Managing homework is something many teachers struggle with. How much should I give? What is the best way to correct it? How can I make it more effective?
I’ve got you covered. Below are ten tried-and-true tips for everything homework-related, plus a straight answer to the question everyone asks first.
How Much Homework Should You Give?
The standard answer is the 10-minute rule: about 10 minutes per grade level, per night, across all subjects combined. That means roughly 10 minutes in first grade, 30 in third, and 50 in fifth. The rule has been around for years and is backed by both the National Education Association and the National PTA.
In my classroom, that worked out to a short review page for math and one for reading. Ten to fifteen minutes each. That was it, and it was plenty.
If your homework routinely runs past that number, it is too long. Long homework does not produce more learning. It produces frustrated parents and copied answers.
What the Research Actually Says
I want to be honest about something, because it changed how I think about all of this.
The research on elementary homework is not glowing. Harris Cooper at Duke reviewed decades of homework studies and found that the link between homework and achievement is strong in high school, weaker in middle school, and close to zero in elementary school. Piling on more work does not move test scores for young students.
So why assign it at all?
Because achievement is not the only thing homework does. In elementary grades, it is good at three things:
- Building a routine. Sitting down to do schoolwork at home is a habit, and habits take years to form.
- Keeping old skills warm. Short review beats long practice for holding on to what students already learned.
- Giving parents a window. Homework is often the only thing a parent sees all week. It tells them what their child is working on.
Once I stopped expecting homework to raise test scores, everything got easier. I made it shorter. I stopped grading it. I quit stressing about it.
The tips below all stem from that shift.
Tip 1 – Keep It Consistent
This will save you tons of headaches. Consistency keeps students from getting confused and forgetting their work. Parents can stay in control when they know what to expect.
There should never be a question of “what is our homework tonight?” because everyone already knows.
The best way to keep your routine consistent is to pick one resource per subject and stick with it. Try not to jump all over the place and pull random worksheets. Doing that sets everyone up to fail. Here is the system I use every single week. It is consistent, and everyone knows what is coming.
Tip 2 – Use Homework for Review Only
I never give homework on something I just taught.
Most students do not understand a brand new concept well enough to practice it alone. Send it home the same day and they will practice it wrong. That helps nobody.
Instead, give a nightly dose of review built from skills you have already fully taught. Add maybe one or two problems on the newest skill.
This is also why daily math review works so well as homework. Everything on the page is something students have seen before.
Tip 3 – Don’t Grade It
Every student gets a different level of help at home. It is not fair to penalize a child for not having a parent who can answer questions or catch mistakes.
That said, I see nothing wrong with a “complete” or “incomplete” score. Whether students turn work in is absolutely something I track.
Tip 4 – Less Is More
Focus on what matters most. Pick the areas where your students need the most review. You do not need homework for every subject.
Aim for a handful of review problems in each core subject. Ten to fifteen minutes each is all you need. Too much homework is actually less effective, and it frustrates parents and students both.
Some homework is still worth giving, because it keeps parents informed and shows them what is expected. I go by one rule: quality over quantity.
Tip 5 – Creative Consequences
If a student does not finish their homework, what then?
I am not a believer in taking away recess, and many schools discourage it. So here is what has worked instead.
First, I tell students I will call home if homework is missed. A lot of students care far more about that than about sitting out or working through lunch. As soon as I know the work is not there, I call. This one drastically cut my missing homework.
If calling home is not for you, have the student sit down and complete it right away. They are now responsible for the missed homework plus whatever morning work is expected. If the real goal is getting the work done, this does it without the stress of a phone call. I would still loop parents in if it becomes a pattern.
My preferred method is a positive consequence. I have more success rewarding students who do their homework than punishing the ones who don’t. Whichever way you go, be consistent.
Tip 6 – Hire a Student
You are busy. You do not have time to ask each student every morning whether they did their homework. So don’t.
I love giving this job to a dependable student. I use a simple checklist where they mark whether each student finished. They are not checking answers, just completion. This saves me time and my sanity during the morning routine.
Tip 7 – Don’t Check It
I don’t check homework. There, I said it. Who has time?
I do go over it as a group every single day. That saves hours and still uses the homework well. (I check it more closely during small group instruction and use it as a teaching tool there.)
Here is exactly what I do.
Before the day starts, I project the answer key on the board, zoomed in on the day we are focused on. Students check their own work. As I scroll, they ask questions and we go over anything giving them trouble. It takes five to ten minutes, longer only when needed.
Here is why it works.
From the first day of school, I explain that there is no penalty for getting a problem wrong. There is only a penalty for not trying. Homework is a tool they use to monitor their own learning. If a problem is hard, this is their chance to get help, because they will probably see a similar one tomorrow night.
That framing changed everything. Students stopped hiding what they didn’t know and started asking.
If you really want to save time, go digital. Google Forms make great homework and they grade themselves. My spiral review resources include digital versions you can assign right in Google Classroom.
Tip 8 – Get More Out of Homework
Don’t use homework just for homework.
Use it to monitor progress and see what students still need. I may not check every paper, but I do ask students to bring homework to small groups, and we use it as a teaching tool when it helps. I glance over everyone’s work and make a mental note of what I see.
This has been a genuinely useful way to make sure all my students are meeting standards.
Tip 9 – Rethink Reading Logs
Reading homework deserves its own mention, because reading logs are where most homework routines fall apart.
A signed log tells you a parent signed a log. It does not tell you a child read, or understood what they read. Plenty of teachers have moved to a short passage with a few questions instead, which gives you something you can actually look at.
I’ve written more about getting students reading without reading logs if this is your sticking point.
Tip 10 – Be Flexible
Homework should not be stressful for anyone.
If it is stressing you out, step back and make a new plan. Use a few of the tips above and homework can be a pleasant, useful part of your week instead of a fight.
Want to read more about my favorite homework system? Check out this blog post.
Homework FAQs
How much homework should elementary students have?
The 10-minute rule is the common guideline: about 10 minutes per grade level per night, across all subjects. That is 20 minutes in second grade and 50 in fifth. Both the NEA and the National PTA support it.
Should teachers grade homework?
Grading homework for accuracy penalizes students who have less help at home. A completion score works better. Track whether students turn it in, and save accuracy checks for classwork and assessments.
Does homework help elementary students?
The research shows very little link between homework and achievement in elementary grades, though the link grows stronger in middle and high school. In elementary, homework is more useful for building routines, keeping old skills sharp, and keeping parents informed.
What kind of homework is most effective?
Review of material you have already fully taught. New content sent home before students can do it independently often gets practiced incorrectly, which is harder to undo than not practicing at all.
How do you handle missing homework?
Pick one consequence and apply it consistently. Calling home works well because students take it seriously. Having students complete missed work during morning time also works. Rewarding students who do turn it in tends to beat punishing those who don’t.
How can teachers grade homework faster?
Don’t grade it individually. Project the answer key and go over it as a class in five to ten minutes, letting students check their own work. Digital assignments in Google Forms grade themselves.
