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TOTAL: 40 MARKS
Read the following article and answer ALL the questions that follow.

Should Schools Ban Homework?

I
Every school day brings something new, but homework is one status quo most
parents expect. The old adage practice makes perfect seems to make sense
when it comes to schoolwork. However, while poring over books and worksheets
after dinner might seem like a natural part of childhood, there is more research now
than ever suggesting that it should not be so.

II

5
Many in the education field today are looking for evidence to support the case for
homework, but are coming up empty-handed. Homework is all pain and no gain,
says author Alfie Kohn. In his book, The Homework Myth, Kohn points out that no
study has ever found a correlation between homework and academic achievement in
elementary school, and there is little reason to believe that homework is necessary
in high school. In fact, Kohn adds that it may even diminish interest in learning. Many
proponents of homework argue that life is filled with things we do not like to do, and
that homework teaches self-discipline, time management and other non-academic
life skills. Kohn challenges this popular notion by stating that if children have no
choice in the matter of homework, they are not really exercising judgment, and are
III instead losing their sense of autonomy. 10

This kind of intense debate about homework has a long history. For example, in the
1920s, some physicians were concerned about the impact of homework on
children's health. They argued that children need between six to seven hours a day
of fresh air and sunshine. In the 1930s, editor Edward Bok of the Ladies Home
Journal also called for an end to the practice. Critically acclaimed author, Tami
Ansary, mentions that since 1981, the amount of homework given to sixth graders 15
has increased by more than fifty percent. For the rest of the 20th century, different
research reports have been used to support or dismiss the practice, yet it persists
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IV
despite the lack of clarity on its educational value. What is clear is that parents and
children do not live in the world of academic research; they live in the real world
where there are piles of homework.

Attempts to ban homework are not new. In 2012, President Francoise Hollande of
France proposed banning homework for all primary and middle school students. His
proposal, however, was largely ridiculed by The Wall Street Journal. In the same
year, a school in Germany decided to actually do away with homework for students
from grades five to nine. In 2014, College de Saint-Ambroise, an elementary school
V
in Quebec, banned homework for children from grades one to six for a year. The 20
Canadian media exploded with blogs, tweets and radio talk shows questioning or
applauding the decision.

Oddly, when schools decide to ban homework, it is big news, but we know little about
what happens afterwards. What we do know is that there is evidence to show
that Finland assigns little homework and yet its students have some of the highest
test scores in the world. Los Angeles Unified School District, America's second- 25
largest school system, took a different tack. In 2011, it set a policy that homework
could not count for more than 10 per cent of a student's grade. The decision caused
such an outrage that a 15-member panel was formed and it subsequently changed
VI the policy so that homework accounted for 20 per cent of a student's grade. Many
parents believe that their children must spend much longer time on their
assignments. However, last year when a New York father tried to do his eight-
graders homework for a week, much to his surprise it took him at least three hours
to do it on most nights.
30

More than 80 per cent of respondents in a TODAY.com poll complained children

have too much homework. The poll suggests that homework takes away time
children could be spending with their families. Rather than spending time bonding
and building strong family relationships, parents and children argue over homework.
Homework really is a black hole, claims Etta Kralovec, an associate professor of
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VII
teacher education at the University of Arizona South and co-author of The End of
Homework: How Homework Disrupts Families, Overburdens Children, and Limits
Learning. She further adds that teachers are going to be increasingly interested in 35

having total control over student learning during class and not relying on homework
as any kind of activity that is going to support student learning.

Who controls a child's time has tremendous implications for the debate on
homework. Should children come home to two hours of homework after spending
seven hours at school? Could the intense pressure on children to excel academically
VIII have a negative health impact in the long run, in addition to the increased problem of 40
childhood obesity we are facing? Kralovec questions why children should have to
take work home when they are at school seven to eight hours a day, which is a full
working day. When schools ratchet up the pressure for higher academic
achievement, one of the first things to go is recess even as homework is piled on.
While scholars debate the value of homework, pundits, politicians and educators call
for increased educational choices, greater standardisation and accountability for
schools. Many parents and students feel overwhelmed. The pressure of longer
IX school days and more homework does not help matters.
45

The experience of homework is different depending on which side of the economic

divide you sit. The unequal distribution of educational resources means that some
students go home to nannies, well-stocked home libraries, tutors, well-educated
parents and high-speed Internet. Meanwhile, others go home to care for siblings in
X
crowded apartments and often-absent parents who barely make ends meet. This
issue of social inequality was the main reason that the French President proposed
banning homework.

50

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When difficult homework or assignments are given frequently, it causes students to

lose interest in the subject. Negative results can also occur when they are not able to
finish their homework. Usually they will resort to copying homework, having others
do their assignments, or cheating on tests. Bad habits like these are likely to follow
them through their lives. With no consequences to these actions, students will
almost always take the easy way out when it comes to homework.

55
XI

On the other hand, existing research on homework and student achievement

suggests the extra work, at a minimum, does no harm to students. In their
international research, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and
Development (OECD) found that schools whose students spend more hours on
homework or other studies set by teachers tend, on average, to perform better, even
after accounting for the socio-economic status and demographic background of
students and schools and various other school characteristics. The OECD also
explains that when comparing national education systems, the number of homework
assignments from one nation to the next does not explain the differences in student
achievement. This means that homework, by itself, is not the answer to a nations
education woes. Thus, parents and educators should be less concerned with the
60
amount of homework and more concerned with using homework and other
assignments to inspire students for the future.

The use of homework is effective when it abides by the rule that less is more.
Overwhelming children with loads of homework can cause them stress and possible
physical injury from a backpack overflowing with homework. Homework takes away
the small amount of time children have to spend with their parents and siblings.
Limiting their physical and social activities can also take a large toll on their lives, 65
and could hinder their health and future relationships. Too much homework may not
be a good thing, especially for younger children. At the end of the day, it is about how
one wants to balance work, family, educational goals and happiness.

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Adapted from: Should Schools Ban Homework? September 5, 2014.

http://edition.cnn.com/2014/09/05/opinion/kralovec-ban-homework/

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75

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90

95

100

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QUESTION 1 (4 MARKS)

Interpret the following words as they are used in the passage.

a) exercising (line 15) : _________________________________________

b) exploded (line 34) : _________________________________________
c) tack (line 40) : _________________________________________
d) ratchet up (line 64) : _________________________________________

(4 marks)

QUESTION 2 (14 MARKS)

a) Identify the stated main idea of paragraph VIII and give ONE MAJOR supporting detail to
support the main idea.

i) Stated main idea

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_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

ii) Major supporting detail

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

b) Read each of the following statements. Decide whether each statement is a Fact or an
Opinion and explain why. Write your answer in the space provided.

i) More than 80 per cent of respondents in a TODAY.com poll complained children have too
much homework. (Paragraph VI)
_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

ii) With no consequences to these actions, students will almost always take the easy way
out when it comes to homework. (Paragraph IX)
_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)
iii) Overwhelming children with loads of homework can cause them stress and possible
physical injury from a backpack overflowing with homework. (Paragraph XI)

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_________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

c) Identify the type of support from the following options for each supporting detail. Use
each option only ONCE.

Expert opinion Expert testimony Personal experience

Statistics Research finding Historical data
Supporting Details Type of Support
i) In his book, The Homework Myth, Kohn points out that no study
has ever found a correlation between homework and academic
achievement in elementary school, (Paragraph II)
ii) In the 1930s, editor Edward Bok of the Ladies Home Journal also
called for an end to the practice. (Paragraph III)
iii) However, last year when a New York father tried to do his eight-
graders homework for a week, much to his surprise it took him at
least three hours to do it on most nights. (Paragraph V)
iv)
What we do know is that there is evidence to show that Finland
assigns little homework and yet its students have some of the
highest test scores in the world. (Paragraph V)

(4 marks)

d) Formulate the implied main idea of paragraph VI.

_________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

QUESTION 3 (7 MARKS)

a) Identify the issue presented in the article.

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_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

b) Identify the authors position on the issue presented in this article.

_________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

c) Identify two (2) specific categories of people who are the writers intended audience.
i) ___________________________
ii) ___________________________

(1 mark)
d) Identify which of the following best describes the general tone of the author by circling
the appropriate option.

i) sympathetic
ii) concerned
iii) neutral
iv) indifferent
(1 mark)

e) Identify the authors overall purpose for writing this article by circling the appropriate
options.

i) To convince readers that homework reduces interest in learning.

ii) To inform readers that homework is important for effective learning.
iii) To persuade readers that the amount of homework should be lessened.
iv) To persuade readers that homework should be made more effective to support
learning.

(1 mark)

QUESTION 4 (15 MARKS)

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a) Explain what Alfie Kohn is implying when he said: if children have no choice in the
matter of homework, they are not really exercising judgment, and are instead losing their
sense of autonomy (Paragraph II).

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________

(2 marks)

b) Identify two (2) inferences that can be made on Etta Kralovecs statement that
homework really is a black hole. (Paragraph VI)

Indicate your answers by circling the appropriate options.

i) Homework has taken away important aspects of a childs daily life.

ii) Homework creates a vacuum in family relationships.
iii) Homework is like a tunnel that leads to enhancement in learning.
iv) Homework traps students into spending more time in school.

(2 marks)

c) Draw a possible conclusion based on the reasoning used in the given text.

In 2012, President Francoise Hollande of France proposed banning homework for

all primary and middle school students. His proposal, however, was largely ridiculed
by The Wall Street Journal. In the same year, a school in Germany decided to
actually do away with homework for students from grades five to nine. In 2014,
College de Saint-Ambroise, an elementary school in Quebec, banned homework for
children from grades one to six for a year. The Canadian media exploded with
blogs, tweets and radio talk shows questioning or applauding the decision.

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_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

d) Draw a possible conclusion based on the reasoning used in the given text.

This kind of intense debate about homework has a long history. For example, in the
1920s, some physicians were concerned about the impact of homework on
children's health. They argued that children need between six to seven hours a day
of fresh air and sunshine. In the 1930s, editor Edward Bok of the Ladies Home
Journal also called for an end to the practice. Critically acclaimed author, Tami
Ansary, mentions that since 1981, the amount of homework given to sixth graders
has increased by more than fifty per cent. For the rest of the 20th century, different
research reports have been used to support or dismiss the practice, yet it persists
despite the lack of clarity on its educational value. What is clear is that parents and
children do not live in the world of academic research; they live in the real world
where there are piles of homework.

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(1 mark)

e) Evaluate whether there is any bias demonstrated by the author in Paragraph IX and
provide at least four (4) examples from the language used in the text to support your
evaluation.

When difficult homework or assignments are given frequently, it causes students to lose
interest in the subject. Negative results can also occur when they are not able to finish their
homework. Usually they will resort to copying homework, having others do their
assignments, or cheating on tests. Bad habits like these are likely to follow them through
their lives. With no consequences to these actions, students will almost always take the easy
way out when it comes to homework.
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_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(3 marks)

f) Evaluate the validity of the authors main argument in the article. Support your answer
with two examples of evidence from the article.

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________
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(3 marks)

g) Evaluate the authors argument for completeness. Explain your answer with evidence
from the article that contributes to the completeness or incompleteness of the argument.

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________

(3 marks)

END OF QUESTION PAPER

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