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Khan Academy Blog

Making Homework Easier: Tips and Tools for Parents 

posted on September 20, 2023

By Stephanie Yamkovenko , group manager of Khan Academy’s Digital Marketing Team.

Homework can present challenges for parents and children alike. You naturally want to provide support for your child’s learning journey and ensure they are reaching their full potential. In this blog post, we will delve into practical strategies to assist your child with their homework. From fostering understanding and offering encouragement to breaking down tasks and implementing rewards, we will explore a variety of effective approaches to help your child achieve academic success.

Step 1: Set Up Your Child for Success

Your child’s study environment can have a significant impact on their homework performance. Create a space that is free from distractions like the television, smartphones, or noisy siblings. The study space should be comfortable, well lit, and have all the necessary materials your child might need, such as pens, papers, and textbooks. If your child’s workspace is noisy or uncomfortable, they may have difficulty focusing on their homework, resulting in lower productivity. 

For example, if you live in a small apartment, consider setting up a designated corner with a small desk or table where your child can focus on their work. You can use dividers or screens to create a sense of privacy and minimize distractions.

If the only place to do homework is in the dining room or kitchen, try to establish a routine where the area is cleared and organized before study time. This can help signal to your child that it’s time to concentrate and be productive.

Remember, it’s important to adapt to your specific circumstances and make the best of the available space. The key is to create a dedicated study area that promotes focus and minimizes interruptions regardless of the size or location of your home.

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Step 2: make it fun.

It’s important to make homework fun and engaging for your child. Here are some examples of how you can do it:

• Use games : Incorporate educational games like card games, board games, or puzzles that align with the subject your child is learning. For instance, use Scrabble to practice spelling or Sudoku to enhance problem-solving skills.
• Turn it into a challenge : Create a friendly competition between siblings or friends by setting goals or time limits for completing assignments. Offer small rewards or incentives for accomplishing tasks.
• Make it interactive : Use hands-on activities or experiments to reinforce concepts learned in class. For science or math, conduct simple experiments at home or use manipulatives like blocks or counters to visualize abstract concepts.
• Use technology : Explore online educational platforms or apps that offer interactive learning experiences. There are various educational games, virtual simulations, and videos available that can make homework more enjoyable.
• Incorporate creativity : Encourage your child to express their understanding through art, storytelling, or multimedia presentations. For example, they can create a comic strip to summarize a story or make a short video to explain a concept.

Remember, by making homework enjoyable, you can help your child develop a positive attitude towards learning.

Step 3: Use Rewards

Rewards can be a powerful motivational tool for children. Offering positive reinforcement can encourage them to complete their homework on time and to the best of their ability. 

Here are some examples of rewards our team has used with their children:

• Extra screen time: “I use Apple parental controls to add screen time on their iPad.”
• Access to a favorite toy: “My eight year old has a drum kit, which drives us all up the wall. (Thanks, Grandma!) But when they’ve been doing a lot of school work, we put on headphones and let him go nuts.”
• Praise for a job well done: “Specific, measurable praise is what works best.” 
• Trip to the park: “A trip to the park is good for everyone, especially for the kids to run around with the doggos.”
• Movie night: “I know every word and song lyric in Moana ; we now reserve showings for good behavior.” 
• Stickers or stamps: “Gold stars were such a thing growing up in the 80s; turns out they still work.”
• Stay up a little later: “An extra 30 minutes feels like a whole day for my young ones; use this reward with caution as it can become the expectation!”

So, celebrate your child’s efforts and encourage them to continue doing their best.

Step 4: Break Down Difficult Tasks

When facing daunting homework assignments, follow these step-by-step instructions to break down the tasks into smaller, manageable chunks:

• Understand the requirements and scope of the task.
• Break down the assignment into individual tasks or sub-tasks.  
• Splitting the middle term
• Using formula
• Using Quadratic formula
• Using algebraic identities
• Determine the order in which tasks should be completed based on importance or difficulty. 
• Start with the easiest task. Begin with the task that seems the least challenging or time-consuming.
• Progress to more challenging tasks: Once the easier tasks are completed, move on to more difficult ones.
• Take breaks: Schedule short breaks between tasks to avoid burnout and maintain focus.
• Check completed tasks for accuracy and make any necessary revisions.
• Finish the remaining task(s) with the same approach.
• Celebrate small achievements to boost confidence and keep motivation high.

By following these steps, you can make daunting homework assignments more manageable and less overwhelming for your child.

Step 5: Get Targeted Help

If your child is struggling with homework, it might be worth considering seeking personalized assistance. You have the option to search for professional tutors or explore online tutoring platforms, such as Khan Academy’s AI tutor, Khanmigo .

This AI tutor can offer personalized guidance and support tailored to your child’s specific needs, helping them grasp complex concepts and practice essential skills. Incorporating this approach can effectively complement your child’s learning and enhance their homework performance.

Enhance your child’s learning and boost homework performance!

Homework can be a challenge for both parents and children. But with the right approach, you can help your child overcome difficulties and support their learning. Encourage and understand your child, create a comfortable environment, break down difficult tasks, use rewards, get professional help when needed, and make it fun. With these tips and techniques, you can help your child achieve success, develop a love for learning, and achieve academic excellence. Remember that each child learns differently, so it’s essential to adjust your approach to meet their unique needs.

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For learners     For teachers     For parents

• My Parents Essay

500 Words Essay On My Parents

We entered this world because of our parents. It is our parents who have given us life and we must learn to be pleased with it. I am grateful to my parents for everything they do for me. Through my parents essay, I wish to convey how valuable they are to me and how much I respect and admire them.

My Strength My Parents Essay

My parents are my strength who support me at every stage of life. I cannot imagine my life without them. My parents are like a guiding light who take me to the right path whenever I get lost.

My mother is a homemaker and she is the strongest woman I know. She helps me with my work and feeds me delicious foods . She was a teacher but left the job to take care of her children.

My mother makes many sacrifices for us that we are not even aware of. She always takes care of us and puts us before herself. She never wakes up late. Moreover, she is like a glue that binds us together as a family.

Parents are the strength and support system of their children. They carry with them so many responsibilities yet they never show it. We must be thankful to have parents in our lives as not everyone is lucky to have them.

Get the huge list of more than 500 Essay Topics and Ideas

While my mother is always working at home, my father is the one who works outside. He is a kind human who always helps out my mother whenever he can. He is a loving man who helps out the needy too.

My father is a social person who interacts with our neighbours too. Moreover, he is an expert at maintaining his relationship with our relatives. My father works as a businessman and does a lot of hard work.

Even though he is a busy man, he always finds time for us. We spend our off days going to picnics or dinners. I admire my father for doing so much for us without any complaints.

He is a popular man in society as he is always there to help others. Whoever asks for his help, my father always helps them out. Therefore, he is a well-known man and a loving father whom I look up to.

Conclusion of My Parents Essay

I love both my parents with all my heart. They are kind people who have taught their children to be the same. Moreover, even when they have arguments, they always make up without letting it affect us. I aspire to become like my parents and achieve success in life with their blessings.

FAQ of My Parents Essay

Question 1: Why parents are important in our life?

Answer 1: Parents are the most precious gifts anyone can get. However, as not everyone has them, we must consider ourselves lucky if we do. They are the strength and support system of children and help them out always. Moreover, the parents train the children to overcome challenges and make the best decision for us.

Question 2: What do parents mean to us?

Answer 2: Parents mean different things to different people. To most of us, they are our source of happiness and protection. They are the ones who are the closest to us and understand our needs without having to say them out loud. Similarly, they love us unconditionally for who we are without any ifs and buts.

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15 Brilliant Examples of Teacher Introduction Letters to Parents

Get ready for the new school year!

A new school year is about to begin. Are you ready? One of the best ways to get back into the groove is to write your teacher introduction letter to parents. This is a great time to reflect on previous years while setting an intention for the year ahead. Take time to curate the message you want to send, but don’t stress over it. We’ve put together some tips and examples to help you get started.

Tips for Writing a Teacher Introduction Letter to Parents

Make a friendly introduction.

Set the tone for your letter (and the school year!) by using a warm and friendly voice to introduce yourself to parents and students. Personalize this section by including the student’s name and class information. This is also helpful for parents who may have more than one child at the school.

Give them your background

Take a moment to highlight your education, experience, and skills to give them a better idea of your professional background and qualifications. Be sure to share any special training or certifications you’ve received as well as any goals you’ve set for the year.

Tell them why you are a teacher

There are many reasons why parents might find it harder and harder to leave their children in a classroom. Showcase your passion, teaching philosophy , and love for being a teacher, and let them know you are open and available to discuss any of their concerns during the school year.

Teacher Introduction Letter to Parents Examples

1. put preschoolers at ease.

Starting school for the first time can be intimidating. Welcoming preschoolers to an adventure can help reframe the experience and make it more exciting.

2. Build relationships with parents

Use your teacher introduction letter to parents to let them know that you want to be a team. Build a rapport and encourage them to share all of the things they love about their child.

3. Show them who you are

It’s important to give parents important information about your educational and professional background, but you can also use this space to share some personal details to help them get to know you better.

4. Ask parents for an introduction letter

While it’s essential to send out teacher introduction letters, why not ask for one in return? Invite parents to share anything and everything they want you to know at the beginning of the school year so you can get on the same page.

5. Make it a family affair

Let parents know that they are part of an extended family based in your classroom. Welcome them to be involved, set “family rules,” and make it clear that they have a seat at the table.

6. Provide class information

With your teacher introduction letter, consider including a one-sheet reference of important information about things like classroom rules, communication, volunteering, and the class website.

7. Share your family

Consider including a personal image of your family in your letter at the beginning of the year. Whether it’s you and your partner, your kids, or fur babies, this can help you make an immediate connection with parents.

8. Make a checklist

After the long summer break, back to school can be a stressful time. Help students and their families stay on track by including a helpful checklist with your teacher introduction letter.

9. Go high-tech

Want to take your efforts to the next level? Add a QR code that parents can scan. This will open a recording of you reading the letter to your students!

10. Keep it simple

Don’t want to get overly personal or technical? That’s OK! You can still write a great teacher introduction letter that gives students and parents the information they need while respecting your privacy.

11. Speak in code

Here’s another example of a customizable letter using technology to offer additional information without having to overstuff your letter or print out unnecessary pages. The QR code keeps things sleek and simple.

12. Stick to basics

In some situations, less is more. If you want to keep your teacher introduction letter to parents short, this customizable minimalist design might be perfect for you.

13. Space out

This fun teacher introduction letter template is easy to personalize and has just enough space (no pun intended) for the essentials. You can easily add more information or keep it short and sweet.

14. Go retro

This groovy design has a retro feel and a clean design. The bullets are a great way to share a lot of information without cluttering up your letter.

15. Block it off

We love the blocks used in this editable teacher introduction letter to parents. It looks clean and tidy, but the colors keep it fun and fresh.

Do you have more great teacher introduction letter examples? Share in the comments below!

Plus, check out these end-of-year letter examples ., want more articles like this be sure to subscribe to our newsletters .

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40 Top Parenting Tips for Navigating Homework Challenges

Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge

• October 6, 2023

Navigating the intricacies of homework assignments can often feel like a maze for both parents and children alike . As someone deeply involved in child development and having worked closely with many educators, I've gathered a wealth of insights into establishing a solid homework routine. 

This article is a compilation of those tried-and-tested homework tips, aimed to ease challenges and enhance productivity. Whether you're looking to foster a deeper connection with your child's teacher or seeking effective strategies to prioritize tasks, I'm here to guide you.

Homework Tips for Parents: Break the Stress and Boost Learning Hacks from a Children’s Psychologist

Homework tip: setting up the environment.

• Establish a Routine: Set a specific time and place for homework to create consistency and predictability.
• Routine Consistency: Keep the routine consistent, even on weekends, so the child knows what to expect.
• Provide a Quiet Space: Ensure your child has a quiet, well-lit, and comfortable place to work, free from distractions. 
• Limit Distractions: Keep TVs, mobile phones, and other distracting electronics off during homework time.
• Limit Overall Stimuli: A clutter-free workspace can reduce distractions. Try to minimize items on their workspace that they might fidget with or get distracted by.
• Stay Organized: Use planners, calendars, or apps to keep track of assignment due dates.
• Equip the Space: Stock the homework area with essential supplies such as pencils, paper, erasers, and rulers

Homework Tip: Instruction Support

• Clear and Concise Instructions: Ensure instructions are short and to the point. Use visuals and watch for body language signals that show understanding.

• Break Tasks Into Manageable Chunks : If an assignment is extensive, break it down into smaller steps to make it more manageable.
• Chunking Information: Divide information into smaller, more digestible chunks. This can make the work seem more manageable.
• Set Time Limits: Use a timer to allocate specific amounts of time for each task, helping children stay on track.
• Timers: Use a visual timer, so they can see how much time they have left to work. This can make the passage of time more tangible.
• Teach Time Management: Help them prioritize their tasks, tackling more challenging or urgent assignments first.
• Stay Involved: Regularly check in with your child about their assignments and progress, offering guidance when needed.
• Interactive Tools: Consider using interactive educational tools or apps that can make learning more engaging for them.
• Ask Them To Explain What The Task Is: Gage what your child understands before they start the task. This will help set them in the right direction and give you a sense of what they know.

Homework Tip: Brain Hacks

• Physical Activity: Encourage short bursts of physical activity during breaks, like jumping jacks or a quick walk around the block. Physical activity can help increase attention span.
• Encourage Breaks: For longer homework sessions, ensure kids take short breaks to rest their minds and bodies.
• Offer Healthy Snacks : Brain-boosting snacks can help maintain energy and focus during study time. Fizzy drinks such as a seltzer-magnesium drink can stimulate and calm the brain.
• Shorter Work Periods: Divide homework time into shorter, more frequent sessions. For instance, instead of a continuous 30-minute session, try three 10-minute sessions with short breaks in between.
• Visual Schedules: Use visual aids like charts or diagrams to outline the tasks that need completion. This can help them understand what's expected and track their progress.
• Tactile Tools: For some children, using tactile tools like stress balls or fidget toys can help them channel their extra energy and maintain focus.

• Background Music: Some children focus better with low-volume, non-distracting background music or white noise. But others are stressed by it , so play around and do what works best for them (not you!). 
• Color Coding: Use colors to categorize and prioritize tasks. This can help visually differentiate and organize their work.
• Mindfulness and Relaxation Techniques: Mindfulness techniques like deep breathing, visualization, or even short meditation sessions can help center their attention.

Homework Tip: Monitoring, Communication and Positive Reinforcement

• Stay Positive : In your own mindset. Focus on the effort and improvements, not just the end result. Praise hard work and resilience.
• Encourage Independence Over Time: While it's essential to offer support, allow kids to complete assignments on their own as they build skills before you check the work. This fosters responsibility and self-reliance.
• Be Available for Questions: Make sure your child knows they can come to you if they have questions or need clarification on a topic.
• Connect Learning to Real Life: Help your child see the real-world applications of what they're learning to make it more engaging.
• Review Completed Assignments: Go over finished homework to ensure understanding and check for errors, but avoid doing the work for them.
• Explain Consequences and Establish Rewards: Positive reinforcement can motivate your child. Consider rewards for consistent homework completion.
• Encourage a Growth Mindset: Teach your child to see challenges as opportunities for growth. Emphasize the value of persistence and learning from mistakes. Talk to kids about how regular practice builds skills even when the learning is hard!
• Positive Reinforcement: Reinforce positive behavior immediately. If they've focused well for a short span, reward that effort to encourage repetition of the desired behavior.
• Active Participation: Encourage them to engage actively with their work, such as reading aloud or teaching the content back to you. This can reinforce their understanding and attention.
• Regular Check-ins: Check in more frequently during their homework sessions, offering guidance, encouraging movement to support brain alertness.
• Immediate Feedback: Give immediate feedback on their work. This keeps them engaged and lets them know they're on the right track.
• Open Communication: Ensure your child feels comfortable discussing their challenges with you. Sometimes, they might have insights into what might help them focus better.

Long Game Parent Homework Tips

• Stay Informed: If your child has a diagnosed attention disorder, like ADHD, stay updated with the latest strategies and recommendations specific to their needs. You can join our CALM Brain Parenting Community for science-backed solutions to support attention and learning. 
• Stay in Touch with Teachers: Regular communication with educators can give insights into how your child is doing and where they might need additional help. They may benefit from school accommodations or more formal IEP support .
• Seek External Support: If focus issues persist, consider seeking help from a tutor, educational therapist, or counselor familiar with attention challenges.

Reflecting on these pivotal parent homework tips, it becomes evident that with the right strategies, we can turn potential struggles into stepping stones for success. By instilling a consistent homework routine and maintaining open communication with your child, we're setting the stage for academic achievements. 

Each child is a unique individual, and it's crucial to discover what resonates best with them during homework time. It is also important to look for root causes better and better understand why your child is struggling . 

With these tools at your disposal, I'm confident in your ability to lead your child through the myriad tasks and challenges that lie ahead. Together, let's make every homework session a journey of growth and discovery and tamp down frustration!

Always remember… “Calm Brain, Happy Family™”

Disclaimer: This article is not intended to give health advice and it is recommended to consult with a physician before beginning any new wellness regime. *The effectiveness of diagnosis and treatment vary by patient and condition. Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, LLC does not guarantee certain results.

Are you looking for SOLUTIONS for your struggling child or teen? 

Dr. Roseann and her team are all about science-backed solutions, so you are in the right place!

Grab your complimentary copy of 147 Therapist-Endorsed Self-Regulation Strategies for Children: A Practical Guide for Parents

You can get her books for parents and professionals, including: It’s Gonna Be OK™: Proven Ways to Improve Your Child’s Mental Health , Teletherapy Toolkit™ and Brain Under Attack: A Resource For Parents and Caregivers of Children With PANS, PANDAS, and Autoimmune Encephalopathy.

If you are a business or organization that needs proactive guidance to support employee mental health or an organization looking for a brand representative, check out Dr. Roseann’s professional speaking page to see how we can work together.

Dr. Roseann is a Children’s Mental Health Expert and Therapist who has been featured in/on hundreds of  media outlets including, CBS, NBC, FOX News, PIX11 NYC, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Business Insider, USA Today, CNET, Marth Stewart, and PARENTS. FORBES called her, “A thought leader in children’s mental health.” 

She is the founder and director of The Global Institute of Children’s Mental Health and Dr. Roseann Capanna-Hodge, LLC. Dr. Roseann is a Board Certified Neurofeedback (BCN) Practitioner, a Board Member of the Northeast Region Biofeedback Society (NRBS), Certified Integrative Mental Health Professional (CIMHP) and an Amen Clinic Certified Brain Health Coach.  She is also a member of The International Lyme Disease and Associated Disease Society (ILADS), The American Psychological Association (APA), Anxiety and Depression Association of America (ADAA) National Association of School Psychologists (NASP), International OCD Foundation (IOCDF) International Society for Neurofeedback and Research (ISNR) and The Association of Applied Psychophysiology and Biofeedback (AAPB).

© Roseann-Capanna-Hodge, LLC 2023

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Dear teachers: Stop emailing my parents for every assignment I CHOOSE not to do!!! It makes the situation so much worse

There are literally people dying and families going bankrupt amidst this fucking pandemic and you are mad that I'm not doing your worksheet on analyzing similes??? I hate they bring up the "tHis Is An A.P clAsS" bullshit like even if I get a fucking 6 on the AP Test, my college isn't going to give me any credit so SIT YOUR ASS DOWN.

Also telling my whack-ass Asian parents anything along the lines of "your student is not demonstrating enough engagement with a college-level class" will make them burst into my room at 11PM and proceed to scream at me and beat my ass because if it's from a teacher then ooooOOOHHH it MUST be true and I must be a lazy and ungrateful daughter who doesn't understand the sacrifices her parents made when they immigrated to the US!!11!1!! As much as I love to hear stories of parents sticking up for their kids and allowing them to actually RELAX because, ya know, their kids missed out on huge things like GRADUATION, there are parents out there who are fucking crazy and dramatic and will take everything out of proportion. If you REALLY need to get through to me, you can fucking email ME!!!!! I think ~I~ can provide a better explanation than my parents..............

My blood pressure is currently through the fucking roof. I'm FUMING because my parents have gotten 2 emails from teachers being so passive aggressive and declaring I'm not "doing any work" when I just have elected to do SOME of the work AND I'm literally one (1) out of three (3) audience members that show up for their Zoom calls deadass....like you're lucky I even bother to see your balding ugly ass face. In all 4 years of my high school career I have NEVER missed an assignment or gotten a 0 in my gradebook......I think I'm allowed to slack off......

MOREOVER my school implemented a policy where your grade cannot drop!! Literally if I don't do any fucking work my grade will still remain at its 94.7% Mr. [Teacher's Name]!!!!!!!! There's literally no consequence for me!!!!! SO WHY YOU SO PRESSED?!?!?!

But of course , please do go out of your way and personally contact my parents and let them know how disappointed you are that I'm not participating as much as I used to! Wow! It's like........there's a virus going around that killing hundreds of thousands of people around the world and families are losing their jobs!!!

Just cry me a river, build a fucking bridge, and GET OVER IT !!

I'm so sorry this is so long but I'm literally losing my mind in quarantine and I hate being stuck with my parents all the time and teachers being all up in my business is making me so pissed like DAMN I don't email you when you haven't graded our essay in two fucking months huh!!!!!

Edit: the amount of ignorance in my comments is astounding. Telling me to "just chill" or "just do the assignments" is completely missing the mark. The point is make teachers understand that you have to be careful about sending negative information to parents. Don't sound passive aggressive, don't use half-truths to make yourself seem better, and offer to talk more with the parent so that both sides have a mutual understanding. Teachers have seemed to completely forget that during this quarantine, there are children locked in abusive households with parents who will beat them over the smallest things--children like me . And especially with high school seniors (mostly all adults), you can email them FIRST instead of risking their relationship with their parent.

Edit 2: holy shit i got an award??? thank u so much 😭

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The Last Parent Handbook You’ll Need for Your Preschool (Free Templates)

A preschool parent handbook lays the foundation for effective family and staff communication. Check out these free editable templates for more ideas on what to include in your parent handbook.

• brightwheel
• Family engagement
• The Last Parent Handbook You’ll Need for Your Preschool

Effective communication with families is key to ensuring a smooth and successful partnership in supporting children's early development. A parent handbook serves as a vital tool in establishing clear expectations, policies, and procedures for both families and staff members.

Whether you're in the process of creating a new parent handbook or looking to improve your existing one, this article will provide you with valuable insights and tips to ensure that your parent handbook becomes an invaluable resource for both your preschool and the families you serve.

What to add to your preschool parent handbook

Every preschool parent handbook will have its differences; however, each one will include a significant amount of important information about your program that is helpful for families to know. Start by making it easy to follow and use for reference—for both you and your families—by including a table of contents section at the beginning. 

While the length of these handbooks will vary by program, be thorough and include all policies and procedures, for example, your childcare philosophy, enrollment policies, sign-in procedures, health and safety regulations, emergency procedures, billing policies, and more. As time goes on, you may incorporate new policies or make changes at the start of each school year. Update your handbook whenever you revise any policies or add any new ones, and notify your families of the changes as they happen.

Simplify your administrative tasks and streamline your operations with brightwheel's center management feature . Easily distribute handbooks or policies to specific rooms or your entire program and tailor reports, schedules, and observations to suit your business needs. 

Below, we discuss the sections to include in your preschool parent handbook.

1. Introduction and welcome

2. childcare and teaching philosophies, 3. operating information, 4. enrollment, waitlist, and withdrawing policies, 5. sign-in and pick-up procedures, 6. sample daily schedule, 7. meals, snacks, and additional supplies, 8. sick days and schedule interruptions, 9. special classroom activity rules, 10. codes of conduct and discipline procedures, 11. health and safety regulations, 12. emergency procedures.

• 13. Parent conferences and communications

14. Billing policies

15. forms to return, 16. acknowledgment and signature.

Begin with a welcome to families. This section is a great way to stress your commitment to the community and your excitement about what is to come. 

Keep this first section short and sweet, but craft it with care. The introduction sets the tone for your center's relationship with families.

Every childcare program has its approach to teaching and early childhood education . Laying out your approach will give families a good idea of what to expect. Share about your curriculum design and how families will learn about their child’s development. 

For example, will you focus on academic skills? Are you using a  play-based learning approach? This information will help families contextualize what their child learns daily and how their teachers approach learning opportunities and development benchmarks.

Be sure to use language that parents can understand. While you and your staff understand lesson planning and the intricacies of conflict management for three-year-olds, parents may not. One way to approach this section is to detail the specific outcomes you aim for at your childcare program and the best ways to get there.

This section is an essential reference for parents and staff alike. Include facility hours, care schedules, a calendar, start and end dates, half days, and holiday policies. It's important for parents to know which days they can expect care and which days your center is closed. If you send parents a digital handbook, make the calendar page in a format that is easy to print.

In addition to a calendar , include all of the contact information for your center including phone number(s), email(s), website, child care app(s), and physical address.

Even if your preschool parent handbook is made available only to registered families, include your enrollment information. Parents may want to reference it to re-enroll their children or to refer another family. Include program costs and eligibility requirements for enrollment.

Include information on your waiting list process so that returning families know, for example, whether certain groups, like siblings, get preference for spots or whether there are early-enrollment windows. Be transparent about when families can expect to hear back from you and how long typical waiting lists are. 

With tool like brightwheel's enrollment feature , you can make enrollment easier for your families and your center. You can accept online applications and manage your admissions digitally and use waitlists to automatically admit new children to your program. 

And because families' best-laid plans can change, ensure your handbook includes withdrawal information. For example, how can parents notify you if they have to move? How far in advance is best? Are families penalized for withdrawing a child? Although withdrawals may be infrequent, laying out this information can make ending a care agreement smoother because everyone knows the proper procedure.

Laying out your sign-in and sign-out procedures  will help make families—especially new families—feel safe and confident. Knowing how everything is supposed to run means parents can prepare their child for the process before they step through your doors.

Don't forget to include information about late and early arrivals and departures. Do you use digital check-in software ? How does it work? This is also the time to outline your policies on non-parent/guardian pick-ups.

A well-defined daily schedule provides parents with a clear understanding of the structure and routine of their child's day at your childcare center. By outlining specific activities, meal times, nap times, and other important events, parents can have a better sense of what to expect and can prepare their child accordingly.

This consistency helps children feel secure and comfortable in the childcare environment, leading to smoother transitions and reduced anxiety.

This comprehensive section covers detailed information about the meals and snacks you provide at your center and any additional supplies that families need to provide.

By outlining the types of meals and snacks offered, ingredients used, portion sizes, and any dietary considerations, such as allergies or restrictions, you can assure parents that their child's nutritional needs are being met.

In addition to meals and snacks, childcare providers often require parents to provide certain supplies for their child's daily needs. Including a clear list of these requirements in your parent handbook ensures that parents are well-prepared and can provide the necessary items without confusion or last-minute rushes. This may include items such as spare clothes, diapers, wipes, bottles, or specific comfort items like blankets or pacifiers.

Clear communication regarding supply requirements sets expectations from the start and allows parents to plan and organize accordingly.

This section can outline your daycare sick policy and your protocol for contacting parents and emergency contacts if a child needs to go home. It's important for families to understand when to keep their child at home and what criteria they must meet to be allowed back to your center. For example, your policy may state that if a child has a temperature above 100° F they must remain at home. Also, include how parents can notify you that their child will not be coming in.

Aside from sick days, include information on your policies regarding weather-related schedule interruptions, such as snow days or flood warnings. How will parents be notified? Include information on half-day or early pick-up procedures, if applicable.

Here is a chance for you to outline any rules about special classroom activities, such as birthday parties or holiday celebrations. For example, can parents bring in treats?

Another activity to cover is field trips . Do you have any trips on the calendar? What are the guidelines, including parent permissions? What happens if a parent doesn't give their child permission?

Sharing your codes of conduct with families sets the expectation for how your childcare community members treat one another. By articulating your position, everyone comes in with the same understanding of mutual respect. Outline how you expect teachers to behave toward children and families and children to behave toward teachers and other children. In addition, include how families are expected to behave towards administration, staff, and other families. 

In addition, outline any disciplinary procedures for children, families, and staff. While this may be an uncomfortable topic, it's important for your community to know how you will handle a behavioral issue involving a teacher, a parent, or a child. Include information on how parents can expect to be notified of any incidents.

Provide all necessary information about health and safety at your childcare center. Include how you comply with state regulations, such as child-to-staff ratios or outdoor playtime, and where parents can check your certifications. If any group accredits you outside a state agency, put that information here.

In addition, include information on your medication policies and procedures. Do you dispense medication at your center? Do you have a required form for parents to fill out? Do you require a physician’s authorization? 

Detail your emergency procedures here, whether it is a weather alert or an accident. Be sure to give information on where your emergency meeting points are if your childcare building is damaged, and be clear about who will contact parents and how they will receive information and updates.

This section is also a good place to outline information on how parents of children with medical conditions, such as severe allergies, can work with teachers to create an emergency plan.

In this section, remain factual. The likelihood of an actual emergency happening at your childcare center is not high, and chances are that your time together will be relatively uneventful. 

13. Parent conferences and communication

While your handbook will cover specific cases where parents will be notified or need to contact you, it is worth including a section on general parent communication since your center will connect with parents far more than in the few ways outlined above.

In this section, include the following:

• How often do you expect to meet with parents throughout the year, and when?
• What is covered in a parent-teacher conference , and how can parents prepare?
• How can parents expect to hear routine updates from you? Do you have an app you use daily, or a weekly newsletter , for example?
• How can families get involved to support your program? 
• Are parents/guardians able to visit during school hours? 
• How can parents contact you with a non-emergency question, comment, or concern?
• How can parents change or update a child's basic information, such as address? Do you have an online system they can log into, or do they need to fill out a form?

Family and staff communication is needed to run a childcare center successfully. Setting the basics in your preschool parent handbook is an excellent way to facilitate that communication.

Your preschool parent handbook will be an exhaustive resource for parents to consult regarding your billing and payment policy . Include the following:

• Your pay structure 
• Payment due dates 
• Late payment policies 
• Accepted forms of payment  (e.g., by check or autopay)
• Any additional charges parents can expect throughout the year  (e.g., for field trips or holiday parties)
• How sick days, holidays, and other schedule interruptions affect billing and payments

Your childcare center is a business; detailing your billing policies will help it run more smoothly. Families will also appreciate having all the information laid out so they can avoid surprises and be prepared when bills are received.

Make a checklist of any childcare forms that need to be returned before the session starts, so families can easily see whether they have completed everything necessary for enrollment.

You can include any relevant forms in your parent handbook, but even if you have a separate forms packet, this can serve as a nudge to get everything in.

At the end of your preschool parent handbook, include a small section that parents can sign and return. This acknowledgment can state that the parents have read and understand your policies and agree to any stipulations you set in your handbook.

Preschool parent handbook examples

The below preschool parent handbook examples can offer inspiration as you create your own family handbook or update an existing one.

1. Crossroads Weekday Preschool parent handbook

The Crossroads Weekday Preschool parent handbook is an example of a handbook done well. The table of contents outlines the important information to communicate to families including their calendar, various policies and procedures, and details on their mission statement and program goals.

2. Scholars’ Academy student/parent preschool handbook

The Scholars’ Academy handbook begins with details on the values and mission statement of the school district and a letter from the school’s principal.  Next, the parent handbook is divided into three sections: program design, general information, and the curriculum. 

The handbook provides more information on the school calendar, daily routines, and positive behavior systems. An obvious supporter of family involvement, this handbook closes out with suggestions on how the children’s families can become involved in school activities and events to strengthen the child’s educational experience.

3. Berkeley Unified School District parent handbook

For information on enrollment policies, you can use the Berkeley Unified School District parent handbook as a guide. This handbook dedicates nearly three pages to eligibility, enrollment requirements, and guidelines for children and parents. 

For example, the Berkeley Unified School District outlines that they enroll toilet-trained children between the ages of two and five. Childcare programs can determine who is eligible to be a part of their program, and this handbook can help guide you in making your decision.

4. Spring Valley United Methodist Church Preschool parent handbook

The Spring Valley United Methodist Church Preschool parent handbook covers specific information regarding the curriculum, absence policy, tuition and fees, and more.

Additionally, their handbook contains a breakdown of teacher-to-children ratios and procedural information on emergency responses. The preschool parent handbook also includes the following sections: licensing, immunizations, discounts, allergy action plan, pets/animals, and field trips.

Final thoughts

A thorough parent handbook sets clear expectations for families, fosters collaboration, and provides a nurturing environment for children to thrive. A family handbook serves as a valuable resource that keeps parents informed, addresses concerns, and promotes a strong partnership between providers and families.

With a comprehensive parent handbook in place, childcare centers can lay the foundation for a positive and successful childcare experience, where everyone feels confident, supported, and actively involved in the growth and development of the children in their care.

Brightwheel is the complete solution for early education providers, enabling you to streamline your center’s operations and build a stand-out reputation. Brightwheel connects the most critical aspects of running your center—including sign in and out, parent communications, tuition billing, and licensing and compliance—in one easy-to-use tool, along with providing best-in-class customer support and coaching. Brightwheel is trusted by thousands of early education centers and millions of parents. Learn more at   mybrightwheel.com.

Family Handbook Templates

A collection of templates to help you create a new family handbook from scratch or update your existing handbook.

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A Few Ideas for Dealing with Late Work

August 4, 2019

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Most of my 9-week grading periods ended the same way: Me and one or two students, sitting in my quiet, empty classroom together, with me sitting at the computer, the students nearby in desks, methodically working through piles of make-up assignments. They would be focused, more focused than I’d seen them in months, and the speed with which they got through the piles was stunning. 

As they finished each assignment I took it, checked it for accuracy, then entered their scores—taking 50 percent off for being late—into my grading program. With every entry, I’d watch as their class grade went up and up: from a 37 percent to a 41, then to 45, then to 51, and eventually to something in the 60s or even low 70s, a number that constituted passing, at which point the process would end and we’d part ways, full of resolve that next marking period would be different.

And the whole time I thought to myself, This is pointless . They aren’t learning anything at all. But I wasn’t sure what else to do.

For as long as teachers have assigned tasks in exchange for grades, late work has been a problem. What do we do when a student turns in work late? Do we give some kind of consequence or accept assignments at any time with no penalty? Do we set up some kind of system that keeps students motivated while still holding them accountable? Is there a way to manage all of this without driving ourselves crazy?

To find answers, I went to Twitter and asked teachers to share what works for them. What follows is a summary of their responses. I wish I could give individual credit to each person who offered ideas, but that would take way too long, and I really want you to get these suggestions now! If you’ve been unsatisfied with your own approach to late work, you should find some fresh ideas here.

First, a Few Questions About Your Grades

Before we get into the ways teachers manage late work, let’s back up a bit and consider whether your overall program of assignments and grading is in a healthy place. Here are some questions to think about:  

• What do your grades represent? How much of your grades are truly based on academic growth, and how much are based mostly on compliance? If they lean more toward compliance, then what you’re doing when you try to manage late work is basically a lot of administrative paper pushing, rather than teaching your content. Although it’s important for kids to learn how to manage deadlines, do you really want an A in your course to primarily reflect the ability to follow instructions? If your grades are too compliance-based, consider how you might shift things so they more accurately represent learning. (For a deeper discussion of this issue, read How Accurate Are Your Grades? )
• Are you grading too many things? If you spend a lot of time chasing down missing assignments in order to get more scores in your gradebook, it could be that you’re grading too much. Some teachers only enter grades for major, summative tasks, like projects, major writing assignments, or exams. Everything else is considered formative and is either ungraded or given a very low point value for completion, not graded for accuracy; it’s practice . For teachers who are used to collecting lots of grades over a marking period, this will be a big shift, and if you work in a school where you’re expected to enter grades into your system frequently, that shift will be even more difficult. Convincing your students that ungraded practice is worthwhile because it will help their performance on the big things will be another hurdle. With all of that said, reducing the number of scored items will make your grades more meaningful and cut way down on the time you spend grading and managing late work.
• What assumptions do you make when students don’t turn in work? I’m embarrassed to admit that when I first started teaching, I assumed most students with missing work were just unmotivated. Although this might be true for a small portion of students, I no longer see this as the most likely reason. Students may have issues with executive function and could use some help developing systems for managing their time and responsibilities. They may struggle with anxiety. Or they may not have the resources—like time, space, and technology—to consistently complete work at home. More attention has been paid lately to the fact that homework is an equity issue , and our policies around homework should reflect an understanding that all students don’t have access to the same resources once they leave school for the day. Punitive policies that are meant to “motivate” students don’t take any of these other issues into consideration, so if your late work penalties don’t seem to be working, it’s likely that the root cause is something other than a lack of motivation.
• What kind of grading system is realistic for you ? Any system you put in place requires YOU to stay on top of grading. It would be much harder to assign penalties, send home reminders, or track lateness if you are behind on marking papers by a week, two weeks, even a month. So whatever you do, create a plan that you can actually keep up with.

Possible Solutions

1. penalties.

Many teachers give some sort of penalty to students for late work. The thinking behind this is that without some sort of negative consequence, too many students would wait until the end of the marking period to turn work in, or in some cases, not turn it in at all. When work is turned in weeks or even months late, it can lose its value as a learning opportunity because it is no longer aligned with what’s happening in class. On top of that, teachers can end up with massive piles of assignments to grade in the last few days of a marking period. This not only places a heavy burden on teachers, it is far from an ideal condition for giving students the good quality feedback they should be getting on these assignments.

Several types of penalties are most common:

Point Deductions In many cases, teachers simply reduce the grade as a result of the lateness. Some teachers will take off a certain number of points per day until they reach a cutoff date after which the work will no longer be accepted. One teacher who responded said he takes off 10 percent for up to three days late, then 30 percent for work submitted up to a week late; he says most students turn their work in before the first three days are over. Others have a standard amount that comes off for any late work (like 10 percent), regardless of when it is turned in. This policy still rewards students for on-time work without completely de-motivating those who are late, builds in some accountability for lateness, and prevents the teacher from having to do a lot of mathematical juggling with a more complex system. 

Parent Contact Some teachers keep track of late work and contact parents if it is not turned in. This treats the late work as more of a conduct issue; the parent contact may be in addition to or instead of taking points away. 

No Feedback, No Re-Dos The real value of homework and other smaller assignments should be the opportunity for feedback: Students do an assignment, they get timely teacher feedback, and they use that feedback to improve. In many cases, teachers allow students to re-do and resubmit assignments based on that feedback. So a logical consequence of late work could be the loss of that opportunity: Several teachers mentioned that their policy is to accept late work for full credit, but only students who submit work on time will receive feedback or the chance to re-do it for a higher grade. Those who hand in late work must accept whatever score they get the first time around. 

2. A Separate Work Habits Grade

In a lot of schools, especially those that use standards-based grading, a student’s grade on an assignment is a pure representation of their academic mastery; it does not reflect compliance in any way. So in these classrooms, if a student turns in good work, it’s going to get a good grade even if it’s handed in a month late. 

But students still need to learn how to manage their time. For that reason, many schools assign a separate grade for work habits. This might measure factors like adherence to deadlines, neatness, and following non-academic guidelines like font sizes or using the correct heading on a paper. 

• Although most teachers whose schools use this type of system will admit that students and parents don’t take the work habits grade as seriously as the academic grade, they report being satisfied that student grades only reflect mastery of the content.
• One school calls their work habits grade a “behavior” grade, and although it doesn’t impact GPA, students who don’t have a certain behavior grade can’t make honor roll, despite their actual GPA.
• Several teachers mentioned looking for patterns and using the separate grade as a basis for conferences with parents, counselors, or other stakeholders. For most students, there’s probably a strong correlation between work habits and academic achievement, so separating the two could help students see that connection.
• Some learning management systems will flag assignments as late without necessarily taking points off. Although this does not automatically translate to a work habits grade, it indicates the lateness to students and parents without misrepresenting the academic achievement.

3. Homework Passes

Because things happen in real life that can throw anyone off course every now and then, some teachers offer passes students can use to replace a missed assignment.

• Most teachers only offer these passes to replace low-point assignments, not major ones, and they generally only offer 1 to 3 passes per marking period. Homework passes can usually only recover 5 to 10 percent of a student’s overall course grade. 
• Other teachers have a policy of allowing students to drop one or two of their lowest scores in the gradebook. Again, this is typically done for smaller assignments and has the same net effect as a homework pass by allowing everyone to have a bad day or two.
• One teacher gives “Next Class Passes” which allow students one extra day to turn in work. At the end of every marking period she gives extra credit points to students who still have unused passes. She says that since she started doing this, she has had the lowest rate ever of late work. 

4. Extension Requests

Quite a few teachers require students to submit a written request for a deadline extension rather than taking points off. With a system like this, every student turns something in on the due date, whether it’s the assignment itself or an extension request.

• Most extension requests ask students to explain why they were unable to complete the assignment on time. This not only gives the students a chance to reflect on their habits, it also invites the teacher to help students solve larger problems that might be getting in the way of their academic success. 
• Having students submit their requests via Google Forms reduces the need for paper and routes all requests to a single spreadsheet, which makes it easier for teachers to keep track of work that is late or needs to be regraded.  
• Other teachers use a similar system for times when students want to resubmit work for a new grade. 

5. Floating Deadlines

Rather than choosing a single deadline for an assignment, some teachers assign a range of dates for students to submit work. This flexibility allows students to plan their work around other life activities and responsibilities.

• Some teachers offer an incentive to turn in work in the early part of the time frame, such as extra credit or faster feedback, and this helps to spread out the submissions more evenly. 
• Another variation on this approach is to assign a batch of work for a whole week and ask students to get it in by Friday. This way, students get to manage when they get it done. 
• Other names mentioned for this strategy were flexible deadlines , soft deadlines , and due windows .

6. Let Students Submit Work in Progress

Some digital platforms, like Google Classroom, allow students to “submit” assignments while they are still working on them. This allows teachers to see how far the student has gotten and address any problems that might be coming up. If your classroom is mostly paper-based, it’s certainly possible to do this kind of thing with paper as well, letting students turn in partially completed work to demonstrate that an effort has been made and show you where they might be stuck.

7. Give Late Work Full Credit

Some teachers accept all late work with no penalty. Most of them agree that if the work is important, and if we want students to do it, we should let them hand it in whenever they get it done. 

• Some teachers fear this approach will cause more students to stop doing the work or delay submission until the end of a marking period, but teachers who like this approach say they were surprised by how little things changed when they stopped giving penalties: Most students continued to turn work in more or less on time, and the same ones who were late under the old system were still late under the new one. The big difference was that the teacher no longer had to spend time calculating deductions or determining whether students had valid excuses; the work was simply graded for mastery.
• To give students an incentive to actually turn the work in before the marking period is over, some teachers will put a temporary zero in the gradebook as a placeholder until the assignment is turned in, at which point the zero is replaced with a grade.
• Here’s a twist on the “no penalty” option: Some teachers don’t take points off for late work, but they limit the time frame when students can turn it in. Some will not accept late work after they have graded and returned an assignment; at that point it would be too easy for students to copy off of the returned papers. Others will only accept late work up until the assessment for the unit, because the work leading up to that is meant to prepare for that assessment. 

8. Other Preventative Measures

These strategies aren’t necessarily a way to manage late work as much as they are meant to prevent it in the first place.

• Include students in setting deadlines. When it comes to major assignments, have students help you determine due dates. They may have a better idea than you do about other big events that are happening and assignments that have been given in other classes.
• Stop assigning homework. Some teachers have stopped assigning homework entirely, recognizing that disparities at home make it an unfair measurement of academic mastery. Instead, all meaningful work is done in class, where the teacher can monitor progress and give feedback as needed. Long-term projects are done in class as well, so the teacher is aware of which students need more time and why. 
• Make homework optional or self-selected. Not all students need the same amount of practice. You may be able to get your students to assess their own need for additional practice and assign that practice to themselves. Although this may sound far-fetched, in some classes, like this self-paced classroom , it actually works, because students know they will be graded on a final assessment, they get good at determining when they need extra practice.

With so many different approaches to late work, what’s clear is that there are a lot of different schools of thought on grading and assessment, so it’s not a surprise that we don’t always land on the best solution on the first try. Experiment with different systems, talk to your colleagues, and be willing to try something new until you find something that works for you. 

Further Reading

20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half This free e-book is full of ideas that can help with grading in general.

On Your Mark: Challenging the Conventions of Grading and Reporting Thomas R. Guskey This book came highly recommended by a number of teachers.

Hacking Assessment: 10 Ways to Go Gradeless in a Traditional Grades School Starr Sackstein

Come back for more. Join our mailing list and get weekly tips, tools, and inspiration that will make your teaching more effective and fun. You’ll get access to our members-only library of free downloads, including 20 Ways to Cut Your Grading Time in Half , the e-booklet that has helped thousands of teachers save time on grading. Over 50,000 teachers have already joined—come on in.

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Categories: Classroom Management , Instruction , Podcast

Tags: assessment , organization

51 Comments

I teach high school science (mine is a course that does not have an “end of course” test so the stakes are not as high) and I teach mostly juniors and seniors. Last year I decided not to accept any late work whatsoever unless a student is absent the day it is assigned or due (or if they have an accomodation in a 504 or IEP – and I may have had one or two students with real/documented emergencies that I let turn in late.) This makes it so much easier on me because I don’t have to keep up with how many days/points to deduct – that’s a nightmare. It also forces them to be more responsible. They usually have had time to do it in class so there’s no reason for it to be late. Also, I was very frustrated with homework not being completed and I hated having to grade it and keep up with absent work. So I don’t “require” homework (and rarely assign it any more) but if students do ALL (no partial credit) of it they get a 100% (small point value grade), if they are absent or they don’t do it they are exempt. So it ends up being a sort of extra credit grade but it does not really penalize students who don’t do it. When students ask me for extra credit (which I don’t usually give), the first thing I ask is if they’ve done all the homework assigned. That usually shuts down any further discussion. I’ve decided I’m not going to spend tons of time chasing and calculating grades on small point values that do not make a big difference in an overall grade. 🙂

Do I understand correctly….

Homework is not required. If a student fully completes the HW, they will earn full points. If the student is absent or doesn’t do it, they are excused. Students who do complete the HW will benefit a little bit in their overall grade, but students who don’t compete the work will not be penalized. Did I understand it correctly?

Do you stipulate that a student must earn a certain % on the assignment to get the full points? What about a student who completed an assignment but completes the entire thing incorrectly? Still full credit? Or an opportunity to re-do?

Thank you in advance.

From reading this blog post I was thinking the same thing. When not penalizing students for homework do you have students who do turn it in getting extra points in class?

From what I have seen, if there is a benefit for turning in homework and students see this benefit more will try to accomplish what the homework is asking. So avoid penalization is okay, but make sure the ones turning it in are getting rewarded in some way.

The other question regarding what to do with students who may not be completing the assignments correctly, you could use this almost as a formative assessment. You could still give them the credit but use this as a time for you to focus on that student a little more and see where he/she isn’t understanding the content.

Our school has a system called Catch Up Cafe. Students with missing work report to a specific teacher during the first 15 minutes of lunch to work on missing work. Students upgrade to a Wednesday after school time if they have accumulated 4 or more missing assignments on any Monday. They do not have to serve if they can clear ALL missing work by the end of the day Wednesday. Since work is not dragging out for a long period of time, most teachers do not take off points.

How do you manage the logistics of who has missing and how many assignments are needed to be completed-to make sure they are attending the Catch up Cafe or Wednesday after school? How do you manage the communication with parents?

When a student has missing work it can be very difficult to see what he/she is missing. I always keep a running record of all of their assignments that quarter and if they miss that assigement I keep it blank to remind myself there was never a submission. Once I know that this student is missing this assignment I give them their own copy and write at the top late. So once they do turn it in I know that it’s late and makes grading it easier.

There are a lot of different programs that schools use but I’ve always kept a paper copy so I have a back-up.

I find that the worst part of tracking make-up work is keeping tabs on who was absent for a school activity, illness or other excused absence, and who just didn’t turn in the assignment. I obviously have to accept work turned in “late” due to an excused absence, but I can handle the truly late work however I wish. Any advice on simplifying tracking for this?

I tell my students to simply write “Absent (day/s)” at the top of the paper. I remind them of this fairly regularly. That way, if they were absent, it’s their responsibility to notify me, and it’s all together. If you create your own worksheets, etc., you could add a line to the top as an additional reminder.

It might be worth checking out Evernote .

In order to keep track of what type of missing assignments, I put a 0 in as a grade so students and parents know an assignment was never submitted. If a student was here on the due date and day assignment was given then it is a 0 in the grade book. If a student was absent the day the assignment was given or when it was due, I put a 00 in the grade book. This way I know if it was because of an absence or actual no work completed.

This is exactly what I do. Homework can only count 10% in our district. Claims that kids fail due to zeros for homework are specious.

This is SUCH a difficult issue and I have tried a few of the suggested ways in years past. My questions is… how do we properly prepare kids for college while still being mindful of the inequities at home? We need to be sure that we are giving kids opportunity, resources, and support, but at the same time if we don’t introduce them to some of the challenges they will be faced with in college (hours of studying and research and writing regardless of the hours you might have to spend working to pay that tuition), are we truly preparing them? I get the idea of mastery of content without penalty for late work and honestly that is typically what I go with, but I constantly struggle with this and now that I will be moving from middle to high school, I worry even more about the right way to handle late work and homework. I don’t want to hold students back in my class by being too much of a stickler about seemingly little things, but I don’t want to send them to college unprepared to experience a slap in the face, either. I don’t want to provide extra hurdles, but how do I best help them learn how to push through the hurdles and rigor if they aren’t held accountable? I always provide extra time after school, at lunch, etc., and have also experienced that end of term box checking of assignments in place of a true learning experience, but how do we teach them the importance of using resources, asking for help, allowing for mistakes while holding them to standards and learning work habits that will be helpful to them when they will be on their own? I just don’t know where the line is between helping students learn the value of good work habits and keeping them from experiencing certain challenges they need to understand in order to truly get ahead.

Thanks for sharing – I can tell how much you care for your students, wanting them to be confident independent learners. What I think I’m hearing is perhaps the struggle between that fine line of enabling and supporting. When supporting kids, whether academically or behaviorally, we’re doing something that assists or facilitates their growth. So, for example, a student that has anxiety or who doesn’t have the resources at home to complete an assignment, we can assist by giving that student extra time or an alternative place to complete the assignment. This doesn’t lower expectations, it just offers support to help them succeed.

Enabling on the other hand, puts systems in place that don’t involve consequences, which in turn allow the behaviors to continue. It involves excuses and solving problems for others. It may be about lowering expectations and letting people get by with patterns of behavior.

Late work is tricky. The article does mention the importance of time management, which is why separating academic grades from work habits is something a lot of schools are doing. Sometimes real life happens and kids need a “pass.” If whatever you’re doing seems to be helping to support a student rather than enabling patterns, then that might help you distinguish between that fine line. Hope this helps!

Thank you again for such a great post. Always high-quality, relevant, and helpful. I so appreciate you and the work you do!

So glad to hear you enjoyed the post, Liz! I’ll make sure Jenn sees this.

I thought that these points brought up about receiving late work were extremely helpful and I hope that every classroom understands how beneficial these strategies could be.

When reading the penalties section under point deductions it brought up the idea of taking points off slowly as time goes by. Currently in my classroom the only point deduction I take off is 30% of the total grade after it is received late. No matter how much time has gone by in that grading period it will have 30% off the total.

I’m curious if changing this technique to something that would increase the percentage off as time goes by will make students turn in their work on time.

My question to everyone is which grading technique would be more beneficial for the students? Do you believe that just taking off 30% for late work would help students more when turning in their work or do you think that as time goes by penalizing their final score will have students turn in their work more?

If anyone has any answers it would be extremely beneficial.

Thank you, Kirby

When I was in school my school did 1/3 of a grade each day it was like. So 1 day late A >A-. Two days late: A->>B+ so on and so forth. This worked really well for me because I knew that I could still receive a good grade if I worked hard on an assignment, even if it was a day or two late.

I dread it when I have missing work or unsubmitted work. I would try to get a last-minute effort to chase those needed pieces of work which could be done from those students housed in dorms on campus. It is better than not failing them for lacking to turn in graded submissions or taking scheduled quizzes. I dread this not for the students, sadly, but for likely call to explain why I did not keep physical evidence of students’ supposed learning. In my part of the globe, we have a yearly “quality assurance” audit by the country’s educational authorities or their representatives.

I am a pre-service teacher and I am in the process of developing my personal philosophies in education, including the topic of late work. I will be certified as a secondary social studies teacher and would like to teach in a high school. Your post brought my attention to some important insights about the subject. For example, before this post I had not thought to use feedback as a way to incentivize homework submission on time. This action coupled with the ability to re-do assignments is a great way to emphasize the importance of turning work in on time. I do have a follow-up question, how do you adequately manage grading re-do’s and feedback on all assignments? What kinds of organizational and time-management strategies do you use as a teacher? Further, how much homework do you assign when providing this as an option?

Additionally, have you administered or seen the no penalty and homework acceptance time limit in practice (for example, all homework must be turned in by the unit test)? I was curious if providing a deadline to accept all homework until the unit test may result in an access of papers I need to grade. From your experience, what practice(s) have you seen work well in the classroom?

My goal is to prepare students for life beyond high school and to support their intellectual, social, and emotional development during their high school learning experience. Similar to a previous commenter (Kate), I am also trying to define a balance between holding students accountable in order to best prepare them for their future lives and providing opportunities to raise their grade if they are willing to do the work.

Hey Jessica, you have some great questions. I’d recommend checking out the following blog posts from Jenn that will help you learn more about keeping track of assessments, differentiation, and other aspects of grading: Kiddom: Standards-based Grading Made Wonderful , Could You Teach Without Grades , Boost Your Assessment Power with GradeCam , and Four Research-Based Strategies Every Teacher Should be Using . I hope this helps you find answers to your questions!

Overall I found this article extremely helpful and it actually reinforced many ideas I already had about homework and deadlines. One of my favorite teachers I had in high school was always asking for our input on when we felt assignments should be due based on what extra curricular activities were taking place in a given time period. We were all extremely grateful for his consideration and worked that much harder on the given assignments.

While it is important to think about our own well-being when grading papers, I think it is just as important (if not more) to be conscious of how much work students might have in other classes or what students schedules are like outside of school. If we really want students to do their best work, we need to give them enough time to do the work. This will in turn, help them care more about the subject matter and help them dive deeper. Obviously there still needs to be deadlines, but it does not hurt to give students some autonomy and say in the classroom.

Thanks for your comment Zach. I appreciate your point about considering students’ involvement in extracurricular activities and other responsibilities they may have outside the school day. It’s definitely an important consideration. The only homework my son seemed to have in 8th grade was for his history class. I agree that there’s a need for teachers to maintain more of a balance across classes when it comes to the amount of homework they give to students.

Thank you for an important, thought-provoking post! As a veteran teacher of 20+ years, I have some strong opinions about this topic. I have always questioned the model of ‘taking points off’ for late work. I do not see how this presents an accurate picture of what the student knows or can do. Shouldn’t he be able to prove his knowledge regardless of WHEN? Why does WHEN he shows you what he knows determine WHAT he knows?

Putting kids up against a common calendar with due dates and timelines, regardless of their ability to learn the material at the same rate is perhaps not fair. There are so many different situations facing our students – some students have challenges and difficulty with deadlines for a plethora of potential reasons, and some have nothing but support, structure, and time. When it comes to deadlines – Some students need more time. Other students may need less time. Shouldn’t all students have a chance to learn at a pace that is right for them? Shouldn’t we measure student success by demonstrations of learning instead of how much time it takes to turn in work? Shouldn’t students feel comfortable when it is time to show me what they’ve learned, and when they can demonstrate they’ve learned it, I want their grade to reflect that.

Of course we want to teach students how to manage their time. I am not advocating for a lax wishy-washy system that allows for students to ‘get to it when they get to it’. I do believe in promoting work-study habits, and using a separate system to assign a grade for responsibility, respect, management, etc is a potential solution. I understand that when introducing this type of system, it may be tough to get buy-in from parents and older students who have traditionally only looked at an academic grade because it is the only piece of the puzzle that impacts GPA. Adopting a separate work-study grading system would involve encouraging the entire school community – starting at the youngest level – to see its value. It would be crucial for the school to promote the importance of high level work-study habits right along side academic grades.

I teach a specials course to inner city middle schoolers at a charter school. All students have to take my class since it is one of the core pillars of the school’s culture and mission. Therefore it is a double edge sword. Some students and parents think it is irrelevant like an art or music class but will get upset to find out it isn’t just an easy A class. Other students and parents love it because they come to our charter school just to be in this class that isn’t offered anywhere else in the state, except at the college level.

As you may have already guessed, I see a lot of students who don’t do the work. So much that I no longer assign homework, which the majority would not be able to do independently anyways or may develop the wrong way of learning the material, due to the nature of the subject. So everything is done in the classroom together as a class. And then we grade together to reinforce the learning. This is why I absolutely do not accept missing work and there is no reason for late work. Absent students make up the work by staying after school upon their return or they can print it off of Google classroom at home and turn in by the end of the day of their return. Late and missing work is a big issue at our school. I’ve had whole classrooms not do the work even as I implemented the new routine. Students will sit there and mark their papers as we do it in the classroom but by the end they are not handing it in because they claim not to have anything to hand in. Or when they do it appears they were doing very little. I’d have to micromanage all 32 students every 5 minutes to make sure they were actually doing the work, which I believe core teachers do. But that sets a very bad precedent because I noticed our students expect to be handheld every minute or they claim they can’t do the work. I know this to be the case since before this class I was teaching a computer class and the students expected me to sit right next to them and give them step-by-step instructions of where to click on the screen. They simply could not follow along as I demonstrated on the Aquos board. So I do think part of the problem is the administrators’ encouraging poor work ethics. They’re too focused on meeting proficient standard to the point they want teachers to handhold students. They also want teachers to accept late and missing work all the way until the end of each quarter. Well that’s easy if you only have a few students but when you have classrooms full of them, that means trying to grade 300+ students multiplied by “x” amount of late/missing work the week before report card rolls out – to which we still have to write comments for C- or below students. Some of us teach all the grade levels 6-8th. And that has actually had negative effects because students no longer hold themselves accountable.

To be honest, I really do think this is why there is such a high turnover rate and teachers who started giving busy work only. In the inner city, administrators only care about putting out the illusion of proficiency while students and parents don’t want any accountability for their performance. As soon as a student fails because they have to actually try to learn (which is a risk for failing), the parent comes in screaming.

Yea, being an Art teacher you lost me at “ irrelevant like an art or music .”

I teach middle school in the inner city where missing and late work is a chronic issue so the suggestions and ideas above do not work. Students and parents have become complacent with failing grades so penalizing work isn’t going to motivate them to do better the next time. The secret to teaching in the inner city is to give them a way out without it becoming massive work for you. Because trust me, if you give them an inch they will always want a mile at your expense. Depending on which subject you teach, it might be easier to just do everything in class. That way it becomes an all or nothing grade. They either did or didn’t do the work. No excuses, no chasing down half the school through number of calls to disconnected phone numbers and out of date emails, no explaining to parents why Johnny has to stay after school to finish assignments when mom needs him home to babysit or because she works second shift and can’t pick him up, etc. Students have no reason for late work or for missing work when they were supposed to do it right there in class. Absent students can catch up with work when they return.

Milton, I agree with all of what you are saying and have experienced. Not to say that that is for all students I have had, but it is a slow progression as to what is happening with students and parents as years go by. I understand that there are areas outside of the classroom we cannot control and some students do not have certain necessities needed to help them but they need to start learning what can they do to help themselves. I make sure the students know they can come and talk to me if needing help or extra time, tutor after school and even a phone number to contact along with email if needing to ask questions or get help. But parents and students do not use these opportunities given until the week before school ends and are now wanting their student to pass and what can be done. It is frustrating and sad. I let students and parents know my expectation up front and if they do not take the opportunity to talk to me then the grade they earned is the result.

I am a special education resource teacher and late work/missing work happens quite a lot. After reading this article, I want to try a few different things to help minimize this issue. However, I am not the one making the grades or putting the grades in. I am just giving the work to the students in small group settings and giving them more access to the resources they need to help them be successful on these assignments based on their current IEP. I use a make-up folder, and usually I will pull these students to work on their work during a different time than when I regularly pull them. That way they do not miss the delivery of instruction they get from me and it does not punish my other students either if there is make-up work that needs to be completed. I try to give my students ample time to complete their work, so there is no excuse for them not to complete it. If they are absent, then I pull them at a time that they can make it up.

I too agree with that there’s a need for teachers to maintain more of a balance across classes when it comes to the amount of homework they give to students.

I had a few teachers who were willing to tolerate lateness in favor of getting it/understanding the material. Lastly, my favorite teacher was the one who gave me many chances to do rewrites of a ‘bad essay’ and gave me as much time as needed (of course still within like the semester or even month but I never took more than two weeks) because he wanted me to do well. I ended up with a 4 in AP exam though so that’s good.

Late work has a whole new meaning with virtual learning. I am drowning in late work (via Google Classroom). I don’t want to penalize students for late work as every home situation is different. I grade and provide feedback timely (to those who submitted on time). However, I am being penalized every weekend and evening as I try to grade and provide feedback during this time. I would love some ideas.

Hi Susan! I’m in the same place–I have students who (after numerous reminders) still haven’t submitted work due days…weeks ago, and I’m either taking time to remind them again or give feedback on “old” work over my nights and weekends. So, while it’s not specific to online learning, Jenn’s A Few Ideas for Dealing with Late Work is a post I’ve been trying to put into practice the last few days. I hope this helps!

Graded assignment flexibility is essential to the process of learning in general but especially in our new world of digital divide

It is difficult to determine who is doing the work at home. Follow up videos on seesaw help to see if the student has gained the knowledge or is being given the answers.

This is some good information. This is a difficult subject.

I love the idea of a catch-up cafe! I think I will try to implement this in my school. It’s in the same place every day, yes? And the teachers take turns monitoring? I’m just trying to get a handle on the logistics – I know those will be the first questions I get.

I really enjoyed this post. I think it provides a lot of perspective on a topic that teachers get way too strict about. I just wonder: wouldn’t it be inevitable for students to become lazy and care less about their understanding if there wasn’t any homework (or even if it was optional)? I know students don’t like it, and it can get redundant if they understand the content, but it truly is good practice.

Hi Shannon,

Glad the post helped! Homework is one of those hot educational topics, but I can’t say I’ve personally come across a situation or found any research where kids become lazy or unmotivated if not assigned homework. In fact, research indicates that homework doesn’t really have much impact on learning until high school. I just think that if homework is going to be assigned, it needs to be intentional and purposeful. (If students have already mastered a skill, I’m not sure how homework would provide them much benefit.) Here’s an article that I think is worth checking out. See what you think.

I like how you brought up how homework needs to be given with the understanding that not all kids have the same resources at home. Some kids don’t have computers or their parents won’t let them use it. There is no way of knowing this so teachers should give homework that requires barely any utensils or technology.

I think having students help determine the due dates for major assignments is a great idea. This works well with online schools too. Remote jobs are the future so helping students learn how to set their own due dates and to get homework done from home will prepare them for the future.

This year I am trying something new. After reading this article, I noticed that I have used a combination of some of these strategies to combat late work and encourage students to turn work in on time. I only record a letter grade in the grade book: A, B, C, D, F. If a student turns in an assignment late, I flag it as late, but it does not affect their “grade”.

If a student wants to redo an assignment, they must turn something in. If they miss the due date, they can still turn it in, but lose the opportunity to redo the assignment. Students will meet with me one last time before they turn it in to get final feedback.

At the end of the grading period, I conference with the student about their final grade, looking at how many times they have handed work in on-time or late. This will determine if the student has earned an A or an A+ .

I really appreciate how your post incorporates a lot of suggestions for the way that teachers can think about and grade homework. Thank you for mentioning how different students have different resources available as well. As teachers, we need to be aware of the different resources our students have and tailor our approach to homework to match. I like the idea of grading homework based on completion and accepting late work for full credit at any time (substituting a zero in the grade book until it is turned in). This is definitely a strategy that I’ll be using!

So glad the article was helpful for you! I will be sure to pass on your comments to Jenn.

I also have been teaching for a long time and I have found that providing an END OF WEEK (Friday at 11:59) due date for assignments allows students to get the work completed by that time. It helps with athletes, and others involved in extra curricular activities. I feel this is fair. I give my tests/quizzes on the days assigned and the supplemental work on Fridays.

I personally, as a special education teach, would allow my SPED students extra time to complete the work they have missed. This is in alignment with their IEP accommodations. I would work with each one independently and have remediation with the content that they are having difficulty. This setting would be in a small group and separate classroom.

I really like the idea of a work habits grade. I struggle with students who turn things in late regularly earning the same grade as those who always turn things in on time. A work habits grade could really motivate some learners.

I’ve been in education for 37 years and in all manner of positions. I share this only to also say that things have changed quite a bit. When I started teaching I only had one, maybe two students in a class of 34 elementary students that would not have homework or classwork finished. Now, I have two classes of about 15 each. One group is often half the class on a regular basis not having homework or not finishing classwork on a regular basis- so far. Additionally parents will pull students out to go to amusement parks, etc and expect all work to be made up and at full credit. I believe that the idea of homework is clearly twofold- to teach accountability and to reengage a learner. Classwork is critical to working with the content and, learning objective. We can all grade various ways; however, at some point, the learner has to step up. Learning is not passive, nor is it all on the teacher. I have been called “mean” because I make students do their work in class, refocusing them, etc. I find that is my duty. Late work should be simply dealt with consistently and with understanding to circumstance IMO. You were out or it was late because mom and dad were upset, ok versus we went to Disney for three days and I was too tired. hmm- used to be easy with excused/unexcused absences, now there is no difference. Late with no absence? That can be a problem and I reach out to home and handle it individually at my level.

Hi Jennifer! I really like your sharing about this topic! Late work is a problem that every teacher encounters. Thank you for your consideration of this issue and the many wise ideas you have provided. Your ideas also remind me to reflect on whether my overall program of assignments and grading is in a healthy place. I was inspired by the preventative measures you listed in this post. I want to try to include my students in setting deadlines, especially for some big projects. Students will feel respected by teachers and will be more willing to complete the assignments before deadlines! As you mentioned, some teachers have made homework optional or self-selected, or even stopped assigning homework. I partially agree with that opinion. I indeed try to reduce the amount of students’ homework or even stop assigning homework sometime, but doing related practice in class instead. I believe that the purpose of homework is to aid pupils in mastering the knowledge; it is not a necessary thing.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, Yang. Jenn will be glad to know that you found the post inspiring!

Thanks so much for all your insights on giving assignments or homework. All are very helpful as I prepare to return to work after an extended medical leave. It is good to refresh! Anything we require of our students should be purposeful and meaningful to them, so they will give their best to meet whatever deadlines we set. I also like asking our students when is the best time they can turn work in; this is meeting them halfway. And if one strategy does not work, there are more to try; just read this post. Thanks a bunch!!

Jenn will be glad to know the post was helpful for you, Jo!

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• Parent's Day Assignment

• Published 2nd Jun 2023
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Parent's Day Assignment - CrimsonRose97

• Apple Bloom
• Pear Butter

The Apple siblings recall what they remember of their parents for a school assignment.

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Previous Chapters Close Chapter 1 1,443 words Chapter 2 2,131 words Chapter 3 1,562 words Chapter 3

Apple Bloom looked all around the farm for Applejack. Curious about what other stories could she learn about their parents.

It didn’t take long to locate her older sister in the barn. Seeing her taking time to do a deep sweep in the stalls. Humming the Apple Family song as she worked.

“Howdy Applejack.” Apple Bloom greeted the future Matriarch of the family.

“Howdy lil’sis, how was school?” Aj asked, adjusting her stetson. Pausing her sweeping to look at her.

“It was fine, I got an assignment that I need help with. I already went to Big Mac for help and now I'm asking you.” Apple Bloom said, sitting down with her pencil and notebook out.

“Depends on what the assignment is.” Aj responded, setting the broom aside. “Ah’m smart but when it comes to that new math stuff y'all been learnin’, Ah'm not much help on that.” She chuckled as she joined her.

“It's not math.” Apple Bloom said as she turned the notebook to what she wrote down for the assignment. “I have to write down memories about spending time with ma and pa. But I don't remember doing anything with them. Big Mac gave me a story already, do you have one of me with ma and pa?”

AJ hummed in thought. “Well there was the lake.”

“Where you left me alone and I got carried off by birds?” The little sister gave her a look. Applejack chuckles nervously. “Mac already told me.”

“That was a day. Hmm…” Applejack continued to think. “Well there was that time you somehow got covered in modeling paint, scaring ma because she thought something was wrong and pa trying to hide evidence and attempt to clean you up.” She snorted. “That was hilarious.”

“What happened?” Apple Bloom asked in interest.

Up inside the lofted area of the barn, after most of the chores were done, Bright Mac had baby Apple Bloom on a table.

She had a bunch of safe paint and paper, making a bit of a mess. The father was painting miniature figures. Using special modeling paint that would stain a pony if not careful.

Bright Mac was currently working on a model of Princess Celestia in battle armor. Working on her mane as much as he could.

“You see, baby girl, you have to be careful of these models, attention to detail is everything.” He said with the brush in his mouth. Delicately painting each streak as perfect as he could.

Apple Bloom giggled as she splashed paint on the papers, her hooves smacking the white sheet in colors of red and pink.

As she splashed and stomped her hooves, it knocked over the green modeling paint and it went everywhere. It got in the base of the miniature, the table and began to leak all over the baby!

“Biscuit bumpers!” Bright Mac yelped as he dropped the brush and grabbed Apple Bloom.

He quickly - and carefully- climbed down the ladder with Bloom, racing over to the nearest faucet and turning it on. He grabs a rag off the hook, getting it wet and in vain tries to clean Apple Bloom up.

She fussed and fussed about being wiped down but it was for her own good.

The red and pink paint on her got washed off but the green? Oooooh nooooo, the green covered her hooves, belly, mane and face when she had been splashing about.

“Oh no,” Bright Mac whimpered.

He was told consistently by his mother to not have the foal with him while he was doing his hobby.

Mother and wife both. If they learn about this, he'd never paint his figures again.

Bright Mac did his best to wash the green paint off but it was completely staining his little princess.

“What ‘re ya doin’ pa?” Bright Mac stiffened when he heard his other daughter behind him.

He turns his head to see AJ behind him, pushing a bushel of apples with the rest of the day's harvest.

“Apple Jack! Hi there sweetie.” Bright Mac chuckled nervously, trying to hide his little paint crime from her. “Ya got done with your chores?”

“Just finished up. Are ya okay?” Apple Jack asked.

“Oh fine, fine, I'm fine, everything is fine.” His eyes twitched, avoiding eye contact.

Apple Bloom babbled, waving her stained hooves at her sister.

“What happened to her hooves?” Aj asked her pa.

“Oh would you look at the time,” he laughs nervously, holding the foal close as he turned and began heading out. “It's time for her to take a nap, everything’s fine, nothing wrong.” He bold faced lied as he quickly took her inside.

Aj blinked as she watched him leave in a hurry. “Eeyup, he's hiding something.”

Bright Mac quickly carted the baby back inside her nursery and set her down in the crib.

Apple Bloom cooed and looked at her papa cutely. Not caring that she's turning green.

“Okay Princess, papa has to figure out a way to get the paint off. Don't let your mother and Granny see this.” He covers her with a blanket and boops her snoot.

He proceeds to point at the crib and motions her to sleep with his hooves. Hoping she'll get the memo. All it did was have Bloom tilt to the side, the bed let out a squeak.

“Atta girl! Be right back.” Bright Mac then gallops out of the room and back to the barn.

Well, after five minutes later, the foal needed to be changed. Apple Bloom whimpered and moans in her crib and eventually starts crying to get some pony's attention so she could be tended with.

“Coming!” Buttercup answers the call.

She poked her head in the nursery and smiled. “Did someone make a stinky?” She said as she went inside.

Apple Bloom still fussed, waving her hooves to reach for her.

Buttercup adjusted the crib railing and picked her up with the blanket. “Ooh there, there, mama's here.” She hummed as she carried her to the changing table.

Buttercup sets Apple Bloom on her back and removes the blanket. She froze.

Now seeing these green stains all over the baby. “Uh… Bloomie, why are you turning green?” She asked as she gave her a quick once over before quickly changing the dirty diaper and replacing it, seeing just how far the stains had gone.

Buttercup placed a hoof against her foal’s forehead and cheek. “You feel good.” She then placed her head against Bloom’s chest. “Hmm, breathing normally.”

Apple Bloom babbles, hugging her ma’s face.

She didn't know if this was a sickness or something harmless. To get a better idea, Buttercup carries the baby to her mare-in-law.

Granny Smith was in the living room downstairs, sitting in her rocking chair and was currently working on a large blanket.

“Hey Granny Smith, can I get your take on something?” Buttercup asked as she approached her.

“Well of course Sugarcube,” Granny said, setting her knitting needle and yarn down. “What can Ah do for ya’s?”

“It's Apple Bloom, I was changing her and I saw these.” She shows the matriarch the stained baby. “Now I've heard some creatures' fur change color over time, but unless Apple Bloom is turning into a mini you, I don't know what these green markings are.”

Apple Bloom still acted like nothing was wrong.

She was then passed over to Granny.

Granny gives her a quick once over. “Where did ya find her?” Granny asked as she examined the baby.

“In her crib. She needed a change.” Buttercup then frowns. “Is she going to be okay?”

Granny looks closely at the green stains. She sniffed it and grunted. “Apple Bloom is fine, this is paint.”

They heard something crashing in the kitchen. Buttercup quickly goes to investigate and then gasps.

Bright Mac had tripped coming in the kitchen. His hooves and muzzle were covered in paint stains, the floor was covered in paint and his models.

Plan was to hide the stuff in their room but fate had other plans.

“Bright Macintosh!” Buttercup snapped.

Bright Mac looks up, knowing he got caught red hoof. “Uh…. I can explain.”

Granny Smith carries the equally stained baby in. “Bright Mac, ah told ya to paint yer little toys not around the kids. Apple Bloom isn't a toy.”

“The two of you were stained for a week.” Applejack got done telling the story.

Apple Bloom finishes writing down in her notebook. “Thanks Applejack. That was…. great.” Her ears fell as she closed it.

“Not a problem,” AJ said, then noticing her change. “Applebloom?”

“I-its nothing.” She responded, but her emotions came out. Her eyes watered and lips quivered and she started crying.

Applejack scoots closer. “Oh hon, it's alright,” she goes to hug her sister but Applebloom pushes her away.

“Why is it you guys know so much about ma and pa and I don't remember anything about them!?” Applebloom asked. “It's not fair you and Big Mac have all these memories of them while I don't. It's not fair!” She sobbed.

It wasn't fair, it hurts so much because Applebloom loves her ma and pa, but she didn't have any memories of them.

Applebloom gathered her things and takes off running and crying.

Applejack runs after her. “Applebloom!” She calls out to her but by the time she ran outside, her little sister was gone.

I am so sorry it took me so long to get to this chapter lmao

• Chapter 1 1,443 words
• Chapter 2 2,131 words
• Chapter 3 1,562 words

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Is snow in the forecast? Here are some engaging science, reading, and writing resources to share with parents.

Winter is here, and for parts of the country snow is in the forecast. Although most teachers love a snow day here and there, prolonged closures disrupt the flow of learning and prevent teachers from introducing new material.

So what can educators do? Beyond sending assignments home with students, there are plenty of engaging, interesting winter-themed projects, activities, and exercises to share with students and their families. From winter reading to writing prompts and fun science explorations, these fun lessons and activities offer a great way to keep students engaged during unexpected breaks.

Fun and Free Snow Day Learning Resources

How Do Avalanches Form? Lesson Plan : PBS LearningMedia’s lesson provides students a chance to explore how and why avalanches occur. A short video lesson with accompanying text provides a clear explainer on unsafe snow conditions. Plus, Discovery Education’s Avalanche! lesson lets students simulate an avalanche using around-the-house items, a fun learning activity for a snowy day.

The Science of Snowflakes Lesson : This TEDed video gives kids a brief, insightful overview of how snowflakes form, with accompanying discussion questions. For elementary students, it’s a great way to introduce or reinforce water cycle concepts. PBS LearningMedia’s Physics of Snowflakes lesson provides a fun activity for exploring the fascinating science of how snowflakes form.

Polar Science Reading Resources for Students :  Beyond Penguins and Polar Bears , an online professional development publication from the Ohio State University, is designed to help elementary teachers teach polar science. The student stories section provides students with a chance to explore a number of polar science concepts, from polar geology to igloo engineering. Each story is designed for K–1, 2–3, or 4–5, and most have accompanying activities.

At-Home Ice Science Projects : In this lesson from Science Kids, a New Zealand–based science learning site, students experiment with how salt affects the temperature of ice. Another great lesson from Science Kids, Will the Ice Melt and Overflow? , encourages kids to test a hypothesis about ice melt.

General Science Mini-Projects From the Exploratorium : “Science Snacks” features exciting science mini-projects and activities students can do at home. All of the teacher-tested ideas use cheap, around-the-house items. A range of topics are covered, and there are lessons for students of all ages.

5 Writing Prompts About Winter : WriteShop has some fun writing prompts for snowy days. From “snow-crostics” to writing about winter memories, this resource offers a quick explanation for each and can help get the creative juices flowing.

Winter and Holiday Reading Passages : ReadWorks offers winter-themed reading passages for K–6 students that test comprehension. All the passages are available for download (but require users to sign up for a free account.) Many of the passages relate to the earth and life sciences.

All About Snow Reading Resources : The National Snow & Ice Data Center’s “All About Snow” section features numerous articles about snow science, winter ecology, and winter weather. This is a wonderful resource to share with curious kids, and it offers a great starting point for exploring many different subjects.

More Fun Resources for Parents and Kids

These are just a few winter-themed resources out there. Here’s a list of some additional links that are worth a look.

• Parent Guide to Winter via Scholastic
• Eight Ways Animals Survive Winter via Science News
• Create Your Own Digital Snowflakes via PeteHawkes.com
• 10 Fun Indoor and Outdoor Ideas via IBTimes
• Flaking Out: How Snow Forms via Mother Nature News
• Books About Snow Days via ReadingRockets

Teachers union promotes assignment suggesting students declare independence from parents

by KRISTINA WATROBSKI | Crisis in the Classroom

WASHINGTON (CITC) — A July 4th-themed assignment promoted by one of the biggest teachers unions in the U.S. instructs students to declare independence from something with authority, such as laws or their parents.

The "Your Declaration of Independence" assignment is directed toward high schoolers and can be found on the American Federation of Teachers's (AFT) Share My Lesson platform. Students are asked to "declare their own independence from something they would like to be free of" after reading the Declaration of Independence in class, according to a description.

The worksheet lists more than a dozen suggestions for students to center their two-page declaration around, including "your parents," "a sibling," "laws" and "school."

"Keep in mind: You’re granting the fact that this subject currently has authority over you. If you can’t do that, it’s a bad subject," the assignment reads. "If you think nothing has authority over you, you’re arrogant and you’ll just have to pretend."

Students are also given a series of questions to answer in their writing, such as "what does it mean to be free?" and "how is your subject preventing you from being free?"

Defense of Freedom Institute spokesperson Angela Morabito, who highlighted the assignment on social media, is concerned over its implications.

It is stunning to me that the union is recommending that students participate in an exercise that could be about cutting ties with their parents or cutting ties with a sibling or even with the law," Morabito told Crisis in the Classroom (CITC). "The idea of a creative writing assignment around July 4th could take a lot of forms, but ... that, to me, is driving a wedge between students and their families."

"We are certainly not at any lack of content when it comes to teaching and learning about the Revolutionary War, but the teachers unions don't really emphasize that. Instead they choose to emphasize things that benefit their very radical view of the world," she continued.

READ MORE | Teachers union boss ripped for claiming school choice undermines democracy

AFT has multiple other July 4th-themed recommendations under a collection titled "Independence Day: July 4th Activities." One included lesson plan titled "Protest is Patriotic" was created in 2020, noting it was published amid "protests against racism and police brutality" and "a focus on the role white supremacy" plays in the U.S. The plan stems from the Southern Poverty Law Center's (SPLC) Learning for Justice project, the goals of which include to "dismantle white supremacy, strengthen intersectional movements and advance the human rights of all people."

[Learning for Justice] has put together these resources to show how this holiday and its symbols are tied to a long tradition of protest and demands that our nation make good on its promise of freedom for all," AFT's website writes of the plan.

CITC repeatedly reached out to AFT for comment, but did not receive a response. This story will be updated if a response is received.

Have something for the Crisis in the Classroom team to investigate? Call or text the national tip line at 202-417-7273.