For example, one of Caspary's favorite assignments requires students to bake enough cookies for everyone in the class, which requires students to double or triple their cookie recipes. Students who don't have access to a kitchen or baking supplies can complete the homework by converting a recipe that makes six servings into one that makes 18 servings. Such flexible assignments are important, says Caspary, because Franklin's student body is diverse. David Boers, author of Happy Classrooms, applauds the school's approach to homework as one that is realistic. A typical homework assignment for math, for example, requires students to solve scores of math problems.
Students can then determine the player's batting average.
A little creativity goes a long way in designing homework that is relevant to students' lives, asserts Boers, who once taught middle and high school English. Boers also points out to his students that, as teachers, they must be able to justify the homework they've assigned. What also isn't taught, says Russo, is the power homework has to engage parents in the school life. Through Homelinks, parents have an opportunity to reinforce learning, to become involved in their child's education. The Homelinks program asks parents to guide students through the 30 minutes of homework assigned each night, except Friday.