Homework is an increasingly valuable part of learning for students moving through Stage 3. It trains students to plan and organise their time and to develop a range of skills in identifying information resources. It establishes good study habits, concentration and self-discipline and aids students in their transition to high school. Students are supplied with diaries and also have the opportunity to use an online diary through the student portal.
Year 5/6 Homework Requirements
Daily Home Reading (compulsory)
Mathletics (compulsory)
Major projects (compulsory)
In addition to these homework tasks, teachers may assign occasional additional tasks to support learning programs.
Premier’s Reading Challenge
This is compulsory for all students. Students are expected to borrow and record the books they have read online.
Mathletics
Tasks are assigned weekly to reinforce the content taught in class.
Reading- Decodable Readers, Class Library and School Library
A regular routine with daily reading where possible is proven to greatly benefit children’s reading progress. In Years 2-6, as they become more independent, students should read silently or aloud for a minimum of 20 minutes each day.
Students will borrow and return 2-3 readers for the week every week. In addition, students should also borrow different types of books from the school library.
Decodable Readers
Decodable texts are texts specifically written for beginning readers as they are developing their blending and segmenting skills and their knowledge of the alphabetic code. Decodable texts contain a very large percentage of words that incorporate the letter-sound relationships that students are being explicitly taught in class. They increase with complexity as the student learns more of the phonetic code.
Some students in Years 3-6 may also take home some decodable readers, if an assessment has determined there are gaps in their phonic knowledge.
If your child brings home any decodable texts, please encourage them to read their decodable texts several times and work with them to complete any suggested activities that are recommended in the book.
Class library
Each week, your child will choose a book of interest from the class library to take home. These books are not levelled. The purpose of sending them home is to offer the opportunity for students to read a text they can access, across a range of topics, to encourage wide reading. Exposure to a range of different texts, about different topics, assists hugely in developing a child's background knowledge of the world. It also assists in developing a robust vocabulary, which helps with reading comprehension.