Wednesday, October 8, 2008

Homework for Parents

My boy Jack came home this evening with a rather shocking ‘headline news’, “Mum, my English teacher Ms Findon gave a homework for parents. It is due this Friday.” Gosh.

Reading the letter from Ms Findon and reading Jack’s previous homework, I could see the teacher’s scenario and imagine her lesson plan. I thought it is absolutely brilliant.

Jack’s first English homework was to write a short biography of himself, starting from building up ideas jotting down key events in his life. The second one was to imagine a disease – a killer disease. Then he had to write a headline news about the disease spreading in school, ending with the whole school being quarantined.

This evening he came home with a ‘letter’ to parents from inside the school. Then came my part: parents are encouraged to write a reply letter for their boys who are trapped in school.

I could imagine this ‘extra work’ might be a burden for some parents, but I love it! This is an ingenious idea to include parents in supporting the boys’ learning process while having fun being involved in the scenario.

I also had fun inserting a few embarrassing facts into my ‘homework’. After all, it is one of parents’ pleasure to embarrass their children. The whole scenario – from news article to letters to and from parents – will be uploaded to Jack’s blog (http://jacques-bara.blogspot.com) very soon. In the meantime, I would like to congratulate Ms Findon, Jack’s English teacher at Manchester Grammar School for her brilliant idea. Well done Ms Findon! If I ever go back to teaching language, I shall remember your brilliant idea.

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