weekly letter writing homework

Using Weekly Letter Writing In the Classroom

Since that year, I have always written weekly letters to my students and required that they respond to me. It has become a part of our weekly homework routine, and it is the one thing I most look forward to grading every single week. It builds community among the class, my students (and their parents) get to know me, I get to know my students, it is an excellent way to review material from the week or let students get creative, and kids learn to love writing in a totally nonthreatening environment.

How It Works 

Every Sunday evening, I curl up on the couch with my laptop and write a letter to my students. I do a quick recap of anything entertaining from my weekend (kids love to know you’re human, too!), and I may ask them to share something about their life with me. Then, I give them a prompt or two that they must answer in a letter back to me.

For example, if we focused on a specific character trait the previous week, I would ask them to give me examples of how they embodied that trait this week. When we were studying regions of the United States, part of their letter back to me would require them to tell me where in the world they would go if they could go anywhere.

Typically, I would give them each a copy of the letter on Monday morning, and they would turn in their responses (in letter format) by Thursday. At the beginning of the year, we spent time reviewing the format and conventions of a letter.

You Can Do It!

I know what you are thinking: This sounds like a huge amount of work. I promise, it’s not! It took me less than 10 minutes each week to write my letter. You could even assign a monthly letter if weekly sounds overwhelming, or if you have younger students.

When my teammates got on board with letter writing, we would take turns writing the assignment part of the letter and just add our own introduction. I would also jot down topics all week so that it wouldn’t take me long to write my letter when it came time. I tried to include different types of writing (persuasive, informative, descriptive, narrative) throughout the year. My two all-time favorite prompts were the one where students had to argue for or against a weekend of shopping and the one where they had to come up with 5 pieces of advice that started with “Never” and 5 pieces of advice that started with “Always.”

Here are some topic starters or themes to get you thinking:

• Current Events, Sports, Holidays

• Funny or Bizarre Holidays and Dates

• Current Classroom Topics of Study

• Follow Up or Reflecting on Read Alouds or other Books

• Reading Responses

• Weekend Recaps

Believe it or not, students look forward to receiving their new letter every Monday. They equally look forward to the (very brief) notes I jot on their return letters. In addition to writing short notes (Wow! Awesome! Did you really do that? I totally agree!) on their letters, I used a half-page grading rubric to hold them accountable for their writing.

Weekly Letter Writing Freebie You can download the free grading rubric, example letters, an information sheet, and monthly topic ideas at my Teachers Pay Teacher store !

Letter writing is a wonderful way to keep even the most reluctant writers writing and to hone those writing skills all year long!

Mary teaches grades 3-5 in beautiful Colorado and has a passion for creating differentiated and engaging assignments. She creates teacher resources and blogs at  Teaching With a Mountain View .

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July 29, 2014

Using weekly letter writing in the classroom.

30 comments:

I love, love, love this idea and never would have thought of it! What a neat way to connect with your students and also reinforce writing skills with built-in purpose, audience, and authenticity. Thank you so much for sharing!

Love this idea! I've started planning out the first few days (mostly all those great ideas I've been finding the past couple days) so that I don't forget things I've seen. I have this down to start our first full week of school! Thanks for sharing and for the freebie!

I love this idea, too! I can't wait to use this with my 5th graders in the fall. Thank you!

What a genuine way to connect with each student. Mary, you are so creative. I love following your blog, too. Thank you for sharing.

What a wonderful idea! Thanks for sharing it and the free download too ; )

In terms of organization, do you have students place your letter and their responses in a duotang or notebook?

Hi there! I have them answer on an individual piece of a paper (and a lot of students choose to type it). I have considered the notebook option, but I wanted to give myself a little bit of flexibility in responding to them. It was always my goal to return it by the following Monday, but sometimes that wasn't realistic. If I still had their notebook, they wouldn't be able to work on the next week's letter. :) I staple a rubric to the top of each letter they write back to me. The expectations get laminated (with a copy of the rubric on the back) and stay in their homework folder throughout the year.

What a great idea! I'm off to download your freebie and read all about it, I think this would be great to help build community. I would love to hear about your complete homework routine for ideas of how I can work this in. Thanks! Adrienne Having Class

Hi Adrienne! Along with this, I do weekly reading responses and/or logs depending on the grade level and have students complete a math module on IXL. I hope that helps. :) Mary

I have the same question about organization and management of their letters. Do they write in a notebook? Do you see parents help affecting the grades of those with a lot of parental support and those without as much support not doing as well? Or do you even use this as a grade?

I would also be interested in knowing the answers to your questions. I think it would be nice to have students write their letters on an individual sheet of paper - it makes it more authentic to me for some reason - but we also need to take into account that some families might not have sheets of paper for students to use. So notebooks would be the way I go…or maybe I could send them home with a sheet of paper... Also, parents should make an affect on their children, they are, after all, the primary educators. I think it would be great if parents were to help their children with homework/the letter but not too much help. You should be able to tell if the parent is writing the letter for the student through diction and clarity. If it is looking like the parent is doing all the work I would probably talk to the parent and try and dissuade them from over-helping. As for your final questions, I don't think I would use the letters as graded material. If they are writing one letter a week, their writing ability should improve and spread to other school work so I would use their other work for assessment and keep the letter fun and personal. What do other people think?

Hi Julianne and Lindsey! They write on individual pieces of notebook paper or type their letter. This gives me a little bit more flexibility in how much time I have to grade and return them. I talk to parents about the letters at back to school night. I actually encourage them to proof read their letters with their child and chat about them. As far as grading them, I only mark each part of the rubric and do not give a "final" grade. I keep record of their marks in my grade book so that I can see where they need improvement, but I rarely use it as a final grade on the report card. Also, on the rubric when it mentions grammar & spelling, I base it off of grade level expectations. If we just worked on contractions, and they forget an apostrophe, that would be wrong. If we have never covered conjunctions and they forget a comma, I wouldn't count that as an error. I hope that helps a little bit! Thanks so much. :) Mary

I used to do this, but stopped when our district adopted new literacy materials. I have decided that weekly letters are worth doing again this year. I keep a notebook with my letters and show them on the document camera. I have my students keep their letters in a notebook. It also shows growth in their writing over time. Thank you for sharing the freebie on TPT.

What a beautiful idea Mary. Thanks for sharing!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this!!! thanks so much this is going to be a great addition to our homework.

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Thanks for this idea. In the past I have had journals where I respond to each child individually. The kids always love this but writing 26 mini letters every week almost killed me!

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Thank you for this wonderful idea! I am going to use it in our homeschool!

Thank you. I used to do daily journals, but now, with two LA sections, I would never have time to grade them all. This feels more easy to manage. I am grateful you shared this. Excited to purchase a few other resources you have as well.

Hi Laura I really like the rubric and would like to use it as a self assessment/ check list for the children to use as they are writing and to go through when they have finished their work. Do you (or Mary) do these for other genres? Thanks very much. Claire

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Letter writing pack.

This wonderful pack of differentiated resources is ideal for mixed ability classes from Entry 1 through to Level 2. It takes the learner through:

• the layout of formal and informal letters
• formal and informal language
• typical vocabulary for formal letters
• sentences and paragraphs
• writing a range of letters
• revision and/or assessment exercises

Includes writing prompts, task sheets, matching /sorting cards, and a many cut and stick exercises.

Fully mapped to the Functional English writing criteria.

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What a great resource

I just wanted to say that this is a really thorough and useful resource. Thank you for sharing it. Julie

Business Admin resources

Very good but cannot seem to find the link to save and print it for my lesson

Downloading resource file

Hi Diane [img_assist|nid=4399|title=|desc=|link=none|align=left|width=640|height=287]The link is right here above these comments (see my screen shot left). Just left click on the link (above – not on my screen shot!) to open the PDF file or right click and select “save link as” to save it directly to your hard disk.

• Work & Leisure pack E2-L1
• A Christmas thank you letter - Functional English
• Writing a letter of complaint
• Writing a cover letter - Functional English research task
• Formal and informal letter writing
• Reading and writing letters - Functional English
• Working in an Office Functional English resource pack
• Saturday job - E3 Functional English writing task
• St. George's Day Literacy / Functional English

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• Mar 31, 2023

Weekly Spelling List with Activities and Homework

Updated: Jun 19, 2023

Over the years I found it frustrating that I did not have simple homework packets saved up for my students. I decided this year to create a resource with in class activities that align with weekly homework. Each week focuses on different spelling patterns like "ai" or "ey."

I wanted a resource that had everything a teacher needed for centers AND homework too. So I got to work and created these Weekly Spelling Activities and Homework Packets. There are 15 at my store now! You can check it out at my TpT store .

While spelling practice may seem like a boring and outdated practice, it offers students the ability to develop a deeper understanding of our language. When students learn proper spelling and common spelling patterns they deepen their vocabulary and reading skills. Students also develop better writing and communication skills through fluent writing.

For this weeks Friday Freebie I am giving away an ENTIRE packet for free! This is over 20 different activities for your kiddos! If you like it, you can continue to use these resources in your classroom.

Weekly Word Work Packet

Each week, students are given a spelling list based on the spelling pattern. I also provide a list with pictures to help students visualize the word as well. Students have a Word Work Packet. The Word Work packet has lots of different hands on activities. Some of the activities are vowel picture / word sorts and build a word with the spelling pattern. There are over 15 activities for the week.

Weekly Homework Packet

In each resource I include a Homework Packet that aligns with the activities from Word Work. For homework, students have a word search, word analysis, picture match and more. There is everything you need for phonics work in this one resource! Everything is aligned to the spelling pattern. There is plenty of practice for students to master these words throughout the week!

You can grab this freebie below, and be sure to check out all the other Spelling Lists with Word Work and Homework Packets at my TpT Store ! Happy Teaching!

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What You Should Include in Your Weekly Parent Newsletter

If you’re required to send home a weekly newsletter to update parents on your classroom, you might be wondering what to include. Or, if you just want to keep your students’ parents in the loop, you might be trying to figure out what to say. Here are the top things I recommend including in newsletters to parents.

Things to Remember About a Classroom Newsletter

Before we get into what to include in your parent newsletter, here are a few things to keep in mind. A weekly newsletter should be a helpful tool for parents . If it’s not helpful to parents, there’s no point. Here are five things to keep in mind when creating your class newsletter.

1. Keep It Brief

First, parents are busy, just like you. It’s great to give details, but it’s best to keep things as short and sweet as possible. No parent wants to read a 25 paragraph newsletter. Before you start writing, think about what’s most important and focus on that.

2. Emphasize Important Information

It’s great to also make it easier for parents by bolding , underlining , or highlighting important part of your newsletter. This helps those parents who skim it (eh hem- me) see what is most important. However, don’t over do it. If you emphasize every other sentence, it stops helping.

3. Use a Consistent Format

I’ve also found it’s extremely helpful to use a consistent format. This makes it easier for parents to find the information they need. It also makes it much easier to write. I personally use a template that I created in a googledoc. I copy it each week, remove the old info, and add the new. This means I never (well, rarely) forget anything important.

4. Keep It Positive

Sometimes frustrating things come up in the classroom that you need to address in your newsletter. As much as you might want to get your annoyance across, it’s much more effective to keep things positive. For example, instead of lamenting that students have been bringing in cookies and cake and candy for snack, you can instead kindly remind parents what the school snack policy is. Then, offer suggestions of acceptable options. Also, if there’s an issue with just one or two students, email them separately. No one likes to be CCed on an email that is clearly only about 1 or 2 people.

Lastly, teachers are busy, but so are parents. I recently saw a conversation in a teacher facebook group. A teacher was frustrated that a parent emailed asking for information that was sent out in the last newsletter. Many of the teachers were telling the teacher to ignore the email and not even respond, passive aggressively resend the original email with FYI, or send the info but lecture the parent about reading the newsletter. This does not sit well with me as both a teacher and a mom.

Listen, I get it. Truly, I do! As teachers, we are working super hard and we have enough on our plates. However, parents are also working hard. Shaming them is the worst way to encourage them to be involved in their child’s education . They might have a few kids, a full time job, and an inbox full of emails. Instead of making a parent feel bad and risk creating unnecessary bad feelings, we can instead be kind and helpful. If a parent emails and asks for info that you’ve already shared, go with something like this. “Hi! Parent teacher conferences are on the 14th. I sent it out in the last newsletter, but I know it can be hard to keep track of things sometimes. Let me know if you have a hard time finding the details, and I’d be happy to resend it. Hope that helps!”

What Should You Include in Your Parent Newsletter

So, now that we know how to write our newsletter, let’s dive into what to include. Here are 5 things to include in your classroom newsletter.

Important Dates and Announcements

The very first thing I always include in my newsletter is a list of important dates and announcements. Sure, parents might have the school calendar, but that doesn’t mean that they realize next Friday is an in-service day. I typically share any important dates or announcements that will take place in the next month. Most things will stay in that area until they take place. This cuts down on the number of emails asking when report cards come out or how long spring break is.

What You Just Learning

We all know children often respond with “nothing” when they’re asked what they’re learning in school. So, the second thing I included is what students have learned and focused on that week. I teach in an IB school , so I include a short paragraph for each subject: ELA, math, and Inquiry (which is transdisciplinary and encompasses social studies, science, and more).

I also create a google photos folder to share pictures of our learning with parents. Because I live in Europe where I need to be very aware of privacy issues due to GDPR, I never share faces and these photos are only for parents.

I have been told by a number of parents how much they love to hear about and see what their children are learning. It also feels really good to write about what we’ve done at the end of each week. It often helps me realize just how much growth and learning has taken place. And, it helps me reflect on what worked, what didn’t and what I need to reteach as I write.

What You’re Learning Next

It is also helpful to include a little bit about what you’re teaching next week. I typically send out my classroom newsletter email on Friday. Sometimes my students come in on Monday and tell me “My mom and I researched space this weekend since we’re learning about it this week!” How great is that?

Links and Learning Tips

Another thing that parents have told me is super helpful in my classroom newsletter is when I share links and resources to support our learning at home. I often share videos that we’ve watched in class for phonics sounds , science concepts, or other things the kids were interested in. Sometimes I’ll share links to websites and games that they can check out at home. And lastly, when we’re learning a new spelling pattern or concept, I will give tips or tricks to help them understand how to support their child at home. For example, if we’re learning about place value, I’ll briefly explain (often with a picture) what units and tens are. This cuts down on parents being confused by “new math” or helps them understand how to support their child when they’re reading and writing a new sound or sight words .

Homework description

Although I am not a big fan of homework, I am currently required to give it to my students. ( Which makes me a big, ol’ liar. ) So, I make sure to explain the homework in my newsletter.

So there you have it: what to include in a parent weekly newsletter! That’s how I set up my classroom newsletter, and so far it’s worked fairly well for all involved. My parents are happy and informed, and I can use a template to make it a little easier on myself.

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Homework - Weekly Homework Packet

Thinking about going to weekly homework instead of nightly? Here are some ideas from other teachers who use it that may help you!

I make a weekly homework packet that's given to the children on Monday to be returned Friday. For each of the four days, I give a language arts and math page to be completed. These can include spelling practice, phonics, grammar, etc. whatever we're working on during the week. A night's homework should take no more than fifteen or twenty minutes to complete in my district. The parents love having all week to complete the packet with their child.

I teach first grade and send home a weekly homework packet every Monday to be due back on Friday. The parents love it because it enables them to complete homework with their child when its convenient. I have a cover sheet attached which states what should be completed on each day if they desire to do it that way. :)

I send home my "homework contract" on Monday and it is due back on Friday. Students are expected to read for 15 minutes, practice spelling words for Friday's test, memorize a Bible Verse, and they have math flashcards of basic addition facts (and soon subtraction). The parents record the books read each night and initial it each night, too. This is their accountability part that they are reading the books I send home each night. Homework is only supposed to take about 30 minutes each night.

I always send handouts that I have taught by Friday or that will be taught by Monday or Tuesday, making sure that they won't need to complete those until later that week. You need to be careful about that. If it is a new spelling assignment, I model it and practice it with them on Friday of the week before.

My homework packet has a dated cover sheet with assignments listed for each day of the week, Monday through Thursday. When I speak to parents on Back to School Night, I tell them that if they are going to complete homework ahead of when its listed to be aware that the skill may not have been covered yet. You could also include homework on skills from the previous week so that doesn't happen. :)

I used to have the same problem of getting it in their folders at the last minute. With the packet, it gets done on Monday and you don't have to worry about it after that. Parents love it also. Some members of my first grade team used to do daily HW but have since switched over to the packet. They love it, too. It's worth a try, if you don't like it you can always switch back next year. :):) I think the first year I used the packet was the hardest for me. It was time consuming finding appropriate and relevant practice for the kids. Now it's much easier. I keep packets from years past in a folder and I might only have to make a few changes before copying and handing out. (Pacing and skills stay relatively the same from year to year.)

Here is what I have come up with as far as a cover sheet for my homework packet. I took one, that I believe that I found here, (I'm sorry I don't know who to give credit to) :o and I tweaked it to work for my classroom needs. What do you guys think Do you see any typos or things you'd change Thanks, because this homework packet is going to be SO NEW for me this year, but I'm excited! Thanks for all of your help (especially janicepet)

Every week I send home a list of spelling words and a home reading bag. The home reading bag has a selection of "just right" books that I expect the child to read to a family member, along with a reading log that I expect the parents to sign. At the beginning of the year I sent home a list of ways to practice spelling words and a list of ways to practice math facts. Parents and children know that we will have a spelling test every Friday, math facts tests 2-3 times per week and that I will have a book chat with each child about one of the books in their reading bag. There are no corrections or photocopies to do. I meet with children first thing in the morning to listen to them read/chat about their books, so it's an extra reading conference. For me, this systems works out great. It's quick, easy, meaningful and routine, so that everyone knows what to expect. For parents who request extra homework for their child, I give them a list of ways to respond to books and a blank journal. I tell them that I'll look at any book projects that their child does and I'll read and discuss anything that their child writes. For people who insist on math worksheets, I'll usually give them a website address with printable worksheets and invite them to print some out for their child and then to correct them together. I don't think that I'll ever do homework any other way.

This year I am sending home homework calendars. Each day has an activity that the students need to complete for that day. For example, September 3 might say, write your name 5 times, Sept. 4 might say, Draw a picture of something that starts with the letter s... This is at the kindergarten level but it could be addapted. With the calendar you can use a spiral notebook. I tell my students they need to return the work every friday.

Weekly homework works better for me. I send home a homework folder for the week on Monday. It includes spelling words, math review (I copy the Daily Math Review for M - Th), a poem to read, a reading passage with questions and a language skill. It's all review work that is reinforcing skills we are working on in the classroom - except for the spelling words which are new. Homework has to be turned in on Fridays. Parents (and students) love the weekly homework because of the flexibility with ball schedules, dance, church, etc. I do a quick check on Friday to see if it's been completed and to see if anyone is having a problem. Since I am not covering any new material and this is for reinforcement and review - I don't grade it. Works great in my classroom.

I love packets and my families have been very receptive to them. I do have them turn in spelling on Tuesday and Wednesday (3 X each in ABC order and MEANINGFUL sentences with a minimum number of words). We do a whole lot of lessons following Step Up to Writing to identify appropriate sentences. The rest of the packet is due on Fridays and a new one goes home on Friday. The packet has 2 spelling pages, and 6-8 other pages of relevant work to support class work. They also need to read for 80 mins. each week (4 X 20 mins.) and record on a log that includes a reading response and parent signature. This year I had a parent who came in religiously on Thursday afternoons to copy the packets and she returned on Friday AM to check for completion on packets, the students would then remove a few key pages that I wanted to get a close look at, the rest we would quickly correct together in a circle on the carpet with their papers in plain view. This did not even take 15 mins once a week. It held them accountable, they never knew which pages I would be collecting and their packet was checked for completion each week. I liked having the spelling due on set days so that they did not leave everything for the last minute.

Homework Letter to Parents | Email Templates

As a teacher, communicating with parents about the homework expectations for their children is crucial for fostering a successful learning environment. Crafting a homework letter that is both informative and engaging can be a challenging task. That’s why we’ve created a list of homework letter-to-parents templates that you can use to effectively communicate with parents about the assignments, expectations, and goals for their child’s homework. In this article, we’ll go over the key elements of a successful homework letter, and provide you with a customizable template that you can use for your classroom.

The key elements of an effective homework letter to parents include

• A clear introduction that establishes your purpose and goals for the homework,
• A detailed explanation of the assignments, expectations, and grading policies,
• A schedule outlining when homework is due, and a section dedicated to answering frequently asked questions or addressing concerns.
• Additionally, adding information or resources about how parents can support their child’s learning at home and providing resources for additional support can also be helpful.

These elements will help ensure that parents are well-informed about their child’s homework and can effectively support their child’s academic success.

Example of detailed Homework letter to parents

I hope this email finds you, your child, and in good health. I wanted to take the time to talk about the value of homework and how it may aid in your child’s development as we begin the new school year. I’ve designed a template for a homework letter to parents that I’ll be using this year to assist keep you informed about your child’s homework requirements.

The homework template was created to give you succinct, clear information about the homework assignments, goals, and expectations for your child. It will also include a schedule explaining when homework is due, as well as a part devoted to addressing any worries you might have or frequently asked questions.

I’ll explain how the assignment helps your child learn in the introduction, as well as its purpose and goals. You can have a clear grasp of what is expected of your child by reading the thorough explanation section. This section defines the assignments, expectations, and grading guidelines. You may assist your child manage their time by giving them the due dates as per the timetable area.

I have also included some resources to help your child’s learning at home. You can learn how to support your child’s academic success.

I am aware that parents and students alike may find the topic of homework to be difficult, which is why I am providing this homework letter. I hope that this template will make it easier for you to support your child’s learning by having a clear understanding of the homework expectations.

If you have any questions or concerns about the homework letter to parents template, please do not hesitate to reach out to me. I am always available to discuss your child’s academic progress and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for your continued support in your child’s education.

Homework letter to parents templates

• Dear parent, This is a reminder that it is your child’s responsibility to bring their homework assignments home. We encourage you to make sure your child has their work ready with them each day so we all spend less time on this task and more time on teaching. Missing homework assignments may result in a lower grade for the assignment or even being taken out points from the report card altogether. Please see attached a list of missing homework assignments from your child’s class.
• Dear Parent, We are writing to inform you that we have not received homework from your child for the following subjects [list]. If we do not receive this assignment by 2024, your child will receive a zero grade on all assignments until the missing homework is submitted. We thank you in advance and appreciate your help with this matter.
• Dear parent, we noticed that your child did not hand in his/her homework. We will do our best to ensure your child does not miss out on learning from this lesson. Please ensure that your child brings home their homework next week. Thank you for your time and cooperation.
• Dear Parent, It is important that your child complete their homework on time each night. Please help them by discussing the importance of homework completion and encouraging it to be done every night. Thank you.
• Dear Parent, It has been brought to our attention that your child has been missing homework. We are asking that you remind your child of the importance of homework. Please ensure it is being completed daily, as this greatly helps your child in the classroom. Thank you for your time and cooperation.
• Dear parents, Please see below a list of your child’s missing homework assignments. Please check if there are any questions you may have and then sign the form at the end. We apologize for any inconvenience. Thank You,
• Dear Parent, Your student has not turned in the homework assignment. Please see that they bring it with them tomorrow. If you have any questions or concerns please contact me at [number]. Thank you for your time. Sincerely,
• Dear parent, this is our weekly homework reminder. We would appreciate it if you could check and make sure that your children have their homework completed. That way, they will be capable of focusing on school work instead of struggling to complete missing assignments in class. Thank you for your help.
• Dear Parent, your child has been marked absent for missing homework. Please see the attached document for more information.
• Dear Parent, I am sending this email to notify parents that the assignment [name] was not turned in. I hope that the assignment will be returned soon.
• Dear Parent, We noticed that you missed the lesson titled [name] on Monday. This lesson was designed to help your child develop a better understanding of grammar and sentence structure, which are crucial skills to learn as they grow into successful adults. To access this lesson again and complete the homework assignment please visit the link. If you have any questions or concerns during this process please do not hesitate to contact me. 

More Simplestic Templates: 

• Email to parents about academic concerns
• Positive Email to Parents from Teacher: 15 Example Emails

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The 'forever chemicals' toxic to your health - and how to avoid them, who were the enigmatic sea peoples blamed for the bronze age collapse, why we are finally within reach of a room-temperature superconductor, table of contents, it's time to clean up 'forever chemicals' and companies should pay, european summers will be hotter than predicted because of cleaner air, indoor climbing wall users may be breathing in toxic rubber dust, flies undertake epic migrations that may be vital for pollination, most brain monitors sold to consumers don't keep your data private, we now know exactly how thick the boundary between water and air is, mmr vaccines may not always give lifelong immunity against measles, protocells on early earth may have been formed by squeezing geysers, odd bump on praying mantis chest is actually world’s weirdest tongue, running around a 'wall of death' could keep moon settlers fit, father's gut microbiome may affect infant health, being angry for just 8 minutes could increase risk of a heart attack, gps jamming traced to russia after flights over europe suspended, mysterious space signals may come from a dead star with a planet, black holes scramble information – but may not be the best at it, politicians can use social media ads to buy votes for €4 per person, red squirrels were hosts for leprosy in medieval england, orangutan is first non-human seen treating wounds with medicinal plant, rising temperatures are cooking bumblebee nests and killing larvae, china is sending its chang’e 6 spacecraft to the far side of the moon, how schrödinger's cat could make quantum computers work better, lack of us bird flu tracking in cows may raise risk of human infection, why criticisms of the proposed anthropocene epoch miss the point, why carbon offsetting your flight isn't the answer, astonishing images show how female neanderthal may have looked, the 'forever chemicals' toxic to your health - and how to avoid them, why eggs should be front and centre in the story of evolution, the hunt for alien planets and extraterrestrial life, new scientist recommends child, a podcast on our first stages of life, sarah perry's enlightenment is a moving story of love and astronomy, twisteddoodles on hacking your gut microbiome, how science can help you whip up perfect egg whites for your bakes, braintwister #19: angular arrangements, tom gauld on used numbers, how the discovery of a nest in a roman museum caused a kerfuffle, the last word, browse past issues.

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Letter of the week: The atrophy of office

Write to [email protected] to have your thoughts voiced in the New Statesman magazine.

By New Statesman

The woes of the SNP detailed in your Leader (3 May) have echoes in the other long-serving UK national governments. Complacency, matched with an alarming lack of moral compass, is not just a Tory disease, it seems. The First Minister for Wales, Vaughan Gething, by accepting a £200,000 donation from a highly dubious source, has done Welsh Labour severe reputational damage.

A limited talent pool, where the same faces regularly swap ministerial briefs, encourages a culture of lifelong incumbency and entitlement. It does not help refute the doorstep claim that “they’re all the same” at a time when Keir Starmer needs as many new Labour MPs at the general election as he can muster. Gething needs to “consider his position” for the greater good of his party and its chances of forming the next UK government. Felicity McGowan, Cardigan, Wales

Broader north of the border

It was good to see three pieces – your Leader, Chris Deerin and Andrew Marr (Comment and Politics, 3 May) – devoted to Scotland in one issue. However, I’m not sure many living in Scotland would concur with your reduction of our government to being “mediocre”, “parlous” and “beset by scandal”. Deerin and Marr focus on personalities and the apparent conservatism of the electorate here.

It’s hard to take all this when a growing number of Scots – especially younger ones – are keen to unshackle ourselves from an illiberal, dysfunctional set-up Down South. The Union is on borrowed time. The stalemate can’t last forever. The Scottish people are unimpressed by outdated notions of Britain’s supposed global importance and can see through the self-serving rules of Westminster.

The demographics of independence support are gradually changing Scotland into a nation in which independence is likely to become the settled will of its people, many of whom are trying to develop a different approach to politics and a better way of organising society. How refreshing it would be to see some of these broader, deeper and more positive elements in your coverage. Paul Bassett, Glasgow

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Abstract expression

I greatly enjoyed Gillian Tett’s NS Essay (3 May). I wonder if the viciousness of the new “horizontal” tribalism, as she calls it, is in part a consequence of what makes the digital world so nimble and promiscuous in the first place: its abstract nature. Is there a growing sense of frustration because having a “say” does not usually result in accessing the levers of power to change things in what is still a physical world? David Perry, Cambridge

Gillian Tett’s interesting and perceptive essay misses one key point about the change that technology has created in the relationship between governance and the governed. In 1996, at the very end of The Rise of the Network Society, the first of his three-volume study of the information age, the sociologist Manuel Castells wrote that new technology means “the power of flows takes precedence over the flow of power”. Eight years later, Facebook was invented, followed by Twitter two years after that. Each inadvertently became tools that delivered Castells’ prescient observation. Paul Kelly, Poole, Dorset

Dining alone

I read Sophie McBain’s insightful and really quite disturbing article (Reporter at Large, 3 May) with interest. Her description of college dining halls, which should be a maelstrom of noise and conversation, is the opposite of communal spaces where people interact (and indeed used to). Social media – where everyone is leading their “best lives” or, as McBain states, being led towards content that engenders yet more angst and concerns – has a lot to answer for. I read recently that smartphones could be as addictive as nicotine, and this needs more research. That children and young people feel so lonely and isolated is an indictment on us all, and will only get worse if everyone lives virtual lives and not real, people-facing, authentic ones. Judith A Daniels, Great Yarmouth, Norfolk

Stuck in class

Jonathan Rutherford omits one group of people in the end part of his excellent article on educational status (Another Voice, 26 April) – the hapless working class who were first in their families to get into university. We (I was one such) who were trying on these “emperor’s clothes” of cultural studies were “left” in a no man’s land between our background and the middle class. Cecilia Harrison, Nottingham

Rewind on Rwanda

Rwanda is constantly in the news, but I wonder how much the public knows about the country. It has now been declared “safe” in British law, but is it a country we should be treating as a favoured partner? Densely populated, Rwanda is perhaps the cleanest, tidiest African country. President Kagame’s dictatorship is very efficient and would no doubt make sure that our asylum seekers are physically protected, but it is equally efficient at eliminating its opponents. The 1994 genocide has left its mark: the world’s conscience means the country receives much foreign aid, but the resentment of the Hutu majority and the nervousness of the dominant Tutsis mean that a stable future is unlikely. Our government ignores Rwanda’s behaviour towards its neighbour, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where it has been interfering for years, backing the vicious armed militia M23, which terrorises villagers to clear the way for minerals to be brought into Rwanda and branded as legitimate Rwandan exports. And what of the potential asylum seekers? What will they do? They won’t get jobs. It will be culture shock for them – and for the Rwandans. Nigel Watt, committee member of the Conflict Minerals Campaign, former director of the Africa Centre, London SE22

Number 9 dream

I was delighted to read Nicholas Lezard’s column (Down and Out, 3 May) about the joy of getting the front seat on a bus. My eldest daughter and I swap photos taken from the front when we are travelling. I agree absolutely about the extremes of joy and dejection that are brought on by either securing the seat or not getting there first.

Can I suggest to Lezard the ideal present for anyone who shares his enthusiasm: a copy of the excellent 1978 seven-inch vinyl single “Driver’s Seat” by Sniff ’n’ the Tears. Roughly £6 on eBay and, based on my experience, cherished by the recipient. Andy Leslie, West Grinstead, West Sussex

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This article appears in the 08 May 2024 issue of the New Statesman, Doom Scroll

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Some doctors say florida's abortion ban exceptions aren't enough.

The Agency for Health Care Administration issued emergency rules outlining some medical exceptions to the state's six-week abortion ban. But doctors are still left with questions and frustration.

Opponents of Florida’s six-week abortion ban say the emergency rules issued by state health officials this week to clarify some medical exceptions don’t go far enough.

The rules outline some life-threatening conditions a woman could experience that would allow doctors to perform an abortion after six weeks, including ectopic pregnancy or her water breaking early.

But some doctors who provide abortion care say there are other circumstances where pregnancy could endanger people's health.

Dr. Robyn Schickler recalled a patient she recently treated at a health center run by Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida.

The woman was about eight weeks along in her fourth pregnancy. During the previous three, she'd developed a condition known as preeclampsia. It's a form of high blood pressure that usually occurs after 20 weeks and can cause serious complications.

“Each pregnancy she got sicker and sicker, and she had to deliver earlier and earlier,” said Schickler, the organization’s chief medical officer. “Not only did it lead to poorer health outcomes for her, but it meant earlier and earlier pre-term births for her children. She didn't want to take that risk again.”

Schickler performed the abortion then, but doubts she could now that the six-week ban is in effect.

That law that established the ban states a pregnancy can be terminated after six weeks if “two physicians certify in writing that, in reasonable medical judgment, the termination of the pregnancy is necessary to save the pregnant woman’s life or avert a serious risk of substantial and irreversible physical impairment of a major bodily function of the pregnant woman other than a psychological condition.”

Schickler’s patient was trying to protect her health, but she wasn't in life-threatening danger yet.

“As a doctor, as an OB-GYN, I know that she was at an increased risk of preeclampsia again, of getting worse preeclampsia and of getting it earlier in the pregnancy, but would she have qualified for an exception? Her blood pressure was fine when she saw me,” said Schickler, speaking at a press conference at a Planned Parenthood health center in Sarasota on May 1, the day the ban went into effect.

WUSF followed up with her after AHCA published the emergency rules to find out if they provided sufficient clarity to alleviate her concerns. They did not.

The rules don't mention preeclampsia or some other complications.

Instead, Schickler maintains that the ban forces doctors like her to choose between caring for patients to the best of their abilities and following the law.

“Our hands are tied by the politicians that made these laws and my patients hands are tied, they can't make decisions about their own bodies,” she said.

Another physician in Orlando echoed Schickler's sentiments.

"The law's exemptions and these proposed rules may sound good in theory, but politicians do not understand how health care works," Dr. Rachel Humphrey, a maternal fetal medicine specialist, said in a statement.

"Doctors do not have a crystal ball to know whose life may be in danger from a pregnancy. The law is not clear, leading to confusion, and these rules only make it worse, leaving questions about other pregnancy complications open and forcing us to ask how close to death a patient must be to intervene."

Officials with the Agency for Health Care Administration argue the law's exceptions are clear and accuse abortion rights advocates of spreading "disinformation."

In the rule language, the agency wrote it “finds there is an immediate danger to the health, safety, and welfare of pregnant women and babies due to a deeply dishonest scare campaign and disinformation being perpetuated by the media, the Biden Administration, and advocacy groups to misrepresent the Heartbeat Protection Act and the State’s efforts to protect life, moms, and families.”

The “Heartbeat Protection Act” is the name of the law establishing the six-week ban, a reference to the point at which, the law says, a “fetal heartbeat” can be detected. Experts say that’s a medically inaccurate and misleading term, as what’s really happening during that time is the embryo can generate electrical impulses.

The conditions outlined in the rules as exceptions to the ban include “premature rupture of membranes (PROM),” commonly known as a pregnant person’s water breaking prematurely; ectopic pregnancies; and trophoblastic tumors, sometimes known as molar pregnancy.

The rules also include information about how hospitals and medical providers should keep records and report about the treatments.

Advocates for abortion rights like Laura Goodhue, executive director of the Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates, questioned the timing of the the rules.

“The fact is, if the State of Florida had these concerns they should have acted on them two years ago when the Legislature passed a 15-week abortion ban,” she said in a statement. “Announcing these rules the day after Florida’s six-week ban went into effect makes it clear that the motivation is political cover for the State, and not protecting public health.”

The law includes some other exceptions to the six-week abortion ban. Patients can terminate the pregnancy until the third trimester if a fatal fetal abnormality is detected.

Survivors of rape, incest or human trafficking can get abortions until 15 weeks. But they must provide documentation including police reports, restraining orders or other records and treatment providers may be required to report the crime. Copyright 2024 WUSF Public Media - WUSF 89.7

Florida’s 6-week abortion ban could set up clash with shield law states

With Florida’s six-week abortion ban now in place, telehealth appointments with out-of-state physicians and mail-order abortion pills could play increasingly important roles in allowing women there to safely end their pregnancies . Advocates on both sides of the abortion debate agree that the practice is likely to be challenged in court, as red states assert their right to curtail abortion and blue states attempt to protect abortion providers.

Although Florida law prohibits telehealth appointments for abortion at any stage of pregnancy, women can still make virtual visits for medication abortions with physicians in other states where the procedure remains legal, said Rachel Rebouché, dean of the Temple University Beasley School of Law in Philadelphia.

Seven states — California, Colorado, Maine, Massachusetts, New York, Vermont and Washington — have passed so-called shield laws to protect physicians who provide reproductive health care, regardless of where the patient is located, Rebouché said. Providers in some of those states serve patients across the country, including in states where abortion is restricted or outlawed.

A group called Aid Access already uses out-of-state physicians to provide abortion pills via telehealth to 9,500 women in the U.S. each month, including up to 800 per month in Florida, founder and executive director Dr. Rebecca Gomperts said.

Medication abortion — which involves a combination of the pills mifepristone and misoprostol — accounted for 63% of all pregnancy terminations in the U.S. in 2023, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a research group that supports abortion access.

And although the Food and Drug Administration has only allowed abortion pills to be prescribed through telehealth since 2020, 16% of all medication abortions now involve virtual visits or online appointments , says the Society of Family Planning, a research group that supports reproductive rights and abortion.  Its data is based on numbers submitted by abortion providers.

The convenience of telehealth abortions has likely fueled the recent increase in abortion , in spite of pregnancy termination being banned in 14 states and tightly restricted in five others, Rebouché said. There were more than 1 million abortions in 2023, the first full year after the Supreme Court’s decision in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization overturned the constitutional right to abortion, a 10% increase since 2020 and a 12% increase since 2019, according to Guttmacher.

Opponents of abortion say out-of-state doctors have no right to undermine a state’s laws.

“States have a duty to protect their most vulnerable citizens and their families from harm,” said Erin Hawley, vice president of the Center for Life and Regulatory Practice with the Alliance Defending Freedom. “One state cannot intrude on another state’s efforts to protect the lives and health of its citizens, including the lives and health of unborn children and their families. Pro-abortion states that don’t recognize the basic principle that life is a human right cannot undermine the laws of other states simply because they don’t agree with them.”

A rise in medication abortion

Recognizing the growing popularity of medication abortion, opponents of abortion have been working to curb the use of abortion pills, including their distribution through the mail.

Anti-abortion rights doctors and groups sued the FDA in 2022 in the hope of restricting access to mifepristone. The Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case in March — Hawley argued on behalf of the Alliance Defending Freedom, which represented the anti-abortion doctors and groups — and the justices are expected to issue a decision this summer. 

As more states restrict abortion, telehealth appointments with out-of-state doctors are likely to become more popular, said Dr. Abigail Aiken, an associate professor at the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Austin. In the first week after Texas passed its six-week abortion ban in 2021, the average number of requests for medication abortion to Aid Access increased from 11 per day to 138 per day .

For many women seeking an abortion, telehealth appointments are more convenient and less expensive than traveling to another state. Abortion is severely limited across the South, and the closest state to Florida with abortion access beyond six weeks is North Carolina, where it is allowed through 12 weeks and six days of pregnancy.

Until last week, Florida had one of the most permissive abortion laws in the South, allowing abortion through 15 weeks of pregnancy. Women throughout the Southeast have traveled to Florida for abortion care. In the first six months of last year, 13% of people undergoing abortions in Florida were from other states , according to the Guttmacher Institute.

Now, the closest abortion providers for women in many Southern states will be in Illinois, said Michelle Colón, executive director of SHERo Mississippi, which helps women access reproductive health care. Women with low incomes may not be able to afford the trip, she said.

Florida women who travel out of state for abortion can expect to pay more than $2,000 in medical costs, as well as travel and child care expenses, said Dr. Jennifer Lincoln, an OB-GYN and founder of Three for Freedom , an online hub that helps people learn how to access mail-order birth control, morning-after pills and abortion pills.

About 84,000 women had abortions in Florida last year, accounting for about 1 in every 12 abortions in the country. Even with telehealth, out-of-state abortion providers will be hard-pressed to serve that many additional patients, she said.

“We can’t just pretend that 84,000 patients are going to be able to be easily absorbed into other clinics across the country,” Lincoln said. “Those who can’t travel or who can’t access pills will be forced to give birth or may resort to unsafe methods of pregnancy termination.”

A legal clash

Florida physicians who violate the state’s abortion law — which includes exceptions for rape, incest and human trafficking up to 15 weeks of pregnancy, as well as later in the pregnancy to save the life of the mother — can be jailed for up to five years.

If an out-of-state doctor were to prescribe abortion pills for a Florida patient, Florida’s attorney general could ask law enforcement in the state where the doctor practices to extradite the provider for prosecution or for help with a civil or criminal investigation, Rebouché said.

Prosecuting doctors in states with shield laws could prove more difficult. Although its attorney general could still charge an out-of-state doctor with breaking the law, Florida would not be able to bring the doctor to trial if it does not have jurisdiction over that provider, Rebouché said. States with shield laws have vowed not to extradite doctors who perform abortions, as long as they are not fleeing from a state where the practice is banned. A doctor who resides in a state with a shield law would not be considered a fugitive, even if prosecutors in another state try to charge him or her with breaking their state’s abortion law, she said.

That’s a huge change from the way states normally operate, she said. State law enforcement agencies typically cooperate with one another, agreeing to extradite accused criminals to other states for trial. A state like Florida could end up suing a shield state for interfering with its laws, she said, though courts have not yet considered a challenge to any state’s abortion shield law.

The Florida attorney general’s office did not respond to a request for comment.

Doctors who provide telehealth services are usually only allowed to treat patients in the same state, said Harry Nelson, a Los Angeles attorney who specializes in health law.

In March, attorneys general from 16 conservative states, including Florida, wrote to Maine officials to protest against that state’s shield law, which was passed in April and which protects both providers of abortion, as well gender-affirming care . The letter, which focused on gender-affirming care and doesn’t mention abortion, claims that Maine’s shield law violates the Constitution’s full faith and credit clause, which requires that state courts respect the laws and judgments of courts from other states.

“The federal Constitution, in short, precludes Maine’s novel effort at state-sanctioned culture war litigation tourism,” they wrote.

Because abortion shield laws are new and have never been tested in court, no one can say how judges will rule, Rebouché said. A conflict between states could wind up, like so many abortion disputes, back in front of the Supreme Court.

“We are opening up a can of worms if states are going to pick and choose which of their neighbors’ laws to respect,” said Kristi Hamrick, vice president of Students for Life Action, a major anti-abortion group. “The attempt by some states to create a little safe haven for abortion will not be successful. I think we will end up in court.”

Florida voters will have a chance to weigh in this November, when a constitutional amendment to protect abortion access will be on the ballot.

Liz Szabo is an independent health and science journalist. Her work has won multiple national awards. One of her investigations led to a new state law in Virginia.