A well rounded development of individual knowledge happens not only from textbooks and formal education but more from the learner’s personal experiences, individual inquisitive nature and social surroundings. Homework is an area of importance and to make it more relevant for the NCERT Books classes 6th, 7th and 8th, appropriate strategies and meaningful activities may be suggested to the schools that give more time to child to explore the environment to develop creative thinking.

These activities (like OTBA for class 9 & 11 ) would be so framed that they keep the child interested in subjects and therefore would also help in enhancing the learning power. Homework is one of the areas that need urgent attention. As the students of class VI, VII and VIII develop a certain learning style and want to know and find more and more. Efforts should be made to make homework more creative and interesting so that the students do not feel burdensome while doing the same and the ultimate purpose of providing homework is served.

A survey was conducted through questionnaire prepared by CBSE to collect feedback from parents, teachers, students and other educationists on “Alternatives to Homework at Upper Primary Level” for Class Sixth, Seventh and Eighth so that appropriate strategies and meaningful activities can be designed and suggested to schools. The questions were directed to know the ideal quantity and purpose of the homework, whether homework should be assigned in all the subjects, internet usage should be a part of the homework or not, how homework helps in teaching.

Keeping in view emerging issues, there is a need to think about giving quality homework emphasizing on acquiring applied learning skills. Few points can be kept in mind while designing a quality homework by teachers: 1, Provide students capacity building activities which are followed up and acknowledged like drawing, creative writing, making puzzles, stories, plays, online games, reading online books and craft.

2. Provide them assignment sheets which improve their reading & writing abilities. Homework must enable the student to practice a skill independently. 3. A possible discussion can be held with different children on what they would like to do at home to improve in which ever area they deem necessary. Homework must be designed in a way that maximizes the chances of its completion by the students.

4. Parents should be able to understand the child’s needs and schools suggestions on how to learn mathematics, logical reasoning, etc. by doing puzzles, writing letters, reading to elders from the newspapers, making household lists, recipe making and cooking. 5. Learners who have dyslexia or number difficulty should have practice assignments overcoming their problems.

The child in middle school have a keenness to discover more and prepare for the examination. Learning is about developing new faculties, which become useful as an adult. The years 12 to 15 are years when rules become important, and doing well, excelling are given importance both at home and in the class. As the child grows chronically his/her emotional maturity also grows and there are interests which are beyond just what lessons can give.

The homework assigned should: 1. enhance study habits and practice skills (which learners are able to perform independently) 2. reinforce necessary skills both scholastic and co-scholastic among the learners. 3. enable learners to become independent learners and thinkers and develop among them 21st century skills so that they can participate in Make in India in future. 4. lead to the improvement in the academic achievement of the learner.

5. expand on the existing knowledge of the learners and be a part of the already acquired competencies in the classroom. 6. not put unneeded pressure or stress by including new learning material or difficult material to be worked upon by learners themselves. 7. be CBSE Syllabus based and as per developmental needs of the learners. 8. not require specific resources or technology which is not accessible to all learners. 9. have clearly defined, purposeful, creative and engaging activities.

It is also advised that teachers can refer to Life Skills Manuals, Health Manuals and Environmental Education Manuals which contain age appropriate and interesting activities which can be taken up by the learners individually. These activities can be assigned to learners so as to enhance their life skills, values and make them health conscious.

Homework is needed, and necessary for a teacher to be able to follow up with each child. The correction and feedback on homework is an important input that helps both parents and children to follow up and improve in areas which are needed. The recourse extra classes, can be reduced if the homework is used for learning improvement and acquisition of diverse skills. We are providing a handful help to solve or helping in solving the holiday homework.

What are concepts of the Holiday Homework for Class 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5?

The Holiday Homework 2024-25 for class 1 and Class 2 should be totally creative work only. We should prepare the homework in such a way that student enjoy the work like play. The holiday assignment for class 3, 4 and Class 5 should be totally creative work.

What are the Holiday Homework suggestions for Class 6, 7 and 8?

The ideas for Holiday Homework 2024-25 for class 6, 7 and 8 Maths, Science, English, Hindi and Social Science are given on Tiwari Academy. We should also include the interesting facts related to daily life with the topic of NCERT Books.

How to prepare the Holiday Homework 2024-25 for class 9 and 10?

The collection of Important Questions from NCERT Textbook, From board Papers, CBSE Sample papers and NCERT Exemplar Books may be the good holiday homework practice material for High School students.

What would be good the Holiday Homework for class 11 and 12?

The Holiday Homework for class 11 and 12 are generally selected as the NCERT Textbook topics. The NCERT Books back exercises and related questions which are asked in CBSE Board Examination may be a good assignment for intermediate students.

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7 Smart Strategies to Actually Get Homework Done During the Holidays

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While most people consider the holidays “the most wonderful time of the year,” for some students, not so much. With families to care for, holiday parties to prepare for and gift shopping to finish in between, finding time to complete schoolwork may seem down right impossible. For students, the mounting stress of the holidays can result in late assignments, or, even worse, assignments never submitted at all.

But it’s important to remember that late assignments and missed assignments will have a negative effect on your grade.  A failing or incomplete grade  can affect your graduation plans. And that’s not very merry at all. So instead of waiting until the last minute and panicking the night before a deadline, here are seven strategies you can use to ensure your homework gets done on time and gift yourself a much needed break.

1. Plan Ahead

It’s easy to lose track of deadlines when the days are filled with holiday fun, and that doesn’t leave much time, or thought, for course work. Even with so many (welcome) distractions, it’s important to complete schoolwork on time. To better pace yourself, create a schedule for what assignments are due and when, and break up that work into smaller chunks. Keep this schedule in an easy-to-see place so you can avoid any last minute surprises.  

2. Save the Easy Assignments for Later

When you first sit down for a school session, you may feel inclined to get the easy material out of the way. However, your energy and focus are at their peak when you first start. Use this brainpower advantage to get through the most challenging subjects early on. Then, should you really experience holiday and homework crunch time, you’ll be able to complete the smaller assignments with less stress and in less time.

3. Enlist the Elves

You have your your own helpers who are ready and willing to lend a hand: your spouse, kids, siblings, parents, in-laws, grandparents, the list goes on. Instead of feeling obligated to handle all the holiday hoopla alone, get your helpers involved. Let a family member supervise the cooking or make a gift pit stop for you so you can get away for half an hour or so. Or, spend your bonding time with family wisely; instead of finding gifts for your kids to give grandma and grandpa, save yourself an extra shopping trip and sit down together to handcraft something special. Not only will you save time and money, you’ll also have a wonderful family memory. And isn’t that what the holidays are supposed to be about?

4. Be Realistic

The holiday season is also a hectic one; unrealistically high expectations for yourself may cause your schoolwork to suffer. Trying to do too much will leave you drained and burnt out. Combat this by asking your family which holiday traditions they treasure the most, and cut out the rest. If your teenagers don’t enjoy holiday light shows anymore, then save yourself the trip and use it to get your schoolwork done instead. And when you’ve finished, you can spend your time doing the things your kids actually do like. Be reasonable with your time, and you can balance work and holiday fun.

5. Shop Smart

Obviously, you can save yourself a lot of time, money and hassle by shopping online. But being savvy about it can make all the difference. Give yourself a time limit to scour sites for the best deals and comparison shop. If you don’t find a better offer online after 10 minutes, stop, and move on. Most importantly, avoid or turn off any sale alerts. If you keep leaving your schoolwork behind to check your email inbox for the latest deals, you’ll never get it done. Save the emails for later; in a few hours, the sales will still be there.

6. Reward Yourself

Take breaks in between studying by giving yourself an extra holiday treat or two, or spend it with friends and family. To feel reenergized and refreshed, take a break that lasts 20-30 minutes, coincidentally, the same amount of time it takes to bake a batch of cookies or wrap up a few gifts! Whatever you do, take a break that is mentally or physically active, and you’ll be at your most productive when you return.  

7. If all else fails… Request a Course Extension

If you’re looking for the gift of time, Thomas Edison State University students may  apply for an eight-week course extension  as long as you continue to make satisfactory progress in your course. Your mentor must be able to certify that at least 50 percent of your course work has been completed. After submitting the course extension request , along with the fee, you’ll receive an extension approval via email from the University. 

Written by Thomas Edison State University

Subscribe to the Thomas Edison State University Blog and get the latest updates delivered straight to your inbox.

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Learning with Fun: how to enjoy Holiday homeworks

Summer holidays mean relax : students can finally take a break and spend some time with their friends and families. Assigning them books to read, exercises to complete and problems to solve is an outdated homework model. Thanks to education technology , it is now easier than ever to stimulate students during holidays , motivating them to keep on training their mind. Here are some ideas.

But first, catch their attention and enthusiasm

Before using smart tech tools to engage students and help them to enjoy the summer learning activities, it is important to understand their needs and catch their attention , improving their motivation and enthusiasm. This has nothing to do with technology. It is a previous process that teachers should conduct face to face in the classroom.

Rule #1: appeal to students’ interests

Students enjoy their homework when it sounds funny, interesting, relevant to them: that’s why teachers should incorporate what their learners know and love in the summer assigments. How? First of all, taking a poll to find out what the majority of the class is into – sports, arts, nature? – and then creating a way to integrate the favourite subjects into the summer homework. Appealing to students’ interests is a great motivation driver!

Rule #2: keep it short

Holiday homework has the purpose to practice – or extend – those concepts learned at school during the school year. The duration of homework per day depends on the purpose . The National PTA (Parents Teacher Association, U.S.A.) recommends 10-20 minutes of homework in the 1st grade, arriving to 120 minutes of homework for a student in high school. But it is very tough to find a student who enjoys 2 hours of homework per day! In fact, consistent studies suggest that shorter – and more frequent – homework assignments are more effective , because learners are more likely to complete them.

Rule #3: stimulate sharing

During summertime, students prefer to stay outdoor, enjoying leisure with friends . Holiday homeworks can be a great opportunity to leverage on students’ cooperation, stimulating them with assignments including teamworks and activities to complete together with their classmates.

Rule #4: make it fun

Instead of force students to do traditional summaries regarding books they have read during summer, try to assign different kinds of homeworks, maybe including more subjects at the same time . An example: a written recap of summer holidays where students have to talk about the places they visited, merging this story with the music they listenend to, the histories they learnt and including even the photos they took during holidays. This could be a great way to test the students’ capability to deal with multitasks and activities of different nature. Regarding the many ways students can learn with fun, technology gives a lot of solutions suitable for students to do their holiday homework and keep on learning during summer in a more engaging and funny way. In Google Play Store , you can find a lot of apps that allow innovative and effective ways to learn at home during holidays :

• To students , the apps enable them to learn and to do homeworks in a more innovative and – above all – fun way;
• For teachers , it will be possible for them to assign homeworks and other activities with the possibility to better organize students’ tasks and to collect homework in an easier way when students will be back to school.

4 fun and easy play-based holiday homework tasks

Often, at the start of the summer holidays, we send children home with small set tasks, worksheets or optional homework to provide them with learning opportunities over the break.

But after a disrupted school year, perhaps we need to have a rethink about how we approach this. On the one hand, we have parents who feel more prepared than ever to lead the learning at home after taking on this role for remote learning. 

However, just as we have those feeling ready for the challenge, there will be many parents who are feeling fatigued by it all. These parents will not be excited by the thought of their children being set more work.

So, how can we balance the needs of both of these groups? One way is to set learning as games and activities this summer, where, rather than doing “work”, children are learning through play.

This will also be hugely beneficial to children who need an opportunity to “catch up” on missed play owing to the pandemic . Here are four of my favourite games you could set over the summer holidays to help your class learn through play this summer:

1. Toy parachutes 

Set this fantastic, fun, science-based task for children over the summer - wonderful for developing creativity and scientific enquiry skills.

Using household items (such as paper, string and Clingfilm), children have to design and make their very own parachutes for a toy of their choice, then drop them (with supervision) from a small height and see how long they take to fall.

2. Garden hoopla

Children can enjoy making their hoop by cutting out the centre of a paper plate and then decorating it.

The children then need to pop plastic cups on the lawn and try to throw their hoops over them. This activity is fantastic for hand-eye coordination, concentration and gross motor skills. It’s also a low intensity, low-cost and high time-occupying activity that parents should appreciate.

3. Ice-cube races

This exciting Stem (science, technology, engineering and maths) activity can help develop team-building and creative-thinking skills through play.

First, ask children to design and create a “track” for their ice cubes using aluminium foil. They then need to make their ice-cube “boats” by freezing water in an ice-cube tray (or freezer bag) and putting a lollipop stick, or similar, in the top.

Once frozen, take them out and attach some paper to the stick to make a sail. They can then have fun racing their ice boats down their foil track until they melt. After that, they can try it all over again

4. Postbox fun

Why not set your class the task of creating their own postbox this summer?

All they need is to start by painting a cardboard box red and cutting out a slot for the letters to fit through. If appropriate for your context, this can always be partly started in class before you break for the summer.

Once in place, the postbox will provide a wonderful imaginative play resource for children to create their own role-play games - and perhaps most importantly,  supply endless literacy opportunities over the holidays as they use it to write and post pretend letters, cards and postcards.

Georgina Durrant is a former teacher and Senco, founder of The SEN Resources Blog and author of  100 Ways Your Child Can Learn Through Play

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The Case For And Against Holiday Homework

The holidays: A time for eating, travel, fun with family, relaxation and, potentially, homework.

It’s a debate that’s been going on for years: Does study time have any place during school vacations?

The Case For Homework Over The Holidays

The pro-homework contingent has done their research (unsurprisingly). Two meta-analyses by Cooper et al (Cooper, 1989a; Cooper, Robinson, & Patall, 2006) examined the causal relationship between homework and student achievement.

They concluded that the amount of homework a student completes coincides directly with their success rates. Their research further found that students that were assigned homework scored 23 percentile points higher on tests than learners in a class where homework wasn’t assigned.

It turns out learning is a lot like exercise – it’s good to rest, but not to live on the couch for a month. The less you use the skills you have and the learning you’ve gained, the worse shape it’s going to be in when students come back to class.

The Case Against Homework Over The Holidays

So what’s the other side saying?

Let’s start with family time. It’d be crazy to argue that family time isn’t important, and the holidays provide a special opportunity for everyone to get together without the usual distractions. In an odd twist, studies show that uninterrupted family time can also have learning benefits.

Family studies at the University of Michigan found that family time correlates closely to achievement and behaviour. Studies on family meals suggest that students who have dinner with their family have better academic scores and behavioural outcomes.

There’s another thing to consider: learning can happen without homework. With access to learning software and educational programs and websites, our schools and classes no longer have to be the beginning and end of learning for students.

The Verdict

Find a good balance.

Create small, relevant and purposeful assignments as homework over the holidays. Ultimately, you want to keep your students’ minds fit while they’re on break – but remember this is your break too!

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Three types of holiday homework tasks

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• Three types of holiday homework…

Think about the key ideas in a text

Reading or watching a set text for study is probably the most basic holiday homework task students get. Beyond merely familiarising themselves with the text though, something else essential that students need to achieve from an initial reading or viewing of a text is to begin to consider how key ideas in a text are conveyed and what their messages are. To get students to do this:

a) When you set holiday homework and before students engage with a text for the first time, introduce students to the 3-4 key ideas in a text and show them examples of essay tasks they’ll come across. Give them a short simple list of the key ideas that they can keep inside their novel. b) Students can begin to think about the key ideas in the text as they read or view it by identifying examples of something that happens that shows a key ideas. c) Another way students can think about the key ideas in a text is by finishing simple message sentence starters about the text once they have finished it:

*The text shows it’s important to… *By the end of the text, the protagonist has discovered… *The text shows that when…

Develop vocabulary lists

Since everything in English is fundamentally a writing test, vocabulary lists will always come in useful in helping students write better. So you can get students to:

a) Develop word lists for each of the key ideas in a text response text (i.e at least ten words for each idea). They can do this through their own brainstorming or by using a thesaurus. They can practise using some of these words to complete an activity like c) from above. b) Develop a list of alternative nouns and adjectives for a key idea they are studying for idea frameworks. Trying using some of them in a simple persuasive writing task.

Brainstorm creative writing ideas

In order to come up with two good ideas to write about for the creating texts area of study, students will need to begin with a long list of possibilities. This process should begin during the holidays. After introducing students to the idea framework before the holidays, set students the challenge of coming up with at least ten things they could write about over the holidays.

Author:  tickinglogin

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Pros and cons of holiday homework

Homework is that word that sends a shudder down the spine of most of the students. While some people think that homework is an effective way of revising what you learn at school but many think that homework plays no vital role in the lives of students. Is homework necessary or does it add more stress and pressure on students? Is homework important? Here are some pros and cons of holiday homework so you can decide better.

Pros of holiday homework:

1. allows for a comfortable place to study.

There is no doubt about the fact that with time, the classrooms have evolved to be more welcoming toward students but there is nothing more comfortable and safer than home. Students will be more comfortable studying more effectively at home, and the best way to do that is by revising everything that you have learned at school by doing it in the form of homework. Students may feel more focused and attentive at home rather than in class, in this way they can learn and study better.

2. Time management skills

Time management is an important skill that helps one for a lifetime. Homework will help students in developing time management skills and how to stay on track. Students will learn to plan a schedule and ensure that all tasks can be completed during the day. This will encourage research skills as well as develop problem-solving skills and independent thinking which will be beneficial in the real world.

3. Parents more involved in a child’s life

By bringing homework, students can engage their learning process with their parents. Parents can be involved in the studies of their kids and know what the kids are doing or how well they are performing in their studies. Parents would also know where their child lacks or what improvement is needed. Many parents also want their kids to bring homework, so they know what they are being taught at school. Moreover, parents get to spend more time with their children, especially in their study time, so they also know where the child stands in terms of studying.

4. Encourages the discipline of practice

Repeating the same lessons might be boring and frustrating for students but this will only encourage the discipline of practice among them and make them better. To get better at one subject or even skills, repetition is the key. It is necessary. If the students are having trouble solving a math problem in class but bring homework and do it again, chances are high that they will get better at it. The concepts become much easier to understand.

Cons of holiday homework:

1. causes unnecessary stress.

Students are often given lots of assignments and homework so it gets hard to cope with the pressure. The word homework or assignments can instill a sense of dread in students. When the workload and deadlines are at large, homework can cause students to feel stressed and anxious all the time. This can also lead to them not being motivated enough and can take a toll on their studies and grades.

2. Not always effective

Many surveys and studies have shown that homework has zero effects. Homework can only create a negative attitude towards schooling and discourages students from even making efforts and making them anxious all the time. Homework doesn’t help in achieving good results. It might be helpful to certain students struggling with a few subjects but overall, there is no evidence that shows any improvements in students’ academic results with the help of homework.

3. Not every home has a beneficial environment

While there are many homes and parents that want to play an active role in the studies of their kids but on the other hand, some students might not have the same experience. Some students might face difficulties at home as there may be no welcoming, beneficial environment for the kids so it may get a bit hard for these students to go home and do homework. Some parents may just push the responsibility of teaching off on the teacher and provide no support to their kids.

Other than pros and cons of holiday homework, you can also read Smart strategies to complete your holiday homework

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6 Creative Assignment Ideas to Make Your Holiday Homework Fun

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The term ‘holiday homework’ raises a collective groan when you mention it in class. The last thing your students want to do during their holidays is spending more time with their noses buried in textbooks. But who said homework had to be a dull and dreary activity? There’s plenty of time and then some to learn concepts at school; holiday homework can focus on skill-building and be a lot more fun! Here’s a list of top creative assignment or homework ideas to help students take the ‘work’ out of homework, and replace it with a whole lot of fun! 

“Assignment 1: For the Filmy Fans”

As a life coach who holds film therapy workshops in Bengaluru, Rohit Sasvehalli believes that movies can have a deep impact on the psyche when approached consciously. “Pick a specific concept the child wants to learn about, say Apartheid. Ask them to watch a movie like Invictus to understand the tensions in South Africa. It will invoke an explorative mindset,” says Sasvehalli. Give your students a choice of topics and movies to watch, review and write an essay or make a presentation on what it got them thinking about. Surely your students aren’t about to complain about watching a movie or two!

Do you see any budding filmmakers in your class? Mentoria’s holistic  career assessment test  could help them discover their calling by uniquely combining their interests and abilities! Find out more about the test here:

“Assignment 2: For the Wanderlusters”

Families often set out on trips during the holiday season. A trip is often a great platform to learn about new places and new cultures. Ask your students to document every bit of their travel, discover fascinating aspects about the place they’re visiting and turn their findings into a fantastic travel presentation for the class! It could cover a long vacation or even a day trip to the museum, beach or a nearby park.

“Assignment 3: For the Bookworms”

This creative assignment may not appeal to all your students, but the voracious readers in your class will surely welcome some binge-reading over the holidays! For this set of students, assign a list of books they can review over the holidays. Encourage them to get a library membership or even a Kindle, if they’re more accustomed to reading digitally. Give them a mix of fiction and non-fiction titles that will broaden their knowledge and urge them to think. It doesn’t have to strictly follow the curriculum; books on current events will also help them get a better perspective of what’s going on in the world.

Assignment 4: For the Crafty Ones

Do you see your students stumbling over certain difficult topics in class? Ask them to bring out their ‘crafty’ sides over the holidays and turn those concepts into flashcards!  Flashcards make learning easier , and making them will help your students hone their artistic skills!

Budding artists need guidance, and that’s exactly what we provide here at  Mentoria !  Speak to our expert career counsellors  about your future career path, or listen to the experiences of industry professionals in your field. Here Commercial Artist Mrs Krupa Patil shares what a day in her life looks like:

Assignment 5: For the Volunteer Wonders

A school in New Zealand recently got its students involved in building an outdoor classroom and won an award for creativity! Volunteering as a homework idea will help them understand the kind of problems the world is facing, put things in perspective and also help them learn how to work in a team! You could give them a list of places they could visit over the holidays or plan a class trip yourself. Let them volunteer at an animal shelter, old-age home or orphanage, where they can perform different activities like maintaining the gardens, teaching other children, reading to the elderly, or even organising a performance for the underprivileged.

Assignment 6. For the Budding Philosophers

If your students are at a stage in life where they have critical future decisions to make, ask them to ‘introspect’ over the holidays. What makes them happiest? Which activities do they most look forward to? What piques their interest and what fails to grab their attention? Give them a homework idea and ask them to write a detailed summary of their interests and how they could translate into a career option a few years down the line. If they’re confused, ask them to opt for professional guidance that will help them discover who they really are and what they should pursue in the future. We can help with that.  Students with clarity on their future are likely to be less stressed in class and focus better on their academics!

Holidays are perhaps the only time when students can study at their own pace without the looming burden of a jam-packed schedule. The holidays give students enough time to explore their interests and  use them to enhance their studying technique . Don’t overburden them with lesson plans and tough projects; instead, let them focus on building skills, exploring interests and making the most of the holiday season both in terms of education and entertainment!

We at  Mentoria  know that holidays can be crucial during high school, and students are busy figuring out what stream they want to enter. We try to make it easier for you. Our 4-step career guidance solution, helps us find the right career fit for you from 3 streams, 850+ courses & 12,000+ careers. Discover yourself during the holidays with Mentoria.

Choose your ideal path from 12,000+ career options.

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Holiday Homework

Holiday homework for pre-primary classes, holiday homework for primary classes, holiday homework for middle & senior classes.

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