We understand that families have different approaches to homework and will have various commitments outside of school hours. To support all families, we have created a flexible homework system. We appreciate your dedication to your child’s learning by helping with these aspects of their education. Thank you for all you do to help your child progress.
Prep
At Malanda State School, our homework policy for Prep focuses on reading and is first sent home in Week 5 of Term 1.
- Reading - At home, we would love for you to listen to your child read each night. Your child will bring home a decodable reader to practise reading to you. More information about how to use these readers is provided by the class teacher. Your child may also bring home high-interest authentic texts; please read these to your child and engage in the content with them.
- Online Programs - Later in the year, your child’s teacher may assign books to read on the Decodable Readers Australia website. Further information and login details will be provided by the classroom teacher.
As part of our school’s Explicit Improvement Agenda, we are teaching your child to read and write using phonics, which means they are learning the sounds and letters of English.
We want to help you feel confident when reading at home with your Prep child this year. To support you, we have created this
short video that shows you how to use decodable texts with your child.
Please have a watch, and email your child’s class teacher if you have any questions. 😊
Years 1 to 2
At Malanda State School, our homework policy for Years 1 to 2 focuses on reading and is first sent home in Week 5 of Term 1.
- Reading - At home, we would love for you to listen to your child read each night. Your child will be provided with a Decodable Readers Australia (DRA) login, to practise reading to you. More information about how to use this website, including your child’s level, is provided by the class teacher. If you require a hardcopy reader instead, please contact the class teacher. Your child may also bring home high-interest authentic texts; please read these to your child and engage in the content with them.
- Number Facts - Class teachers will send home a copy of the number facts that your child needs to know (off by heart) by the end of the year. Again, regular practice at home each week will assist them greatly in their mathematical learning.
Year 3
At Malanda State School, our homework policy for Year 3 consists of reading and number facts and is first sent home in Week 2 of Term 1.
- Reading - At home, we would love for you to listen to your child read each night.
- Number Facts - Class teachers will also send home a copy of the number facts that your child needs to know (off by heart) by the end of the year. Again, regular practice at home each week will assist them greatly in their mathematical learning.
- Online Programs - Your child has access to Soundwaves Online and Reading Eggs/Eggspress (passwords will be provided by the teacher). These two programs are used weekly at school, and some home use may help to consolidate their reading and spelling.
- Additional Homework - If you would like your child to undertake additional homework, please feel welcome to choose from these suggestions: sentences, alphabetical order, dictionary definitions, syllables or topic research.
Years 4 to 5
At Malanda State School, our homework policy for Years 4 and 5 consists of reading and number facts and is first sent home in Week 2 of Term 1.
- Reading - At home, we would love for you to listen to your child read a little bit of their novel/book each night. This could also be a book online (e.g. Sora/Borrow Box). Reading daily is so beneficial!
- Number Facts - Class teachers will also send home a copy of the number facts that your child needs to know (off by heart) by the end of the year. This will assist them greatly in their mathematical learning, as number facts are used extensively in most mathematical concepts.
- Online Programs - Like last year, your child has access to Soundwaves Online, Reading Eggs/Eggspress (Year 4 only) and Prodigy (passwords will be provided by class teacher). These programs are used weekly during the school week and some home use may help to strengthen their reading, spelling and mathematics.
- Additional Homework - If you would like your child to undertake additional homework, please feel welcome to choose from these suggestions: sentences, alphabetical order, dictionary definitions, syllables and topic research.
Year 6
Year 6 homework is set to closely reflect the systems used at high school and is first sent home in Week 2 of Term 1. Students will receive regular homework. Students will have a designated homework book, which will be taken home and returned regularly as directed by the teacher.
- Homework activities will reflect what has been taught in class and may include: mathematics questions, spelling activities, sentence writing and research questions.
The homework should not be time consuming and should not exceed 15-20 minutes per session.
Students need to be responsible and use their time wisely to get their homework completed and handed in. This may involve doing it before school or at lunchtime if they have a busy schedule.
If they have research to complete, but do not have the resources at home to do so, then they will need to use lunchtime computer availability to complete the tasks.
The best habit to get into is to put the homework book straight in the school bag as soon as it’s completed!
Decodable Readers Australia - Prep to Year 2
We have chosen Decodable Readers Australia's Online Library as a platform for home reading. This library will strongly support your child's journey in learning to read as the books and videos have been created to align with evidence based research.
To begin your Online Library experience, your child will need to login on an ipad, laptop or any web based device (we don’t recommend mobile phones as the texts will be too small). To login, type in the URL
www.draonline.com.au. Next, type in the username and password card that your student has been given.
Reading Eggs - Year 3 to 4
Learning to read can be easy and fun!
ABC Reading Eggs makes learning to read interesting and engaging for kids, with great online reading games and activities.
Children love the games, songs, golden eggs and other rewards which, along with feeling proud of their reading, really motivate children to keep exploring and learning.
Navigate to the Reading Eggs log in page.
Sora
All students can access an extensive online library of reading materials and audio books for free via the Sora app using their school username (no password required).
Sound Waves Online - Year 3 to 6
The Sound Waves phonemic approach uses a sound-to-letter strategy which acknowledges that sounds can be represented more than one way in written form. This synthetic phonics approach focuses first on the basic units of sound in our language – phonemes. It then explores the letters that represent these sounds and how they can be put together to form written words.
Sound Waves Online for kids allows our students to access their list words, the sound boxes and many games at home.
Navigate to the Sound Waves Online log in page.
Prodigy
Prodigy is an online Maths program that allows students to consolidate their mathematical learning. It is a fun math-focused game that adapts questions to your child’s individual needs. It is designed to help students gain confidence with maths concepts as they progress at their own pace.
Click here to watch the promotional video for Prodigy.