Nine homework choice systems for world language classrooms
August 5, 2016
Have you thought about adding student choice to spice up your concept of homework and increase student motivation? Have you already been using student choice in homework for years but could use a few new options or a change in assessment system? Here is my kind of prerequisite annual post on options for homework choice.
First, here’s my new list for elementary students, including updates like finding fun stuff in the interactive map for Mexico’s Parque Sésamo theme park and singing karaoke with Disney.
Next, here’s my updated list for early-to-mid novice students, including options like taking an online quiz and profiling the latest person featured by @YoSoyMexicano.
Finally, don’t forget that I’ve posted links (also copied below) for eight homework choice systems you can mine for gems from others, too. I know I have!
- My intermediate options and point system
- Kara Jacobs‘ system
- Noah Geisel‘s system, and some Pinterest ideas Noah found useful
- Laura Sexton’s choice stuff in one place!
- Tana Krohn‘s list
- Bethanie Carlson Drew’s updated list(and I stole the name from her!)
- Katherine Matheson’s version
- The Creative Language Class’s Real World Homework
Remember, autonomy motivates; how can we include more of it in our classrooms?
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[…] blank worksheets, nothing like that. This year, I’ll be rolling out a new (to me) system: Choose your own homework . I have taken from lots of other teachers’ lists and come up with something that will be […]
[…] Speaking of choices, Sara-Elizabeth shares a collection of homework choice systems. […]
I love your ideas. Can I share them with my students? I will give you credit and if you need, a review.
Please, share away!
How many points do you require your students to earn each week? How are students motivated to earn such low point values?
Hi Justin, thanks for your question! The number of points required changes with the level. When students first start, they’re required to do one point per week. They can do two or three points and “bank” those points to take a week or two off. By the time students are in level four, of course they have a bit of a different list but they’re also required to do three points per week (with the addition of at least one five-point activity per quarter, because it’s a community connection choice).
I’m assuming your question about points has to do with grades. This is point value only assigned to this project, and how you assign a grade is totally up to you. My students do not receive grades, only a semester-final performance proficiency rating, so they just know, okay, I do one point per week, at least. When I did give grades, this activity was worth 75 points per week. Students lost points only for not fulfilling the requirements on the report.
Hope this helps!
[…] consistently speak to what we need to hear and want to use, the top Musicuentos post of 2016 was a simple repost of the previous year’s homework choice systems update. The post explains how I incorporate […]
Just wondering if you have a sheet to keep track of student choices? Also is there an even more recent list? How do you keep the students honest?
Hi Caroline, thanks for stopping by! I have such a small class size right now that I’m not too picky about them tracking their choices, but I used to have them record their choices on a grid to make sure they were not using the same one more than once a quarter. Also, I’ve built in quite a bit of accountability into the system: they have to report what they did, what they learned, what they were good at, what they want to improve on, and in most cases, include some evidence: a link to the blog post, a recounting of the post-it notes they used from memory, a snapshot of the tweets / Amazon list / etc.
The most recent lists I use are from these blog posts (I update them regularly in Google Docs so the links should be up to date):
For very early novices- http://musicuentos.com/2015/08/choice-novicel/
For elementary learners- http://musicuentos.com/2015/08/elem-hw-choice/
Enjoy!
[…] NAMED Baker!” Meaningful connections. Use stories, sounds (like the “dr” sound in homework choice optionstaladro helps my construction supervisor student recall that it means “drill”), and […]