Homework Guidelines

MrE. CLASSWORK and HOMEWORK GUIDELINES

Write your Name and Period number clearly at the top right of each page, along with the Chapter and Lesson number, the Date and the Exercises (or problems). Each math problem’s work is shown on the left and the answer key appears in the right hand margin.

Use standard-sized paper (8.5" x 11"), with no "fringe" running down the side as a result of the paper’s having been torn out of a spiral notebook, and do not use sticky-notes, scented stationery, or other nonstandard types of paper. Use standard-weight white paper, not construction paper, or otherwise abnormally thin or heavy paper.

Attach your pages with a staple. Do not fold, tear, spit on, or otherwise "dog-ear" the pages. It is better that the pages be handed in loose (with your name on each sheet) than that the corners be folded or shredded. Clearly indicate the number of the exercise you are doing on the left side. If you accidentally do a problem out of order, or separate part of the problem from the rest, then include a note to the missed problem or work.

Write out the problems and do your work in pencil, with mistakes cleanly erased, not crossed or scratched out.

Write legibly (suitably large and suitably dark); if I can't read your answer, it's wrong.

Write neatly across the page, with each succeeding problem adjacent or below the preceding one.

Keep work within the margins. If you run out of room at the end of a problem, please continue onto the next page; do not try to squeeze lines together at the bottom of the sheet. Do not lap over the margins on the left or right; do not wrap writing around the notebook holes.

Do not squeeze the problems together, with one problem running into the next. Use sufficient space for each problem, with at least one blank line between one problem and the next.

Do "scratch work," but do it on scratch paper; hand in only the "final draft." Show your steps, but any work that is scribbled in the margins belongs on scratch paper, not on your homework.

Show your work. This means showing your steps, not just copying the question from the assignment, and then the answer from the back of the book. Show everything in between the question and the answer. For your work to be complete, you need to explain your reasoning and make your computations clear.

For tables and graphs, use a ruler to draw the straight lines, and clearly label the axes, the scale, and the points of interest. Use a consistent scale on the axes, and do a T-chart, unless instructed otherwise. Also, make your table or graph large enough to be clear.

Do not invent your own notation and abbreviations, and then expect me to figure out what you meant. For instance, do not use "#" in your sentence if you mean "pounds" or "numbers". Do not use the "equals" sign ("=") to mean "indicates", "is", "leads to", "is related to", or anything else in a sentence; use actual words. The equals sign should be used only in equations, and only to mean "is equal to".

Do not do magic. Plus/minus signs, "= 0", radicals, and denominators should not disappear in the middle of your calculations, only to mysteriously reappear at the end. Each step should be complete.

If the problem is of the "Explain" or "Write in your own words" type, then copying the answer from the back of the book, or the definition from the chapter, is unacceptable. Write the answer in your words, not the text's.

Remember to put your final answer at the end of your work marking it clearly. Label your answer appropriately; if the question asks for measured units, make sure to put appropriate units on the answer. If the question is a word problem, the answer should be in words. Finally, don’t forget, add it to the answer key on the right hand side.

In general, write your homework as though you're trying to convince someone that you know what you're talking about.