If you're the parent of a 6th grader headed for RSM Intermediate, you might want to know what next year's assignment schedule will look like. My advice: prepare for war. Here's an inside view of the biggest challenges facing our 7th grader, right now, during the last 18 days of the 2013-14 school year. To see the final data revealing just how many hours of homework are involved, feel free to scroll to the bottom. But..I must warn you...before you see the numbers, I would suggest having an asprin and a cookie ready. You're going to need them.
Day-by-Day Schedule
June 5 English: Begin study of the historical fiction novel, The Clay Marble. The novel revolves around the story of a family in a Cambodian refugee camp formed after Pol Pot's genocide. The teacher began reading the novel aloud in class; no hard copy is available for the students. Homework based upon the novel must presumably be completed from memory or from copious notes taken in class (plus wild guessing on the page numbers for citations.)
Parents: Open a pint of Ben & Jerry's, then click here to view the packet...
Yup, I checked:
- Barnes and Noble does not have "The Clay Marble" in stock
- The local library does not have a copy (or any other libraries in towns with names I recognize)
- There is no Kindle or e-version available for download.
Monday
June 9 English: Research the Vietnam War online (no website in particular), type ten facts using Google Docs and have submitted online by today. Personal note: photos of the Vietnam war on Wikipedia are gruesome.
Wednesday
June 11 English: Quiz covering Chapters 1 - 5
Friday
June 13 English: Vocabulary test
June 13 Pre-Algebra: Ch 11 test
June 13 History: Online social media discussion and comments due, covering a series of questions on the topic: "Tension between Catholics and Protestants Over Last Supper Room." (As of Sunday, June 8, the students to not yet have a copy of the article to be debated.) [3 discussion questions + 1 required response to another student =
(4 short answers x 20 minutes) + 20 minutes' reading = 100 minutes of homework = 1 hour, 40 minutes]
Monday
June 16 Pre-Algebra: Math presentation due (5% of entire grade)
June 16 History: Aztec/Inca Project due
Tuesday
June 17 English: Quiz covering Chapters 6 - 10
Friday
June 20 English: 8 essays due (Dialectical Journals) [8 Essays x 30 minutes each = 4 hours of homework]
Tuesday
June 24 English: "Clay Marble Packet" due. The "Packet" is the 16 pages of instructions mentioned above. It requires:
12 essays, 1/2 page each
06 bullet point paragraph "notes"
06 cause & effect short answers
118 written short answers to "study questions" (complete sentences)
16 character traits detailed in a chart (4 characters x 4 traits each: Feelings, Actions, Quotes, Reactions to others)
*Assuming each question (essays included) takes no more than 15 minutes to research and write, this adds up to:
15 minutes x 158 essays/short answers = 2,370 minutes
2,370 minutes = 39.5 hours of homework
*Warning: Each question might not take 15 minutes. No one has a hard copy of the book, so the assignment adds up to roughly 158 ghost stories. Add or subtract time accordingly...
June 24 English: Final Exam
Wednesday
June 25 Pre-Algebra: Final Exam
June 24 or 25 (to be announced) Science: Final Exam (Tuesday or Wednesday)
June 24 or 25 (to be announced) History: Final Exam (Tuesday or Wednesday)
Do or Die! The Raw Statistics... Here's a look at the homework time data for the next 18 days, including assumptions and estimates of error. Now would be a good time to open another pint of Ben & Jerry's...
English:
1.5 hrs Vietnam assignment
4.0 hrs Dialectic journal writing
39.5 hrs "Clay Marble" packet
1.0 hrs Test prep for quiz covering chapters 1-5
1.0 hrs Test prep for Vocabulary test
1.0 hrs Test prep for quiz covering chapters 6-10
2.0 hrs Test prep for Final Exam (end of the year)
English subtotal: 54 hours
(Error bar estimate, +/-5 hrs)
History:
1.5 hrs Social Media Discussion
2.0 hrs Preparation, Aztec/Inca Project
2.0 hrs Test Prep, Final Exam (end of the year)
History subtotal: 5.5 hours
(Error bar estimate, +/-1 hr)
Pre-Algebra
7.0 hrs Textbook assignments & YouTube videos, combined (9 individual assignments to hand in)
1.0 hrs Test prep; Chapter 11 Test
2.0 hrs Presentation prep
2.0 hrs Test prep; Final Exam (end of the year)
Math subtotal: 11 hours
(Error bar estimate, +/-2 hrs)
Science
1.0 hrs Test prep; Final Exam (end of the year)
Science subtotal: 1 hour
(Error bar estimate, +/-2 hrs)
Elective and P.E.
0 hrs
(Error bar estimate, +2 hrs)
Total = English (75.5%) + History (7.7%) + Pre-Algebra (15.4%) + Science (1.4%) + Elective/PE (0%)
Total = 54 hrs + 5.5 hrs + 11 hrs + 1 hrs + 0
= 71.5 (+12/-10) hours of homework / 18 days
7th Grade Homework = 4 hours per day*, 7 days a week
(+.67/-.56) Error means as much as 4.6 hours/day, or as little as 3.41 hours/day
*Rounded from 3.97
Reality check
According to the RSM Intermediate website, students should set aside 1-2 hours per day for homework, though long term assignments may require more. To view the Assistant Principal's homework time estimate, click here: Mr. Bajorek's Information Zone. It's...amusing.
No comments:
Post a Comment