As in any other subject area, homework is important in English Language Arts. As homework in mathematics and the sciences helps students develop problem-solving strategies, homework in English Language Arts helps students develop the processes of insightful interpretation and expression. Assigning homework in English Language Arts is more complex than in other disciplines, however.

Homework in English Language Arts is more time-consuming than in other subject areas not because there is more work to do, but because reading and interpreting a text and writing an insightful response to it require large amounts of time. While reading texts and writing essays are adequate forms of homework, teachers may find it difficult to coordinate this with the topics that are being discussed in class; because reading lengthy texts and writing essays are processes that take days, weeks, or longer to complete, and because students operate at different speeds, it would be difficult or impossible to maintain all students at one stage of the process. Thus, daily homework is necessary in keeping students up to date with current topics.

Homework in English Language Arts is, in my opinion, more important than that in other subject areas because it requires insightful investigation on the part of students. It builds the students' ability to interpret texts and clearly articulate their ideas in writing. It is perhaps more important than instruction. It is my personal belief that interpretation and expression are continuous, self-taught processes learned through reading and writing, and classroom instruction simply serves as a guide. The work done by students outside the classroom contributes to the true learning experience. Teachers of such subjects as math and sciences teach students the processes of solving mathematical or scientific problems. Homework in these subject areas simply helps students memorize these processes and apply them to similar problems. In my opinion, however, teachers of English Language Arts cannot teach students to think critically; students can only teach themselves to think critically and homework is a necessary resource in this process. Daily homework ensures that students continue this process uninterrupted throughout the school year.

If students are to reap the full benefits of daily homework, teachers must assign it in the proper form and in the proper way. I know from personal experience that it is more effective to challenge students to do homework than it is to order them to do it. In more than one high school English Language Arts course, daily homework took the form of reading a poem, short story, or chapter in a textbook and answering three to four short- answer questions on it. I resented this type of homework; these strict orders suggested to me that the teacher perceived a lack of self-discipline on the part of students. In such situations I would answer the questions with a bare minimum of effort, enthusiasm, and information. Luckily, my very insightful Level III Literature teacher was aware of this. He never once assigned such homework. Instead, he would inform students there would be a discussion on a certain piece of literature during the next class, and during the discussion he would encourage students to share their ideas. Rarely did I fail to do the required reading because I enjoyed having a teacher who recognized and appreciated my ability to think and work independently.

Students who choose to follow the advanced route through high school English Language Arts (Literary Heritage 2201, Thematic Literature 3201, and Literary Heritage 3202), as I did, are usually very interested in literature and may not need as much encouragement as those who choose a less-advanced route. Encouraging students to do homework may require that the teacher be a liberal individual. For example, the teacher might recommend a work of popular literature that appeals to students and ask them to relate it to the topics that are being discussed in class. I believe that reading popular literature is productive despite the fact that it is often shunned by teachers of English Language Arts. Many students will learn writing techniques from popular authors, as I believe I have. I have always been a voracious reader and I have always maintained a "book-in-process," a popular novel I read in my spare time. I believe this practice has contributed to my writing abilities and style, and to my ability to interpret literature, and I believe it continues to do so today. By recommending that students read outside the boundaries of the course, teachers may contribute to the learning development of students, and teach students the value of literature, without the students perceiving it as a chore.

Homework in English Language Arts is perhaps the most practical homework of all high school subjects because it helps students teach themselves to interpret literature and to express their ideas. Students must be interested in doing their assigned homework to derive any benefit from it, and it is up to the teachers to ensure that students enjoy it. If students are permitted by teachers to analyze materials they are interested in, if they are given credit for their own ideas, and if they are given a reasonable amount of responsibility, they will learn from their homework and enjoy it.

Chris Marsh

5 October 2000