Homework Help Hints That Guide Without Giving Answers

Turns a homework problem into a short ladder of hints, from a gentle nudge to a stronger push, so the student does the thinking.

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Before and after

BEFORE · what the owner typed

Input from the owner (Tina Wilkins, tutor at Harrowton Learning Center, 3502 Foxton St, Windhaven, 330-555-0180): "ok so I have a 6th grader, Timothy Weeks, working on this one from his worksheet: 'A recipe uses 3 cups of flour for every 2 cups of sugar. If Timothy's baker uses 12 cups of flour, how many cups of sugar are needed?' He knows what a ratio is but he just keeps adding. He did 12 + 2 = 14 and got stuck. I'll be saying these out loud tomorrow, not sending them. need hints, don't give him the answer pls"

AFTER · what the skill produced

Hint sheet for Timothy Weeks, Grade 6, ratios (to say out loud)

What this problem is really asking: The recipe always keeps the same amount of sugar for a certain amount of flour. You need to find how much sugar goes with a bigger batch of flour.

Hint 1, get started: Tell me the problem in your own words. What stays the same every time the baker makes the recipe, and what changes?

Hint 2, point to the tool: This is a ratio problem. When a batch gets bigger, we can keep the ratio the same by making each part bigger the same number of times. Think about equal groups.

Hint 3, first step: Start by asking how many groups of the original flour amount fit into the new flour amount. Figure that out before you touch the sugar.

Hint 4, check your work: When you have an answer, go back to the recipe. Does your new amount of flour and sugar still make the same ratio as the original? Try building up from the original recipe, batch by batch, and see if you land in the same place.

Where you got stuck: You added 2 to 12, which works if the recipe only added sugar once. But the recipe is a pair that repeats. Ask yourself, did the flour go up by adding or by repeating the recipe more times?

Ask the student: If the baker made the recipe twice, what would happen to both the flour and the sugar, and how do you know?

Questions for the owner

Does Timothy's teacher want a certain method, such as a ratio table or equivalent fractions?
Is this worksheet graded, and does his teacher allow tutor help on it?

What it does

Turns a homework problem into a short ladder of hints, from a gentle nudge to a stronger push, so the student does the thinking. It never states the final answer or does the work for the student.

Use it when: Use when a tutor or tutoring center needs hints that guide a student through a homework problem without giving the answer, such as: give me a hint, help this kid without doing it for them, or write guiding questions for this problem.