Education World -- "Where educators go to learn", also useful for self-learners young and old. Search for a topic in the database of 500,000 teaching resources on the Internet. Curriculum, Lesson Planning, Site Reviews, Teacher Lessons, and much more. Comprehensive site. http://www.education-world.com/

Awesome Library -- searchable education web directory of more than 17,000 reviewed resources, including the top 5% education websites. Easy interface. By the Evaluation & Development Institute in the US. http://www.awesomelibrary.com/

"Ask a Question" page links to dozens of expert websites on a variety of subjects, includes Homework Helper.

http://www.awesomelibrary.org/Office/Main/Involving_Students/Involving_Students.html

Blue Web'n is a searchable database of about 1,000 outstanding Internet learning sites categorized according to subject area and type: tutorials, activities, projects, unit and lesson plans, hotlists, other resources, references and tools.

The Community Learning Network is designed to help K-12 teachers integrate technology into their classrooms. More than 265 menu pages with more than 5,800 annotated links to free resources on educational WWW sites, in an "intuitive structure". Educational WWW Resources for K-12 Students and Teachers, Integrate the Internet into the Classroom, Learn More about the Internet, Professional Development in Information Technology. Good interface, easy to find what you want on this well-organized Canadian site. More than 16 million visitors from 165 countries since 1996. http://www.cln.org/ General Education Meta-lists / WWW Directories -- links to multi-subject Internet directories of K-12 curriculum resources (some reviewed, with descriptions). http://www.cln.org/subjects/general_cur.html

Collections of Lesson Plans -- links to sites with extensive lesson plan collections.

AskERIC -- Funded by the US Department of Education, the Educational Resources Information Center (ERIC) provides a Virtual Library of selected educational resources, including 1,100-plus AskERIC Lesson Plans, more than 250 Info Guides, searchable archives of education-related listservs, links to Television Series Companion Guides, database search, and a personal email response on any educational question from educators, librarians, parents, or anyone interested in education, with a Hot Topics archive. http://www.askeric.org/

StudyWeb Meta-Encyclopedia for Student Research -- categorized web center of 162,000+ "Research Quality" URLs -- database search or browse large subject list. Resource directory, subject-specific homework help online (good list), teaching resources. http://www.studyweb.com

Lightspan.com education portal for educators, parents, and students, providing resources, research tools, and grade-specific activities. Educational research compiler with over 115,000 grade-appropriate, expert-selected sites, allows users to search for Web sites, lesson plans, encyclopedia articles, and projects. Plus the Lightspan Network paid subscription service. http://www.lightspan.com/

The AT&T Learning Network supports and develops programs and resources for teaching and lifelong learning through technology. The Virtual Academy is a centralized resource of online courses to help educators integrate technology into the curriculum, and to update their professional credentials, options from upgrading skills to college degrees. Online Resources for Educators has a large array of educational resources on the Web -- lesson plans, online projects, teaching aids, and more. Resources for Families has a wide variety of links to family-related educational content. Also Community Guide to the Information Superhighway. Lots of good resources here. 

http://www.neighborhoodlink.com/demo/attarizona/aln.htm

Global SchoolNet's Newsday -- Involve your students in international affairs with Newsday newswire. They'll create their own newspaper based on articles submitted by global student correspondents. Current theme: The Future -- What does the world of the future hold for us? What is your "world vision?" What sort of world will this be in ten years? 

http://www.globalschoolnet.org/index.html

KidSource OnLine -- In-depth education and healthcare information for parents (with site search engine): http://www.kidsource.com/index.html

My KidSource -- Free daily E-mail Parenting Tips: educational activities; healthcare, parenting or education tips; news about websites and products. Subscribe:

Timeless Classics -- Good selection by the US National Endowment for the Humanities of more than 450 books, graded for Kindergarten through Grade 6, Grades 7-8,& Grades 9-12: http://www.kidsource.com/kidsource/content/timeless.html

Learning Disability Search Engine: http://www.kidsource.com/kssearch/ldsearch.html

Internet Public Library Reference Center -- Search for information in online newspapers and periodicals, books, Internet resources and more, or ask a question. Archives of Frequently Asked Reference Questions, large collection of ready references, grouped by subject area, large number of subject-specific "Pathfinder" guides written by IPL staff to help you get started doing research on a particular topic, online or at your local library. Good place to start an info. search. http://www.ipl.org/ref/

Freeality Online Encyclopedias -- single interface for searching 23 online encyclopedias, with links to a dozen more, plus dictionaries, libraries, thesaurus, English language tools, translation dictionaries, glossaries and more. Also reference and research links and other resources. http://www.freeality.com/encyclopt.htm

Freeality's Internet Oracle Online Homework Helpers:

Learn2.com -- Many step-by-step "2torials" on a wide variety of subjects, from basic skills in daily life (fry an egg, catch a mouse) to dealing with technology. Each of 12 learning "channels" has an associated "Learnlines" discussion forum for questions and answers. Also Survival Guides, collections of tutorials to avoid potential crises. Useful, if not strictly "educational" -- what you didn't learn in school and probably should have. http://www.learn2.com/learn2_everyday.asp

KidsClick! was created by librarians as a guide for young users to valuable and age-appropriate web sites. Search, browse a large list of subject areas, and the Worlds of Web Searching site for lessons and activities to help learn searching skills.

"IF you happen to be one of those parents who is considering homeschooling your kid because he either isn't doing well in public school or you think he might be better off at home, but you are intimidated by all the arguments against it (you feel unqualified to teach, you feel you might not have enough time, your kid might be too isolated, etc. etc.)... it can be done." (Lee Flier)

Kids Taught at Home Make the Grade

August 30, 2000 (Fox News) -- For the third consecutive year, [US] ACT college admissions test scores are higher for homeschoolers than for other students. Homeschoolers' average composite score was 22.8, compared to the national average of 21, out of a possible 36. On the SAT, homeschoolers, who comprise less than 1 percent of test takers, earned 568 verbal and 532 in math. The national average, announced Monday, was 505 verbal and 514 math. The U.S. Department of Education estimates there are between 1 and 1.2 million homeschoolers in America.

Home Sweet School: The average homeschooler's SAT score is 1100, 80 points higher than the average score for the general population. The new home schoolers aren't hermits. They are diverse parents who are getting results -- and putting the heat on public schools. -- Time Magazine, cover story:

Furious Shepherd’s Homeschool Page offers one of the most extensive listings of links and homeschool resources on the world wide web. Well worth checking out!

Homeschool Resource Pages (Home Education Magazine) -- homeschooling news and information, support and encouragement, resources: Information and Resources Guide, Homeschool Resources, Online Newsletter, Information Library, Discussion Boards. http://www.home-ed-magazine.com/

Jon's Homeschool Resource Page -- One of the oldest homeschooling sites on the Web (six years old) and one of the most extensive. Homeschooling handbooks online, a big list of Frequently Asked Questions, lists of News Groups, Mailing Lists, Web forums, Chat Channels, Web Resources, Organizations and more.

Wisconsin Parents Association -- Informing, Supporting, and Renewing Families Since 1984. Best homeschooling network in Wisconsin. www.homeschooling-wpa.org

Gardening with Kids Forum -- active web forum for discussion of all aspects of gardening with children and education, many messages and threads. Message archive search facility. http://forums.gardenweb.com/forums/teach/

EdHelper was created by a team of teachers and is dedicated to providing a single shop for educational resources. Worksheets, quiz maker, puzzle builders, theme units, daily & weekly lessons, and much more. www.edhelper.com

A Place to Work

Find the right place. In some families, having a central location, where all children in the family do their homework works best. This may be the dining room or kitchen table. In other families, each child has her own study place, usually at a desk in the bedroom. What works for you depends on your children. Some kids do best under the watchful eye of a parent, in which case the dining room or kitchen may work best. Others need a quiet of their bedrooms to avoid distractions. Some kids like to work with the radio on (and this helps them focus), while others do worse with this kind of background noise. Think about possible distractions that will need to be avoided (a nearby television, the telephone, etc.) when planning your child's workspace. You may want to conduct "experiments" with your child to determine what setting works best under what circumstances. Try several options for a week each and see how your child does (rate the quality of the homework completed, the time it took to finish, and the child's subjective reaction).

Gather necessary materials

Youngsters can waste a lot of time tracking down things like pencils, paper, rulers, etc. when beginning their homework. To avoid this, stock your child's study area with these materials and any other he is likely to need, such as a dictionary, highlighters, pens, scissors, glue, tape, colored pencils, stapler and staples, etc. A portable plastic bin may be an ideal place to store study materials; if you have more than one child, you may want to have one bin for each child. You may also want to have a second container (such as a dishpan) which your child can "dump" their school things in as soon as they get home from school. This will help avoid last minute frantic searches for permission slips, library books, notices of meetings, etc.

It may also be helpful to set up file folders for each subject your child is taking in school to keep track of necessary papers, such as long-term assignment directions, tests and homework that have been passed back (to help in studying for the next test), etc. These folders should not be used for storing homework, since your child is likely to then leave it at home and forget to take it to school. Completed homework should be placed in the child's backpack, or notebook as soon as it is finished to ensure it gets to school.

Organizing Homework/Setting Priorities

A homework session should begin by reviewing what the day's assignments are. It is probably a good idea to draw up a list of assignments on a separate sheet of paper, so that you can then help your child prioritize and break down longer tasks into shorter ones. The steps to follow might be:

1. List out assignments.

2. Make sure the child brought home the necessary books, work sheets, etc.

3. Break longer tasks into sub tasks.

4. Check to see what other tasks the child has to do which should be included on the list - including long term assignments, and tests later in the week for which the child should begin studying. Add these to the homework list.

5. Have the child decide what order she will complete the work. A good rule of thumb is to have the child begin & end with assignments she considers "easy," sandwiching more difficult assignments in between.

6. Estimate how much time it will take to complete the work.

7. Make sure you have allowed enough time for the child to complete all his homework allowing for break time as necessary.

Sometimes it is difficult for kids to complete homework because of other obligations they may have - sports events, doctors' appointments, scout meetings, chores, family events, etc. You may find it helpful to put together a weekly calendar to keep track of these activities. Once a week (Sunday afternoon sounds good), sit down with your child and fill out (or review) the weekly calendar together. Then, as you plan your homework time each day, you can reference this calendar to allow time for their other activities.

Getting Started

As mentioned above, it is usually best to have the child begin with a task that they consider "easy." Some children may want to start with the hardest task first to get it over with, and this is acceptable unless the child has a very difficult time getting started and will dawdle or avoid the difficult assignment even though it was his/her choice to start with it. For many youngsters, just getting started on homework seems like an insurmountable obstacle. We have several suggestions for handling this problem:

1. Have the child specify when she will begin and then reward her for getting to work within five minutes.

2. Sit with your child for the first five minutes to make sure he gets off to a good start.

3. Talk with your child about her assignments before beginning. This is particularly important for written language assignments or more open-ended tasks. This is particularly true for youngsters who may have difficulties with verbal fluency or word retrieval.

4. Orient your child to his assignment; walk him through the first one or two problems or items to make sure he understands what he is supposed to do.

5. Build in a short break relatively quickly, if getting started is a problem.

Make sure adequate breaks are built in. Many children have a great deal of difficulty working for long stretches of time. Better to plan for a two hour homework session with frequent breaks built in than to try to cram homework into a one-hour, non-stop session. Breaks might be used to get a snack, play a few minutes of a Nintendo game, or to shoot baskets or do some other form of exercise. Breaks should be scheduled when tasks get accomplished rather than after a set period of time, otherwise your child can daydream the time away and still get his break. One child we know arranges homework sessions between TV shows he likes to watch. If he hasn't finished whatever task he was working on when his television program comes on, he either misses the program or tapes it to watch later.

Long Term Assignments

1. Know what assignments are due when. In addition to having a weekly assignment book where daily homework is recorded, it is also advisable to have a monthly calendar on which long term assignments can be written as soon as they are assigned. With younger or more disorganized students parents may want to periodically send in this calendar and ask the classroom teacher to verify that it is up-to-date.

2. Break long term assignments into sub tasks. Sit down with your child and read over directions or discuss the nature of the long term assignment. Make out a list of the steps necessary to complete the assignment. If desired, this can be a fairly lengthy outline with notes attached providing more guidance about what is to be included for each step. For written reports, for instance, the steps might include taking notes, generating an outline, writing the introduction, the sections of the report and the summary, preparing a bibliography, drawing any necessary maps and charts, proofreading, preparing the final draft, and making a cover.

3. Draw up a time line. Once the outline is developed, each sub task should than have due date attached to it and should be written on the monthly calendar.

A long report will require that more time be devoted to each step, particularly preparing the final draft and proofreading. If the long term assignment requires your child use the library, visit a museum, or gather information from outside sources, include these trips on the time line, with dates attached. If materials need to be purchased, the time when this will happen should also be identified. In the beginning, your child will probably need extensive help breaking down his assignments and developing a realistic time line. As time goes on, he can assume increasing amounts of responsibility for these. Time management is a skill of life-long importance.

Developing increasing independence in planning for and executing long term assignments is an early opportunity for a child to acquire this valuable skill.

Incentive Systems

For many youngsters, homework is an exceedingly difficult task representing an ordeal they perceive at times to be insurmountable. For these children all the organization and planning in the world may not be enough to get them through the daily grind of homework. In this case, an incentive system may need to be put in place to make homework completion a more attractive task for them. If this is the right approach for your child, we recommend a system whereby your child can earn points for completing tasks or for demonstrating other appropriate behaviors required for successful homework completion. The points can then be traded in for daily, weekly or long term reinforcers. Steps for setting up a point system include:

1. With your child, draw up a list of privileges or rewards your child would like to earn. Daily rewards might include an extra half hour of television, a special snack, the chance to stay up an extra half hour before bed. Weekly rewards might include a trip to the mall or the chance to go to a video arcade or rent a video. Longer term rewards might be going to a movie with a friend, or the chance to buy a small toy.

2. Now, again with your child, draw up a list of "jobs" for which your child can earn points. Related to homework, such as writing down assignments, completing work within the specified homework time, etc.

3. Decide how many points each of the homework "jobs" can earn and how much each of the privileges or rewards will cost. To determine how much the rewards should cost, add up the number of points you feel your child will earn each day. Be sure that your child has about one third of her points free to save up for special privileges.

4. Get a notebook, and set it up with five columns, one each for the date, the item, deposits, withdrawals, and the running balance.

5. Once a month or so, review the list of jobs and privileges and revise as necessary.

Described above is a fairly elaborate system that may be necessary with those children who are highly resistant to doing homework. When the problem is not considered to be so extreme, a more informal system (such as the opportunity to earn a small reward after all the homework is done each day) may be all that is necessary. Children can also be taught to reward themselves as they complete tasks, both major and minor ones. They can also adjust the reward depending on the size or difficulty of the task; half an hour of reading is worth a 10 minute break to shoot baskets; completing a term paper is worth a bike ride to the store to buy a favorite snack.

With some children, the use of natural or logical consequences alone may be sufficient. Not being able to watch a favorite TV program because the homework wasn't done in time is a logical consequence arises from dawdling over assignments.

For some children, a failing grade is a natural consequence for failure to complete homework, and this alone will be sufficient to induce them to work. However, parents should not assume that fear of a failing grade alone will be sufficient to induce their child to do his homework.

Parents should resist the temptation simply to punish children for their failure to do homework. While it may make sense to cut down on the number of outside activities or the amount of time their child is allowed to play with friends after school in order to allow for sufficient time to do homework, a system in which incentives are built in for homework completion will likely be more effective than a system of negative consequences alone. Most children who have problems doing homework are not happy about their situation or the fights they draw their parents into. Rather, it seems to take these children considerably more effort to get down to work and to sustain attention to homework than it does the average child.

Parents should keep in mind the overall purpose of homework: to give children independent practice with a skill they have already been taught. Parents should not have to teach the skills necessary for their children to complete their homework successfully. A good rule of thumb is that children should be able to get at least 70 percent of a homework assignment correct working on their own for it be within an appropriate instructional range. If your child cannot achieve that level of success without a great deal of support from you, then the homework she is being assigned is probably inappropriate. Make an appointment with your child's teacher to ask for assignments that will better give her the practice she needs.