How to determine the amount of effort to put into an
assignment.
As a High School student enrolled
in advanced classes, I often struggle with a lack of sleep due to high pressure
from assignments. Frequently I will spend hours on homework from one class per
night, but how much stress is too much stress? You have to know what type of
assignment you are dealing with in order to make the right decision on how much
effort you should apply to a task.
Homework and out of class assignments can be separated into three
basic categories: simple, in depth, and complex.
The simple “did you read the text” assignment is generally
worth 0 to 40 points in your grade. It is due the day after it is assigned, and
is not something to be majorly stressed about. If you didn’t do the reading you
shouldn’t be staying up until three in the morning to catch up, rather write
out what you know, and if that is absolutely nothing, then you might want to
try spark notes.
The next type of assignment is the “In depth analysis “. This type
of homework requires a little more thought and is usually worth about 40 to 150
points of your grade. These assignments you should definitely focus on because
they will help you edge more toward an A- than a B+. Usually the teacher will give you around a
week to complete these, and it is vital that you do not wait until the last
minute because the questions always seem trickier when you are under pressure.
The last type of assignment is the Complex assignment. This is
a make or break senior project grade due
at the end of the semester and will determine your GPA for that year. If you
get an F on this assignment it could easily take you from an A- all the way to
a C. Do not procrastinate. While you should focus on the “In depth analysis”
assignments weekly you should be slowly chipping away at this assignment as
well. Set weekly goals that you tick off on the calendar so that the deadline
does not sneak up on you.
Instead of staying awake until three in the morning to finish
that simple 20 point assignment you should rest up, write a quick paragraph to
show that you put effort into it, and prepare for the bigger assignments that
will either destroy or carry your grade point average.
What you have here is good. See if you can extend each category with a detailed example of a specific assignment (perhaps a personal story from the past or a story that you have heard about). Also think about shortening you title to something like: How to determine "time" needed for an assignment... or something less clunky.
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