Part 1: Selection of Issue

Why did you choose this controversial issue?
I choose this controversial topic because it relates to me this year. I have felt like I am receiving too much homework. I have hardly any free time and I am suffering from it. I hardly have anytime to hang out with friends after school. I have to stay up late to complete all of the homework, causing me to lose sleep, which is vital for a body to grow and heal. Sometimes I have to rush to do my homework in class just to have enough time to relax at home.

Summarize your understanding of the issue.
My understanding of the issue is fairly educated. Children and Parents alike are complaining about the overwhelming amount of homework that is being given. Students are complaining that they are unable to socialize outside of school. Parents are concerned more for their child’s grades and health. They are saying that their children are complaining about heavy backpacks hurting their backs. There shouldn’t be a reason for a first grader to tell their parents that their back is hurting and they need to stay up late to finish their homework.

Other than the Issues & Controversies database, what sources did you use to gain background knowledge on your issue?
Other than Issues & Controversies, I used the work of Alfie Kohn. He is a school principle who wrote a book about the myth of homework. He, himself, has done a lot of research on the topic. Reading his book really opened my eyes on the issue. He talked about ways to make homework better, why the current use of homework is highly ineffective, and why homework actually doesn’t work. I also learned that nearly 4 billion trees are cut down to make paper.

Part 2: Area of Interaction

Area of Interaction:
Health & Social Education
Why is this AOI the best choice to focus your issue?
I choose Health and Social Education because that is what I learned homework mainly affects. Too much homework causes health problems like migraines, obesity, and heart diseases. It can cause kids to lose sleep, which is important to have for a healthy body. Too much homework also cause kids to lose time socializing with friends because they are too busy doing homework. This can cause a serious long-term effect of a lack of social skills, which are need in everyday adult life. Social skills are needed to get a job, and a lack of socialization can really mess up a child’s future.

Part 3: Essential Questions

List your essential questions.
What are the negative effects of doing homework?
How does homework affect the world outside of school?
Does homework take away from perusing other interests?

Choose one of your essential questions and describe why this question is essential to your research.
Essential Question:
What are the negative effects of doing homework?
Why you chose it:
I choose this question for one reason. I choose this essential because I have always heard about the “positive” effects of homework, but never the bad. I wanted to know how homework can be harmful to a child, physically and mentally. If homework is considered good, then I thought that there must be reasons why people thought it was bad. I just wanted to find out that reason.

Part 4: Accessing and Evaluating Information

List the keywords you used to find information about your issue:
Homework
Harmful
Effects
Myth
Abolish
Trees
Paper
Environment

Complete the following:
Resource:
Why is this a good resource for your issue?
The Homework Myth by Alfie Kohn
It gives in full detail why homework is bad. It gives reasons, interviews, and resources. Also, the guy that wrote the book is a principle of a school. He has experience with kids and teachers complaining about homework every day. That is why this is a good resource for my topic.
Treehuggerbrand.com
This website, although it is for a company that makes cloth napkins, had information that was vital to my topic. I learned that 4