How Much Homework Is Appropriate for 4Th Grade?

I think your principal has the right idea about the homework ban. Why on earth, at that age, is 8 hours of school not enough? What exactly does homework teach kids? And why on earth would anyone think the home a conducive learning environment for a 4th grader? I agree with Suzmomof3.. if you don't understand the work enough to finish in class then yeah, that can be homework but at that age, it just doesn't make sense.

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Do a quick google search and you will find that there are many studies that show homewrok does not equal higher student achievement, and that homework is not benificial until you get to the upper grade level. There are many shools and district that are moving towards a zero homework policy. Your child's teacher has your kid in school for 8 hours a day, 5 days a week. If it is something that important that it needs to be covered at home (via homework) is that really the best way to teach the topic?

I used to be in the other camp about this, and fought tooth and nail to not lose my option of giving homework but after a few years, and after doing my research, I now get it. My student's grades and test scores have not gone down since I stopped giving homework. In fact, I have seen the opposite.

And for the kids that need it, the lower kids, the struggling kids, they are (usually, not always, but usually) the ones that don't have the support at home to help them with their homework. So it either never gets turned in, or is turned in but it is all wrong - leading me to have to go and unteach them. Yes, I know there are exceptions to this, but they are the exception, not the norm.

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I agree with Sharon...homework helps but only when it is productive. Why do 50 math problems when they can show they are proficient with 15? One of my daughters is dyslexic as well and there comes a point when it is overload and counter productive. The teachers have our kids all day. The kids need time to be kids, time for outside activities (sports or music lessons),families need time to be families and sorry but when they have to get homework done while taking care of bodily functions, it is too much. This used to happen to us on a regular basis due to the homework overload. And I'm not talking about a kid who was overloaded with activities. Homework load does increase as the grade level increases, and it is good to have some to teach them the skills and study habits they will need for upper grades. My girls are both in high school now, so the homework load has increased significantly. It is however preparing them for college. Ten minutes per grade level is about right in elementary school. I always tell my kids that knowledge is something that you will always use, and it can never be taken away. One of my biggest gripes has always been group projects. One person usually does most of the work, and everyone else gets a grade for that person's work. If teachers are going to assign group projects, then time needs to be made during class to get the project done there and not has homework. The older they get, the harder it is to coordinate schedules and it seems that my daughters are always the ones who do the majority of the work on the project and others benefit my daughters diligence in making sure the project is done and done well.

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I think there are two camps: The homework camp and the no homework camp.
The rationale for the no homework camp is that lots of homework is busy work (worksheets) and doesnt do much, if anything, to reinforce or extend learning. Homework time is taking the place of other important and beneficial things, like playing (which develops lots of problem solving and creative thinking skills), exercising, socializing, etc.

Grading homework causes other problems. I taught 5th grade in an inner city school where @ 90% of the students were from low income, and many came from non English speaking, immigrant families or families where the parent worked evenings. Students who had parents who could read the homework, were familiar with the culture of the American school system, and were home in the evenings normally did their homework. Students without parent support rarely did homework, which counted for @ 10% of their total grade.

Students who did not do homework stayed in at recess and did it - and, out of 80 5th graders, we had about 30 staying in each day.

Students at my school had 1-2 hours of homework a night, and many stayed at school until 5:00 1-3 days a week for tutoring. Add in a bus ride, and that is @ 12-13 hour work day!

Is all homework bad? Reading at home is VERY important and helps students across subject areas. Also, projects, experiments or research are great homework examples.

sorry to be so long answered... I just hate the emphasis placed on homework, and wish children had more time to play.

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I think work at home helps as long as it isn't too much. I try to think about it with myself in his position. If I have worked all day, how much work do I want to take home with me. If you give them too much, the are overwhelmed and stressed out, and actually retain very little.

Our daughter has between 20 - 50 minutes a night 4 nights a week (not of Friday) and she is in the 5th grade. She has math, reading, and spelling homework.

She tested advanced on the state testing in every category, so I know she is getting enough study time. I think that is individual. Regardless of how the school tests, how is YOUR CHILD testing. If he tests well, he is getting enough.

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I think that amount of homework for 4th grade sounds about right. As a teacher, I don't think it is the amount as much as what they are doing for homework that counts. Your son's teacher is giving the type of hw assignments that I like. Math facts are so important to master and, of course, reading is always appropriate for every grade level.

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My son has one worksheet per night. (4th grade) Sometimes it's math, sometimes social studies etc. And always 20-30 min of reading. I don't mind the lighter load - personally, I think that since they have my kid for 7 hours a day, they should be able to teach him anything during that time. I know that I could teach my kid everything that they do PLUS other stuff in 7 hours. And I know that after I work a 7-8 hour day, I dont' want to come home and do more "work"!

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Sounds fair the way you describe.
At our elementary school, depending on what level they are being taught, some classes allow time in class for the homework to be done and usually complete or almost complete the homework. . This allows these students to have the teacher assist them.

In the more accelerated classes, they do not have time to always start or finish their homework, so it is completed at home. Math, language Arts and any reading, it makes it about an hour or hour and a half at night. This does not include stopping for a snack, going to the potty.. but actually doing the work.

We had 2 parents that did not like the homework. In the whole school. The rule was that if your child worked on the subject for 20 minutes, but did not complete it, it was fine. This allowed the teacher to see what pace these students were doing their work.

The rest of the parents agreed they liked seeing the work their children were doing and the "habit of homework". Our children were completely prepared for middle, high school and college and the homework that would be expected of them.

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My daughter is in 5th grade and has 50-60 minutes of homework a night. I think it is definitely enough!!! We have other things to do in the evenings, including PLAY!! I want my kids to be successful and I want them to learn. I also want them to enjoy life and be KIDS. We live in Fairfax County, VA - one of the most successful school districts in the country. I have no worries that my kids will go to a good college and become productive (and...gasp....happy and well rounded!) members of society. Just my opinion, of course :)

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I don't think there is a correlation between the amount of homework and mastering skills. There are six hours in a school day. The children should be able to do most of the work they need to learn and master skills during this time. They are children and after 6 hours of studying and focusing at school, they need time to decompress and just do their other "job" which is being a kid. Learning through play and using their imagination is just as important to a child's growth and development as school is to their academic progress. Today, so many kids are involved in after school activities most days, and then have to come home and do more school work, eat and go to bed. When do they have time to just be kids? I think the only homework that kids should have is at least 20 minutes of reading a night, either by being read to, reading to you or reading independently or some combination of the three, and then playing outside and spending time with the family. Perhaps running through spelling words or working on math facts for 5- 10 minutes as well would be ok, but only if this does not consume large amount of time. 4th grade is getting to the point that they will begin to transition to doing a little more, but definitely not more than a half hour a night, in my opinion! The rule of thumb used to be 10 minutes per year of school, so for a 4th grader, it would be about 50 minutes, which is too much I think. The tide seems to be turning regarding the opinion that homework is necessary for kids. How many of us come home from a hard day of work and then are forced to sit at the table doing another hour of work? While I know there are some that will say they have to do this, especially teachers, for most of us, we come home and concentrate on home, and leave work at work. My two cents anyway!

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I personally think homework helps. BUT, and it is a big caveat, if it is too much it quickly becomes counterproductive. And how much is too much can vary wildly from child to child. My eldest is dyslexic. School is hard work for her and while she needs homework it needs to be kept at a minimum because they need time to play. They need time to be in activities. They need time to eat dinner with their family, attend to chores, and boy do they need time to sleep!! I think it is up to parents to know what that appropriate time is and communicate with your child's teachers about what it is....

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Hi C.

I don't think that is enough and the reason is.... by the time they get to 5th grade, I assure you, they will or should have more. Therefore, it's essential to prep the kids for what is to come and hopefully develop even better study habits. when my son was in 4th grade( he is now in 5th) I never felt he got enough homework and I complained about this on several occasions. My thought being, I am paying for him to go to school, I definitely want him to be challenged..... At the time, my son was getting about 10 to 15 mins worth of Math , 10 mins of Spelling and then either Social Studies and maybe reading, in total maybe an hour's worth of homework.. if not LESS.... I feel that my son is going to school and that is his job and my job IS to make sure he is challenged .. Whether I am tired or not....... Now in 5th grade and at a new school, we have about 1-2 hrs worth of homework and in addition, the school's teachers post the kids grades online each week... this way, we can track how our kids are doing.. so far, I am loving it.. the school is much stricter, there is more homework and frankly, I am up to the challenge as a parent to make sure my son is getting the most out of school... therefore, I think you are right in your wanting homework as oppose to not.. I mean c'mon, that is why we send our kids to school right? It's great that you are concerned. I would definitely continue to speak up.. it's your child's future at stake here....

good luck to you

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I think kids are kids and need time to play and spend time with their families. I think that if the kids have tons of homework it takes so much away from their development in other areas.

If you want him to have more skills and work on them then buy some workbooks and have him go through them on your own time. If the general test scores at your school are low then it may be time to change to a different option.

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Homework at the elementary level results in no improvement, but if you have to have it 10 minutes per night, per grade. 4th=40 minutes tops.

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I personally don't think kids need lots of homework - unless they are struggling. Jeez, they're there ALL day long, why come home and do more if you don't need it?
My daughter is in 4th grade. The teacher is emphasizing reading literacy - so 20 minutes per day; plus mastering math facts - so a run thru on the flash cards is required. That's pretty much it. She gives them work to do in class. If they don't finish it, then they obviously need to work on it, so they have to bring that home and that is their homework. Make sense, right? If you understood it and did it quickly, why should you have to do more of it that night? If you didn't understand it and need more time, then come home and work on it some more! The teacher has asked us to review their work weekly and see how their child is doing and to work with them afterschool on anything they may be struggling with. They just got their first big assignment, a report, and was given two weeks to put it together.
So, far, I think this is good.

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There are many factors besides homework that affect how well a child learns and performs. Look at countries like Japan, Taiwan and Korea where homework is generally not assigned. Yet the kids in those countries consistently perform better than US kids. Why? Better teachers? More time spent pursuing other activities like the arts? I don't know, but I think our kids spend PLENTY of time in school, and I think the old "10 minutes per grade level" rule for homework in elementary school is reasonable.

It's important for kids to have time to play outside, play the piano, draw a picture, read a good book, help with dinner, watch a movie with the family, play a video game, stare at the clouds, ride a bike, wrestle with their siblings, help mom and dad work in the yard, I could go on and on.

Going to school all day and then having an hour or more of homework every night is a more than a full time job and does not allow time for a child to develop as a whole person, IMO.

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I agree with 35-50 min of optional homework for those who are performing well it is not required but still given. I am sorry but I think the ability to NOT have homework is something that can be earned. I had a class in highschool (economics) where homework was only given if you were not holding an 85% or higer. Only a few people were given homework early on, after we all understood the benefits of paying attention during class and making the most of our class time no more homework. We ALL passed with at least a B including our final grade. I think it can be done successfully if implimented right from the start of school.

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I think that is a reasonable amount of time.
Last year when my son was in 4th grade, he would come home with 2+ hours of homework... that was when he stayed focused.

I wonder if its because so many kids don't finish thier work at home? Then I can see where they would be trying to make some adjustments. If that's the case, I would suggest to the teachers to send work home with them a couple times a week and it can be used as extra credit or help to even out a bad grade or something like that.

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I wish my 3rd grader had less. Mostly because school for him gets out at 4 we get home at 4:30, he plays for a bit then dinner at 5, homework from 6-6:45, bath, maybe 30 minutes of downtime, then bed. Oh and I have 2 other kids that fit into the mix, lol

3rd grader has 3 or 4 worksheets front and back math weekly
80 minutes of reading weekly
1 page journal entry (on what he is reading) weekly
Also the occasional (once a month?) poster or diarama (sp?) project.
1st grader has 20-30 minutes of reading nightly plus math drills (basic add and subtract) 2x a week. Plus the occasional project.
Thankfully #3 isn't in school yet, I don't know how we will get the homework done at that point :P My kids regularly complain they don't get enough time to play, and I agree.

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My son is in 3rd grade, in an advanced private school. They have one 20 minute break a day.
Homework is 15 minutes of reading, a summary sheet on what you read, 2 math sheets - 100 facts and a whole sheet of general problems. Latin practice - 10 minutes, a bible verse - 5 minutes, usually a phrase from history, such as declaration of independence or something.
Homework takes us at least an hour, usually approaches 2.

Oooooh, you've hit on a subject important to me, and one I have strong opinions on, because I am a mom who is also an educator.

I may be in the minority on this forum, because I do believe that homework can be useful. Can be. Often isn't though, because of the quality of the assignments.

Personally, I think the amount of homework matters less than the quality of the homework. Homework should firm up concepts learned that school day, review concepts that the student needs to prepare for new material, or extend new concepts. Homework that does not do these things is just busy work. Homework should also be looked at in class afterward or marked by the teacher and returned regularly, so that the student (and his parents) get feedback on how he is doing. Without follow-up, homework is less effective as a teaching/learning tool.

An appropriate level of homework is roughly 10 minutes per grade level per day. For your child, that would be 40 minutes. Your son's teacher's assignments sound reasonable to me. But I do think that teachers should aim to keep the amount of homework low, and the type of assignment purposeful.

There is not necessarily a correlation between the amount of homework and the mastery of skills. If the child is being drowned in endless practice drills of things he already knows backwards and forwards, or if he lacks the skills needed to do the homework and that lack goes unaddressed, then the homework serves no purpose, and becomes an exercise in either boredom or frustration.

I've heard the guideline should be 10 minutes for each grade level - grade 4, would be 40 minutes. Personally, I don't beleive in that. It may take "A" 5 minutes to do a math worksheet, and "B" 15 minutes to do the same worksheet.

Other than reading, I do not know of any correlation between homework time and mastering skills. Reading will help them to learn so much - volcabulary, grammer, sentence structure, math, science, social studies, etc. Each child is different, my oldest was reading 2nd grade level entering K, my youngest wasn't reading 2nd grade level until the beginning of 3rd grade.

Our elementary schools have a policy of no homework on weekends and want each child of every level to read for 20 minutes every week night. Now I completely disagree with both of these. The weekend is the one time I actually have time to sit one on one with my child for a long period of time. So if there's a project or a packet that needs to be done over a period of time, why can't I do it on the weekend which works for me and someone else can do it afterschool before sports, scouts, etc, because that works for them. Also, I understand the point of reading each day so that reading becomes a habit and a part of everyday life, but what difference does it make which 4 days of the week it's done?

My oldest child is in 1st grade, so I'm not sure how applicable my remarks are... but he has about the same amount of homework your 4th grader has: 30-35 mins, including reading time.
Homework is not only for the continued mastering of the 3Rs. The primary things that (in my opinion) homework does for kids is:
- give them time to interact with their parents on an educational level so their parents can know what they are studying and where they are at
- teach them independent study skills outside of the classroom so that learning becomes a life-long habit
- reinforce that study and education are important
- give parents the opportunity to reinforce that study and education are important

Frankly, as the mom who helps check in the homework for my son's first grade class, I think homework is important. The kids who don't return it, do only half of it, or don't do it at all are the one's who are struggling the most in class. (and let's be honest, in 1st grade it really is the parent's responsibility to make sure it gets done and in the backpack to be returned to school, so it is the parent's failing these kids) The kids that are a little slower, but do their homework and turn it in consistently are the ones who are making good strides in their education. The biggest factor in a childs success in school is how involved their parents are. Homework gives parents an avenue to interact with their kids on their education.

And to mamazita, who mentioned that homework is not assigned in Taiwan, Japan, and Korea -- they spend longer in school each day AND parents then send them to "bushi ban" which is after school tutoring. When I lived in Taiwan the elementary aged kids I knew spent 8-9 hours at school, and then 2-3 more in after school educational programs. Their kids "do so much better" because only the ones whose parents care about school are enrolled in school, and only those kids who are on college track are counted in the 9-12th grade level scores. If you are not on a college track, you are in vocational school by then and the test scores are not correlated. And kids in Japan have homework, so say my military friends who were friends with native kids there.

As a secondary teacher with elementary kids, I do believe that homework may not be necessary for the learning process, but it absolutely is for the training process. If there is no homework before middle school, they will get squashed in later years because there was no expectation in the early years