The Grade 1
Homework Programme 
"Detective Log Book" Homework Book
This booklet should go home with your child on a daily basis and can be found in your child's orange Take Home Folder. It is asked that each night you date, checkmark the appropriate columns of homework completed by your child (see components below) and verify with your signature/initials. Students will be rewarded the next day at school for having completed all four of the activities listed each night, with an accompanying parent signature. Students should spend NO MORE THAN 15 MINUTES completing these tasks.
Shared Reading
The green "Shared Reading" duotang should also go home with your child on a daily basis. Please read the selections with your child allowing them to "chime in" with the words they know and/or during predictable patterns. As the duotang is filled throughout each term, students can read their most recent selections and/or choose an old favourite to complete as this part of the homework completion component. Do not be discouraged if your child appears to be memorizing parts of these selections--this is an acceptable and appropriate strategy applied by emergent readers!
Activity Words
Each week students will receive a list of "Activity Words" which will be used during their "Words in the Works" activity time. They will receive a copy to bring home and it can be found in the pocket labelled "Activity Words/Math Strips" of your child's Take Home Folder. Various activities will take place from Monday to Friday with these words. These words are their spelling words for a one week time frame. These words can be practised and worked with in a variety of ways at home. Here are some suggestions:
1) Make flashcards of these words. Cut them into word puzzles (e.g. bl / ue) or letter puzzles (e.g. b / l / u / e).
2) Make a second set and play a game of concentration (memory) or a matching game.
3) Make as many words as you can in each family of the "starred" words.
4) Read them.
At week's end, your child will be tested on these words.
Math Strips
This strip of math questions will be found in the "Math Strips/Activity Words" pocket of your orange "Take Home Folder". This set of math questions is to be complete each night. This will assist your child in practising his/her math facts. There are five questions per strip--one strip per night.
Some suggestions for completing the math facts include using pennies, blocks, candies, crackers, cereal, pasta etc. to solve the problems. These manipulatives will provide a more meaningful and enjoyable hands-on approach to solving math facts until mental mastery is attained.
Be sure your child has his/her name on the back of the strip. Once the entire strip has been completed and corrected, students may return the strips to school. Each completed strip will enter your child into our "Math Strips" Draw.
Reading (Book-In-A-Bag)
The "Book-In-A-Bag" programme is an integral part of your child's homework programme. Students will select books at their individual reading levels to bring home and share with you on a regular basis. Upon completion of reading their book and/or mastery of text, students will be able to exchange their book for a new one. Students may choose to keep their book for more than one night and, in fact, this is encouraged. In the emergent reading stages, sharing these books may involve reading these books to or with your child in order to further develop his/her reading skills.
A typical night of homework may include:
1) Reading one selection from the "Shared Reading" dutoang
2) Practising the current week's "Activity Words"
3) Completing a "Math Strip"
4) Reading his/her "Book-In-A-Bag"