Homework. 

If that word strikes fear in your heart as a teacher, don’t worry, TAH has got you covered. The Leveled Homework is one of TAH’s products my classroom uses daily and I can’t imagine life without. I’m going to walk you through TAH’s Leveled Homework, how I use it in my classroom and how I keep it organized.

Levels For Everyone.

One of the biggest problems I face as a teacher is allllllll of the levels within my one classroom. I teach K-2 Self-Contained Autism and I’ve got kids above grade level, kids at grade level, kids below grade level, and everything in-between. From paragraph writers to students just learning to form shapes, TAH’s has homework prepared, in a year-long resource that will work for your students. When I look for products to use in my classroom, I’m incredibly picky. We’ve all waisted money on products that just don’t work for the variety of levels in our classrooms. TAH’s Leveled Homework comes in a bundle – get Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 all in one pack! Have kiddos who aren’t strong writers yet? Me, too. I rely on Leveled Homework 0.5 for those kiddos. Prep is as simple as printing whatever level is appropriate for your students. The entire year’s resource will be done in one click of a button. Simple as that. 

What’s the Difference?

Here’s a breakdown of the different levels so you can determine what’s best for your students. Level 0.5, Level 1, and Level 2 are pictured for you to get a feel for the difference. 

Level 0.5:

This level is perfect for those just starting out with homework. This level includes basic coloring and tracing of shapes, letters, and numbers. 

Level 1.0:

Level 1 homework increases in difficulty just a bit. Students are asked to copy letters and words in addition to tracing, they count objects 0-10, and copy pictures.

Level 2.0

For Level 2 homework, you’ll want to use with readers. In this level students work on basic reading comprehension, time, money, basic addition, and basic grammar. 

Level 3.0

Students will be asked to do basic editing in Level 3 homework, do more sentence writing, the reading comprehension increases as well as the math skills (money now has coin combinations, telling time increases in difficulty, addition with two digits). 

Prep 

I’m all about keeping things as organized as possible. I love the idea of having things done and ready to go for the year. Once I know where my students are at, I print their homework for the year so it’s ready to go. The homework sheets are then filed and kept all together in a crate for my assistant to pull out each morning. It’s put into a take-home folder for each child to bring home and complete. Each morning, my students return their homework in their take-home folder. I keep everyone on the same week regardless of schedule differences so it’s easy to know where we are at and what we are doing.

My Homework Mantra

For me, homework is about responsibility and routine. I’m not trying to teach new skills or reinforce new skills learned in the classroom just yet. I work hard on generalizing new skills outside of the classroom, just not directly through homework (more on that later). For me, I want homework to be something that can be done independently, and can increase independence and strengthen routines at home. I also feel that homework for my students shouldn’t take more than 5-10 minutes, max (remember, I teach at a primary level). Anything beyond that will likely be painful for my students and the families I serve. I don’t want homework to be a power struggle, either. There is great benefit in helping strengthen routines and responsibility at home through homework, but know when to pull the plug and take a break. There are lots of ways to teach independence and routine; homework is only one way. Ultimately: Do whatever works for you and your students and your families. 

Our jobs are way too difficult to spend too much time planning and prepping homework. Resources like Leveled Homework can take a huge weight off by having everything ready to go. No matter the level of your students, or your level of organization, I know you’ll find success with these resources!