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Rethinking Homework for This Year—and Beyond

A schoolwide effort to reduce homework has led to a renewed focus on ensuring that all work assigned really aids students’ learning.

I used to pride myself on my high expectations, including my firm commitment to accountability for regular homework completion among my students. But the trauma of Covid-19 has prompted me to both reflect and adapt. Now when I think about the purpose and practice of homework, two key concepts guide me: depth over breadth, and student well-being.

Homework has long been the subject of intense debate, and there’s no easy answer with respect to its value. Teachers assign homework for any number of reasons: It’s traditional to do so, it makes students practice their skills and solidify learning, it offers the opportunity for formative assessment, and it creates good study habits and discipline. Then there’s the issue of pace. Throughout my career, I’ve assigned homework largely because there just isn’t enough time to get everything done in class.

A Different Approach

Since classes have gone online, the school where I teach has made a conscious effort as a teaching community to reduce, refine, and distill our curriculum. We have applied guiding questions like: What is most important? What is most transferable? What is most relevant? Refocusing on what matters most has inevitably made us rethink homework.

We have approached both asking and answering these questions through a science of learning lens. In Make It Stick: The Science of Successful Learning , the authors maintain that deep learning is slow learning. Deep learning requires time for retrieval, practice, feedback, reflection, and revisiting content; ultimately it requires struggle, and there is no struggle without time.

As someone who has mastered the curriculum mapping style of “get it done to move on to get that next thing done,” using an approach of “slow down and reduce” has been quite a shift for me. However, the shift has been necessary: What matters most is what’s best for my students, as opposed to my own plans or mandates imposed by others.

Listening to Students

To implement this shift, my high school English department has reduced content and texts both in terms of the amount of units and the content within each unit. We’re more flexible with dates and deadlines. We spend our energy planning the current unit instead of the year’s units. In true partnership with my students, I’m constantly checking in with them via Google forms, Zoom chats, conferences, and Padlet activities. In these check-ins, I specifically ask students how they’re managing the workload for my class and their other classes. I ask them how much homework they’re doing. And I adjust what I do and expect based on what they tell me. For example, when I find out a week is heavy with work in other classes, I make sure to allot more time during class for my tasks. At times I have even delayed or altered one of my assignments.

To be completely transparent, the “old” me is sheepish in admitting that I’ve so dramatically changed my thinking with respect to homework. However, both my students and I have reaped numerous benefits. I’m now laser-focused when designing every minute of my lessons to maximize teaching and learning. Every decision I make is now scrutinized through the lens of absolute worth for my students’ growth: If it doesn’t make the cut, it’s cut. I also take into account what is most relevant to my students.

For example, our 10th-grade English team has redesigned a unit that explores current manifestations of systemic oppression. This unit is new in approach and longer in duration than it was pre-Covid, and it has resulted in some of the deepest and hardest learning, as well as the richest conversations, that I have seen among students in my career. Part of this improved quality comes from the frequent and intentional pauses that I instruct students to take in order to reflect on the content and on the arc of their own learning. The reduction in content that we need to get through in online learning has given me more time to assign reflective prompts, and to let students process their thoughts, whether that’s at the end of a lesson as an exit slip or as an assignment.

Joining Forces to Be Consistent

There’s no doubt this reduction in homework has been a team effort. Within the English department, we have all agreed to allot reading time during class; across each grade level, we’re monitoring the amount of homework our students have collectively; and across the whole high school, we have adopted a framework to help us think through assigning homework.

Within that framework, teachers at the school agree that the best option is for students to complete all work during class. The next best option is for students to finish uncompleted class work at home as a homework assignment of less than 30 minutes. The last option—the one we try to avoid as much as possible—is for students to be assigned and complete new work at home (still less than 30 minutes). I set a maximum time limit for students’ homework tasks (e.g., 30 minutes) and make that clear at the top of every assignment.

This schoolwide approach has increased my humility as a teacher. In the past, I tended to think my subject was more important than everyone else’s, which gave me license to assign more homework. But now I view my students’ experience more holistically: All of their classes and the associated work must be considered, and respected.

As always, I ground this new pedagogical approach not just in what’s best for students’ academic learning, but also what’s best for them socially and emotionally. 2020 has been traumatic for educators, parents, and students. There is no doubt the level of trauma varies greatly ; however, one can’t argue with the fact that homework typically means more screen time when students are already spending most of the day on their devices. They need to rest their eyes. They need to not be sitting at their desks. They need physical activity. They need time to do nothing at all.

Eliminating or reducing homework is a social and emotional intervention, which brings me to the greatest benefit of reducing the homework load: Students are more invested in their relationship with me now that they have less homework. When students trust me to take their time seriously, when they trust me to listen to them and adjust accordingly, when they trust me to care for them... they trust more in general.

And what a beautiful world of learning can be built on trust.

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The best homework ever! Printable activity sheets

• by: Anna from Pobble
• On: 30, Jun 2021
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Homework? How can that be exciting, Pobble? Well, let us tell you…

We’re not huge fans of homework either, especially during the summer break. We think school holidays should be time for reflection, relaxation, and new opportunities — for teachers and children alike!

With this in mind, we’ve created an alternative list of activities for teachers to set their class. It’s the perfect balance of super-fun activities, educational tasks, and treasured skills.

These printable activity sheets are ideal for teachers and parents looking for ways to keep their little ones entertained during the school break. There are two different sheets with 30 fun and meaningful ideas to choose from. The children can pick their favourites or complete them all!

Download sheet 1

View on pobble, download sheet 2, want to know more about pobble.

The  Pobble platform has opened up a whole world of possibilities for schools to improve writing. Pupils find inspiration in other children’s texts, they learn to formulate good feedback, and they find great pride in seeing their own work published alongside that of thousands of others. Teachers can find and build inspiring lessons, engage their pupils with tools to write, edit, and publish their work, then easily moderate writing judgements online. Pobble provides everything teachers need to teach, improve and assess writing. 

Visit  Pobble.com  today to get started by signing up for a free account.

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What Kinds of Homework Seem to be Most Effective?

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If you made it past the headline, you're likely a student, concerned parent, teacher or, like me, a nerd nostalgist who enjoys basking in the distant glow of Homework Triumphs Past (second-grade report on Custer's Last Stand, nailed it!).

Whoever you are, you're surely hoping for some clarity in the loud, perennial debate over whether U.S. students are justifiably exhausted and nervous from too much homework — even though some international comparisons suggest they're sitting comfortably at the average.

Well, here goes. I've mapped out six, research-based polestars that should help guide you to some reasonable conclusions about homework.

How much homework do U.S. students get?

The best answer comes from something called the National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP . In 2012, students in three different age groups — 9, 13 and 17 — were asked, "How much time did you spend on homework yesterday?" The vast majority of 9-year-olds (79 percent) and 13-year-olds (65 percent) and still a majority of 17-year-olds (53 percent) all reported doing an hour or less of homework the day before.

Another study from the National Center for Education Statistics found that high school students who reported doing homework outside of school did, on average, about seven hours a week.

If you're hungry for more data on this — and some perspective — check out this exhaustive report put together last year by researcher Tom Loveless at the Brookings Institution.

An hour or less a day? But we hear so many horror stories! Why?

The fact is, some students do have a ton of homework. In high school we see a kind of student divergence — between those who choose or find themselves tracked into less-rigorous coursework and those who enroll in honors classes or multiple Advanced Placement courses. And the latter students are getting a lot of homework. In that 2012 NAEP survey, 13 percent of 17-year-olds reported doing more than two hours of homework the previous night. That's not a lot of students, but they're clearly doing a lot of work.

That also tracks with a famous survey from 2007 — from MetLife — that asked parents what they think of their kids' homework load. Sixty percent said it was just right. Twenty-five percent said their kids are getting too little. Just 15 percent of parents said their kids have too much homework.

Research also suggests that the students doing the most work have something else in common: income. "I think that the debate over homework in some ways is a social class issue," says Janine Bempechat, professor of human development at Wheelock College. "There's no question that in affluent communities, children are really over-taxed, over-burdened with homework."

But the vast majority of students do not seem to have inordinate workloads. And the ones who do are generally volunteering for the tough stuff. That doesn't make it easier, but it does make it a choice.

Do we know how much homework students in other countries are doing?

Sort of. Caveats abound here. Education systems and perceptions of what is and isn't homework can vary remarkably overseas. So any comparison is, to a degree, apples-to-oranges (or, at least, apples-to-pears). A 2012 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development pegged the U.S. homework load for 15-year-olds at around six hours per week. That's just above the study's average. It found that students in Hong Kong are also doing about six hours a week. Much of Europe checks in between four and five hours a week. In Japan, it's four hours. And Korea's near the bottom, at three hours.

How much homework is too much?

Better yet, how much is just right? Harris Cooper at Duke University has done some of the best work on homework. He and his team reviewed dozens of studies, from 1987 to 2003, looking for consensus on what works and what doesn't. A common rule of thumb, he says, is what's called the 10-minute rule. Take the child's grade and multiply by 10. So first-graders should have roughly 10 minutes of homework a night, 40 minutes for fourth-graders, on up to two hours for seniors in high school. A lot of of schools use this. Even the National PTA officially endorses it.

Homework clearly improves student performance, right?

Not necessarily. It depends on the age of the child. Looking over the research, there's little to no evidence that homework improves student achievement in elementary school. Then again, the many experts I spoke with all said the same thing: The point of homework in those primary grades isn't entirely academic. It's about teaching things like time-management and self-direction.

But, by high school the evidence shifts. Harris Cooper's massive review found, in middle and high school, a positive correlation between homework and student achievement on unit tests. It seems to help. But more is not always better. Cooper points out that, depending on the subject and the age of the student, there is a law of diminishing returns. Again, he recommends the 10-minute rule.

What kinds of homework seem to be most effective?

This is where things get really interesting. Because homework should be about learning, right? To understand what kinds of homework best help kids learn, we really need to talk about memory and the brain.

Let's start with something called the spacing effect . Say a child has to do a vocabulary worksheet. The next week, it's a new worksheet with different words and so on. Well, research shows that the brain is better at remembering when we repeat with consistency, not when we study in long, isolated chunks of time. Do a little bit of vocabulary each night, repeating the same words night after night.

Similarly, a professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, Henry "Roddy" Roediger III , recommends that teachers give students plenty of little quizzes, which he says strengthen the brain's ability to remember. Don't fret. They can be low-stakes or no-stakes, says Roediger: It's the steady recall and repetition that matter. He also recommends, as homework, that students try testing themselves instead of simply re-reading the text or class notes.

There's also something known as interleaving . This is big in the debate over math homework. Many of us — myself included — learned math by focusing on one concept at a time, doing a worksheet to practice that concept, then moving on.

Well, there's evidence that students learn more when homework requires them to choose among multiple strategies — new and old — when solving problems. In other words, kids learn when they have to draw not just from what they learned in class that day but that week, that month, that year.

One last note: Experts agree that homework should generally be about reinforcing what students learned in class (this is especially true in math). Sometimes it can — and should — be used to introduce new material, but here's where so many horror stories begin.

Tom Loveless, a former teacher, offers this advice: "I don't think teachers should ever send brand-new material that puts the parent in the position of a teacher. That's a disaster. My own personal philosophy was: Homework is best if it's material that requires more practice but they've already received initial instruction."

Or, in the words of the National PTA: "Homework that cannot be done without help is not good homework."

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Despite debates, homework is still ‘essential’ for kids

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The necessity of homework has been a subject of debate since at least as far back as the 1890s, according to Joyce L. Epstein.

“It’s always been the case that parents, kids—and sometimes teachers, too—wonder if this is just busy work,” says Epstein , co-director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University.

But after decades of researching how to improve schools, the professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Education remains certain that homework is essential—as long as the teachers have done their homework, too.

The National Network of Partnership Schools, which she founded in 1995 to advise schools and districts on ways to improve comprehensive programs of family engagement, has developed hundreds of improved homework ideas through its Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork program.

For an English class, a student might interview a parent on popular hairstyles from their youth and write about the differences between then and now. Or for science class , a family could identify forms of matter over the dinner table, labeling foods as liquids or solids. These innovative and interactive assignments not only reinforce concepts from the classroom but also foster creativity, spark discussions, and boost student motivation.

“We’re not trying to eliminate homework procedures, but expand and enrich them ,” says Epstein, who is packing this research into a forthcoming book on the purposes and designs of homework.

Here, Epstein discusses why homework is essential, how to maximize its benefit to learners, and what the “no-homework” approach gets wrong:

What kind of homework training do teachers typically get?

Future teachers and administrators really have little formal training on how to design homework before they assign it. This means that most just repeat what their teachers did, or they follow textbook suggestions at the end of units.

For example, future teachers are well prepared to teach reading and literacy skills at each grade level, and they continue to learn to improve their teaching of reading in ongoing in-service education. By contrast, most receive little or no training on the purposes and designs of homework in reading or other subjects. It is really important for future teachers to receive systematic training to understand that they have the power, opportunity, and obligation to design homework with a purpose.

Why do students need more interactive homework?

If homework assignments are always the same—10 math problems, six sentences with spelling words—homework can get boring and some kids just stop doing their assignments, especially in the middle and high school years. When we’ve asked teachers what’s the best homework you’ve ever had or designed, invariably we hear examples of talking with a parent or grandparent or peer to share ideas.

To be clear, parents should never be asked to “teach” seventh grade science or any other subject. Rather, teachers set up the homework assignments so that the student is in charge. It’s always the student’s homework. But a good activity can engage parents in a fun, collaborative way.

Our data show that with “good” assignments, more kids finish their work, more kids interact with a family partner, and more parents say, “I learned what’s happening in the curriculum.” It all works around what the youngsters are learning.

Is family engagement really that important?

At Hopkins, I am part of the Center for Social Organization of Schools, a research center that studies how to improve many aspects of education to help all students do their best in school. One thing my colleagues and I realized was that we needed to look deeply into family and community engagement. There were so few references to this topic when we started that we had to build the field of study. When children go to school, their families “attend” with them whether a teacher can “see” the parents or not. So, family engagement is ever-present in the life of a school.

My daughter’s elementary school doesn’t assign homework until third grade. What’s your take on “no homework” policies?

There are some parents, writers, and commentators who have argued against homework, especially for very young children. They suggest that children should have time to play after school. This, of course is true, but many kindergarten kids are excited to have homework like their older siblings. If they give homework, most teachers of young children make assignments very short—often following an informal rule of 10 minutes per grade level. “No homework” does not guarantee that all students will spend their free time in productive and imaginative play.

Some researchers and critics have consistently misinterpreted research findings. They have argued that homework should be assigned only at the high school level where data point to a strong connection of doing assignments with higher student achievement. However, as we discussed, some students stop doing homework. This leads, statistically, to results showing that doing homework or spending more minutes on homework is linked to higher student achievement. If slow or struggling students are not doing their assignments, they contribute to—or cause—this “result.”

Teachers need to design homework that even struggling students want to do because it is interesting. Just about all students at any age level react positively to good assignments and will tell you so.

Did COVID change how schools and parents view homework?

Within 24 hours of the day school doors closed in March 2020, just about every school and district in the country figured out that teachers had to talk to and work with students’ parents. This was not the same as homeschooling—teachers were still working hard to provide daily lessons. But if a child was learning at home in the living room, parents were more aware of what they were doing in school. One of the silver linings of COVID was that teachers reported that they gained a better understanding of their students’ families.

We collected wonderfully creative examples of activities from members of the National Network of Partnership Schools. I’m thinking of one art activity where every child talked with a parent about something that made their family unique. Then they drew their finding on a snowflake and returned it to share in class. In math, students talked with a parent about something the family liked so much that they could represent it 100 times. Conversations about schoolwork at home was the point.

How did you create so many homework activities via the Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork program?

We had several projects with educators to help them design interactive assignments, not just “do the next three examples on page 38.” Teachers worked in teams to create TIPS activities, and then we turned their work into a standard TIPS format in math, reading/language arts, and science for grades K-8. Any teacher can use or adapt our prototypes to match their curricula.

Overall, we know that if future teachers and practicing educators were prepared to design homework assignments to meet specific purposes—including but not limited to interactive activities—more students would benefit from the important experience of doing their homework. And more parents would, indeed, be partners in education .

Source: Vicky Hallett for Johns Hopkins University

Bonds with teachers boost interest in math class

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Sat / act prep online guides and tips, the 5 best homework help apps you can use.

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We know that homework can be a real drag. It’s time-consuming, and can be difficult to complete all on your own. So, what can you do if you’re struggling?

You might try looking online or in the app store! If you’ve already looked around you probably know that there are tons of homework sites for students and homework apps out there that all say they can help you improve your grades and pass your classes. But, can you trust them? And what are the best apps for homework help?

Below, we answer these questions and more about homework help apps–free and paid . We’ll go over: 

• The basics of homework help apps
• The cost of homework help apps
• The five best apps for homework help
• The pros and cons of using apps that help you with homework 
• The line between “learning” and “cheating” when using apps that help you with homework
• Tips for getting the most out of homework sites for students 

So let’s jump in!

The Basics About Apps that Help You With Homework–Free and Paid

The bottom line is, homework sites and homework apps are intended to help you complete your take-home assignments successfully. They provide assistance that ranges from answering questions you submit through a portal all the way to one-on-one tutoring, depending on the help you need! 

The big plus for both homework help apps and websites is that they usually offer help on-demand. So if you can’t make it to after school tutoring, or if you're studying late into the night (it happens!), you can still access the help you need! 

If you’re specifically looking for an answer to the question: “what is the best homework help website ?,” you can check out our article on those here! [LINK COMING SOON]

What’s the Difference Between a Homework Help Website and an App?

So if they’re both designed to give you a little boost with your take-home assignments, what makes homework apps and websites different from one another? First off, homework help websites are optimized to be used on a desktop, while apps are designed to be run natively on mobile devices. So depending on which devices you have access to, you may decide to use a website instead of an app…or vice versa! 

The other big difference between homework help apps and websites is that they sometimes offer different features. For instance, with the Photomath app, you’ll be able to submit photos of math problems instead of having to type everything out, which is easier to do by using an app on your phone. 

If you’re trying to decide whether to go with a website or app, the good news is that you may not have to. Some homework help websites also have companion apps, so you can have the best of both worlds!

What Makes a Homework Help App Worth Using

Apps that help you with homework should ideally help you actually learn the material you’re struggling with, and/or help you turn in your work on time. Most of the best apps for homework help allow you to ask questions and provide answers and explanations almost immediately. And like we mentioned earlier, many of these apps let you send a picture of a question or problem instead of writing it all out.

But homework help apps offer more than just quick answers and explanations for your assignment questions. They also offer things like educational videos, lectures, tutorials, practice tests and quizzes, math solving tools, proofreading services, and even Q&A with experts.

And the best part is, most offer these services 24/7! 

What You Should Look Out For

When it comes to homework help, there are lots–and we mean lots –of apps willing to prey on desperate students. Before you download any apps (and especially before you pay to sign up for any services), read reviews of the app to ensure you’re working with a legitimate company. 

Keep in mind: the more a company advertises help that seems like cheating, the more likely it is to be a scam. Actual subject matter experts aren’t likely to work with those companies. Remember, the best apps for homework help are going to help you learn the concepts needed to successfully complete your homework on your own. 

If you’re not sure if an app is legitimate, you can also check to see if the app has an honor code about using their services ethically , like this one from Brainly. (We’ll go over the difference between “homework help” and “cheating” in more detail a little later!) 

How Expensive Are Apps That Help You With Homework?

A word to the wise: just because a homework help app costs money doesn’t mean it’s a good service. And, just because a homework help app is free doesn’t mean the help isn’t high quality. To find the best apps, you have to take a close look at the quality and types of information they provide! 

Most of the apps out there allow you to download them for free, and provide at least some free services–such as a couple of free questions and answers. Additional services or subscriptions are then charged as in-app purchases. When it comes to in-app purchases and subscriptions for homework help, the prices vary depending on the amount of services you want to subscribe to. Subscriptions can cost anywhere from $2 to around $60 dollars per month, with the most expensive app subscriptions including some tutoring (which is usually only available through homework help websites.)

The 5 Best Apps for Homework Help

Okay, now that you’re up to speed on what these apps are and how they can help you, we’ll run you through the best five apps you can use. 

Keep in mind that even though we recommend all of these apps, they tend to excel at different things. We’ve broken these apps into categories so that you can pick the best one for your needs! 

Best Free Homework Help App: Khan Academy

• Price: Free!
• Best for: Practicing tough material 

While there are lots of free homework help apps out there, this is our favorite because it actually supports learning, rather than just providing answers. The Khan Academy app works like the website, and offers the same services. It’s full of information and can be personalized to suit your educational needs. 

After you download the app, you choose which courses you need to study, and Khan Academy sets up a personal dashboard of instructional videos, practice exercises, and quizzes –with both correct and incorrect answer explanations–so you can learn at your own pace. 

As an added bonus, it covers more course topics than many other homework help apps, including several AP classes.

Best Paid Homework Help App: Brainly

• Price: $18 for a 6 month subscription, $24 for a year 
• Best for: 24/7 homework assistance 

Brainly is free to download and allows you to type in questions (or snap a pic) and get answers and explanations from both fellow students and teachers. Plus, subject matter experts and moderators verify answers daily, so you know you’re getting quality solutions! The downside is that you’re limited to two free answers per question and have to watch ads for more if you don’t pay for a subscription. 

That said, their subscription fees average around only $2 per month, making this a particularly affordable option if you’re looking for homework help on a budget. Brainly subscriptions not only cover unlimited answers and explanations on a wide variety of school subjects (including Art and World Languages which aren’t always included in other apps), they also provide tutoring in Math and Physics!

Best App for Math Homework Help: Photomath

• Price: Free (or up to $59.99 per year for premium services) 
• Best for: Explaining solutions to math problems

This app allows you to take a picture of a math problem, and instantly pulls up a step-by-step solution, as well as a detailed explanation of the concept. Photomath subscription services also include animated videos that break down mathematical concepts–all the way up to advanced Calculus!--to help you better understand and remember them. 

The basic textbook solution service is free, but for an additional fee you can get extra study tools, access to one-on-one tutoring, and additional strategies for solving common math problems.

Best App for STEM and English Homework Help: Studypool

• Price: Varies; you’ll pay for each question you submit
• Best for: Science and English homework help in one app

When it comes to apps for science and English homework help, there aren’t lots of great resources out there, much less out there all in one place. While Grammarly is a good service for proofreading, SparkNotes has some decent summaries, and Khan Academy covers science, the best of the bunch if you need help with both subjects Studypool. Instead of using lots of different apps for STEM and English help, they’re combined together here! But while Studypool has great reviews, there are some downsides as well. 

The Studypool Q&A model is a little different than other homework help apps. After you create a free account, you ask questions, and tutors submit bids to answer them. You’ll be able to select the tutor–and price point–that works for you, then you’ll pay to have your homework question answered. You can also pay a small fee to access thousands of notes, lectures, and other documents that top tutors have uploaded.  

The downside to Studypool is that the pricing is not transparent . There’s no way to plan for how much your homework help will cost, especially if you have lots of questions! It’s also not clear how they choose their tutors, so you’ll need to be careful when you decide who you’d like to answer your homework questions. That said, if you only need a few questions answered per month, this could be cheaper than other monthly subscription services.

Best Homework Scheduling App: MyStudyLife

• Best for: Keeping track of your schedule and deadlines

If the reason you’re looking for homework help is less about finding answers to questions and more about needing assistance with organization and time-management , MyStudyLife is a great option. This is a cross-platform planner that allows you to store your class schedule, upcoming tests, and homework assignments in the cloud so you can access it all wherever you are, and on any device. 

One of the unique things about it is that it easily works for daily or weekly rotating class schedules that can get confusing, helping you keep track of when you need to finish your homework based on your changing schedule. You can get reminders for upcoming classes and assignments as well as past-due homework and any revisions you may need to do. It can even let you know when you need to start studying for a big test!

Best of all, you can actually schedule assignments and study sessions for multiple nights, and specify how much of the task you got done each night. That way you’ll know how much additional time you’ll need to spend! 

While homework apps might seem like magic, it's important to weigh the pros and cons before you commit to one. 

What Are the Pros and Cons of Using Homework Help Apps?

Homework help apps can be useful tools if you’re struggling in any of your classes. But there are a few problems you might run into if you don’t use them ethically and responsibly. 

Below we’ll cover some of the good and the not-so-good parts of using homework help apps to complete your take-home assignments.

3 Pros of Using Homework Help Apps

Let’s start with the pros of using apps for homework help.

Pro 1: All-Around Better Grades

This is undeniably the main pro and the reason apps that help you with homework are so popular with students. Not only can you potentially get better grades on individual assignments, because they help you learn tricky concepts, you can also earn better grades overall .

Just keep in mind that if you want better grades you have to actually learn the material you’re studying, not just find easy answers. So be sure to use apps that provide good explanations . That way you’ll have the mental tools you need to succeed on your class exams and on standardized tests for college. 

Pro 2: Flexibility

It’s hard to beat homework help that you can access anywhere you are from your mobile device. You can also get assistance whenever you need it since the best apps offer their services 24/7. This is especially useful for students who need to study during hours when their free school resources aren’t available because of extracurriculars, jobs, or family obligations. 

If you need convenient and flexible homework help or tutoring services to fit your schedule, apps can be your go-to resource. 

Pro 3: Individualized Learning

Sometimes the kind of learner you are doesn’t match your teacher’s style of teaching. Or maybe the pace of a class is a little too fast or too slow for your tastes. Homework apps can help by allowing you to learn at your own speed and in ways that support your own learning style. 

You can use their features, such as educational videos, 24/7 conversations with experts and peers, and tutorials to review concepts you may have forgotten. These apps can also let you dive deeper into topics or subjects you enjoy! With homework help apps, you get to choose what you need to learn and how you learn it.

3 Cons of Using Homework Help Apps

Next, let’s look at the cons of homework help apps. 

Con 1: Questionable Info 

Unfortunately there are lots of less-than-reliable homework help apps out there. They might not hire actual experts in their fields to provide answers and create study tools, or they rely on user-submitted answers that they don’t verify. In those cases, you might not be getting the accurate, thorough, and up-to-date answers you need to really learn.

In addition to the possibility of running into plain-old wrong answers, even the best apps sometimes just won’t have a specific answer you need. This could be because you’re enrolled in an advanced class the app doesn’t really cover or because of the algorithm or chatbot a particular app uses. 

If that’s the case , your best bet will likely be to talk to your teacher or a free tutor (if your school provides them) to get help answering your question.

Con 2: Information Overload

While having tons of information at your fingertips can be helpful, the sheer amount and variety of videos, tutorials, expert answers, and resources a homework app provides can be overwhelming . It’s also easy to get sucked into a research rabbit-hole where you learn new things but don’t actually get your work done. This is especially true for students who tend to be easily distracted.

Additionally, you may be learning to do things differently than you’ve learned them in class , which could cause problems. For example, if your math teacher asks you to solve a problem one way, but you learned to do it differently through an app, you could get confused come test time! 

Con 3: Cutting Corners

There are a lot of apps out there that bill themselves as “the best app for cheating.” They allow users to type in a question or take a picture, then instantly provide an answer without any explanation of the material. Many of these are scams or provide unreliable answers, but not all. Some apps are legitimate and provide quick and easy answers that could allow you to do your whole homework assignment in minutes. 

The problem is that even though taking shortcuts on homework to save time is tempting, it can keep you from really learning. The point of practicing concepts and skills is so you develop them and can access them whenever you need to. This is especially true if skills build on one another, like in a math or English class. 

Sometimes s truggling with an assignment or question, trying, failing, then trying again until you succeed can help you learn difficult material. If you don’t let yourself really try, and instead take too many shortcuts, you may end up behind.

When Does “Help” Become “Cheating”?

When it comes to using homework help apps, sometimes the difference between “help” and “cheating” is really clear. For example, if you’re using an app to get answers while you’re taking a test, that’s definitely cheating . But what if you’re struggling with a math problem and need to know the correct answer so you can work backwards to learn the process? Is that “cheating” or is it “help?” 

The truth is, not everyone agrees on when “help” crosses the line into “cheating .” If you’re not sure, you can always check with your teacher to see what they think about a particular type of help you want to get. That said, a general rule of thumb to keep in mind is to make sure that the assignment you turn in for credit is authentically yours . It needs to demonstrate your own thoughts and your own current abilities. Remember: the point of every homework assignment is to 1) help you learn something, and 2) show what you’ve learned. 

So if you’re relying on an app to do all of the work for you, there’s a good chance using it might constitute cheating. 

Think of it this way: say you’re studying for an upcoming math test, and are stumped by a few of the questions on the study guide. Even though you’ve tried and tried, you can’t seem to get the right answer because you can’t remember the steps to take. Using an app to explain the steps as you’re studying is “help.” Using the app to get answers so you can make a good homework grade is “cheating.” 

The same is true for other subjects: brainstorming essay ideas with others or looking online for inspiration is “help” as long as you write the essay yourself. Having someone read it and give you feedback about what you need to change is also “help,” provided you’re the one that makes the changes later. 

But copying all or part of an essay you find online or having someone write (or rewrite) the whole thing for you would be “cheating.” Ultimately, if you’re not generating your own work or learning to produce your own answers, it’s probably cheating. 

5 Tips for Finding the Best Homework Help App for You

If you’re serious about using a homework help app, our expert tips can help you pick one that’s right for you and your budget!

#1: Decide What Tools You Need to Succeed 

While most apps offer Q&A services, the best apps provide study tools to help you learn the material you need to learn . 

For instance, if you’re a visual learner, you might need an app that provides lots of videos. If you learn best by reading, an app that provides lots of in-depth written resources might be better for you. Or, if you learn best by actually doing things, look for an app that provides practice tests and quizzes, along with explanations for correct and incorrect answers.

Before committing to an app, take a quick survey of the tools they offer users to make sure they meet your unique learning needs. 

#2: Decide Which Subjects You Need to Study

Not all homework apps are created equal. One might provide tutoring in math and science, but no proofreading services to help you with writing. Another might be perfect for American History, but what you really need help with is your Spanish class. So, before you can decide which app is best for you, make sure to create a list of the subjects you need the most help in.

#3: Do Your Research

As we’ve said before, there are tons of homework apps in the app store to choose from, and the most important thing you can do is research what they offer students. Services, prices for those services, and subjects that the apps cover all vary, so it’s important that you look into your options. We’ve compiled our all-around favorite (and reliable) apps here, but it’s still a good idea to do your own research to find out what might meet your individual needs best.

#4: Learn Why People Like and Dislike the App

Maybe you’ve heard the phrase “buyer beware?” It means that the person buying something should check for quality before actually handing over their money. This applies to both free and paid homework apps, but especially those that actually cost money.

Before you download anything, be sure to read the user reviews . While all apps will have both positive and negative reviews, you want to look for one that has more positive than negative. And if you’re considering paying for a service, be sure that users think it’s worth the price overall!

#5: Budget Yourself

If you find a paid app that provides the learning tools you need, covers the subjects you need to study, and that has good reviews overall, set a budget to pay for it before you hit that “install” button. The costs for paid homework apps vary, and especially if you’re using one that requires you to pay for individual questions or services, the prices can add up quickly. So make sure there’s money for it in your budget before you commit!

What’s Next?

If you’re not quite sure why you’re struggling with homework, or want to know how you can do your homework as quickly as possible , check out this list of 15 expert homework tips and tricks to make your life a little bit easier!

Effective studying requires the right balance of concentration, understanding, retention and rest. So if you need help striking that balance, read these 16 tips for better study habits in both the short and long-term.

Getting good grades is about more than just answering questions correctly on your assignments. It also requires planning ahead and participation. In this article we cover the academic survival strategies that can help you throughout high school .

Ashley Sufflé Robinson has a Ph.D. in 19th Century English Literature. As a content writer for PrepScholar, Ashley is passionate about giving college-bound students the in-depth information they need to get into the school of their dreams.

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Credit: August de Richelieu

Does homework still have value? A Johns Hopkins education expert weighs in

Joyce epstein, co-director of the center on school, family, and community partnerships, discusses why homework is essential, how to maximize its benefit to learners, and what the 'no-homework' approach gets wrong.

By Vicky Hallett

The necessity of homework has been a subject of debate since at least as far back as the 1890s, according to Joyce L. Epstein , co-director of the Center on School, Family, and Community Partnerships at Johns Hopkins University. "It's always been the case that parents, kids—and sometimes teachers, too—wonder if this is just busy work," Epstein says.

But after decades of researching how to improve schools, the professor in the Johns Hopkins School of Education remains certain that homework is essential—as long as the teachers have done their homework, too. The National Network of Partnership Schools , which she founded in 1995 to advise schools and districts on ways to improve comprehensive programs of family engagement, has developed hundreds of improved homework ideas through its Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork program. For an English class, a student might interview a parent on popular hairstyles from their youth and write about the differences between then and now. Or for science class, a family could identify forms of matter over the dinner table, labeling foods as liquids or solids. These innovative and interactive assignments not only reinforce concepts from the classroom but also foster creativity, spark discussions, and boost student motivation.

"We're not trying to eliminate homework procedures, but expand and enrich them," says Epstein, who is packing this research into a forthcoming book on the purposes and designs of homework. In the meantime, the Hub couldn't wait to ask her some questions:

What kind of homework training do teachers typically get?

Future teachers and administrators really have little formal training on how to design homework before they assign it. This means that most just repeat what their teachers did, or they follow textbook suggestions at the end of units. For example, future teachers are well prepared to teach reading and literacy skills at each grade level, and they continue to learn to improve their teaching of reading in ongoing in-service education. By contrast, most receive little or no training on the purposes and designs of homework in reading or other subjects. It is really important for future teachers to receive systematic training to understand that they have the power, opportunity, and obligation to design homework with a purpose.

Why do students need more interactive homework?

If homework assignments are always the same—10 math problems, six sentences with spelling words—homework can get boring and some kids just stop doing their assignments, especially in the middle and high school years. When we've asked teachers what's the best homework you've ever had or designed, invariably we hear examples of talking with a parent or grandparent or peer to share ideas. To be clear, parents should never be asked to "teach" seventh grade science or any other subject. Rather, teachers set up the homework assignments so that the student is in charge. It's always the student's homework. But a good activity can engage parents in a fun, collaborative way. Our data show that with "good" assignments, more kids finish their work, more kids interact with a family partner, and more parents say, "I learned what's happening in the curriculum." It all works around what the youngsters are learning.

Is family engagement really that important?

At Hopkins, I am part of the Center for Social Organization of Schools , a research center that studies how to improve many aspects of education to help all students do their best in school. One thing my colleagues and I realized was that we needed to look deeply into family and community engagement. There were so few references to this topic when we started that we had to build the field of study. When children go to school, their families "attend" with them whether a teacher can "see" the parents or not. So, family engagement is ever-present in the life of a school.

My daughter's elementary school doesn't assign homework until third grade. What's your take on "no homework" policies?

There are some parents, writers, and commentators who have argued against homework, especially for very young children. They suggest that children should have time to play after school. This, of course is true, but many kindergarten kids are excited to have homework like their older siblings. If they give homework, most teachers of young children make assignments very short—often following an informal rule of 10 minutes per grade level. "No homework" does not guarantee that all students will spend their free time in productive and imaginative play.

Some researchers and critics have consistently misinterpreted research findings. They have argued that homework should be assigned only at the high school level where data point to a strong connection of doing assignments with higher student achievement . However, as we discussed, some students stop doing homework. This leads, statistically, to results showing that doing homework or spending more minutes on homework is linked to higher student achievement. If slow or struggling students are not doing their assignments, they contribute to—or cause—this "result."

Teachers need to design homework that even struggling students want to do because it is interesting. Just about all students at any age level react positively to good assignments and will tell you so.

Did COVID change how schools and parents view homework?

Within 24 hours of the day school doors closed in March 2020, just about every school and district in the country figured out that teachers had to talk to and work with students' parents. This was not the same as homeschooling—teachers were still working hard to provide daily lessons. But if a child was learning at home in the living room, parents were more aware of what they were doing in school. One of the silver linings of COVID was that teachers reported that they gained a better understanding of their students' families. We collected wonderfully creative examples of activities from members of the National Network of Partnership Schools. I'm thinking of one art activity where every child talked with a parent about something that made their family unique. Then they drew their finding on a snowflake and returned it to share in class. In math, students talked with a parent about something the family liked so much that they could represent it 100 times. Conversations about schoolwork at home was the point.

How did you create so many homework activities via the Teachers Involve Parents in Schoolwork program?

We had several projects with educators to help them design interactive assignments, not just "do the next three examples on page 38." Teachers worked in teams to create TIPS activities, and then we turned their work into a standard TIPS format in math, reading/language arts, and science for grades K-8. Any teacher can use or adapt our prototypes to match their curricula.

Overall, we know that if future teachers and practicing educators were prepared to design homework assignments to meet specific purposes—including but not limited to interactive activities—more students would benefit from the important experience of doing their homework. And more parents would, indeed, be partners in education.

Posted in Voices+Opinion

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Learning and Leading: A Joyful Leader's Journey

Reflections, passion posts, musings, future book chapters….

The Best Homework EVER

Homework. Who invented it? I have always wondered about where homework originated. I believe whoever initiated the concept had great intentions of helping kids. When I speak with some families who have multiple children, it saddens me when they tell of spending hours at the kitchen table helping kids with piles of homework. Doesn’t this defeat the purpose? Will this help or hinder kids’ attitudes and dispositions toward learning and school? What about the children who do not go to a home when they leave the schoolhouse…the children who stress about whether or not they will eat dinner, or have to wait until they get to school the next morning for a meal? It is important for educators to remember that not all kids come to school ready to learn. Some come to school for the consistency, the hugs, the food, and the safety. How does homework fit into the lives of these children? 

A few minutes of practice is perfectly fine, but families shouldn’t have the added stress of hours of work into the evening, missing out on great conversations, family time, extra curricular activities, and PLAY.  My hope for all of our kids is to have moments of joy, relaxation, unstructured play, investment in them by adults, and participation in extracurricular activities in the community.

So…what is the best homework EVER? Here is what I suggest:

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Spot on, Bethany!

Yes! Way to change lives for our kiddos! 😀

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Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

A conversation with a Wheelock researcher, a BU student, and a fourth-grade teacher

“Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives,” says Wheelock’s Janine Bempechat. “It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.” Photo by iStock/Glenn Cook Photography

Do your homework.

If only it were that simple.

Educators have debated the merits of homework since the late 19th century. In recent years, amid concerns of some parents and teachers that children are being stressed out by too much homework, things have only gotten more fraught.

“Homework is complicated,” says developmental psychologist Janine Bempechat, a Wheelock College of Education & Human Development clinical professor. The author of the essay “ The Case for (Quality) Homework—Why It Improves Learning and How Parents Can Help ” in the winter 2019 issue of Education Next , Bempechat has studied how the debate about homework is influencing teacher preparation, parent and student beliefs about learning, and school policies.

She worries especially about socioeconomically disadvantaged students from low-performing schools who, according to research by Bempechat and others, get little or no homework.

BU Today  sat down with Bempechat and Erin Bruce (Wheelock’17,’18), a new fourth-grade teacher at a suburban Boston school, and future teacher freshman Emma Ardizzone (Wheelock) to talk about what quality homework looks like, how it can help children learn, and how schools can equip teachers to design it, evaluate it, and facilitate parents’ role in it.

BU Today: Parents and educators who are against homework in elementary school say there is no research definitively linking it to academic performance for kids in the early grades. You’ve said that they’re missing the point.

Bempechat : I think teachers assign homework in elementary school as a way to help kids develop skills they’ll need when they’re older—to begin to instill a sense of responsibility and to learn planning and organizational skills. That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success. If we greatly reduce or eliminate homework in elementary school, we deprive kids and parents of opportunities to instill these important learning habits and skills.

We do know that beginning in late middle school, and continuing through high school, there is a strong and positive correlation between homework completion and academic success.

That’s what I think is the greatest value of homework—in cultivating beliefs about learning and skills associated with academic success.

You talk about the importance of quality homework. What is that?

Quality homework is engaging and relevant to kids’ lives. It gives them autonomy and engages them in the community and with their families. In some subjects, like math, worksheets can be very helpful. It has to do with the value of practicing over and over.

What are your concerns about homework and low-income children?

The argument that some people make—that homework “punishes the poor” because lower-income parents may not be as well-equipped as affluent parents to help their children with homework—is very troubling to me. There are no parents who don’t care about their children’s learning. Parents don’t actually have to help with homework completion in order for kids to do well. They can help in other ways—by helping children organize a study space, providing snacks, being there as a support, helping children work in groups with siblings or friends.

Isn’t the discussion about getting rid of homework happening mostly in affluent communities?

Yes, and the stories we hear of kids being stressed out from too much homework—four or five hours of homework a night—are real. That’s problematic for physical and mental health and overall well-being. But the research shows that higher-income students get a lot more homework than lower-income kids.

Teachers may not have as high expectations for lower-income children. Schools should bear responsibility for providing supports for kids to be able to get their homework done—after-school clubs, community support, peer group support. It does kids a disservice when our expectations are lower for them.

The conversation around homework is to some extent a social class and social justice issue. If we eliminate homework for all children because affluent children have too much, we’re really doing a disservice to low-income children. They need the challenge, and every student can rise to the challenge with enough supports in place.

What did you learn by studying how education schools are preparing future teachers to handle homework?

My colleague, Margarita Jimenez-Silva, at the University of California, Davis, School of Education, and I interviewed faculty members at education schools, as well as supervising teachers, to find out how students are being prepared. And it seemed that they weren’t. There didn’t seem to be any readings on the research, or conversations on what high-quality homework is and how to design it.

Erin, what kind of training did you get in handling homework?

Bruce : I had phenomenal professors at Wheelock, but homework just didn’t come up. I did lots of student teaching. I’ve been in classrooms where the teachers didn’t assign any homework, and I’ve been in rooms where they assigned hours of homework a night. But I never even considered homework as something that was my decision. I just thought it was something I’d pull out of a book and it’d be done.

I started giving homework on the first night of school this year. My first assignment was to go home and draw a picture of the room where you do your homework. I want to know if it’s at a table and if there are chairs around it and if mom’s cooking dinner while you’re doing homework.

The second night I asked them to talk to a grown-up about how are you going to be able to get your homework done during the week. The kids really enjoyed it. There’s a running joke that I’m teaching life skills.

Friday nights, I read all my kids’ responses to me on their homework from the week and it’s wonderful. They pour their hearts out. It’s like we’re having a conversation on my couch Friday night.

It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Bempechat : I can’t imagine that most new teachers would have the intuition Erin had in designing homework the way she did.

Ardizzone : Conversations with kids about homework, feeling you’re being listened to—that’s such a big part of wanting to do homework….I grew up in Westchester County. It was a pretty demanding school district. My junior year English teacher—I loved her—she would give us feedback, have meetings with all of us. She’d say, “If you have any questions, if you have anything you want to talk about, you can talk to me, here are my office hours.” It felt like she actually cared.

Bempechat : It matters to know that the teacher cares about you and that what you think matters to the teacher. Homework is a vehicle to connect home and school…for parents to know teachers are welcoming to them and their families.

Ardizzone : But can’t it lead to parents being overbearing and too involved in their children’s lives as students?

Bempechat : There’s good help and there’s bad help. The bad help is what you’re describing—when parents hover inappropriately, when they micromanage, when they see their children confused and struggling and tell them what to do.

Good help is when parents recognize there’s a struggle going on and instead ask informative questions: “Where do you think you went wrong?” They give hints, or pointers, rather than saying, “You missed this,” or “You didn’t read that.”

Bruce : I hope something comes of this. I hope BU or Wheelock can think of some way to make this a more pressing issue. As a first-year teacher, it was not something I even thought about on the first day of school—until a kid raised his hand and said, “Do we have homework?” It would have been wonderful if I’d had a plan from day one.

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Sara Rimer A journalist for more than three decades, Sara Rimer worked at the Miami Herald , Washington Post and, for 26 years, the New York Times , where she was the New England bureau chief, and a national reporter covering education, aging, immigration, and other social justice issues. Her stories on the death penalty’s inequities were nominated for a Pulitzer Prize and cited in the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision outlawing the execution of people with intellectual disabilities. Her journalism honors include Columbia University’s Meyer Berger award for in-depth human interest reporting. She holds a BA degree in American Studies from the University of Michigan. Profile

She can be reached at [email protected] .

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Boston University moderates comments to facilitate an informed, substantive, civil conversation. Abusive, profane, self-promotional, misleading, incoherent or off-topic comments will be rejected. Moderators are staffed during regular business hours (EST) and can only accept comments written in English. Statistics or facts must include a citation or a link to the citation.

There are 81 comments on Does Homework Really Help Students Learn?

Insightful! The values about homework in elementary schools are well aligned with my intuition as a parent.

when i finish my work i do my homework and i sometimes forget what to do because i did not get enough sleep

same omg it does not help me it is stressful and if I have it in more than one class I hate it.

Same I think my parent wants to help me but, she doesn’t care if I get bad grades so I just try my best and my grades are great.

I think that last question about Good help from parents is not know to all parents, we do as our parents did or how we best think it can be done, so maybe coaching parents or giving them resources on how to help with homework would be very beneficial for the parent on how to help and for the teacher to have consistency and improve homework results, and of course for the child. I do see how homework helps reaffirm the knowledge obtained in the classroom, I also have the ability to see progress and it is a time I share with my kids

The answer to the headline question is a no-brainer – a more pressing problem is why there is a difference in how students from different cultures succeed. Perfect example is the student population at BU – why is there a majority population of Asian students and only about 3% black students at BU? In fact at some universities there are law suits by Asians to stop discrimination and quotas against admitting Asian students because the real truth is that as a group they are demonstrating better qualifications for admittance, while at the same time there are quotas and reduced requirements for black students to boost their portion of the student population because as a group they do more poorly in meeting admissions standards – and it is not about the Benjamins. The real problem is that in our PC society no one has the gazuntas to explore this issue as it may reveal that all people are not created equal after all. Or is it just environmental cultural differences??????

I get you have a concern about the issue but that is not even what the point of this article is about. If you have an issue please take this to the site we have and only post your opinion about the actual topic

This is not at all what the article is talking about.

This literally has nothing to do with the article brought up. You should really take your opinions somewhere else before you speak about something that doesn’t make sense.

we have the same name

so they have the same name what of it?

lol you tell her

totally agree

What does that have to do with homework, that is not what the article talks about AT ALL.

Yes, I think homework plays an important role in the development of student life. Through homework, students have to face challenges on a daily basis and they try to solve them quickly.I am an intense online tutor at 24x7homeworkhelp and I give homework to my students at that level in which they handle it easily.

More than two-thirds of students said they used alcohol and drugs, primarily marijuana, to cope with stress.

You know what’s funny? I got this assignment to write an argument for homework about homework and this article was really helpful and understandable, and I also agree with this article’s point of view.

I also got the same task as you! I was looking for some good resources and I found this! I really found this article useful and easy to understand, just like you! ^^

i think that homework is the best thing that a child can have on the school because it help them with their thinking and memory.

I am a child myself and i think homework is a terrific pass time because i can’t play video games during the week. It also helps me set goals.

Homework is not harmful ,but it will if there is too much

I feel like, from a minors point of view that we shouldn’t get homework. Not only is the homework stressful, but it takes us away from relaxing and being social. For example, me and my friends was supposed to hang at the mall last week but we had to postpone it since we all had some sort of work to do. Our minds shouldn’t be focused on finishing an assignment that in realty, doesn’t matter. I completely understand that we should have homework. I have to write a paper on the unimportance of homework so thanks.

homework isn’t that bad

Are you a student? if not then i don’t really think you know how much and how severe todays homework really is

i am a student and i do not enjoy homework because i practice my sport 4 out of the five days we have school for 4 hours and that’s not even counting the commute time or the fact i still have to shower and eat dinner when i get home. its draining!

i totally agree with you. these people are such boomers

why just why

they do make a really good point, i think that there should be a limit though. hours and hours of homework can be really stressful, and the extra work isn’t making a difference to our learning, but i do believe homework should be optional and extra credit. that would make it for students to not have the leaning stress of a assignment and if you have a low grade you you can catch up.

Studies show that homework improves student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college. Research published in the High School Journal indicates that students who spent between 31 and 90 minutes each day on homework “scored about 40 points higher on the SAT-Mathematics subtest than their peers, who reported spending no time on homework each day, on average.” On both standardized tests and grades, students in classes that were assigned homework outperformed 69% of students who didn’t have homework. A majority of studies on homework’s impact – 64% in one meta-study and 72% in another – showed that take home assignments were effective at improving academic achievement. Research by the Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA) concluded that increased homework led to better GPAs and higher probability of college attendance for high school boys. In fact, boys who attended college did more than three hours of additional homework per week in high school.

So how are your measuring student achievement? That’s the real question. The argument that doing homework is simply a tool for teaching responsibility isn’t enough for me. We can teach responsibility in a number of ways. Also the poor argument that parents don’t need to help with homework, and that students can do it on their own, is wishful thinking at best. It completely ignores neurodiverse students. Students in poverty aren’t magically going to find a space to do homework, a friend’s or siblings to help them do it, and snacks to eat. I feel like the author of this piece has never set foot in a classroom of students.

THIS. This article is pathetic coming from a university. So intellectually dishonest, refusing to address the havoc of capitalism and poverty plays on academic success in life. How can they in one sentence use poor kids in an argument and never once address that poor children have access to damn near 0 of the resources affluent kids have? Draw me a picture and let’s talk about feelings lmao what a joke is that gonna put food in their belly so they can have the calories to burn in order to use their brain to study? What about quiet their 7 other siblings that they share a single bedroom with for hours? Is it gonna force the single mom to magically be at home and at work at the same time to cook food while you study and be there to throw an encouraging word?

Also the “parents don’t need to be a parent and be able to guide their kid at all academically they just need to exist in the next room” is wild. Its one thing if a parent straight up is not equipped but to say kids can just figured it out is…. wow coming from an educator What’s next the teacher doesn’t need to teach cause the kid can just follow the packet and figure it out?

Well then get a tutor right? Oh wait you are poor only affluent kids can afford a tutor for their hours of homework a day were they on average have none of the worries a poor child does. Does this address that poor children are more likely to also suffer abuse and mental illness? Like mentioned what about kids that can’t learn or comprehend the forced standardized way? Just let em fail? These children regularly are not in “special education”(some of those are a joke in their own and full of neglect and abuse) programs cause most aren’t even acknowledged as having disabilities or disorders.

But yes all and all those pesky poor kids just aren’t being worked hard enough lol pretty sure poor children’s existence just in childhood is more work, stress, and responsibility alone than an affluent child’s entire life cycle. Love they never once talked about the quality of education in the classroom being so bad between the poor and affluent it can qualify as segregation, just basically blamed poor people for being lazy, good job capitalism for failing us once again!

why the hell?

you should feel bad for saying this, this article can be helpful for people who has to write a essay about it

This is more of a political rant than it is about homework

I know a teacher who has told his students their homework is to find something they are interested in, pursue it and then come share what they learn. The student responses are quite compelling. One girl taught herself German so she could talk to her grandfather. One boy did a research project on Nelson Mandela because the teacher had mentioned him in class. Another boy, a both on the autism spectrum, fixed his family’s computer. The list goes on. This is fourth grade. I think students are highly motivated to learn, when we step aside and encourage them.

The whole point of homework is to give the students a chance to use the material that they have been presented with in class. If they never have the opportunity to use that information, and discover that it is actually useful, it will be in one ear and out the other. As a science teacher, it is critical that the students are challenged to use the material they have been presented with, which gives them the opportunity to actually think about it rather than regurgitate “facts”. Well designed homework forces the student to think conceptually, as opposed to regurgitation, which is never a pretty sight

Wonderful discussion. and yes, homework helps in learning and building skills in students.

not true it just causes kids to stress

Homework can be both beneficial and unuseful, if you will. There are students who are gifted in all subjects in school and ones with disabilities. Why should the students who are gifted get the lucky break, whereas the people who have disabilities suffer? The people who were born with this “gift” go through school with ease whereas people with disabilities struggle with the work given to them. I speak from experience because I am one of those students: the ones with disabilities. Homework doesn’t benefit “us”, it only tears us down and put us in an abyss of confusion and stress and hopelessness because we can’t learn as fast as others. Or we can’t handle the amount of work given whereas the gifted students go through it with ease. It just brings us down and makes us feel lost; because no mater what, it feels like we are destined to fail. It feels like we weren’t “cut out” for success.

homework does help

here is the thing though, if a child is shoved in the face with a whole ton of homework that isn’t really even considered homework it is assignments, it’s not helpful. the teacher should make homework more of a fun learning experience rather than something that is dreaded

This article was wonderful, I am going to ask my teachers about extra, or at all giving homework.

I agree. Especially when you have homework before an exam. Which is distasteful as you’ll need that time to study. It doesn’t make any sense, nor does us doing homework really matters as It’s just facts thrown at us.

Homework is too severe and is just too much for students, schools need to decrease the amount of homework. When teachers assign homework they forget that the students have other classes that give them the same amount of homework each day. Students need to work on social skills and life skills.

I disagree.

Beyond achievement, proponents of homework argue that it can have many other beneficial effects. They claim it can help students develop good study habits so they are ready to grow as their cognitive capacities mature. It can help students recognize that learning can occur at home as well as at school. Homework can foster independent learning and responsible character traits. And it can give parents an opportunity to see what’s going on at school and let them express positive attitudes toward achievement.

Homework is helpful because homework helps us by teaching us how to learn a specific topic.

As a student myself, I can say that I have almost never gotten the full 9 hours of recommended sleep time, because of homework. (Now I’m writing an essay on it in the middle of the night D=)

I am a 10 year old kid doing a report about “Is homework good or bad” for homework before i was going to do homework is bad but the sources from this site changed my mind!

Homeowkr is god for stusenrs

I agree with hunter because homework can be so stressful especially with this whole covid thing no one has time for homework and every one just wants to get back to there normal lives it is especially stressful when you go on a 2 week vaca 3 weeks into the new school year and and then less then a week after you come back from the vaca you are out for over a month because of covid and you have no way to get the assignment done and turned in

As great as homework is said to be in the is article, I feel like the viewpoint of the students was left out. Every where I go on the internet researching about this topic it almost always has interviews from teachers, professors, and the like. However isn’t that a little biased? Of course teachers are going to be for homework, they’re not the ones that have to stay up past midnight completing the homework from not just one class, but all of them. I just feel like this site is one-sided and you should include what the students of today think of spending four hours every night completing 6-8 classes worth of work.

Are we talking about homework or practice? Those are two very different things and can result in different outcomes.

Homework is a graded assignment. I do not know of research showing the benefits of graded assignments going home.

Practice; however, can be extremely beneficial, especially if there is some sort of feedback (not a grade but feedback). That feedback can come from the teacher, another student or even an automated grading program.

As a former band director, I assigned daily practice. I never once thought it would be appropriate for me to require the students to turn in a recording of their practice for me to grade. Instead, I had in-class assignments/assessments that were graded and directly related to the practice assigned.

I would really like to read articles on “homework” that truly distinguish between the two.

oof i feel bad good luck!

thank you guys for the artical because I have to finish an assingment. yes i did cite it but just thanks

thx for the article guys.

Homework is good

I think homework is helpful AND harmful. Sometimes u can’t get sleep bc of homework but it helps u practice for school too so idk.

I agree with this Article. And does anyone know when this was published. I would like to know.

It was published FEb 19, 2019.

Studies have shown that homework improved student achievement in terms of improved grades, test results, and the likelihood to attend college.

i think homework can help kids but at the same time not help kids

This article is so out of touch with majority of homes it would be laughable if it wasn’t so incredibly sad.

There is no value to homework all it does is add stress to already stressed homes. Parents or adults magically having the time or energy to shepherd kids through homework is dome sort of 1950’s fantasy.

What lala land do these teachers live in?

Homework gives noting to the kid

Homework is Bad

homework is bad.

why do kids even have homework?

Comments are closed.

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51 Best Homework Excuses (Serious, Funny, Strict Teachers)

Homework. No one wants to do it. But no one wants to get in trouble either. So, here are some of the best homework excuses that are serious, funny, and might even work for strict teachers!

As a teacher myself, I’ve heard most of these excuses. I laughed at a few and rolled my eyes at most.

At the end of the day, you’re only going to get away with not doing homework if you’ve got a solid excuse and a bunch of evidence to back it up. Good luck!

Read Also: 27 Pros and Cons of Homework

Cliché Homework Excuses

These are terrible homework excuses that, really, students should avoid. They might be fun to use, but most of them have been over-used. Your teacher won’t believe you unless you’ve brought some evidence along with you.

1. My Dog ate my Homework. Look, no one’s ever going to believe this one. Maybe avoid it unless you want to spend lunch time inside catching up.

2. My Computer Broke. This one’s more believable but it’s been over-used. Thanks to all the liars out there, this homework excuse is well and truly ruined.

3. My Mom Forgot It. Nothing like blaming your mother for your own failures. Most teachers would probably tell you to take a little personal responsibility and send you on your way.

4. The Internet was Out. As believable as any excuse, your teacher might tell you that you’d better buy yourself an old hardback encyclopedia.

5. My Grandma Died. Again. The oldest excuse in the book, I always ask for evidence of this. Some people seem to have 15 grandmas.

6. The Older Kids Took it off me and Tore it Up. Chances are, your teacher’s going to be very concerned by this. They might even escalate this to a disciplinary issue!

Related: A List of Extension Excuses for College Students

Funny Homework Excuses

These ones might get a laugh out of your teacher and your classmates. But, you’re not likely to get out of trouble in the long run.

7. My Mother wanted to Display it on the Fridge. You might get a few laughs from your friends out of this one. But, your teacher is going to tell you to go home, take it off the fridge, and bring it to class!

8. The Police Confiscated it as Evidence. This one might make your teacher pause and wonder. Why is it confiscated? Is it so poorly written that the police consider it an outrage? Maybe your joke will deflect them from punishing you, though.

9. I was Abducted by Aliens and They took It. If your teacher believes this one, let me know. I’ve got some air guitars to sell them.

10. I sent it to you in the Post. In this day and age, you might have to tell your teacher they should wait a few months to it arrive. The postal service isn’t what it used to be.

11. My Dad mistook it for a Letter and Posted it to China. Funny, but clearly not true. Your teacher is going to ask one simple question: why is your dad sending letters to China?

12. I had to burn it in the Fireplace to keep myself Warm. Like Pablo Escobar burning cash, you’ve thrown caution to the wind and thrown your homework book into the fire because, well, if you didn’t, you wouldn’t have survived the freezing cold night.

13. It flew out the Window of the Car. Just picture it. You’re frantically doing your homework on the drive to school. Your dad winds down the window and – woosh – the homework’s gone for good. And class is in just 15 minutes!

14. I thought I’d do it Tomorrow because I’ll be Older and Wiser Then. A clever joke, but you’re probably going to be known as the class clown from that moment onwa rd!

15. I did my Work. It’s all Up Here in my Head. Be prepared for your teacher to give you a snap quiz on the spot if you’re bold enough to say you’ve got it all in your head! But, if you pull it off, maybe you’ll get away without too much trouble.

16. I didn’t do it because I didn’t want to add to your Workload. Sure, it sounds nice, but your teacher will see right through this cheeky response. But hey, when you’ve got nothing to lose it’s worth a try.

17. My Hand fell Asleep and I didn’t want to Wake It. Imagine you were trying so hard to do your homework and write down those answers. But, your hand just wouldn’t obey your command!

18. My Cat ate it knowing that I’d Blame the Dog. This one’s a funny twist on “my dog ate my homework” that might just get a laugh out of your teacher (and a little bit of leniency).

Related: Excuses for Skipping Class in College

Excuses For Strict Teachers

Okay, here’s where things get serious. If you’ve got a teacher who you know is going to be mad, you need to come into this with a plan. Usually, that means providing evidence to support your excuse.

19. I was Sick. And I have a Sick Note. Being sick (genuinely!) is one of the few reasons for not doing your homework that might actually work. You’re going to want to be able to present a note from your parent and maybe even a doctor.

20. My Mother or Father went to Hospital. And here’s the Sick Note. If your mom or dad is in hospital, chances are you’re going to get a free pass. Bring evidence, even if it’s a photo of dad in the hospital bed with tubes coming out of his nose!

21. My Computer Screen Broke. And here’s a Picture. I’ve actually gotten this one from students a few times and it really took me back. I thought: “is this legit, or is this image from 3 years ago?” A receipt from the computer repair store with a date on it is usually a better piece of evidence. But then again, why didn’t you go to the library?

22. The computer broke, but here are my hand-written notes. I’m usually pretty impressed by this excuse. Your computer broke, but you still made the effort to give the homework a go anyway. Great resilience!

23. The wi-fi didn’t work, but here are my hand-written notes. This excuse is very similar to the previous one. If you turn up with nothing and say the wi-fi broke, the teacher probably won’t accept that excuse. But if you actually tried to write some notes anyway, well done!

24. I wasn’t here when the work was assigned. This is an excellent homework excuse for strict teachers. It’s really quite legitimate. How were you supposed to know you had homework!?

25. I tried, but I didn’t understand the Instructions. This puts the onus back on the teacher. Why didn’t they provide clearer instructions? It’s usually a good idea to show some evidence that you at least gave it a go, though.

26. I volunteer at the soup kitchen on Monday Nights. Everyone loves a good Samaritan. If it gets you out of homework, well, that’s just the universe giving you good karma.

27. I’m so sorry. I thought it was right here in my Bag! This one helps show that it at least is a genuine mistake.

28. I had way too much Homework for my other Class. Follow this one up with “You should talk to that teacher about how their overbearing homework requirements are impacting your students!”

29. The Library was Closed and I don’t have Internet at Home. This one might get you a little more sympathy. The fact you don’t have internet at home means you’re not as privileged as many other kids, so your teacher might let you off lightly.

Related: Fun Things to do when Bored in Class

Truthful Homework Excuses

30. I was too busy doing something more important. Your teacher is instantly going to say “what was more important than your education?” Don’t respond with “video games.”

31. My parents kept me really busy on the weekend. But I promise I’ll do it tonight. One thing I would say about this excuse is that you’re saying “Hey, take it up with my parents. I wanted to do some homework!” But, you’re also saying you’ve got a plan to get it done asap.

32. I was at football practice all night. Many teachers will still say “learning comes before sports” (which, as a teacher, I agree with). But, you’ve got a leg to stand on here. You don’t want to let your team down, which is fair.

33. I did my homework, but I left it at home. This excuse does show that you at least put the effort in. But, you failed at the finish line! Come to class tomorrow with the homework and you’ll win back some respect from your teacher.

34. I forgot I even had homework. Hey, it’s truthful. But you’re not going to get any sympathy for this one.

35. The computer didn’t break. It was the Printer this time! An excuse that’s almost as bad as “my computer broke”, the printer issues excuse at least needs some photographic evidence to back it up. And, why didn’t you email the homework to your teacher?

36. I had a Headache. Headaches are the worst. As a teacher myself, I’d probably have a little sympathy for this excuse if it’s a one-off. But, I’d expect my student to bring a note from the parent to corroborate the story.

37. The homework was far too Easy. This isn’t a good reason not to do homework. Your teacher is going to expect you to absolutely ace your next test.

38. My tutor accidentally took it home with them. Nothing like blaming your tutor for your own problems. As a teacher, I’d probably roll my eyes and tell you that you need to keep better track of your things.

39. I accidentally squished it in the bottom of my bag and now it’s got rotten apple juice all over it. This one’s funny to me because, well, as a kid this always used to happen to me. Rotten bananas were usually the culprit.

40. I spilled cereal all over it because I was doing it over breakfast. This sounds believable. I would tell my student the should at least show me the ruined homework as evidence. And, I’d also tell them that breakfast isn’t the best time to do your homework.

See a List of 11 Homework Statistics

Blame the Parents

41. My parents don’t believe in homework and won’t let me do it. There are some parents like this. If a student said this to me, I’d be on the phone to the parents. So, if you don’t want your teacher to call your parents, don’t use this excuse.

42. My mother said band practice was more important. It’s really hard for teachers to argue with parents via the student. But in my experience the teacher usually responds with: “you need to have better organization skills to get all of these things done in your own time!”

43. I help my father at work on a Tuesday afternoon. I just can’t get it done on Tuesdays. Once again, the teacher is likely going to tell you to have more organization skills. But, you might occasionally get an extension out of this. Especially if you let the teacher know in advance.

44. My father looked at it, said it was outrageous government indoctrination, and told me not to do it. While I think this is hilarious, it’s also something that happens a lot these days. Why is this world so divided? Science isn’t controversial, people!

45. My mother was looking over my homework and forgot to give it back to me. Okay, time for me to put my teacher voice on: “She didn’t forget to give it back to you. You forgot to ask for it back.”

46. My mother threw it in the trash. This must have been frustrating to you! A teacher with a quick wit will respond: “it shouldn’t have looked like trash then. You must have done a bad job!” Or, a more serious teacher might just tell you that you need to be more organized net time.

Blame the Teachers

47. You give too much Homework. There are plenty of people out there in this world who think teachers do give too much homework. They believe it’s not fair and it’s preventing children from leading a balanced and healthy life.

48. Your instructions are impossible to understand. This one really puts the pressure back on the teacher because you’re basically telling them that they’re bad at their job.

49. This was way too hard for me. You need to give me more guidance. Sometimes, it’s true, teachers do assign homework that’s way too hard. You do need to be resourceful and find ways to learn yourself. But at the same time, the teacher really should know better.

50. The homework is too easy. It’s a complete waste of my time. Assigning homework is like playing Goldilocks. It can’t be too hard, can’t be too easy.

51. Between you and all my other teachers, you’re assigning hours of homework every night. You all need to get together and resolve this. This one’s surely going to set a cat amongst the pigeons. The teachers are going to talk about this at their next staff meeting. But, they might coordinate and come back at you as a united front!

FAQ: How to Get Out of Doing Homework?

The best ways to get out of doing homework are to:

• Let the teacher know in advance that you won’t be able to do it. Teachers respond better when you give them an excuse before time, not after.
• Bring evidence of why you didn’t do it. If you want your teacher to truly believe your excuse, you need evidence. This can be notes, photos, receipts, or anything else proving your story is true.

Really, the best way to avoid any issues is to just do the homework in the first place. But if you’re reading this article, chances are the horses have left the stable. You’re at a stage where you’ve got to come up with an excuse because in 10 minutes your teacher is going to be asking you why you haven’t done anything!

Well, good luck with that! I hope you don’t get into too much trouble, but I also hope you learn that next time the best solution is to just get that homework done in advance.

Chris Drew (PhD)

Dr. Chris Drew is the founder of the Helpful Professor. He holds a PhD in education and has published over 20 articles in scholarly journals. He is the former editor of the Journal of Learning Development in Higher Education. [Image Descriptor: Photo of Chris]

• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 5 Top Tips for Succeeding at University
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• Chris Drew (PhD) https://helpfulprofessor.com/author/chris-drew-phd/ 30 Globalization Pros and Cons

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The Best Homework Ever

Did you do your homework?

If so, the Westchester section would like to hear from you. Think back to the best homework assignment you ever had (or maybe the worst). The assignment could have come from an English teacher, a dance instructor, a bar mitzvah coach. Maybe you finished it five days ago; maybe you finished it 45 years ago.

Why was it memorable? How did it improve your mind or your character?

In ''Westchester at Its Best,'' a special issue on Nov. 9, we will publish a collection of short essays about homework.

Contributions, 300 words or less, can be sent by e-mail to ([email protected]) or by mail to HOMEWORK c/o Westchester weekly, The New York Times, 229 West 43rd Street, New York, N.Y. 10036. Please include a daytime phone number.

The deadline is Oct. 31.

8 secrets for the best study-spot ever

by: Charity Ferreira | Updated: June 6, 2023

Print article

Know your child’s work-style

Now that you’ve chosen the location, consider your child’s age and size. Sitting in a giant chair at a too-tall desk and looking up at the computer is a recipe for neck, shoulder, and back pain. (For young kids, consider investing in a kid-size keyboard and mouse to accommodate smaller hands.)

The overall work surface should be your child’s waist height. When your child sits down — ideally at a chair that has a back and arm rests — his elbows should rest on the table without hunching, bent at an angle of about 90 degrees or more. If he’s not up high enough, add a pillow or folded towel to raise the seat. His feet should be resting flat on the floor and not dangling. If they are, put a foot rest or box underneath.

To shoot for ergonomic perfection for a typical first grader, the chair should be around 12 inches high, the table at about 18 inches; by seventh grade, the chair should be around 14 inches high and the table 24 inches high. After middle school, aim for a chair that’s 16 inches high and desk that’s 25 inches high for girls or, for boys, a chair that’s 18 inches high and a desk that’s 27 inches high.

Make it mobile

Banish distractions.

Is the TV on? Is an older sibling blasting music, or are younger ones squabbling? Is the dog barking and the bird squawking?

Some kids require peace and quiet to focus. If you notice that your child gets easily distracted, or that you’re frequently asking family members to pipe down, think about relocating her study space — or moving the pets. Turn off the TV. Turn off or ignore all phones (cell and land line; during homework, kids aren’t allowed to answer unless a parent is calling).

Especially for younger children who may have trouble staying on task, try to stay close by to be available for questions or guidance. (But resist giving the answer!)

Stock up on supplies

“Ugh! I can’t find the dictionary!” “Who took the glue stick?” To avoid these stress-filled moments — and needlessly wasting time hunting for missing items — duplicate a school supply list at home. (Here’s what you need for elementary , middle , and high school ).

Display a master calendar

Keep the mess at bay, homes nearby.

Homes for rent and sale near schools

3 things to say when your child says, "I'm bad at math."

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Teen reunites with doctor who saved her life: the best homework ever.

A high school writing assignment began with a thank you letter, and ended with a tearful reunion between a teen and the surgeon who saved her life.

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So when her creative writing class was told to write about anything, she penned a page-and-a-half long thank you letter to Dr. Robert Goldstein for saving her life as a child.

“You probably have no idea who I am, but you had a great impact in my life,” Taylor wrote. “I know you’ve had a lot of patients over the years and they appreciate your work. But my parents’ lives would be totally different if it weren’t for you.”

Dr. Goldstein was so moved, he drove two hours to surprise Ashli in front of her classmates in Temple, Texas .

“It had been 14 years and out of the blue you get a letter like this and I can’t tell you what this means,” the doctor  told the Temple Daily Telegram . “The words moved everybody in the office.”

RELATED:   Paramedic Saves Doctor Who Saved His Life 30 Years Earlier

After surprising her–flowers in his hand–he reached to embrace her and the two weren’t the only ones to wipe away tears in the classroom.

“I got my letter,” Dr. Goldstein told the class, pulling the folded-up note from the pocket of his scrubs. “I’m going to keep it.”

With that, the class learned a lesson in just how powerful their words can be.

( WATCH the video from WFAA News below) — Photo: WFAA video

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Homework: A New User's Guide

Cory Turner

If you made it past the headline, you're likely a student, concerned parent, teacher or, like me, a nerd nostalgist who enjoys basking in the distant glow of Homework Triumphs Past (second-grade report on Custer's Last Stand, nailed it!).

Whoever you are, you're surely hoping for some clarity in the loud, perennial debate over whether U.S. students are justifiably exhausted and nervous from too much homework — even though some international comparisons suggest they're sitting comfortably at the average.

Well, here goes. I've mapped out six, research-based polestars that should help guide you to some reasonable conclusions about homework.

How much homework do U.S. students get?

The best answer comes from something called the National Assessment of Educational Progress or NAEP . In 2012, students in three different age groups — 9, 13 and 17 — were asked, "How much time did you spend on homework yesterday?" The vast majority of 9-year-olds (79 percent) and 13-year-olds (65 percent) and still a majority of 17-year-olds (53 percent) all reported doing an hour or less of homework the day before.

Another study from the National Center for Education Statistics found that high school students who reported doing homework outside of school did, on average, about seven hours a week.

If you're hungry for more data on this — and some perspective — check out this exhaustive report put together last year by researcher Tom Loveless at the Brookings Institution.

An hour or less a day? But we hear so many horror stories! Why?

The fact is, some students do have a ton of homework. In high school we see a kind of student divergence — between those who choose or find themselves tracked into less-rigorous coursework and those who enroll in honors classes or multiple Advanced Placement courses. And the latter students are getting a lot of homework. In that 2012 NAEP survey, 13 percent of 17-year-olds reported doing more than two hours of homework the previous night. That's not a lot of students, but they're clearly doing a lot of work.

Source: Met Life Survey of the American Teacher, The Homework Experience, 2007. LA Johnson/NPR hide caption

That also tracks with a famous survey from 2007 — from MetLife — that asked parents what they think of their kids' homework load. Sixty percent said it was just right. Twenty-five percent said their kids are getting too little. Just 15 percent of parents said their kids have too much homework.

Research also suggests that the students doing the most work have something else in common: income. "I think that the debate over homework in some ways is a social class issue," says Janine Bempechat, professor of human development at Wheelock College. "There's no question that in affluent communities, children are really over-taxed, over-burdened with homework."

But the vast majority of students do not seem to have inordinate workloads. And the ones who do are generally volunteering for the tough stuff. That doesn't make it easier, but it does make it a choice.

Do we know how much homework students in other countries are doing?

Sort of. Caveats abound here. Education systems and perceptions of what is and isn't homework can vary remarkably overseas. So any comparison is, to a degree, apples-to-oranges (or, at least, apples-to-pears). A 2012 report from the Organisation for Economic Co-Operation and Development pegged the U.S. homework load for 15-year-olds at around six hours per week. That's just above the study's average. It found that students in Hong Kong are also doing about six hours a week. Much of Europe checks in between four and five hours a week. In Japan, it's four hours. And Korea's near the bottom, at three hours.

Source: OECD, PISA 2012 Database, Table IV.3.48. LA Johnson/NPR hide caption

How much homework is too much?

Better yet, how much is just right? Harris Cooper at Duke University has done some of the best work on homework. He and his team reviewed dozens of studies, from 1987 to 2003, looking for consensus on what works and what doesn't. A common rule of thumb, he says, is what's called the 10-minute rule. Take the child's grade and multiply by 10. So first-graders should have roughly 10 minutes of homework a night, 40 minutes for fourth-graders, on up to two hours for seniors in high school. A lot of of schools use this. Even the National PTA officially endorses it.

Homework clearly improves student performance, right?

Not necessarily. It depends on the age of the child. Looking over the research, there's little to no evidence that homework improves student achievement in elementary school. Then again, the many experts I spoke with all said the same thing: The point of homework in those primary grades isn't entirely academic. It's about teaching things like time-management and self-direction.

But, by high school the evidence shifts. Harris Cooper's massive review found, in middle and high school, a positive correlation between homework and student achievement on unit tests. It seems to help. But more is not always better. Cooper points out that, depending on the subject and the age of the student, there is a law of diminishing returns. Again, he recommends the 10-minute rule.

What kinds of homework seem to be most effective?

This is where things get really interesting. Because homework should be about learning, right? To understand what kinds of homework best help kids learn, we really need to talk about memory and the brain.

Let's start with something called the spacing effect . Say a child has to do a vocabulary worksheet. The next week, it's a new worksheet with different words and so on. Well, research shows that the brain is better at remembering when we repeat with consistency, not when we study in long, isolated chunks of time. Do a little bit of vocabulary each night, repeating the same words night after night.

Similarly, a professor of psychology at Washington University in St. Louis, Henry "Roddy" Roediger III , recommends that teachers give students plenty of little quizzes, which he says strengthen the brain's ability to remember. Don't fret. They can be low-stakes or no-stakes, says Roediger: It's the steady recall and repetition that matter. He also recommends, as homework, that students try testing themselves instead of simply re-reading the text or class notes.

There's also something known as interleaving . This is big in the debate over math homework. Many of us — myself included — learned math by focusing on one concept at a time, doing a worksheet to practice that concept, then moving on.

Well, there's evidence that students learn more when homework requires them to choose among multiple strategies — new and old — when solving problems. In other words, kids learn when they have to draw not just from what they learned in class that day but that week, that month, that year.

One last note: Experts agree that homework should generally be about reinforcing what students learned in class (this is especially true in math). Sometimes it can — and should — be used to introduce new material, but here's where so many horror stories begin.

Tom Loveless, a former teacher, offers this advice: "I don't think teachers should ever send brand-new material that puts the parent in the position of a teacher. That's a disaster. My own personal philosophy was: Homework is best if it's material that requires more practice but they've already received initial instruction."

Or, in the words of the National PTA: "Homework that cannot be done without help is not good homework."

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French Wine 101: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, & The Best Homework Ever

Posted by foodwineclick on December 12, 2016 · 19 Comments  

Why Wine 101 My young adult children have both exited the beer-only stage and have now started to enjoy wine (yay!). They also have noticed that very few of the wines I post about are in their price range. On their suggestion, I’m starting a new series aimed at newcomers to wine with interest but a modest checkbook.

French Wine 101- Four Wines to Start So you want to learn about French wine, but you don’t want to spend a fortune doing it. You’ve come to the right place! This is the first in a series of posts covering the basics of French wine on a budget. We’ll discuss just a few regions at a time, so stay tuned for more, and I’d be happy to hear your feedback.

All the major wine regions of France (courtesy of http://www.about-france.com )

• < 10€ in a shop in Europe
• <$20 per bottle in the US in a wine shop or grocery store
• 2-3x the wine shop price if you’re ordering off the winelist in a restaurant – ouch.
• 2-3x US prices in China or Brazil, OUCH!

If you want to cut to the chase, download the link below to your phone. Voila! You have a quick 1 page reference to use when in the wine shop or restaurant.

Click to Download Your French Wine 101 Cheatsheet

French Wine Fast Facts

• Most French wines are named for the town or village, not the grape. New world wine drinkers find this mysterious at first.
• Top rated, famous French wines are extremely expensive, even $1500+ per bottle! However, smart shoppers can find wines from nearby towns for very reasonable prices, so don’t think they are all out of reach.
• French wines are governed by the Appellation system, which is a means of guaranteeing some basic level of quality within a defined geographic area. Appellation rules can include vineyard location, allowed grapes, maximum yield (tons/acre), and even aspects of winemaking.
• If you are coming to French wines from the “New World” (California, Australia, Argentina, etc…), be prepared for less intense aroma and flavor, these are wines to serve with food. Think: “elegant” vs. “bold”. Nothing wrong with either approach, they are just two different points of view.

Well known French wines are spendy – these are $40-$100+

Basic versions are great introductions, these are all under $20

Rockstars: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone, & Champagne Ask any wine drinker to name a French wine region and the first words out of their mouth will usually be one of the big four: Bordeaux, Burgundy, Rhone (specifically Châteauneuf-du-Pape), or Champagne. Seems like a great place to start! Unfortunately, there is no such thing as inexpensive Champagne, so we’ll cover that one all by itself in a future installment.

#1 – Bordeaux – Big Red Wines Bordeaux is best known for its red wines. Traditionally, these wines are meant to be aged for 10+ years for maximum enjoyment. In their youth, they may be harsh tasting (from tannins), and as they age, they gain beguiling aromas and flavors. For a newcomer to French wine, do you really want to wait for 10 years to find out if you like it? No!

• Bordeaux red wines are blends, typically either Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot will make up 50% or more of the blend in the wine.
• There are 5 main allowed grapes in red Bordeaux: Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot, Malbec.
• The most famous Bordeaux wines can be horrifically expensive. However, if you look outside the most famous appellations, there are good quality wines that will teach you about Bordeaux without requiring a mortgage.
• There are rosé and white wines from Bordeaux, as well as beautiful, luscious dessert wines, but we’ll leave those for a future French Wine 100 series post.

A red Bordeaux wine from the Fronsac AOC (appellation). Fronsac is the name of the nearby town.

Budget Bordeaux (<$20 per bottle in the US) Label – look for the following: Bordeaux AOC, Bordeaux Supérieur AOC, Blaye Cote de Bordeaux AOC. You might even find a Medoc AOC, Haut-Medoc AOC or St. Emilion AOC occasionally under the $20 mark.

Wine – Expect a deep red color, aromas of dark fruit -black cherries, black berries. Bordeaux wines often display aromas of leather, graphite. When you taste the wine, you may notice a strong astringent, drying sensation in your mouth after swallowing the wine. This is the taste of tannins, and red Bordeaux wines often have strong tannins. You may decide the wine tastes austere, sharp. Try it with a bite of meatloaf and you’ll see why French wines are naturals at the dinner table.

Food – Bordeaux wines are classic wines for red meats, think steak, burgers, beef stew. Be careful around chili, if the chili is spicy, it can clash with the tannins in the wine.

You can walk, bicycle, or drive right through the vineyards in Bourgogne!

#2 & #3: Burgundy – Light Body Red Wines and Fine Chardonnays

As in Bordeaux, top Burgundy wines can be crazy expensive. Fear not, however, as fully 50% of the wines from the region are the basic table wines labeled simply “Bourgogne” and many of them are available for around $20.

• In contrast to Bordeaux, Burgundy wines are all single grape, no blends.  Reds are 100% Pinot Noir. Whites are 100% Chardonnay.
• The heirarchy of Burgundy wines is all about a vineyards’ position on the famous slopes of the Cotes d’Or, a minor mountain ridge that defines the region, running from the city of Dijon, through Beaune and ending near the town of Macon.
• Basic Bourgogne wines come from vineyards that are located on flat ground at the bottom of the more favored slopes. Bourgogne wines are typically less intense and perhaps a bit less complex than their fancier relatives up the slope, but they will give you an excellent introduction.
• Even Burgundy wineries with very expensive wines in their lineup will almost always feature a Bourgogne level wine. This inexpensive wine gets very similar love and care as wines from the higher level vineyards.

Budget (<$20) Bourgogne Rouge

Label – Look for “ Bourgogne “. Sometimes, wineries will also add the grape name (Pinot Noir) to the label, as they know many Bourgogne wines are going to an international market where customers are more familiar with grape names compared to place names. You can occasionally find a minor village, or a sub-region slightly higher than Bourgogne. Look for Hautes Côte de Beaune , or Hautes Côte de Nuits .

Wine – Bourgogne wines are pale red in color. You can almost always read newsprint through the red wine in the glass. Compared to American wines, Bourgogne wines can be quite subtle. You’ll usually smell red fruit such as cherries and strawberries, and often you’ll smell cooking spices and maybe even catch a whiff of an earthy smell like mushrooms or forest floor. In the mouth, they have mouthwatering acidity, and light tannins (especially compared to Bordeaux wines, above).

Food – One of the most food-friendly red wines, Bourgogne wines pair beautifully with chicken, bigger ocean going fish such as salmon, and even earthy meat dishes with mushrooms. Beef Bourguignon is an excellent example of a classic Bourgogne pairing.

Budget (<$20) Bourgogne Blanc

Label – Look for “ Bourgogne “. The label may not say “Blanc” so you’ll want to look through the bottle! As  Bourgogne Rouge above, some producers will add the grape name, in the Blanc case, that’s Chardonnay. Also worth seeking: Mâcon Village , and other lesser known villages. The Chablis region is physically about 100 miles away from the main Burgundy region, but it is an official part of Burgundy. Look for Petit Chablis and sometimes you can find a Chablis for under $20.

Wine – White Burgundies from the Côte d’Or are usually vinified and aged in oak barrels. They will be medium yellow in color. The aromas will usually feature lemons, apples, pears. You are also very likely to smell some nutty or vanilla aspects. These will usually be much more subtle than in new world Chardonnays. Chablis wines are often aged in stainless tanks, not oak barrels. They are more crisp, steely and acidic than their Bourgogne and Mâcon cousins.

Food – For Bourgogne Blanc, think fish in creamy or richer sauces, any chicken preparation, and even pork if its in something creamy. For Chablis, think of foods you’d squeeze a fresh lemon on: oysters, clams, any lighter fish dishes.

Grenache vines in the sunny Rhone river valley

#4 Rhone – Lush, Ripe Red & Perfect Entry to French Wines Q: Is there a perfect first French wine to try? A: Easy! Côtes du Rhône. Wines from the Southern Rhone are full of aromas and flavors, they appeal to new wine drinkers and especially to wine drinkers with previous New World wine experiences.  The reason? The Southern Rhone has a warm, Mediterranean climate, similar to many New World wine regions. Hence, the wines have some similar characteristics to their New World cousins.

• Rhone red wines are a blend of three grapes: Grenache, Syrah, and Mourvedre (GSM). Each grape contributes something important to the mix. Generally, Grenache will be the grape with the highest percentage of the three.
• The most famous Southern Rhone wine and the top of the pyramid the region would be Châteauneuf-du-Pape  (CdP). It too is a GSM blend, but it comes from the Appellation of the same name.  Châteauneuf-du-Pape wines typically start around $40 a bottle and go up from there to well over $100 a bottle.
• However, there are vineyards all over this region, and there are great bargains to be had in the lesser known villages and the general Côtes du Rhône appellation.
• All the vineyards are in the proximity of the Rhone river as it flows south from Lyon.

Budget (<$20) Rhone Wines Label – Look for Côtes du Rhône (CdR) or Côtes du Rhône Villages . These are some of the best deals available in French wines. Often sold in the US for $10-15, they are made from the same GSM blend as the fancy Châteauneuf-du-Pape just down the street. The more humble wines come from less favorable vineyard sites, but the grapes sit in the same Mediterranean sun and they are cared for by the same farmers as those tending the famous vines. In fact, most CdP wineries also make Côtes du Rhône wines. Some Rhone wines are allowed to use the village name, such as Vacqueras or Cairanne .  These wines are situated in the quality ladder between CdR and CdP, so as you explore, you may enjoy trying them. Many of them are available for only a few dollars more than CdR.

Wine – Deep red in color, CdR wines will show aromas ranging from strawberries all the way through deep ripe figs and raisins. Often, you may get a good whiff of herbs, this is described as “garrique” which describes the scrub herbal bushes which also grow in the region. Lastly, many (not all) Rhone wines have a distinct barnyard smell, especially on opening. Sometimes it is subtle and enjoyable and others it can be quite strong.  You’ll need to decide if it’s for you or not. The wine will be richly flavored, and may have medium tannins. Not quite as much as a typical Bordeaux, but more than most Burgundies.

Food – Serve with stews, steaks, anything with lots of herbs, olives. Think Provençal cooking and you’ll know to serve that Côtes du Rhône .

Finally, In the Wine Shop Here are a few pieces of advice to help you in the wine shop:

• There are thousands of bottles of wine from hundreds of regions.  Go in the shop with a plan: I am looking for a red Bordeaux, under $20. 9,000 bottles in this shop mean nothing to me.
• Small wine shops are a great place to shop. The staff knows their stuff and they really are willing to help, especially if you are truly interested in learning.  If they don’t have a bottle from your desired major region for <$20, find another shop.
• There are better and worse producers, this is a place where the staff may be able to steer you to a good wine in your price range. If you go back, they’ll want to know what you thought and they will start to factor in your tastes.
• One of the benefits of the French Appellation system is that you can pick an AOC wine off the shelf and have some basic knowledge that it won’t be swill.
• Have you ever heard the phrase “Top Shelf”? In wine and liquor, the top shelf is where the expensive stuff sits – right at eye level.  As you look down to lower shelves, you’ll see the lower price wines.

In case you missed it earlier, download the link below to your phone. Voila! You have a quick reference to use when in the wine shop or restaurant.

French Wine 101 Cheatsheet

The Best Homework Assignment Ever OK, before my next post, purchase and sample at least 1 wine from Bordeaux, Burgundy or the Rhone. Let me know what you think! Also, let me know what you think of this post. Too much information? Too little? Too many wines? Let’s hear it!

Next installment, just in time for New Years Eve :

• French Wine 102 – Affordable Bubbles

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Filed under French Winophiles , Wine 101

What a great idea! Newcomers to French wine will find this series very helpful.

thanks, Lauren!

Awesome program here, can’t wait to share!

Thanks, Jill!

Nice piece – very informative.

Thank you, Lynette!

As theswirlingdervish says above, great for newcomers for French wine. But also, a nice refresher for the rest of us 😉

Thanks, Lynn!

Very informative and well-researched. Good job!

Super fun to read this as I’m currently in Paris awaiting my flight after spending the week at our cooperage in Ladoix-Serrigny (and visiting/tasting with many of our customers here!). Nice piece!

Thanks! I’m just a bit jealous! We were in Morey-Saint-Denis in late October.

Son here with homework report: thoughts on the Bourgogne – you mentioned that the wine was pretty clear but I was still very surprised. Taste wise it wasn’t my fave, a few possible reasons: 1) I’ve been drinking almost exclusively CdR and Beaujolais so the more subtle flavors didn’t stand out 2) it was drown out by the mustard chicken I had for dinner last night. Still I can see where the repressed flavor could make for a really good balance if paired more appropriately. A really fun exercise either way. More homework please.

Thanks, Peter! Your reaction to the Bourgogne matched my first experience. Sniffing in the glass, I could hardly find anything. Beware, it may grow on you.

P.S. more homework coming before New Years!

Thank you so much for this tutorial! I’ve been doing some research on French wines for my own personal knowledge, and found this post to be extremely helpful. I’ll bookmark your site and return in the future. Thanks again!

[…] Bordeaux, Burgundy & Rhone […]

[…] find in the Wine 101 tab here at Food Wine Click! There’s a link to the first in the series here. In 2020, I’m going to offer another approach, guided by my recent experiences helping […]

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Nobody is ready for the mayhem and surprises that ensue when six of the worst youngsters disrupt the town's yearly Christmas performance. Nobody is ready for the mayhem and surprises that ensue when six of the worst youngsters disrupt the town's yearly Christmas performance. Nobody is ready for the mayhem and surprises that ensue when six of the worst youngsters disrupt the town's yearly Christmas performance.

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10 best anime movies ever, ranked

Posted: April 21, 2024 | Last updated: April 22, 2024

10. Cowboy Bebop: The Movie (2001)

The 1998 neo-noir space Western series Cowboy Bebop is a seminal work in anime, and the 2001 film directed by Shinichirō Watanabe gives fans more time and misadventures in the same universe. Its story follows the crew of the spaceship Bebop — bounty hunter Spike Spiegel (Koichi Yamadera), former cop Jet Black (Unshō Ishizuka), femme fatale Faye Valentine (Megumi Hayashibara), hacker prodigy Ed (Aoi Tada), and their Welsh corgi, Ein — as they chase down criminals across the galaxy.

Cowboy Bebop: The Movie takes the sleek visual flair of the series and turns it up a notch, with its aesthetics making it a true standout in the genre. The priority is form over substance in the film, which shows an anime movie’s style can easily compensate for the lack of a complex plot. While it’s that aspect that has also earned it minor negative criticism, the 2001 movie is celebrated overall as an entertaining but not quite equal continuation of the show.

9. The Girl Who Leapt Through Time (2006)

The Girl Who Leapt Through Time is a charming and surprisingly emotional anime movie that’s centered on the high school student Makoto Konno (Riisa Naka), whose ordinary life becomes extraordinary when she discovers she can leap through time. Directed by Mamoru Hosoda, the film depicts Makoto’s experiences as she uses her newfound power to avoid embarrassing situations, improve her grades, and spend more time with her friends. However, she soon learns that these small changes have unintended consequences.

Like many of the best time travel movies ever made , the 2006 film explores the unforeseen effects that the ability can have not just on the user but also on those around them. The added romantic element and unexpected plot twist risk making the film convoluted, but for the most part, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time manages to pull it off and endures as a fantastic example of the subgenre.

8. Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

Director Satoshi Kon is a master of the genre, and Tokyo Godfathers is among his finest movies. Serving as a sort of unconventional holiday movie, the 2003 film revolves around an unusual trio of homeless individuals made up of Gin (Toru Emori), who lives with alcoholism, Hana (Yoshiaki Umegaki), a former drag queen, and Miyuki (Aya Okamoto), a teenage runaway. The trajectories of their lives change after they discover an abandoned baby on Christmas Eve in Tokyo.

Tokyo Godfathers is one of Kon’s more grounded films, with the bustling streets of Japan’s busiest city serving as the perfect backdrop for the main characters’ chaotic journey. As they search for the baby’s parents, the movie shifts its focus to each character’s background, flaws, and hopes of redemption. It’s a fresh perspective and style of storytelling that works so well, with the tragicomedy offering both a darkly humorous and poignant viewing experience.

7. Your Name (2016)

An anime film that has undoubtedly moved countless viewers to tears, Your Name is a must-see modern classic. The movie follows the intertwined destinies of two teenagers, Taki (Ryunosuke Kamiki) and Mitsuha (Mone Kamishiraishi), who start to mysteriously swap bodies despite not knowing each other. While this initially sparks chaos in their lives, they each begin to make small improvements for the other every time they swap, and eventually fall in love.

Your Name is one of the most visually stunning sci-fi anime out there, with director Makoto Shinkai’s trademark aesthetic elevating the romantic fantasy movie. It’s the incredible story that has made it so popular among fans, though, with Taki and Mitsuha’s love story easily among the most memorable in recent years. It’s impossible to say more about what makes Your Name an outstanding anime movie without spoiling its critical plot twist, but any fan of the genre should know that it’s considered essential viewing.

6. Princess Mononoke (1997)

Director Hayao Miyazaki and Studio Ghibli have collaborated to create numerous crucial films in the genre, with Princess Mononoke being one of the most critically acclaimed. Set in the late Muromachi period of Japan, the sprawling epic portrays the tale of Ashitaka (Yoji Matsuda), a young warrior cursed by a boar demon’s wrath. To find a cure, he goes on a journey that leads him to Princess Mononoke (Yuriko Ishida), a fierce protector of the forest who is staunchly against the encroachment of humans.

Miyazaki has often explored environmentalism and man versus nature in his works, but no other Ghibli film captures this quite like Princess Mononoke. The clash between industrialization and nature is represented through the characters’ transformative arcs, themselves an allegory for real-world problems that persist more than ever before today. Paired with the 1997 movie’s timeless visuals, which are mostly still hand-drawn with just a touch of digital enhancement, and it’s easy to see why it enjoys the reputation it has today.

5. Neon Genesis Evangelion: The End of Evangelion (1997)

Neon Genesis Evangelion was one of the most significant series to come out of the ’90s, but its highly anticipated finale didn’t quite stick the landing. Enter The End of Evangelion, the equally important anime movie from 1997 that served as an alternative ending to the show’s convoluted final arc. Set in a post-apocalyptic world where humanity faces the threat of extinction from mysterious beings known as Angels, the film follows the protagonist Shinji Ikari (Megumi Ogata) as he struggles to find his place in this dark reality.

While the series’ abstract and somewhat abrupt ending provided viewers with some hope for a future, the film fully embraces its apocalyptic themes by depicting a bleak ending for humanity. Neon Genesis: The End of Evangelion is not exactly less abstract compared to the show’s convoluted finale, but the movie feels more fully realized in how it embraces its grim storyline.

4. Ghost in the Shell (1995)

Director Mamoru Oshii’s Ghost in the Shell  is a pioneering cyberpunk movie that tells the story of a cyborg federal agent Major Motoko Kusanagi (Atsuko Tanaka), who’s tasked with hunting down a mysterious hacker known as the Puppet Master. The criminal can change the identity of others, which soon makes Motoko think about what could be altered within her to make her more human.

Aside from cutting-edge visuals and framing, Ghost in the Shell is remembered for its innovative story, which showed the next step in blurring the line between man and machine. Motoko’s experiences suggest that anyone can have a soul, with her existential journey being the true highlight of the stirring film. While the movie was a box office failure when it premiered in 1995, it has since been critically reevaluated and is now considered among the best in the genre. It has inspired numerous filmmakers, including the Wachowskis and James Cameron, who called Ghost in the Shell “the first truly adult animation film to reach a level of literary and visual excellence.”

3. Perfect Blue (1997)

Perfect Blue is a monumental psychological thriller movie directed by Satoshi Kon. The film revolves around the pop idol Mima Kirigoe (Junko Iwao), who decides to leave her singing career to pursue acting. However, as she transitions into a full-blown celebrity, she becomes increasingly worried about a stalker and begins to experience disturbing hallucinations that blur the lines between reality and fantasy.

The 1997 film is Kon’s most beloved masterpiece, with its unflinching portrayal of the dark side of fame and obsession resulting in a haunting viewing experience that puts audiences right next to the increasingly frightened Mima. Perfect Blue would go on to famously influence directors like Darren Aronofsky, who takes shockingly direct inspiration from Kon’s work as seen in films like Requiem for a Dream and Black Swan. The unsettling original deserves more attention, as it’s a major work that showcased the medium’s capacity for mature and thought-provoking storytelling.

2. Akira (1988)

1988’s Akira is a pivotal cyberpunk movie that would influence and shape future entries both in anime and live action. Directed by Katsuhiro Otomo based on his own manga series, Akira takes place in a dystopian Neo-Tokyo in 2019, where young teens Kaneda (Mitsuo Iwata) and his friend Tetsuo (Nozomu Sasaki) become embroiled in a government conspiracy. Once part of the same biker gang, Kaneda must go against Tetsuo as he gains psychic powers and begins to wreak havoc across the city.

In many ways, Akira would propel the genre and Japanese filmmaking as a whole by introducing anime to the rest of the world. Its unprecedented depiction of the dilapidated city, biting social commentary, and technological advancements set a new standard for the industry not just in Japan but around the globe. Akira also underscored how mature storytelling and stunning animated visuals can go hand in hand to create iconic classics.

1. Spirited Away (2001)

Never missing from any discussion of the best animated movies ever , Spirited Away is a film that needs no introduction. Director Hayao Miyazaki’s most popular movie is also his greatest work to date, with the magical fantasy anime film telling the now familiar story of a young girl named Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi), who becomes trapped in a mysterious and supernatural realm. In order to save her parents, who have been transformed into pigs, and return home, 10-year-old Chihiro must navigate a surreal and often scary world filled with spirits, gods, and other fantastical creatures.

Spirited Away became an international sensation thanks to its breathtaking animation and incredible coming-of-age story. The dark fantasy film is whimsical, creepy, and inspiring all at once, with its vibrant universe serving as the perfect backdrop for its protagonist’s transformative journey. It’s chock-full of Miyazaki’s trademarks, which have helped ensure its enduring legacy and cultural impact as one of the most influential and celebrated anime films of all time.

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Netflix’s ‘rebel moon part 2: the scargiver’ debuts with snyder’s worst-ever review scores.

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Netflix has thrown so much money and advertising into Zack Snyder’s attempt to craft his own Star Wars universe, and the result is an absolute, utter critical disaster. We know that for sure now that the second film is out, Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver , which as of right now is reviewing worse than Part 1, despite this being when the action was supposed to pick up after the assembling of the main “team” in the first film.

While this number keeps fluctuating, early reviews have Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver somewhere between an 8% and 14% on Rotten Tomatoes . So far this is lower than the first film which had a 21% from 173 critics in the end, and a better, but not good, 57% audience score.

Again, this is not just “critics hate Zack Snyder.” Compared to his overall filmography, these films are uniquely terrible. Here’s the grand list of his live-action projects that demonstrates that:

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• Dawn of the Dead – 76% critics, 77% audience score
• Zack Snyder’s Justice League – 72% critics, 93% audience
• Army of the Dead – 67% critics, 75% audience
• Watchmen – 65% critics, 71% audience
• 300 – 61% critics, 89% audience
• Man of Steel – 56% critics, 75% audience
• Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice – 29% critics, 63% audience
• Sucker Punch – 22% critics, 47% audience
• Rebel Moon Part 1: A Child of Fire – 21% critics, 57% audience
• Rebel Moon Part 2: The Scargiver - (8-14%) critics, N/A audience

As you can see, critics have actually rated half of Snyder’s movies positively, though with Rebel Moon Part 2 here, that will be 5/10. But if these scores stand, Part 2 will be his lowest rated feature ever. And the first film is his second lowest audience score ever behind only Sucker Punch, a film Snyder has himself said needs “fixing” with a director’s cut, so it’s not just that snooty critics take issue with these movies.

Things are complicated for Rebel Moon as Snyder has seemed to indicate that these two films are the “corporate” PG-13 cuts while his unleashed R-rated cuts coming out this summer are essentially different movies. This entire thing has been a marketing gimmick by him and Netflix but it seems pretty clear they should have just gone with his original take and not neutered it for…why, exactly? Why would they bother? It’s not like they need to be concerned about PG-13 versus R-rated ticket sales. Whatever the case it seems like it was a huge misstep (not that more gore and nudity would necessarily save these films).

Snyder also seems…a bit out of touch with reality when it comes to Rebel Moon, saying recently he believes that he needs four to six Rebel Moon movies to tell the story. After this, it’s not even clear Netflix will allow him a third film. If viewership is there it may not matter what review scores are, but the first film did not break into Netflix’s top 10 original movies list in the end.

After the R-rated cuts, this is probably it for Rebel Moon, which may be for the best.

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‘Beavis and Butt-Head’ Is One of the Best ‘SNL’ Sketches…Ever

The ridiculous, inspired sketch from this week’s episode of “Saturday Night Live” isn’t just one of the best of the season. It’s one of the best of all time.

Allegra Frank

Deputy Entertainment Editor

Something I’ve learned about myself recently is that, when I’m alone—which is at least half of the time—I rarely laugh out loud. As someone who loves comedy and will be the first to tell you if something is funny, I found this realization kind of sad. Perhaps it’s because laughter feels like such a social endeavor that I feel uncomfortable doing it in my own solitude; if I’m not laughing with someone, does my laughter even make a sound?

But even I was not immune to the irrepressible giddiness on display throughout the entirety of Ryan Gosling ’s most recent Saturday Night Live hosting gig. Just as he broke in nearly every single sketch—a pleasure whose virtues we’ve already extolled —I found myself unleashing loud guffaws alongside him and the rest of the cast during what was maybe one of my favorite SNL bits ever: Gosling and SNL star Mikey Day playing regular dudes who just happen to look exactly like Beavis and Butt-Head .

It’s an incredible premise for a sketch, so brilliantly ridiculous that I’m shocked it hasn’t happened already. I’m hardly alone in thinking that this was among the funniest stuff SNL has done, at least in my lifetime. Even Heidi Gardner was losing her damn mind at the sight of Mikey Day’s incredible, award-worthy makeup as Butt-Head, which was the best moment of breaking character in an episode full of them.

Gardner played a host of a talk show on NewsNation, interviewing a professor (Kenan Thompson, the only cast member who didn’t break) about AI. Facing him directly in the audience was a man who suspiciously resembled Beavis (Ryan Gosling), the blonde pompadour-ed numbnut of MTV cartoon fame. It was a nauseatingly funny reveal, punctuated by Gardner and Gosling’s immediate laughter.

But it was the cut to Butt-Head that really did Gardner (and me) in, as she laughed for the longest I’ve seen in a while on SNL . It took her what felt like nearly a minute to respond to Day’s genuinely confused character, who wasn’t sure why he would be so distracting to look at. What is Beavis and Butt-Head anyway, he wondered? Day’s poker face is famously excellent, and it’s exactly why fans continue to call him one of the show’s linchpins, both as a writer and a performer; he and writing partner Streeter Siedell co-wrote this one. (It’s also a follow-up to a sketch from six years ago, in which Day played a guy who looked exactly like Bart Simpson—he has the “live-action cartoon character” thing on lock.)

Louie Zakarian, who did Day’s makeup for Butt-Head, deserves an Emmy for his heinously accurate recreation of Butt-Head’s gummy face. He “built a set of dentures to lift his lip, added a silicone nose and bald pate to bring it to life,” he wrote in an Instagram post showing off his work. And the incongruity of Day’s Butt-Head being a calm and patient audience member—unlike the sloshy-voiced character he looks like—made it even better.

Between the makeup, the constant scene-breaking laughter, and the lunacy of real people looking exactly like Beavis and Butt-Head in a world where the show Beavis and Butt-Head exists, this had all the makings of an all-timer of a sketch. As a fan of the cartoon, I was already going to be amused by a reference to it; but that the concept was predicated entirely on a joke as bone-headedly simple as “these guys look like those guys” is the piece de resistance of silly comedy. What I love the most about it, though, is that I can laugh at it by myself and not feel weird at all—because watching “Beavis and Butt-Head” means I’m laughing right alongside everybody starring in it.

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Which Tampa Bay Buccaneers NFL Draft Class is Best in Franchise History?

NFL.com recently set out to evaluate each franchise's best NFL Draft class ever, and the winning class for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers was a no-brainer.

• Author: David Harrison

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The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have had some hits and misses in the NFL Draft like any franchise, but the highlights are certainly impressive.

All-time Buccaneers leaders like quarterback Jameis Winston, running back James Wilder, receiver Mike Evans, kicker Martin Gramatica, and linebacker Derrick Brooks are all players who started their careers with the franchise and carved out significant places within it, even if things didn't always end as well as we all hoped they would.

But one Tampa Bay NFL Draft class stands out above them all, and it honestly isn't going to be much of a surprise which one it is.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers legends Warren Sapp (left) and Derrick Brooks (right).

Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports

"If you're a Bucs fan, you probably saw this one coming," says NFL.com as they ranked all 32 franchise's best draft classes in team history choosing the Bucs' 1995 class as the best the organization has ever seen. "Tampa drafted two Hall of Fame defenders in '95 who may be the best two players in team history. It can't get better than that, right?"

Defensive tackle Warren Sapp didn't look too happy to be starting his career with the Buccaneers when he was taken with the 12th overall pick of the 1995 NFL Draft coming out of Miami (FL), but his smile became something fans of the team got to know very well during his nine years with the franchise.

In that stretch, Sapp made it to seven Pro Bowls, four First-Team All-Pro rosters, won the 1999 Defensive Player of the Year Award, and helped Tampa Bay win its first Super Bowl to cap off the 2002 NFL Season.

He was enshrined in the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 2013.

Unlike Sapp, linebacker Derrick Brooks spent his entire 14 year career with the Bucs and made it to 11 Pro Bowls including one in his final season in 2008. He was also named to five First-Team All-Pro rosters and currently ranks sixth all-time in the league in tackles.

Brooks' Defensive Player of the Year Award came three years after Sapp's and that campaign was highlighted by the linebacker sealing his team's Super Bowl win with a pick-six against the Oakland Raiders.

He became a Pro Football Hall of Fame member in 2014.

The rest of the 1995 Buccaneers draft class has just three career starts and consists of names most fans of the franchise won't recognize by now. But nailing those two first-round picks set the franchise on a championship course and forever cemented Brooks and Sapp as two of the best to ever do it, and certainly two of the best — if not the two best — Bucs to ever put on the pads.

Stick with  BucsGameday  for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the offseason.

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