Differentiated Homework

Happy Tuesday!

Hope your week is off to a great start!

I teach first grade Special Education with the majority of my service hours being inclusion, plus a 45 minute Reading Intervention group. One of my favorite parts of my position is being a resource for other teachers and families. This includes offering a differentiated homework packet for any interested family (does not have to be a student receiving services).

Our first grade has normed around a weekly packet that follows our scope and sequence. The packet goes home on Monday along with a behavior/communication and reading log. We check the packets for completion every morning and then collect the finished packet on Monday (when we switch them out). Every week the packet includes one sight word page, one phonics/Language Arts page, and one math page PER day.

Does that sound like a little, a lot, or just right?

Now that we are wrapping up our 40th day of school, we've had the opportunity to get to know our students' strengths and areas of concerns. This is the time when I start creating a weekly differentiated packet. Students have used this packet to reinforce foundational skills or as tool to build stamina in completing homework independently. I put one packet in each teachers' mailbox and they can distribute it as needed.  

Here's what's in the lower-level packet:

Sight Words: The sight words stay the same in all packets because we follow the Fry list for first grade. I already have interventions in place for reinforcing kindergarten words.

Phonics/Language Arts: I alternate between phonics worksheets from all over (TPT, my phonics units, Explode the Code, Starfall) and A Sentence a Day. I'm so excited because the entire first grade is using this packet to reinforce handwriting and writing mechanics :)  The sentences also follow a first grade phonics scope and sequence, plus have a "fun" comprehension component.

Win-Win.

Math - My original plan was to dip down into Kindergarten Common Core, but I haven't seen a resource yet that is 1) self-explanatory for my students to complete as independently as possible and 2) not too busy with so much on one page. I'm leaning towards creating my own, but I would much rather download from TPT and hit "print." If you know of any resources at all,

please leave a comment and share!

Also, I would love to hear your thoughts on how you handle homework! Is it decided by the school, grade-level, or individual classroom?

Here's a freebie you can use after the Halloween holiday - Veteran's Day is November 11:

 An answer key is included in the download with over 70 possibilities!

Before I sign off, look what I walked into after school:

Thanks!