Do your kids remember the work they did in school?

[leight]

My pet peeve is ditto homework assignments. Books aren't allowed to come home but I have to help my daughter from memory of 30yrs ago when I was in school because the teachers can't seem to think that they should send home the explanation pages from the text with the homework- or are my daughters the only ones who never remember what they did in school? I've gotten such bizarre looks from teachers when I ask for this. eg-There was 2nd grade science- cause and effect- cooking pizza or grilling hamburgers
I'm trying to find changes to density or matter(this is science, right?) and they want that the meat browns or cheese melts. Without examples how would I know that?

Anyone else hate science or history projects? They want hands on to reinforce the information learned. I would like to see the whole class learning together in these subjects versus small groups one at a time. Otherwise the teacher is making the kids who are not in the group do busy work- which isn't reinforcing the lesson either.

 

[MickeyMonstersMom]

As a teacher as well as a parent, this is a pet peeve of mine as well. I give students textbooks to keep at home, and in some cases parents will ask for an extra text too. I can't imagine a school denying a parent's request for a book at home - give it a try. As far as projects go, I always plan the assignment so that all work can be done in class, where I can help the students; however, some of my colleagues expect the work to be done at home - I still feel my blood pressure rise in remembering DD's Science project earlier this year. It was on energy transfers, something I'd never learned, and we pulled an all-nighter trying to create her project from the scanty and confusing assignment sheet she'd been given.

 

[seashoreCM]

Does the teacher or the school actually exepct the parent to work with the kid for several hours on an assignment?

I don't have kids but if I did, I would use my own judgment abvout the time spent. If I felt that the assignment sheet was too vague I would "get stuck and answer the question with a question" putting the ball back in the teacher;s court and the clarification of the assignment sheet can come home with the kid tomorrow and "we ccan continue from there".

Other things I have done (as a pupil) were to guess what the assignment sheet said and answer the question from there.

Disney hints: http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

1. (10'th grade) Use the following words in sentences:
...
senspicacity
My answer: Senspicacity: Word not in dictionary.

(The actual word was 'perspicacity' but the teacher's handwriting was terrible.)

2. (6'th grade)Use the Readers Guide to Periodical Literature (forerunner of Google, listing magazine articles) to find articles about the Battle of Harper's Ferry. (My comment, not said out loud, was, 'why choose such a difficult subject?')

My answer: After going through several of those green softbound books and finding nothing about the subject at hand I gave such answers as (hypothetical for this reply; I forgot my actual answers which were found in the books per the assignment):
a. Riding the trolley in Harpers Ferry, Virginia (name of magazine, etc.)
b. Battle of Bunker Hill (name of magazine, etc.)
c. Song lyrics of "59'th St. Bridge Song" as sung by Harper's Bizarre (name of magazine, etc.)