define do my homework

High school students typically have a lot of homework most days, and often that's true for younger students as well. In college, an increasing amount of school work is done outside of class, as homework (even if you do it in the library, a cafe, or a dorm). Homework originally referred to any work done at home, including cooking and cleaning. The first example of the "school work" meaning dates from the late 1880s.

• noun preparatory school work done outside school (especially at home) synonyms: prep , preparation see more see less type of: school assignment , schoolwork a school task performed by a student to satisfy the teacher

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[ hohm -wurk ]

• schoolwork assigned to be done outside the classroom ( distinguished from classwork ).
• a single assignment of such schoolwork: Homeworks are due at the beginning of class.
• paid work done at home , as piecework.

to do one's homework for the next committee meeting.

/ ˈhəʊmˌwɜːk /

• school work done out of lessons, esp at home
• any preparatory study
• work done at home for pay

Word History and Origins

Origin of homework 1

Idioms and Phrases

Example sentences.

Now, they log on to Zoom from their bedrooms, surrounded by unfinished homework assignments and tattered stuffed animals, waiting to be assigned calls, texts and emails by the trained therapists who oversee the program.

Yow started her homework and saw Frese had gone 35-22 with two winning seasons at Ball State, which hadn’t had a winning record in its previous nine seasons.

Do some homework before investing in a diamond, and that lifelong commitment.

Another poster included an image of their losses over what appeared to be online math homework.

As we countdown to Inauguration Day, I've been doing my homework—and looking to the past for inspiration.

“I can help my children with their homework and sometimes we text in English at my job,” Santos says.

Scheunemann, meanwhile, had no idea who Spencer was, and did some homework.

She jumped at the chance to watch RT, or jumped at the chance to skip calculus homework.

And we encourage parent-student “contracts,” for class attendance, homework submission and even extra-curriculum activities.

Adicéam did his homework, spending 50 days collecting pieces, many with unexpected stories behind them.

Much of this homework is done by a very bad light and the boy's eyes suffer much.

For homework we have prepared alphabets where the letters are printed in type-writing order.

His parents were always getting angry with him for losing his clothes, or his toys, or his homework.

Only at the time when he was going to Beauregard School, with his homework.

And once a week or twice a week she was sending her homework or something to him.

Related Words

• arrangement
• construction
• establishment
• preparedness
• qualification

Definitions and idiom definitions from Dictionary.com Unabridged, based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2023

Idioms from The American Heritage® Idioms Dictionary copyright © 2002, 2001, 1995 by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company. Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company.

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Meaning of homework – Learner’s Dictionary

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• Go upstairs and do your homework.
• For your homework, please do exercise 3 on page 24.
• When I finish my homework, can I watch TV?
• Get on with your homework.
• She was trying to duck out of doing her homework.

(Definition of homework from the Cambridge Learner's Dictionary © Cambridge University Press)

Translations of homework

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knock someone down

to cause someone or something to fall to the ground by hitting him, her, or it

Fakes and forgeries (Things that are not what they seem to be)

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What Is Homework?

Homework is work that teachers give students to complete outside of the school day. Homework is meant to provide students with practice for what was learned in school or an extension of what was done in class. Students are expected to complete the homework and return to school with the completed homework assignment.

Why Do Teachers Give Homework?

Most teachers give students homework so that they can practice something that was taught to them during class.

For example, if a teacher is teaching students how to add decimal numbers then the homework assignment would be for students to try adding decimals at home independently.

In my science class I never give my students homework that isn’t meaningful or practice towards a learning standard.

Gone are the days of giving homework that is “busy work”.

Also, when students return the following day their homework assignment is incorporated into the lesson so they quickly figure out that completing homework is necessary.

Some teachers, myself included, will use homework as a formative assessment.

If you are unsure what formative assessments are then you need to check out this article I wrote recently.

What Does Homework Look Like?

Homework can be almost anything.

Some examples of homework may include a simple worksheet to complete, a long term project, research, reading, a journal entry, completing something online, a drawing, or the continuation of something started in school, and just about anything else.

Homework isn’t limited to one specific thing.

With my eight grade students I have assigned videos for them to watch, creating a slideshow, completing a CER (more about the CER here) , conduct a survey for data collection, and more.

I have even had them collect leaves to identify the following day in our science class!

If you are a teacher reading this make sure to make your homework assignments interesting and worthwhile, don’t just assign homework as busy work.

Do Teachers Have To Give Homework?

No, teachers don’t have to give homework.

Usually teachers have discretion whether or not they are going to assign homework.

Personally, the principal or school district I work for has no idea how often I assign homework or what I assign for homework.

This decision to give or not give homework solely comes down to the classroom teacher.

The Importance Of Homework

The importance of homework is a heavily debated topic these days.

On one hand you have teachers that will say it is necessary that students continue learning outside the classroom in order to be more successful inside the classroom.

On the other hand some teachers will say that homework isn’t necessary as long as students are working hard during the school day.

Another reason homework is seen as not necessary is because students these days are so busy out of school that they don’t have time to complete homework.

Who is right?

I’d say it’s probably somewhere in the middle.

There is nothing wrong with a little homework for students but it shouldn’t be assigned every night.

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I (Allen) am currently teaching at a public school in a western suburb of Chicago. My teaching career started in 2004. Some of my interests outside of teaching is being with my family, biking, playing video games, travelling, and making the Teacher Adviser website.

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I'm writing my homework vs I'm doing my homework

• Thread starter asdasdasd
• Start date Jun 23, 2023

Senior Member

• Jun 23, 2023

I'm writing my homework vs I'm doing my homework. In Polish the two are interchangable no matter the type of the homework. From my experience in English we use only the verb "do". But "to write" kind of makes sense so I want to check with you.  

Grammatically, "I'm writing my homework." is correct, but I'd have to ask "How do you mean?"  

The same for American English. It's not what we say. If I'm reading an assigned chapter in my history textbook, I'm doing my homework. I'm not writing anything. If I'm writing a short story for literature class, I'm doing my homework by writing a story. I'm not writing my homework even though my homework is something written.  

Myridon said: The same for American English. It's not what we say. If I'm reading an assigned chapter in my history textbook, I'm doing my homework. I'm not writing anything. If I'm writing a short story for literature class, I'm doing my homework by writing a story. I'm not writing my homework even though my homework is something written. Click to expand...

"I'm writing my homework." makes no sense, with maths or anything else - it's simply not used. If you say this, you will have to explain what you mean. Added: You could say that you're writing down your homework, but this means that you're making a note of the homework you have to do.  

asdasdasd said: Thanks. And if you're solving mathematical equations, would anyone say "I'm writing my homework"? Technically speaking, they are writing Click to expand...

Edinburgher

We don't write homework, but we do write essays. And if our homework assignment is to write an essay, then we could say "I'm writing my homework essay."  

asdasdasd said: Technically speaking, they are writing. Click to expand...

Myridon said: I wouldn't consider the work done to solve the problems to be writing though. You might solve the problem on your calculator, then write the answer. The mathematics teacher is unlikely to take off for your penmanship, spelling, or grammar if you get the numbers right. Click to expand...

asdasdasd said: So unless we're talking about writing something like an essay, we should choose "do" Click to expand...

ain'ttranslationfun?

For example, your homework could involve watching a video.  

Chasint said: Please believe the answers that have been given. We never , under any circumstances, say "I'm writing my homework." I'm doing my homework. I'm finishing my homework. I'm burning my homework. The dog is eating my homework. I'm writing my homework. EDIT: I suppose it would be possible to invent some unlikely context where 'writing' would be correct, e.g. I'm writing my homework on the back of my brother's head, and will copy it onto paper later. but that would be unusual and exceptional. Click to expand...

Enquiring Mind

See also do / write one's homework .