Project Homework - Launched Today

Spellings will still be given out weekly as is the case now.
Mental maths (times tables) will still be set weekly as is the case now.

However...
During the parent meetings that we held last year, homework was a constant topic for debate. It was clear that the way in which we were organising the work was not meeting your expectations as parents, not always supporting the work being done in class and not motivating all of the pupils to give it a go.

 As a result we are going to trial a new approach to homework between now and half term. If it is successful, then we will continue. If there need to be changes, we will make them accordingly. The first new initiative that we are working on is Building Learning Power – or Learning to Learn.

Building Learning Power:You may have heard your children coming home and mentioning the 4R’s. This is an approach to learning that we will be developing over the course of the year. The 4R’s are:

1. Resilience – able to keep going, even when something is hard to complete

2. Reciprocity – working well in partners or groups

3. Resourcefulness – being able to find different ways to get the job done

4. Reflectiveness – able to recognise what they do well and what they need to do better

These are life skills, not just facts and dates to remember. Our aim is that through giving the children the freedom to select a project that excites them they will be able to demonstrate these very important qualities which are essential if you are to be successful at school, college, or at work.

 Key information:
· We will be setting the children a project homework that will run for 5 weeks.

· The projects need to be completed by the 22nd October.

· It is up to the children how long they spend on their topic, but the ideal would be around 1.5 hours a week.

· The project should be available in school on a Monday so that the pupils can share their work and show how much progress they are making

· Each child will be provided with a project book to record their work, but they are free to choose other ways to represent it: models, diagrams, paintings etc

· All teaching staff, including me, are completing a project too which we will share with the children weekly. This will be used as a model for expectations and to show that we are learning too.
I would encourage you to learn along with your child and encourage them to ask insightful questions of the topic that they might choose. If it were fighter jets: who invented the jet engine, what is the highest altitude they can reach, what do you need to become a pilot, which weapons can they carry, do the pilots ever get hurt in training, how have fighter planes changed in the last fifty years? The questions are endless.

Please find a copy of the expectations for the project work on the back of the letter… and get researching, making and drawing!
Expectations
 At Broadford we…



1. Use our neatest handwriting.



2. Draw diagrams and pictures in pencil.



3. Put information from the internet into our own words.



4. Organize our ideas clearly with: contents page, titles and subheadings.



5. Look for different ways to present our work: pictures, models and diagrams.


Sharing our work
At Broadford we…



1. Praise quality work by other pupils and tell them why we think it is good.



2. Think of interesting questions to ask of each other’s projects.



3. Share our work proudly… it shows the best we can do.



4. Suggest ways our work and that of others could be even better.



5. Get excited about sharing new facts and information.