All About Ducks

Apparently, this is homework for a first-grader. A parent asks: How is my first-grader supposed to answer this? There is no other information. No further picture of ducks.

Comments:

1. Did they talk about ducks in class. Did they talk about different kinds of ducks in class. Did they talk about duck gender in class.

2. I like how Sam wrote his name.

3. Better question: Why does your first-grader have homework other than to play, to be with the family, and to do a few minutes of reading?

4. I can tell you what happens, from 30 years in the classroom. Teachers spend all class time BSing about various unconnected items and then assign homework for parents to do the actual teaching. Supervisors are so dumb, if the BS is elevated enough, they think it's great teaching.

5. My first grader has never had homework her sister in K did all year and the assignments were like this… or they would tell us “do 10 minutes of games on X” with no login instructions for X so it was 20-30 min of frustration just trying to find an activity.

6. Teachers and schools are rated on their dedication to homework. But no quality standards are set. It can be as I described, where the parents do the actual teaching. Or busywork, a whole lot of busywork. Or as you describe. *No management.* Management going to lunch and shopping.

7. Which ducks is he supposed to compare??

8. Can your child use the idea of what a duck is that’s in their head? You know, duck memories? Some are white, some brown, some are yellow and small? After thinking of their differences, what are their common features and behaviors?

9. Alike: they are all ducks. Different: some wear shirts but no pants for some reason.

10. I like the randomly split column on the differences side.

11. This is ducking crazy.

12. Sorry, I flunked duck.

13. This isn’t about actual learning. It’s about training them early to mindlessly accept all the pointless hours of drilling for standardized testing to give “outcome assessments.” I’m really sorry. It’s maddening.

14. I would say let your child think freely to respond to this. Kids are divergent thinkers. They come up with the most interesting things to say. I don’t know if the teacher was going for it but sometimes this technique is used to elicit free thinking.

15. This sums up so many of my experiences with my kids’ homework. ‘Do you know what you’re supposed to do?’ No. ‘Do you have a book or some notes we can refer to?’ No. ‘Is the assignment on your school app?’ No. Cool cool cool.

16. Possibly you state should pay teachers and ask for more ducks? In Florida in the early 1980’s we had many teachers that misunderstood limes and lemons, lions and tigers. I was disillusioned. But it was worth my effort and concern.

17. "One duck is invisible."

Assignment done. Go play. My kids never had homework in elementary school and really not much at all in highschool either. Granted, it made for a major challenge when university was the opposite as they hadn't any established homework habits yet.

18. Alike: they quack.

Different: there are boy ducks and girl ducks. You could have a) taken them to a park where there are ducks or b) used the internet. It's really not that hard.

19. I didn't know metaphysical zoology was part of the first grade curriculum now. Are they supposed to write a hypothesis about what a duck is compared to what they currently understand to not be a duck?

20. This happens a lot with homework. The teacher photocopies one page of a workbook but fails to provide the other. When this happened with my kids, I just wrote in “missing information. Not able to complete.” And signed it.

21. All duck is delicious. However, duck à l’orange has a light, complex sauce; Peking duck should have crispy skin; and duck rillettes should be served cold, with cornichons.

DONE. A+

22. Ok, I'm a k/prim teacher. This makes me laugh 1. Ignore, go to playground 2. Attach a note with ques 3. Ask your child and write what they say 4. Think about the skill, adapt. Not about ducks it's about comparing sim/diff, so pick 2 things they know get them to compare.

23. I would just have him draw a different duck on the left side and compare it with the given drawing. It's probably completely the wrong answer, but would likely be more fun than the actual prompt.

24. I used to be an elementary school teacher. I would just throw that paper away and write a note to school saying that you are opting your kid out of homework. Then prioritize play, connection and reading. There are SO MANY studies that say homework is pointless in elementary school.

25. This would be easy for someone with a knowledge of ducks and a grasp of the concepts of differences, but a first-grader? He might not have ever even seen a duck in real life. Age-appropriate learning strayed a bit here, I guess.

26. Same: All ducks have ambitions.

Different: Some ducks have ambitions above their station.

#FB00898