🏛️

10th Grade Take-Home Practice

Proof, trigonometry, circles, chemistry, synthesis essays — and getting ready for what's next.

Ages 15–16

What this year is really about

Grade 10 is where justification replaces answers. In geometry, in chemistry and in essays, the question stops being what and becomes how do you know.

Forty-five minutes, fully self-directed. Your role now is asking "how would you convince someone who disagreed?" and keeping the logistics off their plate where you can.

📚 22 topics⏱️ 45 min a day🖨️ No printing needed

🎒 All 22 take-homes 🗓️ The weekly rotation ✅ End-of-year checklist ⬇️ Download the PDF

A week that doesn't become a second school

45 minutes a day, one strand at a time. Skipping a day is fine — skipping the same strand every week is what causes gaps.

Monday
Geometry & proof
One full proof written out with every reason justified.
Tuesday
Chemistry
Balance three equations and one mole calculation.
Wednesday
Algebra maintenance
Ten mixed Algebra I problems so the skills don't rust.
Thursday
Writing
One analytical paragraph, or 25 minutes of essay drafting.
Friday
Test practice & planning
One timed section, reviewed properly, then plan the week.

Take it off the screen

The whole 10th Grade pack as a PDF — every topic, every check, every activity, with tick boxes and a date line so you can see what you have actually run. Free, no signup, and it works offline once it's saved.

Or just one subject

📖 Reading

Decoding, fluency, and understanding what was actually said.

3 topics this year

Analysing complex literature
Evaluating scientific and statistical claims
Reading under test conditions

✏️ Writing

Getting a thought out of the head and onto the page so a stranger understands it.

3 topics this year

Analysis with genuine sophistication
The synthesis essay
Actually using feedback

🔢 Math

Number sense first, then the procedures that ride on top of it.

8 topics this year

Deductive proof and geometric reasoning
Triangle congruence and similarity
Right-triangle trigonometry
Circle theorems and arc relationships
Coordinate geometry
Surface area, volume and how they scale
Probability, permutations and combinations
Keeping Algebra I sharp

🔬 Science

Noticing, predicting, testing — and being willing to be wrong out loud.

3 topics this year

Atomic structure and periodic trends
Bonding, reactions and balancing equations
Moles, concentration and acids and bases

🌍 Social Studies

Maps, communities, history, and why people who were there disagree.

2 topics this year

Turning points in modern history
Information, media and democratic decisions

🧭 Study & Life Skills

Attention, organisation, and the habits that decide whether the rest lands.

3 topics this year

Preparing for standardised tests properly
Working out what comes next
Running your own life

Every 10th Grade topic, and what to do about it

Run the two-minute check first. If it passes, move on — you have just saved an evening. If it doesn't, the take-home underneath it is the fix.

0 of 22 done

📖 Reading
Analysing complex literature
Can do: Reads demanding texts and analyses structure, ambiguity and how meaning is constructed.
Why it matters
Grade 10 texts are deliberately ambiguous. The skill is holding two readings at once and arguing for one on the evidence.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Wants the single correct interpretation and treats ambiguity as a problem with the text rather than a feature of it.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Give me two defensible readings of that ending. Which is better supported, and why?"
Solid looks like: Two genuine readings, with the evidence weighed rather than one dismissed.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Argue Both Readings
⏱️ 30 minutesAn ambiguous passage or endingPaper
1Identify a moment in the text that could be read more than one way.
2Build the case for reading A with three pieces of evidence.
3Build the case for reading B just as seriously.
4Judge which is better supported and write the reason.
5Note what a reader would have to ignore to hold the weaker reading.
If it's too hard
One character's motive, two possible explanations.
If it's too easy
Bring in critical context — historical or biographical — and weigh whether it changes the reading.
Say this
"Argue the reading you don't believe. If you can't, you haven't understood the text yet."
Reading practice
📖 Reading
Evaluating scientific and statistical claims
Can do: Reads a study or a statistic and identifies sample, method, effect size and what wasn't measured.
Why it matters
The claims that shape their adult decisions — health, money, politics — arrive as statistics. Evaluating them is a defensive skill.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Accepts any claim with a number attached, and can't distinguish a study of thirty people from one of thirty thousand.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Show a health headline. "How many people? Compared to what? How big was the effect?"
Solid looks like: Asks for the sample, the control and the size of the difference before believing it.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Find the Study Behind the Headline
⏱️ 30 minutesA health or science news articleA device
1Read the headline and note what it implies.
2Find the actual study — usually linked, often not what the headline says.
3Note sample size, control group, duration and effect size.
4Compare relative and absolute risk. Headlines almost always use relative.
5Rewrite the headline honestly and see how much less exciting it is.
If it's too hard
Compare two headlines about the same study.
If it's too easy
Read the abstract and methods properly and identify one real limitation.
Say this
"A 50% increase in what? From what to what? Give me the actual numbers."
Reading practice
📖 Reading
Reading under test conditions
Can do: Works through timed reading passages efficiently, answering from the text rather than from memory.
Why it matters
Standardised tests reward a specific technique that differs from ordinary reading. Practising the technique is worth more than reading more.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Reads every passage in full at normal speed, runs out of time, and answers late questions from impression.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Set one timed section. Watch the pacing and where the time went.
Solid looks like: Finishes with a couple of minutes left, and can point to the line justifying each answer.
35 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Line Number Justification
⏱️ 35 minutesA practice reading sectionA timer
1Do one timed section under real conditions.
2For every answer, right or wrong, find the exact line that proves it.
3Any answer with no line reference was a guess — mark those separately.
4Review the wrong answers by category: misread question, missed evidence, time pressure.
5Redo the same passage untimed and compare the score to isolate what timing costs.
If it's too hard
Two passages untimed with full justification.
If it's too easy
Full-length section under strict time, with a written review of the error pattern.
Say this
"Which line proves that? If you can't point at it, it's a guess — and guesses have a pattern worth finding."
Reading practice
✏️ Writing
Analysis with genuine sophistication
Can do: Writes analysis that handles complication and nuance rather than proving a simple point.
Why it matters
The gap between a good and an excellent essay at this level is almost entirely the ability to hold complexity without losing the argument.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Argues one point flatly and treats any complicating evidence as an inconvenience to be omitted.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What's the best evidence against your thesis, and what do you do with it?"
Solid looks like: Names real counter-evidence and integrates it rather than ignoring it.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
The However Paragraph
⏱️ 30 minutesA draft essayThe text
1Find the strongest evidence in the text that complicates their thesis.
2Write a paragraph that presents it fairly.
3Then either refine the thesis to accommodate it, or explain why it doesn't overturn the argument.
4Check the essay is now more convincing, not less.
5Compare with a published critical paragraph and note how professionals handle it.
If it's too hard
One sentence acknowledging the other side.
If it's too easy
Restructure the whole essay around the tension rather than around the simple claim.
Say this
"What's the best argument against you? Deal with it in the essay — ignoring it is what a weak essay does."
Writing practice
✏️ Writing
The synthesis essay
Can do: Builds an original argument using several sources as evidence rather than as subjects.
Why it matters
It's the standard form in college and in every advanced course. Sources have to serve the argument, not organise it.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Writes one paragraph per source, which is a book report in disguise.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Look at their outline. "Is each paragraph about a source, or about an idea?"
Solid looks like: Paragraphs organised by idea, with multiple sources in several of them.
35 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Organise by Idea, Not by Source
⏱️ 35 minutesFour sourcesPaper or a document
1Make a grid: sources down the side, sub-questions across the top.
2Fill in what each source says about each sub-question.
3Read down the columns, not across the rows — each column is a paragraph.
4Write each paragraph using at least two sources.
5Check the thesis is theirs, not borrowed from the strongest source.
If it's too hard
Three sources, two sub-questions.
If it's too easy
Include a source that disagrees with your thesis and use it to strengthen the argument.
Say this
"Read down the column, not across the row. Each column is a paragraph — that's the whole trick."
Writing practice
✏️ Writing
Actually using feedback
Can do: Turns marked feedback into a specific change in the next piece of work.
Why it matters
Most feedback is read once and never applied. Systematically converting it into a checklist is the fastest available improvement.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Looks at the grade, ignores the comments, and repeats the same errors all year.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What were the comments on your last essay, and what did you do about them?"
Solid looks like: Names the feedback and a specific change made since.
20 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
The Personal Rubric
⏱️ 20 minutesThree marked pieces of workPaper
1Gather three marked pieces and list every comment.
2Group them — most students have three recurring issues, not fifteen.
3Turn each into a checkable instruction: "every paragraph ends with a link to the question".
4Check the next draft against that personal list before submitting.
5Retire an item once two consecutive pieces come back clean on it.
If it's too hard
One piece of work, one recurring issue.
If it's too easy
Ask a teacher directly what one change would move the grade most, and act on it.
Say this
"Same comment three times. That's the one thing to fix — put it on the checklist."
Writing practice
🔢 Math
Deductive proof and geometric reasoning
Can do: Writes a valid proof where every step has a justification, and spots an invalid step in someone else's.
Why it matters
Proof is the point of geometry. It is the first sustained training in constructing an argument where each step must be defensible.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Writes what's obviously true rather than what follows from the given, and cites reasons that don't apply.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Give a two-column proof with one wrong justification. "Find the invalid step."
Solid looks like: Finds it and explains why that reason doesn't hold.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Justify Every Line
⏱️ 30 minutesPaperA geometry problem
1Write the given and the goal at the top and bottom before anything else.
2Work backwards from the goal: what would be enough to prove it?
3Write each step with its reason, and refuse any step whose reason is "it looks like it".
4Have them explain the proof aloud to you — gaps become audible immediately.
5Then find a flawed proof and identify exactly where it breaks.
If it's too hard
Fill in the missing reasons in a given proof.
If it's too easy
Prove a statement two different ways, and prove one false statement is false with a counterexample.
Say this
"It looks true isn't a reason. What theorem lets you write that line?"
Math practice
🔢 Math
Triangle congruence and similarity
Can do: Applies the congruence and similarity criteria correctly and knows why SSA fails.
Why it matters
It's the toolkit for most geometric proof, and the criteria are memorised without understanding more often than not.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Uses SSA as if it were a criterion and can't say why the exceptions exist.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Which criteria prove congruence? Why isn't SSA one of them?"
Solid looks like: SSS, SAS, ASA, AAS, HL — and can describe or draw the SSA ambiguity.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Build the Ambiguous Case
⏱️ 30 minutesStraws or strips of cardA protractorPaper
1Build triangles from given measurements and see which sets force a unique triangle.
2Try SSA and physically construct two different triangles from the same data.
3That construction is the reason the criterion doesn't exist — no memorisation needed.
4Use similarity to find a real height by shadow or by a mirror on the ground.
5Write one proof using each criterion.
If it's too hard
Identify which criterion applies to given diagrams.
If it's too easy
Proofs requiring two triangles and an intermediate result.
Say this
"Build it with the straws. Can you make two different triangles from that data? Then it can't be a rule."
Math practice
🔢 Math
Right-triangle trigonometry
Can do: Uses sine, cosine and tangent to find sides and angles, and sets up problems from a described situation.
Why it matters
Trigonometry is the most immediately applicable geometry — surveying, navigation, construction, physics all run on it.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Picks a ratio at random rather than by which sides are involved, and forgets the inverse function for angles.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"A 20 m ladder at 70° to the ground — how high does it reach? Then: what angle makes it reach 15 m?"
Solid looks like: About 18.8 m, and about 48.6°, with the correct ratio and inverse chosen.
35 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Measure Something You Can't Reach
⏱️ 35 minutesA protractor and straw as a clinometerA tape measureA calculator
1Build a simple clinometer from a protractor, a straw and a weighted string.
2Measure the angle to the top of a tree or building, and the distance to its base.
3Calculate the height with tangent, adding your own eye height.
4Check with a second measurement from a different distance — the answers should agree.
5Label which sides were opposite, adjacent and hypotenuse in each setup.
If it's too hard
Given diagrams, choose the right ratio and solve.
If it's too easy
Two-stage problems and angles of elevation and depression combined.
Say this
"Label the three sides relative to the angle first. Then the ratio picks itself."
Math practice
🔢 Math
Circle theorems and arc relationships
Can do: Applies the circle theorems and explains which one justifies each step.
Why it matters
Circles carry more theorems than any other topic, and the difficulty is recognising which configuration you're looking at.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Knows the theorems in isolation but cannot spot which applies in a cluttered diagram.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Give a circle diagram with a central and an inscribed angle on the same arc. "Find the missing angle and name the theorem."
Solid looks like: Correct value and the theorem named.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
One Diagram, All the Theorems
⏱️ 30 minutesCompassProtractorPaper
1Draw one large circle and add a chord, a tangent, a central angle and an inscribed angle.
2Measure everything and look for the relationships before being told them.
3Write each theorem next to the part of the diagram that shows it.
4Then solve problems, naming the theorem for every step.
5Make a one-page reference sheet with a small diagram for each theorem.
If it's too hard
One theorem at a time with clean diagrams.
If it's too easy
Multi-step problems needing three theorems, plus a proof of one of them.
Say this
"Which configuration is that? Find the shape you recognise inside the mess of lines."
Math practice
🔢 Math
Coordinate geometry
Can do: Uses distance, midpoint and slope to prove geometric properties algebraically.
Why it matters
It joins algebra and geometry into one system, which is the foundation of everything from calculus to computer graphics.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Can calculate distance and slope but can't use them to prove a shape is what it claims to be.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Given four points, prove the quadrilateral is a parallelogram."
Solid looks like: Uses slopes for parallel pairs, or midpoints of diagonals, and states the conclusion properly.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Prove the Shape
⏱️ 30 minutesGraph paperPaper
1Plot four points and guess the shape.
2List what would have to be true for that shape: which sides parallel, which equal, which angles.
3Calculate the slopes and distances needed and check each condition.
4Write the conclusion as a proper argument, not just a set of calculations.
5Then try to prove it's something stronger — a rhombus, a rectangle — and see if it holds.
If it's too hard
Verify a given shape's properties with the formulas.
If it's too easy
Prove three collinear points, or find an unknown coordinate that makes a property true.
Say this
"What would have to be true for it to be that shape? List the conditions, then test each one."
Math practice
🔢 Math
Surface area, volume and how they scale
Can do: Computes surface area and volume of composite solids and applies the square-cube relationship.
Why it matters
Scaling explains why big animals are shaped differently from small ones, why sugar cubes dissolve faster crushed, and why models don't scale up.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Scales all measurements by the same factor, so a doubled model is thought to have double the volume.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Double every dimension of a solid. What happens to surface area and to volume?"
Solid looks like: ×4 and ×8, with the reason.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Square-Cube in the Kitchen
⏱️ 30 minutesSugar cubesWaterA timerIce
1Dissolve one whole sugar cube and one crushed cube in identical water and time both.
2Explain the difference purely by surface area to volume ratio.
3Calculate the ratio for a 1 cm cube and a 2 cm cube.
4Apply it: why small animals lose heat faster, why cells stay small.
5Compute the volume and surface area of a composite solid from measurements at home.
If it's too hard
Compare two cube sizes numerically.
If it's too easy
Explain why an insect scaled to human size could not function, using the ratio.
Say this
"Volume went up eight times but surface only four. What does that do to how fast it cools?"
Math practice
🔢 Math
Probability, permutations and combinations
Can do: Counts outcomes correctly and calculates conditional probability without falling for the classic traps.
Why it matters
Conditional probability is where intuition fails hardest, and it's exactly the reasoning behind medical tests, risk and any real evidence.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Confuses permutations with combinations, and reverses conditional probabilities without noticing.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"How many ways to pick 3 from 8 if order doesn't matter?" Then a conditional test-accuracy problem.
Solid looks like: 56, and awareness that a positive test doesn't mean the same as the test's accuracy figure.
30 minutesDone this week
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The Test Accuracy Problem
⏱️ 30 minutesPaperA calculator
1Set up a rare condition — 1 in 1,000 — and a test that's 99% accurate.
2Work with 100,000 imaginary people rather than percentages. Natural frequencies make it obvious.
3Build the table of true positives, false positives, and totals.
4Calculate the chance a positive result actually means the condition. It's shockingly low.
5Discuss why this matters for real screening decisions.
If it's too hard
Counting problems with the formulas only.
If it's too easy
Bayes' theorem written formally after doing it with frequencies.
Say this
"Don't use percentages. Take a hundred thousand people and count them — the answer becomes obvious."
Math practice
🔢 Math
Keeping Algebra I sharp
Can do: Retains fluency in equations, factoring, quadratics and functions while doing a year of geometry.
Why it matters
A geometry year with no algebra practice means arriving at Algebra II rusty. Ten minutes a week prevents it entirely.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Algebra skills fade over the geometry year and the drop only becomes visible next September.
⏱️ Two-minute check
Set five Algebra I problems cold, with no warning or revision.
Solid looks like: Four of five, at speed, without needing to look anything up.
10 minutes weeklyDone this week
Do this at home
Weekly Algebra Ten
⏱️ 10 minutes weeklyOld Algebra I problemsA timer
1Ten mixed problems from last year, once a week, timed.
2Rotate the topics: equations, factoring, quadratics, functions, exponents.
3Keep an error log and rework anything missed twice.
4Track the time as well as the score — speed is what fades first.
5Do a full Algebra I review two weeks before the year ends.
If it's too hard
Five problems, untimed.
If it's too easy
Mix in Algebra II preview topics — rational expressions, systems of three equations.
Say this
"Ten minutes a week now, or three weeks of relearning it in September. Your choice."
Math practice
🔬 Science
Atomic structure and periodic trends
Can do: Uses the periodic table to predict properties, and explains trends by electron arrangement.
Why it matters
The table is a predictive tool, not a lookup list. Understanding why the trends exist replaces a great deal of memorisation.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Treats the table as a reference chart and memorises trends without any underlying reason.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Why is sodium more reactive than magnesium? Why does atomic radius shrink across a period?"
Solid looks like: Reasons about outer electrons and nuclear charge, not memorised statements.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Predict Before You Look
⏱️ 30 minutesA periodic tablePaper
1Cover the data and predict which of two elements is more reactive, larger, or a better conductor.
2Write the reasoning before checking.
3Check against real data and mark where the reasoning failed, not just the answer.
4Draw electron arrangements for the first twenty elements and connect them to group behaviour.
5Find real-world evidence: why sodium is stored in oil, why noble gases fill light bulbs.
If it's too hard
Predict within one group.
If it's too easy
Explain an anomaly in a trend and find out why it exists.
Say this
"Don't tell me the trend — tell me why the trend has to be that way."
Science activities
🔬 Science
Bonding, reactions and balancing equations
Can do: Predicts bond types, writes and balances equations, and explains balancing by conservation of atoms.
Why it matters
Balancing is trivial once conservation of atoms is understood, and impossible to remember as a procedure without it.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Balances by trial and error, or illegally changes subscripts to make the numbers work.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Balance the combustion of methane. Why can't you just change the subscripts?"
Solid looks like: CH₄ + 2O₂ → CO₂ + 2H₂O, and knows subscripts define the substance itself.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Count the Atoms
⏱️ 30 minutesPaperCounters or beads in two colours
1Model a reaction with beads: the same beads must appear on both sides, rearranged.
2Balance by counting each element in a table, one row per element.
3Show what happens if a subscript is changed — it becomes a different substance entirely.
4Balance five equations of increasing difficulty using the table method.
5Do a real one: vinegar and baking soda, weighed sealed to confirm conservation.
If it's too hard
Two-element equations with a counting table.
If it's too easy
Combustion of larger hydrocarbons, and ionic equations.
Say this
"Changing the subscript makes it a different chemical. You can only change how many molecules there are."
Science practice
🔬 Science
Moles, concentration and acids and bases
Can do: Uses the mole as a counting unit, calculates concentration, and explains the pH scale.
Why it matters
The mole is chemistry's hardest abstraction and its most necessary one — it's how a countable idea gets attached to a weighable amount.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Treats the mole as a mass unit, and thinks pH 5 is only slightly more acidic than pH 6.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"How many moles in 36 g of water? How many times more acidic is pH 3 than pH 6?"
Solid looks like: 2 moles, and 1,000 times — knowing the scale is logarithmic.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Count by Weighing
⏱️ 30 minutesKitchen scalesRice or paperclipsRed cabbage indicatorHousehold liquids
1Weigh 100 grains of rice, then use the mass to count a bag without counting — that's exactly the mole idea.
2Apply it: molar mass lets you count atoms by weighing.
3Calculate moles for three real substances from the kitchen.
4Make a red cabbage indicator and test household liquids, ranking them by colour.
5Dilute one tenfold, retest, and see the pH move by one — the logarithmic scale, demonstrated.
If it's too hard
Mole calculations from given molar masses.
If it's too easy
Stoichiometry: predict the mass of product from a given mass of reactant.
Say this
"You counted the rice by weighing it. That's the whole idea of the mole — nothing more mysterious than that."
Science practice
🌍 Social Studies
Turning points in modern history
Can do: Explains why a major change happened, weighing multiple causes and judging their relative importance.
Why it matters
Assessment at this level rewards judgement, not coverage. Ranking causes and defending the ranking is the actual skill.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Lists causes without weighting them, so every essay is a description rather than an argument.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What was the most important cause of that event, and why does it beat the others?"
Solid looks like: A ranked judgement with a criterion for the ranking.
35 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Rank and Defend
⏱️ 35 minutesA topic they're studyingSticky notes
1List every cause on a separate note.
2Rank them and, crucially, state the criterion — necessary, sufficient, or immediate trigger.
3Test the top one with the counterfactual: without it, does the event still happen?
4Find a historian who ranks them differently and read why.
5Write a paragraph defending the ranking against that alternative.
If it's too hard
Rank three given causes.
If it's too easy
Argue that the conventionally accepted main cause is overrated, with evidence.
Say this
"Why does that one beat the others? Name the test you're using to rank them."
Social studies
🌍 Social Studies
Information, media and democratic decisions
Can do: Analyses how information reaches people, how it's shaped, and what that means for collective decisions.
Why it matters
They are about to become voters. Understanding how information is produced, funded and targeted is now basic civic equipment.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Assumes their feed is a neutral window on events rather than an algorithmically selected slice.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Why does your feed look different from a classmate's? Who decides what you see?"
Solid looks like: Understands algorithmic selection, engagement incentives, and the funding model behind them.
30 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Audit Your Own Feed
⏱️ 30 minutesTheir phonePaper
1Scroll fifty items and categorise each: news, opinion, advert, entertainment.
2Note how many sources are represented and how many viewpoints.
3Compare with someone else's feed on the same day.
4Find who funds two of the sources appearing most.
5Deliberately follow one credible source that disagrees with them, and review after a fortnight.
If it's too hard
Categorise twenty items.
If it's too easy
Trace one claim from a post back to its original source and document every distortion on the way.
Say this
"Why did the algorithm pick that for you? What does it get if you keep scrolling?"
Social studies practice
🧭 Study & Life Skills
Preparing for standardised tests properly
Can do: Uses timed practice and error analysis rather than passive review.
Why it matters
Standardised tests reward pattern recognition and pacing. Error analysis is what converts practice into improvement.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Does practice tests, checks the score, feels vaguely better or worse, and learns nothing from either.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What kind of question do you get wrong most often?"
Solid looks like: A specific, named category — not "the hard ones".
45 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
The Error Log
⏱️ 45 minutesPractice testsA notebook or spreadsheet
1Do one timed section under real conditions.
2For each wrong answer, log the topic and the reason: didn't know it, misread it, ran out of time, careless.
3Sort the log — the pattern is usually stark and often it's not knowledge at all.
4Spend the next week's study only on the top category.
5Retest and check whether that category actually shrank.
If it's too hard
One section, log topics only.
If it's too easy
Full-length timed test with a complete written analysis.
Say this
"The score doesn't tell you anything. The pattern in the mistakes does — what is it?"
Real-world challenges
🧭 Study & Life Skills
Working out what comes next
Can do: Explores real paths — courses, careers, training — and understands what each requires and costs.
Why it matters
Grade 10 choices constrain Grade 11 and 12 options. Exploring now is far cheaper than discovering a missing prerequisite in senior year.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
No idea what they want, treated as a problem, so the conversation is avoided until it's urgent.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"Name two paths that interest you and one thing each would require of you."
Solid looks like: Two real options with actual requirements attached.
40 minutesDone this week
Do this at home
Three Paths, Real Numbers
⏱️ 40 minutesResearch accessPaper
1Pick three genuinely different paths — including one that isn't a four-year degree.
2For each: entry requirements, subjects needed, cost, typical earnings, day-to-day reality.
3Find one person doing each and read or watch an honest account of the work.
4Check whether current subject choices keep each path open.
5Identify one thing to try this year — a course, a volunteering slot, a summer job.
If it's too hard
Two paths, requirements only.
If it's too easy
Interview someone in a field of interest with prepared questions.
Say this
"You don't have to decide. You do have to keep the doors open — which subjects do that?"
Real-world challenges
🧭 Study & Life Skills
Running your own life
Can do: Manages their own schedule, health, money and commitments with minimal prompting.
Why it matters
Two years from independence, the habits that will run unsupervised are being set now. Practice while there's still a safety net.
What it looks like when it's wobbly
Academically capable but logistically dependent — reminders, transport, appointments and money all handled by someone else.
⏱️ Two-minute check
"What's coming up in the next two weeks that you're responsible for?"
Solid looks like: A complete answer without checking with anyone.
OngoingDone this week
Do this at home
Take Over One Domain
⏱️ OngoingA calendarA bank account if they have one
1Pick one domain to hand over completely this term: appointments, laundry, a food budget, transport.
2They own it entirely, including the consequences of forgetting.
3Add a weekly five-minute review of everything upcoming.
4Once it's stable, hand over a second domain.
5Resist rescuing. One missed appointment teaches more than a year of reminders.
If it's too hard
One narrow responsibility with a weekly check-in.
If it's too easy
A monthly budget they manage entirely, including the mistakes.
Say this
"That one's yours now. I'm not going to remind you — and I'm not going to be cross when you forget once."
Grade 10 money lessons

When to ask for help instead of practising harder

Home practice fixes most gaps. These are the ones where a conversation with the teacher — or an assessment — is worth more than another month of trying. Raising them early is not an overreaction; waiting a year rarely helps.

Cannot construct a valid proof by the end of the year — it signals a gap in reasoning, not just in geometry.
Algebra skills have visibly decayed over the geometry year with no maintenance.
Essays remain descriptive rather than analytical despite repeated feedback.
No idea of current grades, deadlines, or requirements for anything they say they want.
Chronic sleep deprivation, disengagement, or anxiety around performance — get support now rather than in Grade 11.

By the end of 10th Grade

Tick these off through the year. Anything still open in the spring is exactly what the summer is for.

Writes a valid proof with every step justified, and spots an invalid one.
Applies congruence and similarity criteria and knows why SSA fails.
Uses trigonometry to solve real measurement problems.
Applies circle theorems and names the justification for each step.
Proves geometric properties using coordinates.
Reasons with the square-cube relationship in real contexts.
Handles conditional probability without the classic reversal error.
Predicts chemical behaviour from the periodic table and balances equations by conservation.
Writes a synthesis essay organised by idea, using several sources.
Prepares for tests with error analysis, and runs their own schedule.

Want the written practice as well?

Everything on this page is free and needs nothing printed. If you also want worksheets to work through, the 10th Grade packs cover the same topics on paper.

10th Grade Packs

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9th Grade

See all 12 grades

Frequently Asked Questions

What topics does a 10th Grade child cover?

22 across 6 strands: Reading (3), Writing (3), Math (8), Science (3), Social Studies (2), Study & Life Skills (3). Every topic on this page names the skill, why it matters, what struggling with it looks like, a two-minute check, and one activity you can run at home tonight.

How much home practice does a 10th Grade child actually need?

About 45 minutes a day at ages 15–16 — and it works better split into two short goes than done as one long session. Forty-five minutes, fully self-directed. Your role now is asking "how would you convince someone who disagreed?" and keeping the logistics off their plate where you can.

How do I know which 10th Grade topic to work on?

Run the two-minute check on each topic rather than guessing. It tells you what a solid answer looks like, so you can tell in a couple of minutes whether a topic needs work or is already done. Start with whichever check fails, not with the first topic on the page.

Can I download or print the 10th Grade take-homes?

Yes — there is a free PDF on this page. Download the full 10th Grade pack (all 22 topics with their checks, activities and tick boxes), the one-page two-minute check sheet, or a single subject on its own. No signup, and the activities themselves still only need things a normal home already has.

When should I be worried rather than just practising?

There is a "when to ask for help" section on this page listing the specific signs that mean a conversation with the teacher is worth more than more home practice. Those are the ones to act on early — waiting a year rarely helps.

10th Grade Take-Home Practice

🗓️ A week that doesn't become a second school

Take it off the screen

Every 10th Grade topic, and what to do about it

Analysing complex literature

Argue Both Readings

Evaluating scientific and statistical claims

Find the Study Behind the Headline

Reading under test conditions

Line Number Justification

Analysis with genuine sophistication

The However Paragraph

The synthesis essay

Organise by Idea, Not by Source

Actually using feedback

The Personal Rubric

Deductive proof and geometric reasoning

Justify Every Line

Triangle congruence and similarity

Build the Ambiguous Case

Right-triangle trigonometry

Measure Something You Can't Reach

Circle theorems and arc relationships

One Diagram, All the Theorems

Coordinate geometry

Prove the Shape

Surface area, volume and how they scale

Square-Cube in the Kitchen

Probability, permutations and combinations

The Test Accuracy Problem

Keeping Algebra I sharp

Weekly Algebra Ten

Atomic structure and periodic trends

Predict Before You Look

Bonding, reactions and balancing equations

Count the Atoms

Moles, concentration and acids and bases

Count by Weighing

Turning points in modern history

Rank and Defend

Information, media and democratic decisions

Audit Your Own Feed

Preparing for standardised tests properly

The Error Log

Working out what comes next

Three Paths, Real Numbers

Running your own life

Take Over One Domain

🚩 When to ask for help instead of practising harder

✅ By the end of 10th Grade

Want the written practice as well?

Frequently Asked Questions

What topics does a 10th Grade child cover?

How much home practice does a 10th Grade child actually need?

How do I know which 10th Grade topic to work on?

Can I download or print the 10th Grade take-homes?

When should I be worried rather than just practising?

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A week that doesn't become a second school

When to ask for help instead of practising harder

By the end of 10th Grade