I've shared previously that we implemented doing homework immediately after school. That seems to be the easiest for both boys and gives them an incentive to get it done since they get to go play when it's finished. Dima's class is working on letters/sounds/phonics right now, so we get a lot of phonics worksheets as well as handwriting. Handwriting is still a struggle (Dima's motor skills are delayed for a 6yo so that makes handwriting more difficult for him) but he's been working hard and is really improving. But I have a beef with the phonics worksheets...
A lot of the phonics worksheets relate to looking at a picture and then identifying the sounds of that word. So, for example, there might be a picture of a hat and the worksheet would want them to circle the initial consonant ("h") or the vowel sound they hear ("a").
Yesterday, his worksheet came home with a picture like this:
Now, what is the first single word that comes to mind when you see this? For me (and Dima), it was "bear." So he knows bear starts with "b" and goes to circle the intial consonant. But wait! His choices are "t", "g", or "m"...
Yeah, it's a "teddy bear". Nevermind that the worksheet last week that had a similar picture wanted him to circle "b" for "bear". Sigh.
5 comments:
I would certainly let the teacher know, it seems like busy work when even the parent finds it confusing!
One of my good friends is a 1st grade teacher. I'll ask her about this for you when I see her tonight.
Reminds me of the time that my oldest came home with a similar worksheet. She had one of the questions marked wrong. It was a picture of a large man - she had written m-a-n underneath it. I called the teacher and asked why it was marked wrong. She told me that the word should have been f-a-t! As you can imagine - I had quite a fit about that!
I talked to my teacher friend about the worksheet last night. I'll send an email or call about what she said.
I would have said "bear" as well. How frustrating for both of you!
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