Dear Loved Ones,
How do finished assignments never get handed in?
Why is the once completed agenda suddenly blank? Where does homework vanish to between school and home? How do they have less homework (so they say), yet more missing assignments?
Clearly, there are fractures in the homework chain between school and home. Sometimes they are hard to identify. Meanwhile, the phrase “just do it” just doesn’t seem to actually do it.
At about two-thirds way through the semester, is a great time to find the breakdown in the homework chain (see below), and get precise on the strategies to address it.
The purpose is less about identifying what has gone wrong, and more about finding where a different strategy is needed.
What is the homework chain?
Struggling students move through NINE steps to successfully complete and submit a single assignment. Students must:
(1)gather all of the directions, then
(2)transport needed materials home. Students will have to
(3)recall assignment details in order to
(4)plan and prioritize a time to work on it. When that time comes, students must transition into work mode to
(5) start, then sustain attention to
(6)focus, and pack up to
(7)finish. Students must
(8)transport the completed work back to be submitted, and then
(9)check back on the grade.
Focus on the earliest link first.
Praise and incentivize for trying strategies, even if didn’t work. Trying counts.
Right now, is good timing for this strategy. Our struggling students are at an all time low, slow, and no go this month. Each step required executive function and typically a unique strategy. You don’t have to find a strategy for every step, just the weakest links.
