As we've transitioned to Daily 5/CAFE, we've put a tremendous emphasis on students spending time reading and writing, because these are the two practices that will help them improve as readers and writers. It can be hard to give up old practices, activities and even worksheets that have been ingrained in our practices, but we have to constantly be asking the question: Will this help my students become a better reader/writer?

I was reminded of this when I read the DailyCafe Newsletter a couple of weeks ago with this article by Allison Behne:

Tip of the Week—January 17, 2014

Unscramble—RTHWOSSLE RKSHWOETSE

Allison Behne

I have always enjoyed word finds and word scrambles. They don't take a lot of thought, and they keep me busy when I need something to pass the time. However, when my daughter brought home a word find for homework a few nights ago, she did not find it enjoyable, and neither did I. It was very challenging, due the next day, and took an hour and a half to complete—time that could have been better spent finishing math homework, studying for an upcoming test, or reading a book.

As parents, my husband and I asked, "What is the purpose of this assignment, and what value could it possibly be providing?" As a teacher, it made me reflect on my classroom and the assignments I give my own students. To be respectful of the students' time and take them to the next level, I need to be sure I am assigning only work that is meaningful and provides individualized, authentic practice.

Before I hand out a worksheet or assign a number of problems or pages in a book, I ask myself these questions:

Will I take the time to grade this? If not, what is the value of students' doing work on which they will not receive feedback?
Is it a good use of time? What benefits will the focused effort on the assignment provide? Would students be better off doing something else?
How will this assignment help children move forward? Answering this helps me validate my decision to have them spend time completing the assigned task.

Most important, I have to remind myself that fair is not always equal and that what is good for one student is not necessarily good for another. Gone are the days when I had to follow a practice book in chronological order and pass every worksheet out to every child. Instead, I have the opportunity to provide each student with individualized work that is a valuable use of his or her time.

Did you figure out the scramble? Let's save trees, time, and brainpower by refusing to assign worthless worksheets.