June...to homework or not to homework?

With the summer just around the corner, many schools will stop assigning homework and I know there are those of you who would like to continue practicing some skills with your children at home. This may be because your child is thriving and you want them to continue being challenged or it could be because your child is struggling in a specific area and you want to ensure that they continue making progress. Either way, if you are able, I would recommend keeping that evening routine of doing some academic work until the end of the school year. 

Two points to clarify before we go on: 

• This post is not meant to put extra pressure on parents during an already very busy month. It’s simply meant to give you some options if you are looking for extra resources after teacher-mandated homework has finished :) 

• Mental health comes first and if you feel like your child needs a break from homework in June, you know your child best, so go with your gut!  

Reading and writing are two areas that I would recommend focusing on if you do choose to continue homework in June. Feel free to check out my previous blog post, Take back your coffee time (and help your child improve their French), for some great websites that will help your child practice their reading and listening skills in French. These sites are the kind where you can set your child up and then take 15-minutes for yourself in silence. I even included tips on how to prevent interruptions. 

If you’re looking for suggestions to get your child writing, I’ve included several suggestions below, based on grade levels: 

Kindergarten:

Since students are not typically writing independently by the end of Kindergarten, having them fill in one word to complete the sentence is a way to reinforce the writing structure in a way that is developmentally appropriate. Brainstorm with your child to generate several ideas for words that could complete the sentence. From there, depending on where your child is you can have them sound out the word or you can write the word and have them copy it. Drawing a picture is a great extension of this activity. Here are some examples: 

 

En été, j’aime manger ___________.

In the summer, I like to eat ______________.

J’aime jouer avec _________.

I like to play with __________.

Les tigres sont ___________.

Tigers are ___________.

Mon ami(e) s’appelle ______________.

My friend’s name is _____________.

Les arbres sont __________.

Trees are ____________.

J’aime aller ___________.

I like to go to __________.

Grade 1-2: 

Depending on where your child is, feel free to have them complete the sentence, as outlined above, or you can use a prompt that allows them to write several sentences to continue the thought. For example:

5 choses que je veux faire l’année prochaine:

5 things that I’d like to do next year:  

Si je pouvais créer mon propre animal… 

If I could create my own animal…

Quand je serai grande, j’aimerais être...

When I grow up, I’d like to be…

5 choses que j’ai apprises en ___année…

5 things I learned in grade ___…

Comment faire une pizza en 5 étapes…

How to make a pizza in 5 steps…

Grades 3-6: 

In grades 3-6 you’ll want to focus on the writing process and helping your child use good sentence structure. For guidelines on that, have a look at this 4-minute youtube video. Here are some suggestions of prompts you can use to help your child get motivated to write. 

Imagine qu’on est 2030. Où habites-tu? Où travailles-tu? Qui habite avec toi?  Explique un peu à propos de ta vie. 

Imagine that it’s 2030. Where are you living? Where are you working? Who will live in your house with you? Explain a little about your life. 

Créez une histoire avec les personnages suivants: un homme, une femme, un dragon et une princesse. Create a story with the following characters: a man, a woman, a dragon and a princess. 

Est-ce que c’est important d’aller à l'école, selon toi? Pourquoi ou pourquoi pas? In your opinion, is it important to go to school? Why or why not? 

Best of luck with the last month of the school year, parents and students! This has been a strange year, but we’re in the final stretch. 

Mme Michelle is an Instructional Resource Teacher in St. John’s, Newfoundland and is passionate about helping students with diverse needs thrive at school and in the real world. She started French For Life in 2012 with the goal of helping French Immersion students get the support they need to become bilingual, despite academic challenges. Interested in learning more about French For Life virtual or in-person tutoring? Contact info@frenchforlife.com.