Before you assign homework, put
yourself in the students’ shoes. Ask
creative
ideas
LET 2013-2014
Charlotte Presley, Zacatecas
Ricardo Suárez, Mexico
It’s easy to give page 14 as homework on Monday,
page 15 for Tuesday’s homework, and page 16 on
Wednesday, but is it constructive or creative? No! Our
responsibility as Centro Escolar Lancaster elementary
school English teachers is to make sure that our
students learn through hands-on activities and
thought-provoking exercises that ignite the desire to
learn English and aid in the development of critical
thinking, self-expression, and creativity. Homework
without meaning is meaningless. Homework without a
point is pointless. Never assign homework just to
assign it. Assign homework because it is an window of
opportunity for the students to take the themes
absorbed during class time, investigate further, make
new discoveries, form their own conclusions, that will
in turn aid in the development of problem solving and
independent thinking, and encourage the student to
become an autodidactic learner; preparing them for
the real world.
yourself, if you were a student, would
this homework assignment help you
think more profoundly about the
topic and understand it on a greater
level? Ask yourself, would it make
you more excited about the topic
and learning in general? If the
answer is no, then you most likely
need to rethink the homework that
you are assigning and seek news
ways to innovate yourself. If the
answer is yes, then you’re doing
great! Take time to share some of
your homework ideas with your
fellow teachers. Highlight your
strengths and be vulnerable enough
to work on your weaknesses; take
ideas from others. No matter what
the answer is, it is good to keep an
open mind and continue to
modernize your teaching strategies.
When you are trying to think of
creative homework ideas, there are
so many different resources out
there to choose from. Even the
Brainwave, Science, and Selections
teacher’s books have a variety of
ideas that you are welcome to use.
www.Pinterest.com is another
valuable resource that every
elementary school teacher should
take a look at and take ideas from.
Furthermore, here are a few more
outside-of-the-box homework ideas
that are proven to work and
encourage students of all levels to
use the classwork as a tool to
explore the world around them, and
help make their involvement at
Centro Escolar Lancaster a tangible,
memorable experience that will last
a lifetime.
 Solutions
Here is a list of creative
homework ideas that you can

1
utilize in your classroom. They
have been tested and proven to
work. You’re even welcome to
change a few things to your
liking. The following homework is Students can paint, sculpt, or
sketch an interpretation of what

artist
practical, simple, and
they are studying. If it’s the

The
straightforward, and easy to
relate to, because they are Contract verbs, then they can paint
focused on involving the student a mural with different drawings for
with real life experiences. every action. They can make a
mosaic of the night sky, a mural of

2
or mold a nutritional

When studying about topics in correlation to certain

time periods, historical events, inventions, or the
chef

Grammar topic “used to,” it helps to fully engage

The

the students by making food that people used to

make in the past. Students can explore an event in
history by investigating a dish from their assigned
time period and prepare it. The best part is: sharing

3
the homework with the class!

Have the student go to an expert source and conduct an

journalist

interview about a certain topic they are learning about. For

example, have them interview a football player when
The

discussing sports in the classroom, or interview a doctor

when taking a look at the human body, or a chef, when
learning about food. Ask them to make a list of their findings
and report back to the classroom. Remember to always

4
have them check their sources with you because not all
them are trustable.

Older students should dedicate one hour of their time teaching a

teacher

student of another lower grade, the same topic they learned in the
classroom, but on their level, get their parents signature and show
The

evidence of what they taught. Learning by demonstrating can

actually cause students to actively think about how they were
explained the topic and how they have to explain it in order to
make sense to someone else, accessing the long term memory.
Younger students can be encouraged to teach their parents their
verbs, or vocabulary words.
 5
songwriter
Have students write a song using the weekly
verbs or vocabulary words to a karaoke
version of a song that already exists. It

The
doesn't have to be complex. It can even
be silly, like making a verb or vocabulary
song to Gangnam Style. Music is a great
tool for word memorization and associative

6
learning.

architect
Have students recreate 3D
models of famous structures of
buildings or monuments that

The
were mentioned in the lesson.
Encourage students to make
models from recycled and
around the house items, and to

7
be as creative as possible.

Giving the freedom for students to design their own

libertarian

homework is exciting. Give a couple of options and have

them take it from there. After you give the students a list of
The

options to choose from, they will get to make a decision,

and write down the project they like most. For example: give
the option to watch a movie or read a book, and then write
a paper or give a speech about it. Remember to have them

8
choose and sign off on their project in front of you, otherwise
parents will most likely choose for them.
philantropist

Have students get involved with local service

community projects, like helping the elderly, the
homeless, orphans, or the environment. You
The

could even have students grow vegetables and

donate them to the less fortunate. Have the
students take pictures in action and paste it in
their notebooks, or make a chart recording the
time that they helped.

Graphs and charts tell a story that clearly and effectively communicates
mathematician

without using words, or can be used to supplement words and give deeper
meaning. They can also be used for a variety of topics when assigning
The

homework. They make beautiful displays and are great evidences for the
notebooks. For example, if you are studying adjectives for expressions,
have students watch a movie and then chart how many times they saw
those specific expressions throughout the movie. If they are studying
flavors, students can survey their friends, family, and neighborhood to chart
how many people like vanilla, chocolate, or strawberry ice cream.
10 salesperson
Students can make a product relevant to the topic begin
discussed, package it, advertise it on the classroom displays,
and even “sell” it to classmates. Perhaps if you are studying the

The
Food Chain, you could have each student bring an individually
designed food-chain product. Have them explain what part of
the food chain is the product made of, and which part of the
chain will be eating the food product. Example: Delicious

11
Decomposers Brand, Cream of Fly Soup; “Especially made for
Spiders and their everyday consumer needs.”

Ask students to use realia and bring real

items for each verb. For example: If one of

realist
the verbs is bake, then ask the students to

The
bring something you bake and share it in
class! If one of the Contract verbs is "love"
then ask the students to bring something
they love. If they re learning about fruit

12
then have them bring a real one!

Encourage students to get out and observe the world

scientist

around them and not be afraid to get their hands dirty.

When studying a weather unit, have them go outside,
The

observe, and recording their weather findings. If studying

a unit about materials, have the students look through
their trash to find as many different materials as they can.
The point is to get the students involved in real life

13
experiences, and not just read about them in their
workbooks.
photographer

Students must photographs things

relevant to the topic being studied.
If it’s parts of the body, they can
The

take pictures of their friends and

family. If it’s sports, they can take
pictures of a football match. If it’s
food, they can take pictures of
themselves eating their favorite
food or a visit to a restaurant.
politician

Students have to run a campaign based on given

topics being discussed, and attempt to win. Have
The

students research the topic and prepare for a

political style speech. Students have to make a
good argument about their beliefs about the
topic. The campaign can be done in teams for
younger students.
 15
philosopher
When there is open discussion time in the
classroom, students ask many, sometimes
complex and open-ended questions.

The
Sometimes the questions pop up or you
may present them to the students. These
questions make excellent investigatory
homework, especially if there is going to

16
be another discussion session soon.

When given a mind map or a

notebook project, especially when

artisan
studying a vocabulary topic, instead

The
of asking for simple drawings, ask
students to cut out real pictures of the
items from magazines or monographs
from a paper store. It makes the

17
notebook pages and displays look
more vibrant and life-like.
entrepreneur

Children and young adults have many dreams and

hopes. It is great to have them explore what they want to
be when they get older by doing research, seeking
The

professional advice from a person in the field they would

like to be in, go to a local University to talk with councilors
about how they can start, and put together a
presentation about it for class. Perhaps after they

18
research the job of their dreams, they will change their
mind, or maybe they’ll want to pursue it even more!
homemaker

Involve students in the real world through a hands-on home

economics course. Give them a real task that parents usually
accomplish for them; like going grocery shopping, when
The

studying food and nutrition, going to a doctor’s office, when

studying about anatomy and health, or cleaning the house,
when studying about hygiene. First world educational systems
include home economics courses. Learning how to survive
and live the day to day is the most fundamental thing in life.

Now that you’ve seen a variety of creative

homework ideas that can be applied to a
variety of Contract topics, here is a
collection of more specifically defined
creative homework ideas, listed by the
subject topics.
Spelling
➡ Write a letter or email to a friend or family
member using as many spelling words as
you can. Find spelling words in song lyrics.
➡ Practice spelling words with sign language.
➡ Write a sentence for each spelling word.
➡ Create jokes or riddles with your spelling
words.
➡ Write a Facebook or Twitter post using as
many spelling words as you can.
➡ Type your spelling words. Use a different font
for each word.
➡ Write your spelling words, and a word that
rhymes with that word.
➡ Write each spelling word forwards and
backwards.
➡ Alphabetize your spelling words.
Write the spelling words in a list from shortest
to longest.
Write a story using at least 5 spelling words,
identified.
Write the spelling words 5 times each, using
different handwriting and different colors
➡ each time.
Complete the dwindling words. Example: rain
_ ain, _ _ in, _ _ _ n. _ _ _ _
(http://puzzlemaker.discoveryeducation.com/
WordSearchSetupForm.asp)
➡ Complete the word search by finding your
spelling words.
Type in your spelling words on http://
www.spellingcity.com/ and play a game with
➡ your spelling words!
Make an acrostic. (using words related to
themes you are studying in Vocabulary) 18.
Make a comic! Use at least 5 spelling words
throughout your comic.
Go to http://iconscrabble.com/ Type in your
spelling words and print them for
➡ display.
Go to http://geogreeting.com/ Type your
spelling words and send them to your
➡ teacher and friends in an email.
Literacy
➡ Start and keep a reading journal. Start a
writing journal; write in it once a day with
your thoughts and feelings.Watch a movie
and then write a review from your personal
perspective. Go to http://books.google.com/
and read a book. Read and print a news
articles from http://www.cnn.com/US/
index.html,
http://abcnews.go.com/, and http://
www.nbcnews.com/ Go to a supermarket
and look for products with English writing.
Read their slogans,
write them down, and make a collage out of
them. Interview a family member, collect the
data, and write a report about the results.
Design a machine to do a dangerous or
undesired job. Draw the machine, in detail,
and explain exactly what it does and how.
Invent a mythical creature and write a short
story about it, including its habitat,
eating habits, likes, and dislikes.
➡ Read a story, and rewrite the ending.
Write a prequel to a story you really like.
Interview your grandparents and parents by
asking them if there is a really funny
➡ story they can think of from their childhood
to tell you. Write the story down, and
➡ share it with class.
Go to http://www.jumpstart.com/parents/
games/reading-games and play a game. 14.
Go to http://www.uen.org/k-2interactives/
reading.shtml and play a game.
Go to http://www.thestorystarter.com/jr.htm
to get story starting ideas.
Go to
➡ http://www.kraftcanada.com/en/yourkids/
kidsinthekitchen/kidscancookrecipes/re
cipesaged6andunder.aspx or http://
www.kraftcanada.com/en/YourKids/
KidsInTheKitchen/KidsCanCookRecipes /
RecipesAge10To12.aspx read a recipe of
your choice, then make it (with the help of
an adult), and bring it to class.
 Vocabulary
➡ Write the definitions, in your own words, for each
Vocabulary word. If you are not sure, then you
may look the words up in the dictionary and write
the dictionary definition.
➡ Identify the parts of speech for each Vocabulary
word. Examples: Photosynthesis = Noun.
Confess = Verb. Black = Adjective. Quickly =
Adverb.
➡ Write your Vocabulary words 3 times each, using
the color red for every vowel and black for every
consonant.
➡ Calculate the value of your Vocabulary words!
Consonants BCDFGHJKLMNP are worth two
pesos. Consonants QRSTVQXYZ are worth five
pesos. Vowels AEIOU are worth ten pesos.
Example: Ocean = ten + two + ten + ten + two =
thirty-four pesos.
➡ Look up the prefix (or suffix) of your word, and
write 5 more words with the same prefix (or
suffix).
➡ Write an antonym and a synonym for every word.
➡ Divide each word by syllables. Example:
toothbrush = tooth/brush.
➡ Write a rhyme for every word. Circle the real
words in red.
➡ Make a comic strip with your Vocabulary words.
➡ 10. Cut out pictures out of magazines that
represent your Vocabulary words.
11. Create a short story using your Vocabulary
words.
12. Make an acrostic with your Vocabulary words,
using words related to the theme
➡ you are studying in Science.
13. Make a solved crossword puzzle using all of
your Vocabulary words.
14. Find and print song lyrics with at least 1 of
your Vocabulary words, highlight the
➡ word in yellow.
15. Go to the supermarket and find as many
items as you can that remind you of your
➡ Vocabulary words. Make a list next to your
Vocabulary words for each item.
16. Go on a scavenger hunt to find as many real
things as you can that relate to your vocabulary
words.
Grammar
➡ Write 3 sentences for each of your Weekly
Regular (or Irregular) Verbs, 1 affirmative, 1
negative and 1 interrogative. One of the
sentences must be in the Present Perfect.
➡ Write an email to a friend using your Weekly
Verbs.
➡ Make a post on Facebook or Twitter with your
Weekly Verbs.
➡ Watch a movie in English, turn the subtitles on,
and see if you can find the
Grammar structure you are studying.
➡ Play with your food! Spell your Verbs using
food items and take pictures (beans,
spaghetti noodles, rice...).
➡ Make a copy a page from a reading book or
magazine in English. Identify the
parts of speech for every word on the page.
➡ Make a copy of a page from a reading book or
magazine. Circle the verbs on the
page.
➡ Make a copy of a page from a reading book or
magazine.
➡ Go to YouTube.com and search for videos
about the Grammar topic you are
studying, watch it for better comprehension.
➡ 10. Go to YouTube.com and watch different
Grammar related Schoolhouse Rock
➡ videos at: http://www.youtube.com/results?
search_query=schoolhouse+rock 11. Write a
superhero comic, where the superheroes and
villains talk using only
➡ words in the structure you are studying.
12. Make an acrostic using your Weekly Verbs
using words with themes in Science
➡ or Vocabulary.
13. Write sentences with the Grammar topic
you are studying, using the Weekly
➡ Verbs as the principle verb in the sentence.
14. Go through your entire day narrating your
actions using the Grammar structure
➡ you are studying.
15. Bring 1 real item that reminds you of 1 of
the Weekly Verbs. Example: If your
➡ verb is love, bring something you love.
 Remember that homework shouldn ́t take all afternoon or weekend long to do, yet it
shouldn’t be a quick 5 minutes either. There is a balance between the two that you should
take into account when applying creative homework to your students. The following is a
guideline to go by when assigning homework.

Español Inglés Total

1st & 2nd grade 20 minutos 20 minutos 40 minutos

3rd & 4th grade 30 minutos 30 minutos 1 hora

5th & 6th grade 40 minutos 40 minutos 1 hora 20 minutos

Students write down their homework in

their homework agendas on a daily
basis. Please also keep a teacher’s
homework agenda. Write down
everything exactly as you wrote it on
the board. It is very helpful for when
students are absent and need to
quickly copy the homework, and helps
you, when lesson planning, to try to
think of a variety of ideas and not forget
what you assigned last Friday.
Remember to always take advantage
of the weekends and remember to
keep holidays and extracurricular
activities, like the Science Fair, in mind.
Save the bigger, more complex
projects for the weekends. And most of
all have fun! If you’re not enjoying it,
most likely your students aren’t either.
The attitude you display about
homework has a great effect on the
students’ willingness to complete it.
Always encourage the students to do
their best. Nothing more. Nothing less.