Helping with Homework Eric Buehrer You can help your child earn a better grade on homework with very little effort on your part. Besides the actual content of your child's answers on a homework assignment, there are three other elements that teachers generally consider when giving a grade to a student's work: that it is done completely, it is done neatly, and it is done on time. Done Completely Check to see that the work conforms to at least the minimum requirements set by the teacher. Did your child follow all the instructions properly? For instance, the teacher's instruction may read: "Write a one-page creative story and incorporate the ten new vocabulary words from list number fifteen. Underline each of the vocabulary words in your story." Checking your child's work in this example requires several elements: Is the story at least one page in length? Does it use all ten vocabulary words? Is each word underlined? Are the vocabulary words used appropriately or merely stuck in the story awkwardly? Doing the homework completely means following all the instructions. A common mistake made by students is writing incomplete sentences. The usual word that signals this is "because." Your child's answer may read, "Because the cat ran up the tree to get away from the dog." A more complete answer might read, "The cat was stuck in the tree because it ran up the tree to get away from the dog." Doing homework completely means writing in complete sentences. Done Neatly If your child's paper is done in a sloppy manner - and even if the teacher says she is not grading on neatness - her lack of neatness may unconsciously cause the teacher to score her lower. The teacher may unconsciously equate sloppy work with sloppy thinking. If she must struggle to read the paper she may lose patience with it and mark it with an inferior grade due to her overall poor impression. When judging for neatness, be sure that your child's handwriting is legible. Are all the letters touching the rule lines of the paper, or do some letters float above or dip below the line? Are the letters generally the same size? In a math problem, did she line up the column of numbers or are they crooked? Can you easily follow the steps she took to solve the problem? Done On Time Many students fail to plan enough time to complete their homework with quality. Too often, students who have a week to work on an assignment will wait to do it until the night before it is due. If your child has this problem, she may need your help in dividing the work into shorter steps and being disciplined to complete each one. For instance, if she has one week to complete an assignment, sit down with her and have her show you where she can divide the work into six equal parts (assuming she takes one day off over the weekend). On a separate paper, list the steps that must be done to complete the homework. As she completes each step, you can check it off. If she has trouble sticking with the schedule, you may want to devise a system of modest rewards for her such as television privileges or time with friends. The key is to help her create a habit of dividing larger tasks into smaller action steps and being disciplined enough to complete each step. Reviewing your child's homework demonstrates to her that her education is important. The cliche' is true, your actions will speak louder than your words. © 1998, Eric Buehrer