Make homework work harder!

Picture this:

Homework which generates no marking or photo-copying.
Homework which encourages creative thinking.
Homework which gets students fired up for the next lesson.
Now read on...


Poetry:

1. Draw a Venn diagram/ double bubble diagram to show links and connections between 2 poems in the "Conflict" section of the anthology. Next lesson: Pair & share-feed-back.
2. Same, but between a poem and a theme.
3. Add a poet to the Glossary in the Reading Group forum on the VLE. Next lesson: Revision using Glossary.
4. Write 10 higher order questions on a poem of your choice. Next lesson: Students swap books and answer each others' questions or group discussion using questions as catalyst or play "test the teacher" by asking teacher the questions, then student taking the "chair".

Making links & connections:

1. Why are the skills for this lesson like those in another subject? Students draw double bubble/ Venn diagram. Next lesson: Share ideas, then play "What's the Point?" Students have 1 minute to come up with as many reasons as they can for the skills being taught being useful in life and learning. Then give them the learning question!
2. 14;24;44: Students write in their books why the skills learnt are relevant now (change age to suit student), 10 years, then twenty years later. Next lesson: As above.
3. Give the student the learning question for the following lesson, and get them to make a list of success criteria. Next lesson: Use for checking their learning at each stage of the lesson.
4. Write up today's lesson in the style of: an autobiography, a recipe, a Top Twenty hit-list, a play-script...Give them the choice. Next lesson: Pair and share.
5. Draw a diagram of what you learnt this lesson. Next lesson: Pair & share. Feed-back on each others'.
6. Why is learning like a conker? Why is an argument text like a space rocket? Why is that character like a rocking-chair? Students write down as many reasons as they can. Next lesson: Where in the syllabus is it important to make links and connections? Where in other subjects and in life..? Then have a lesson on making comparisons between texts, poems, themes, characters, essays...

Success criteria-the "Hit List":

1. What is the success criteria for the lesson objective today? Next lesson: Pair & share, then compare to national levels or exam board assessment bands. Are students more or less ambitious? Which criteria is the same? Different?
2. Prioritise success criteria for today's learning in order of importance. Next lesson: Pair, share & compare. Do a Diamond 9 with the whole class and get them to write down their top 3 as personal targets.
3. See no 3 above.
4. Give students the learning question/ success criteria for the following lesson. They design the lesson, using the school's planning proforma. Next lesson: Pupils share lesson ideas in groups. Vote for the best lesson. Group or student teaches the lesson!

Unit 1 practice - non-fiction:

1. Invent a persona: Their age, gender, hobbies & interests, politics, income bracket, style, family & relationships. Present it as a mini-biography. This will become the addressee - the audience for a piece of persuasive writing. Next lesson: pairs swap books and do a writing task directed at that particular addressee.
2. As above, but for the addresser - the writer.
3. Write with purpose! The student chooses from a huge list of possible purposes (see previous post) and writes a short piece. The only rule is it has to be about trains( or a music festival, or a sandwich, or a holiday in Britain...) Next lesson: Books are left open on desks and pupils circulate and read each others', guessing the purpose, marking it for SSPs, adding post-its with positive comments, etc. Students return to their own book and reflect & correct.
4. SSPs and proof-reading: Students write a short piece related to the previous lesson and proof-read it for SSPs. Next lesson: Students sit in outer and inner circle. Turn to face each other. Swap books and proof-read then outer circle rotates. Repeat several times. By the end, books should be thoroughly marked and proof-read! Students reflect & correct & write personal SSPs targets.
5. Write an exam paper. Find texts, write questions, add marks awarded... Next lesson: Students swap and do each others'!

Literature texts:

1. Write 10 questions to ask a character using Bloom's taxonomy. Next lesson: Teacher/ student is hot-seated and asked the questions.
2. Make links and connections between the characters/ themes/ plot of the text and a film/book/poem of your choice. Make it as silly/ random as you wish-eg. why is Lennie like the "River God"? Why is the Inspector like Voldemort..? Next lesson: Student volunteers to give their comparison - rest of class make double bubble diagram. Leads to lesson on comparison controlled assessment (Macbeth and Animal Farm?)...
3. Research social context. Next lesson: Bull's eye diagram or quiz or add to online Glossary.
4. Add item to online Glossary. Next lesson: discussion forum linking comments with social context/ new learning.
5. Write a list of clues about a character of your choice. Next lesson: Play "Who am I?"
6. Play the "Furniture Game" with a character: If they were a food item, a piece of furniture, a weather type, a holiday destination...what would they be? Next lesson: Hot-seat a character and guess who they are; ask questions to different pupils in role, guessing their character, write a poem from the point of view of the character, using as many poetical techniques as possible...

Climate of learning:

1. What makes a successful learning environment? Students describe their "dream classroom". Next lesson: Pair & share. Prioritise, compare, make a list...
2. How can we make "listening" visible? Students make a list. Next lesson: Use to discuss and create success criteria for Speaking & Listening.
3. How can we feel "safe" giving our opinions in the classroom? Students list possible problems and solutions. Next lesson: Teach Grice's Maxims of conversation, and compare to the class list.
4. How can we stop boys/ more confident members of the class dominating group discussion? (Or any other "problem" that is threatening the climate of learning). Next lesson: Test out some of the solutions and feed back/ reflect).
5. Create a positive climate! Students prepare a short piece of writing for homework, using agreed success criteria from previous lesson. Next lesson: Homework is left on desks all around the room and outside on the landing. Students are armed with post-its and circulate, leaving smiley faces and positive comments whenever they see a student has hit the success criteria. Pupils count up how many post-its they got! (Idea stolen from primary school)

ICT: 

1. Use on-line sites such as BBC Bitesize, Sparknotes, VLE to revise a text/ paper. Next lesson: Write down 5 things they learnt.
2. Start a personal learning blog. Use the Reading Group link to write an ongoing journal tracking revision or a literature text. Next lesson: Share students' thoughts. Encourage them to read each others'.
3. Add to on-line Glossary of poets, poems, characters, books.
4. Reading for pleasure: Add a question to the reading discussion forum. Next lesson: Students join in chat-room.

Final thought:

Homework which connects naturally with the previous and following lesson is relevant, vital and motivating.

Any writing tasks which are given infrequently, out of context and without thought to the learning abilities of the pupil are irrelevant, paper-wasting and generate hours of extra mark-load for the teacher, which is out of proportion to the learning by the pupil.

Just a thought...