Homework Help Abounds Online

School's in full swing and that means one thing — homework.
Fortunately, the Internet is loaded with free programs and sites to help.
But don't be surprised if you find them handy, too.

Most word processors like Microsoft Word have built-in spelling tools. You don't need Word to check your spelling or define words.

For Windows users, check out Tinyspell and Wordweb. They work independently of other programs.

Tinyspell sits in the corner of your screen and monitors typing. If you misspell a word, it sounds an alert. Click the icon to see suggested spellings or to add a word to its dictionary.

WordWeb provides definitions and synonyms. Enter your word in the search box and click a button.

For math and science projects, graph paper is essential. Mathematics Help Central has a variety of printable graph papers. All you need is the free Adobe Acrobat Reader and a printer.

If you need something more complex, download the Graph Paper Printer Program. It creates custom graph papers to exact specifications. Modify the line colors, widths and spacing. It also creates specialty papers for music and handwriting.

To help with the actual work, you'll need a good calculator. Microsoft offers a couple that improve upon the Windows calculator. Both require Windows XP.

First, the PowerToy Calc graphs functions. It also solves equations, in addition to computing basic calculations. It has the ability to perform conversions, but options are limited. For advanced conversions, including currency conversions, try Calculator Plus.

For History and Geography projects, National Geographic's MapMachine is invaluable. It features world maps and satellite photographs. There are topographical maps, historical maps and climatic maps. You can also access facts and histories of specific countries.

Bartleby is a virtual library. There are a number of encyclopedias, in addition to style guides and other reference books. You'll also find classic works, including a selection of Shakespeare's plays and poetry.

Online translators can help students studying a foreign language. They're not perfect — a teacher would be able to spot a translation generated by one of these — but it can help students understand
difficult passages.

Three translation sites include:

Alta Vista, Google Language Tools and World Lingo (This site is having technical difficulties . . . but they should be fixed shortly.)

Just copy and paste your text and select the language.

Lastly, FreeLunch is an excellent source for statistical information. The financial and demographic information might be too advanced for younger students. But it could help older students beef up school projects.

FreeLunch is especially helpful for creating reports. It puts valuable information all in one place. The charts are free to download. But you need Excel or an Excel-compatible spreadsheet program to view them. If you don't have one, download the free Openoffice.org office suite, which by the way is an excellent alternative to pricey Microsoft Office.