The teachers at NLIS believe that the students work very hard at school during the year, so during vacation, they should play. Active play is important for a child’s growth, physically and emotionally. If they have too much homework, they are inside too much. Therefore, NLIS will give a limited amount of homework during breaks. If parents want the students to study more, we suggest taking the children to the library, museums, and other outings and then having the students write, draw, and research more about the experience. When they return to school, the teachers will be happy to see the students’ finished work.

 

We teachers also strongly believe students should be allowed to get bored during breaks. We would love to ask the parents to have at least one day every week when the children cannot access computer games or TV. This would force the children to get creative, draw, read, go outside and explore, sew, clean their room, play with their siblings, or bake cookies.

 

Therefore, the expected homework amounts for spring and summer breaks are below. The grade-level teachers will give the students detailed assignments before the holidays.

 

Note: Very little homework will be required during the winter break since this is a shorter break and usually revolves around family celebrations.

 

Typical Spring Homework  (see below for Summer and Winter)

 

*Grades 6, 9, and 12

• Have no homework since they graduated from their school programs

 

Grades 1-2

• Read up to 5 books, and draw or write a summary for each (decided by the teacher)

• Do up to 5 math worksheets

• Do up to 5 writing exercises

• Japanese homework for 1-2

 

Grades 3-5, and 7-8, 10-11

• Read a book or two and write summaries for each  (Books will have guidelines, page numbers, level of difficulty, etc.)

•  If there is no English support at home, watch several English shows with summaries.

• Up to 5-7 assignments of math

• Japanese homework

 

Summer Homework

1-2 

• Read up to five books and write summaries or book reports for each. 

• Do up to seven math sheets.

• If there is no English support at home, watch several English shows and draw a picture of each.

• A project  (instructions will be given by the teacher)

• Japanese homework

 

Grades 3-12

• Read some novels and write a book report or summary (two to four, depending on the size and level of the book and the grade level)

• If there is no English support at home, watch several English shows and write a summary of each.

• Do a maximum of six to eight assignments of math

• Work on the science fair project

• Japanese homework

 

Winter Homework

 

This season is a family time full of traditional activities. Therefore, almost no homework is assigned during this time. 

 

1-2      

• Read two books

• If there is no English support at home, watch some English shows and draw a picture of each.

• Japanese homework

 

3-12

• Read two books

• If there is no English support at home, watch several English shows and write summaries of each.

• Finish any homework or projects not done.

• Japanese homework

• Work on the science fair project.

 

9-12

• Work on the community service

• Japanese homework

• Work on the science fair project

 

Daily Homework During the School Year

 

School homework is assigned to:

• Develop motivation

• Develop children’s initiative and sense of responsibility

• Help children understand that formal learning can take place outside the school

• Reinforce skills, concepts, knowledge, and attitudes taught in the classroom

 

All class teachers, grades 1 through 12, usually assign homework to students Monday through Thursday, according to the child’s level. Fridays and weekends are usually free of homework except for projects, special reports, studying tests, and finishing homework that was not done during the week.

 

The following chart shows the amount of time students are expected to spend on homework. Please note that the actual time for each child may be different since all children work at different levels and speeds.

 

Grade 1-2         15 to 25 minutes a day

Grade 3:           20 to 35 minutes a day

Grade 4-6:        25 to 60 minutes a day

Grade 7-9         45 to 75 minutes a day

Grade 10-12:    75 to 150 minutes a day

 

Please note: Japanese homework may be up to 20 minutes a day. It isn’t every day, but it may be at least four days a week. This is in addition to the main class homework assigned.

 

Students in grades 1 and 2 will receive a weekly homework assignment from their teacher. Parents must listen to their children read every night and ensure that their children complete any other assignments.

 

All students in grades three and up must maintain a homework diary in which they write down homework assignments and complete them by the teachers' deadlines. Students may be required to redo homework if it does not meet the required standards. Meeting deadlines is a vital skill for all students.

 

Every class has a weekly newsletter to give to the parents.  It will have special homework assignments, materials needed for the class, and special announcements.

 

Some homework is expected the next day, but some is not until the week's end.  Teachers will communicate with the students and parents about the expectations in each class. Teachers feel that students need to learn how to organize their work over a number of days and fit it into a schedule that might include commitments outside of school.

 

Parents are discouraged from taking their children on vacation while the school is in session. The school is not obligated to give students additional homework on private/personal trips. The school encourages trips during vacations. They are good learning experiences and make good memories of times with their families.

 

If a child becomes sick and misses school, teachers will give the missed class assignments and homework to the child when he or she returns, or a parent may come to the school to pick up the assignments and books.  If the child misses one day, he or she has two days to turn in the work.  If the child misses two days, he or she has four days, and so on.