Q: and let the students see it. A rubric is used to assign numerical values to various criteria used to make up the letter grade, usually based on a scale of 100. To get a letter grade, you assign numerical values to each section and tally the score. Making the students aware of the rubric used will keep the process transparent and eliminate the idea that you pull arbitrary grades out of nowhere. A rubric, for example, might look like this: Thesis and argument: _/40 Organization and paragraphs: _/30 Introduction and conclusion: _/10 Grammar, usage, and spelling: _/10 Sources and Citations: _/10 Let the students see a description of what an A means, what a B means, etc. Write your own according to your own specific criteria and emphasis for the class. Share it with the students so they can interpret the grade they receive. These are fairly standard designations, often worded like this: A (100-90): Work completes all of the requirements of the assignment in an original and creative manner. Work at this level goes beyond the basic guidelines of the assignment, showing the student took extra initiative in originally and creatively forming content, organization, and style. B (89-80): Work completes all of the requirements of the assignment. Work at this level is successful in terms of content, but might need some improvement in organization and style, perhaps requiring a little revision. A B reveals less of the author's original thought and creativity than A-level work. C (79-70): Work completes most of the requirements of the assignment. Though the content, organization, and style are logical and coherent, they may require some revision and may not reflect a high level of originality and creativity on the part of the author. D (69-60): Work either does not complete the requirements of the assignment, or meets them quite inadequately. Work at this level requires a good deal of revision, and is largely unsuccessful in content, organization, and style. F (Below 60): Work does not complete the requirements of the assignment. In general, students who put forth genuine effort will not receive an F. If you receive an F on any assignment (particularly if you feel you have given adequate effort), you should speak with me personally. Put the grade at the very end of the paper, after they've seen the rubric and your comments. Slapping a big letter grade at the top near the title will ensure that the student probably won't go through and read all the smart and helpful comments you've included. Some teachers like to hand out papers at the end of the day because they fear discouraging or distracting students during class time. Consider giving the students time to go through the papers in class and be available to talk about their grades afterwards. This will ensure that they read and understand your comments.
A: Use a rubric Know or assign a description of each letter grade. Make the grade the last thing the student sees.

Q: The first step to building assets is setting up a plan for your money. Decide exactly how you will allocate every dollar you earn. As an initial goal, budget 50% of your money on needs like food, shelter, and transportation. Then budget 30% towards savings and 20% to wants and miscellaneous purchases. Ideally, your budget should help you maximize your savings. If you can get the amount you spend on needs under 50% and the amount you save close to or above 50%, you will have a very strong budget. Try lowering your cost of living by making inexpensive meals at home. Moving into a smaller house or lower-rent apartment can also help you to save a great deal of money every year. After making a budget you need to make sure you stick to it. Only buy things if you have money in your budget for them. Keep a spreadsheet that lists all of your purchases so you know exactly what you're spending on. Always know how much money you have left to spend for any week, month, or year. Download a budgeting app like Mint or PocketGuard to help you track your spending. These apps can help people follow their budgets without having to maintain spreadsheets or save receipts. Change all the lightbulbs in your home to LED or CFL lightbulbs, as these can greatly reduce electricity bills. You can also unplug electrical devices you don't use often, as anything that's plugged in draws some electricity. To lower your heating and cooling bills, install a programmable thermostat, which can help you use energy more efficiently. Think particularly hard about getting rid of items that have high monthly bills, like cable. If you have any subscriptions or memberships that you use infrequently, cancel them. This will help you save money every month. The less debt you have, the more quickly you'll be able to build assets. Some kinds of debt, like a mortgage or student loans, can help you build assets or increase your earning potential. But even in these cases look closely at the numbers and make sure you can afford that amount of debt before you take it on. If you use credit cards, pay off the balance monthly so you don't have to pay interest. If you already have a considerable amount that you're having trouble paying off, try to consolidate or refinance it. This might help you get a lower interest rate or stay on top of your monthly payments.
A: Make a budget. Track your spending. Lower monthly energy costs. Reduce the amount you spend on entertainment. Avoid taking on debt, especially on credit cards.

Q: There are many possible goals you could set, but the type of goal refers to how you'll measure your progress and success. The two main types are process goals and outcome goals. Process goals focus on the work that you'll do within a given time period. An example of a process goal would be to complete and submit all of your assignments on time this week. Outcome goals focus on the results of your work. An example of an outcome goal would be to earn a grade of at least 90% on your next test. Having a goal may not be enough to keep you motivated. If that's the case, it may be important to remind yourself of why that goal is meaningful to you, and why you hope to achieve it. Reflecting on the outcome of that goal - both the positive results if you succeed and the negative results if you don't - may help you stay more focused and driven over time. Do you need to do well in a class to pass? Are you trying to improve your grades overall? Perhaps you want to do well in a class so that you can eventually seek employment in a related field. If this is the case, you'll want to learn as much as possible in that class. Some people work best when they know there is some type of reward to be had. Having a self-imposed reward system helps you stay motivated and track your progress so you'll know whether or not you deserve your "treat" for the day, week, month, or semester. Consider setting incremental rewards. Set smaller rewards for minor mile markers and bigger rewards for accomplishing the hardest parts of your goal. Imagine climbing a set of stairs. Each stair is a mini-goal that essentially leads you to the main goal at the top. Decide on some type of reinforcer that will help you stay motivated. It can be a favorite snack, an event you want to go to, a physical object you'd like to buy, or even a vacation or time off from your normal schedule. Use that reward to motivate you. Agree in advance that you won't get to enjoy your reward unless you accomplish your goal. Consider asking a close friend to either help you stay motivated or prevent you from indulging in your reward without success.
A:
Determine what type of goal you want to set. Identify the reasons why your goal is important. Set up a reward system to stay motivated.