Guidelines for Mrs. Owens’ Math PapersWrite your name and class number clearly at the top of at least the first page, along with the assignment number, the section number(s), or the page number(s). Put your name on all the pages.
Use standard-sized wide ruled paper (8.5″ x 11″), with no “fringe” running down the side as a result of the paper’s having been torn out of a spiral notebook, and do not use sticky-notes, scented stationery, or other nonstandard types of paper just regular notebook paper please.
Attach your pages with a paper clip or staple. Do not fold, tear, spit on, or otherwise “dog-ear” the pages. It is better that the pages be handed in loose (with your name on each sheet) than that the corners be folded or shredded.
Write out the problems (except in the case of word problems, which are too long).
Do your work in pencil, with mistakes cleanly erased, not crossed or scratched out.
Write legibly (suitably large and suitably dark); if I can’t read your answer, it’s wrong. You are in 8th grade not primary. Write neatly across the page, with each succeeding problem beside the preceding one to the right. Your work should be in multiple columns down the page (like a newspaper) with clear separation of problems. Keep work within the margins. If you run out of room at the end of a problem, please continue onto the next page; do not try to squeeze lines together at the bottom of the sheet. Neatness is the key to Math.
Do not squeeze the problems together, with one problem running into the next. Use sufficient space for each problem, with at least one blank line between one problem and the next.
Do “scratch work,” but do it on scratch paper; hand in only the “final draft.” Show your steps, but any work that is scribbled in the margins belongs on scratch paper, not on your assignment/homework.
Show your work. This means showing your steps, not just copying the question from the assignment, and then the answer from the back of the book. Show everything in between the question and the answer. Use complete English sentences if the meaning of the mathematical sentences is not otherwise clear. For your work to be complete, you need to explain your reasoning and make your computations clear. (for problems that ask you to explain your answer) For tables and graphs, use a ruler to draw the straight lines, and clearly label the axes, the scale, and the points of interest. Use a consistent scale on the axes, and do a T-chart, unless instructed otherwise. Also, make your table or graph large enough to be clear. If you can fit more than three or four graphs on one side of a sheet of paper, then you’re drawing them too small. TWO WORDS: GRAPH PAPER
Write your final answer at the end of your work, and provide an answer column down the right side of your paper. Label your answer appropriately; if the question asks for measured units, make sure to put appropriate units on the answer. If the question is a word problem, the answer should be in words. The answer column will checked for accuracy of answers ONLY. I will not look at the problem for the answer when checking papers for grades.
