4 Best Strategies to Prevent Breaking Down Over Essays and Long-Term Projects

AcademicAlly, LLC: May 15, 2024

AcademicAlly, LLC has dubbed the month of May, “Mayke It Happen”. This is the third of four editions that provides insider tips to end-of-the-year success.

                    Finals are coming! More and more often, teachers are breaking away from traditional final exams in favor of research assignments or presentations so students can demonstrate their mastery of the year’s material and apply it to real-world situations. Some students revel in this kind of work because they can tap into their creative juices, taking liberties with how the information is presented. They find it is easier to demonstrate their mastery of the material by writing about it or presenting their perspective in a presentation or project format. For this type of learner, these assessment formats are preferable to traditional exams. For those students who struggle with written expression, these long-term assignments are extremely challenging.

                    Whether or not this form assessment comes easily, it is always helpful to have some tools in your tool belt to create and execute a plan of action. Here are four of our best strategies to do so:

1.Check in with yourself:  Huddle up students! How are you feeling about this assignment? Are you excited about it? Are you a mix of enthusiasm and reservation? Or are you completely overwhelmed at the prospect of taking on such a significant assignment with so much weighing on your final grade? Taking your pulse is important. What is causing your angst?

1. Lack of understanding about the task at hand?
2. A poor understanding of the material?
3. Unsure about how to manage the time needed to complete this task?
4. You know what you want to do, but you just don’t know how to execute your plan?

If you can identify the source of your stress, you can identify the first steps you need to take to address these issues.

1. Meet with your teacher to clarify the directions and due dates.
2. Ask the teacher or your friends for help with the material.
3. Map out the steps of your project and calendar them (see Best Strategy 2 below.)
4. Talk with your friends about their ideas to gain some inspiration for your own approach.

2.Break it down: We have talked repeatedly about the importance of chunking your assignments and placing them in your calendar. Take each chunk of your project and place it into your daily homework assignment book or calendar, treating each portion like a daily assignment. Any chunk that appears in your calendar on any given day must be done the day you have assigned it. Take this chart below:

Task	When Start	When Complete	Done?
Look at resources	1/24	1/26	Yes
Write thesis	1/27	1/28	Yes
Create outline	1/29	2/1	Yes
Write intro paragraph	2/2	2/3	Yes
Write section about impact on children	2/4	2/6	Yes
Write section about impact on social status	2/7	2/9	Yes
Write section about politics	2/10	2/12	Yes
Write section about implications for national security	2/13	2/15	Yes
Write conclusion	2/16	2/18	Yes
Edit	2/19	2/22	Yes

This chart serves to list your chunks, so you know what you need to do. Be sure to be specific about what you want to get done with each chunk of your work. Writing “work on intro” is not specific enough. Instead think about writing the topic sentence; write the background information of the topic; or write the thesis statement. You then assign yourself the day you will begin that portion of the work as well as the day you anticipate completing it. Finally, you hold yourself accountable by noting whether you completed that chunk as planned by writing “yes” or “no”. A negative response is an indicator that things are not going according to plan, so it is important to heed that warning, figure out the issue, and address it. Negating this evaluative process can lead to procrastination, increased stress, and late submission or work.

3.Report your plan to others: When you tell others what your plan is, there is an element of accountability that comes into play. Knowing that someone else knows what you have mapped out for yourself can serve to motivate you to meet with success. Answering to someone other than yourself adds a little bit of pressure and incentive to ensure you are on track. Here is what you need to share with others:

1. What is your project?
2. When is it due?
3. What is your plan of action (How are you breaking it down?)
4. What are your self-imposed mini due dates that you have placed in your assignment book, calendar, or homework app?
5. How are you going to execute?
6. What potential obstacles do you foresee?
7. How will you address them?
8. What can this person do to support you (It may be nothing. Just knowing they know your plan could be enough to keep you moving in a forward trajectory!)
9. What should that person do if they do not hear from you?

4.SOS: Never feel ashamed or embarrassed to ask for help. Teachers and other adults know how difficult it can be to ask for help. They respect a student who can find the courage to seek the assistance they need. Your friends are another great resource. Brainstorming ideas and troubleshooting with your peers can be one of the best ways to receive the help you need. Pretty soon, you will be well on your way to a fantastic final project!

At AcademicAlly, LLC, we think final projects, essays, and presentations can be very valuable opportunities for students. Not only do they give students an opportunity to plan and problem solve, but they also provide students the chance to express their interests and knowledge in a creative way. With a few simple steps, this potentially savage beast will be tamed in no time!