School assignments are tasks given to students by their teachers to complete outside of the classroom. An ESSAY is a short piece of writing on a particular subject, while a REPORT is a longer piece of writing that presents information and findings. A THEME is a central idea or message in a piece of writing, while a PAPER is a written document. A LESSON is an educational unit of instruction, while HOMEWORK is work assigned to be done outside of class. A term PAPER is a longer piece of writing that is usually due at the end of a semester.