" So it’s an hour past bedtime, and the homework is far from completed. What should the parent do? Close up the homework shop for the night. Children should not stay up long past their usual bedtime to finish homework…development of time-management strategies will help to stop late night crises"
- Harriett Cholden, M.Ed., and John Friedman, Ph.D. authors of The Homework Handbook
Homework: Strategies for Using and Reading Textbooks
Know Your Textbooks:
- Your textbook is an important part of you student ‘toolbox’. Just as a carpenter uses a blueprint to construct a building, your textbook is the ‘blueprint’ for you to learn and build on your knowledge for a subject.
- Each textbook has a unique layout and design with Chapter Headings, Introductions, Summaries, and Chapter Questions.
- Knowing how to find and use the index, glossary, appendixes, and answer keys is like a carpenter knowing how to use a hammer and nails.
- Spend 20-30 minutes ‘getting to know’ a new textbook.
Use Sticky Flags to Save Time:
- Use removable sticky notes or sticky flags to mark important sections of your textbook. For example, if your Math book has an Answer Key, flag that section so you can find it fast each time you are doing Math homework.
- Before you flip to the back of your book to look something up, place a sticky note or sticky flag on the page that you are leaving (instead of using your hand). You will save time from flipping back and forth in your book and therefore losing your place.
- Before you take a break, close your book, or leave your Study Center, use a sticky flag to mark where you left off reading your textbook. Even better, place the sticky flag on the Paragraph where you left off.
Before Getting Started with a Reading Assignment:
- It’s important to treat reading a textbook differently from reading a novel or story. One strategy for reading textbooks more effectively is by using the SQ3R method.
- What is SQ3R?: It is a method of reading a textbook which was originally developed by Francis P. Robinson. It has been thoroughly researched, tested, and widely used as one of the best study skills for textbook reading. There are different variations, but they all have a few things in common which prepare your mind to ‘connect’ to new information.
- At first, it may seem like using SQ3R takes too much time. But, as you use this method again and again (with any textbook at any grade level), you will find that it is a great way to increase your comprehension (understanding of what you read) and recall (remembrance of what you read).
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