What’s the current opinion about giving homework to 4th graders?
I personally don’t like it for several reasons, but I’m interested to hear what others think.
In our school, it’s mostly reading for 30 minutes and finishing any work they didn’t complete during class.
Silas said:
In our school, it’s mostly reading for 30 minutes and finishing any work they didn’t complete during class.
Same here. That’s what my kid’s school does too.
There’s not much proof that homework for younger kids actually helps improve their grades, but things like reading logs or teaching time management can be helpful. Personally, I feel like formal homework for this age group just isn’t necessary and it might be time to rethink how it’s done.
Samuel said:
@Candy
Totally agree! What we’re doing now isn’t working…drop the mic!
And what do the admins say? ‘Let’s do it again, but more of it!’
Samuel said:
@Candy
Totally agree! What we’re doing now isn’t working…drop the mic!
As a teacher with years of experience and a master’s degree, I just don’t get the argument that homework is useless. How could thinking about what they learned at home not help a kid get better? I did homework every night growing up, and it definitely helped me. I feel like people are cherry-picking data to push an agenda, but I’d like to see some legit studies on this (just so I can tear them apart!).
@Chester
I’m on my phone so I can’t pull the studies right now, but the main argument against homework is not about practicing stuff on your own time like reading a book or doing basic math. Of course, that stuff helps.
The debate is more about structured, formal homework, where kids are filling out worksheets or answering specific questions for practice. The research suggests that this kind of homework isn’t effective for younger kids, but it does have more benefits for older kids in middle or high school.
But even then, it’s important not to overload kids. Too much or overly complicated homework can have the opposite effect, making them more stressed and less effective at school.
My 3rd grader started getting homework this year. It’s not much, but it’s starting to pick up.
I think it’s better to use devices for 20 minutes on a math game or app rather than worksheets that won’t be graded for days. Reading 20-30 minutes a day is great, but if kids don’t have a device, they should just read a real book. Kids should have time to play, though!
At our school, there’s one math worksheet per week and some reading, but it’s not tracked. Some schools don’t give any homework at all for younger kids. In fact, there’s no penalty if you just don’t do it (some parents don’t).
I’m a 4th-grade teacher, and I don’t give any homework for science or social studies. The English teacher does reading logs, and the math teacher gives extra practice sometimes.
Honestly, homework often just causes frustration and arguments at home. Parents who are really involved find other valuable activities for their kids anyway, and those who aren’t involved won’t push their kids to do the homework.
@Jason
Thanks. Our teacher keeps emailing us links to videos on how we should help with the homework, then asks for parent feedback and help with extra math practice. It feels like a lot of responsibility is being put on parents, and we don’t have the time or energy for that.
@Logan
I think it’s great that she’s trying to involve parents more! Parents should care about what their kids are learning, right? 
@Logan
You should check your district’s homework policy and see if she’s going overboard. You don’t have to do all that!
We don’t give homework at my school. It’s really not beneficial for kids until they hit middle school, and they need time to be kids after school.
That’s about when we start it too. Seems like the right time.
Back in the day (80s), we only had homework like a book report or practicing math and cursive writing.
I think homework was useful for showing what I really knew. Classwork was often group-based, but homework made me prove what I could do on my own.
As a teacher, I hate homework. I give one math worksheet per week with about 12 problems on it, due Friday. If they do all their homework for the quarter, they get some extra credit points.