Meaningful Homework in a Secondary English Classroom

The purpose of this curriculum project is to model homework that focuses on purposeful planning, skill building, and student choice for a 10th grade English class. The homework assignments mirror the four major skill sets identified in the California Common Core English Standards and California English Language Developments Standards: Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking. The first homework model is on Reading, where students read a novel of their choice and write a children’s book that demonstrates their ability to summarize key concepts and themes in their own words. The second homework model is on Writing, where students demonstrate their ability to present the same theme or message throughout a variety of written genres. The third homework model is focused on Listening and involves an adult interview based on a political topic of the student’s choice. Students develop questions, conduct an interview, evaluate a speaker’s point of view, reasoning, evidence, and rhetoric, and write an article. The fourth homework model is on Speaking. Students are provided opportunities to draft a speech, self-evaluate their work, and receive peer feedback. Each homework assignment includes a unit plan using the Understanding by Design Template, homework assignment sheets, graphic organizers, rubrics, and lesson plans.