What do Americans call a piece of work the student does in class or at home over a period of a week or so? Here, it would be called a 'project' or an 'assignment'.

The best I could think of was a 'paper' but I think that refers to a test/quiz/exam.

TIA,

Corrina.

We would call it "homework," "an assignment," or "a homework assignment." Or we might refer to it more specifically; e.g., we might say that the students have to write an essay or complete three math (no "s") problems.

To me, a paper would imply a larger assignment for which students would be given more time to complete. A paper might require independent research, or it might be a 5-page critical analysis of a book the students were assigned to read.

High school and college students are often assigned term papers months in advance of their due dates.

I tend to think of a project as involving something beyond reading and/or writing. An elementary school project might involve drawing a map of the state in which the student lives. A college-level project might involve writing a paper but then giving an in-class presentation on the topic, complete with visual aids. But this use of the word "project" might be idiosyncratic.

What specific sort of homework did you have in mind?

Joy,
Lynn

Assignment is a good catch-all term, I think. To me, "Homework" implies "due the next day," and "Project" implies making something, whether a film or a diarama or a life-sized model of the solar system.

Essays and papers tend to take a while and have longer due dates. Perhaps even a "Research Assignment"? Although there, we're back to "Assignment". It is a good base word.

Agree with those above. Assignment is a good catch-all.

Homework can definitely be used as a general term, but to me, it often implies "due the next day" or at least a short term deadline. Say, a math assignment to practice what they learned in class and to be turned in at the beginning of class the next day.

A paper could be long or short, but is mainly a writing assignment. A "term paper" or "research paper" implies a long paper with lots of research and/or analysis that is worked on over a period of days/weeks/months. It doesn't refer to a test/exam in the US, other than what is known as a "blue book exam", where a high school or college student would write out lengthy answers to essay questions. (Incidentally, a "quiz" tends to be a shorter test, while an "exam" is typically a big, more comprehensive test.)

A project is typically of longer duration, but includes more than just writing. It could include making a poster, building a model, giving an oral presentation, etc.

My husband and I reference these terms a lot in conversation when it comes to my son's homework. I'm a great daily homework parent - knowing what assignments are due on which day, reminding the kid to get off the computer until he has his assignments done, etc. But I *hate* dealing with projects, especially if it's all "come up with something creative". My husband, on the other hand, would never think to ask if there was daily homework to be done (let alone check to make sure it's finished and actually in the backpack), but he loves projects and has a ball helping with all the creative stuff. And I'm happy to give him that responsibility, LOL.

Thanks so much for all your replies.

Corrina.

Homework - short assignments typically due the next school day. Example - do all of the math problems on pages 3-5 of your text book.

Project - more involved, longer, more complicated. Example - do a science fair project, create a poster board for it, run experiments to test your hypothesis.

Assignment - shorter that a project, possibly longer than homework. Example - read "The Outsiders" and write a 3 page book report on it.

Paper - longer written research paper. Example - pick someone famous and write a 10 page paper on their life.

I'm not sure.... would making a Peep Diorama be an assignment or a project?

(Just wanted to get the Peep Dioramas in there somehow!)

I would consider it a "project" since it's more on the creative side.