Ways to Handle Homework

My high-school sophomore continually feels overwhelmed with the amount of schoolwork that she has to do in World History. Her nightly assignments can require more than an hour to complete. She finds it difficult to keep on task this long. I often see her just staring into space. And sometimes she has a hard time even getting started. Do you have any ideas about ways to help her? -- Too Much Work
Answer: Leaving aside the obvious -- that the teacher may be expecting more work than is appropriate -- there are ways that this workload can become more bearable if she can handle the material.
First of all, she may find it helpful to start taking short five-minute breaks every 15 to 20 minutes and doing something completely different, like walking outside or talking with family members. She shouldn't choose activities that she will hate to stop doing like texting friends. She can and probably should regulate these breaks by using a timer. Most students can easily concentrate on a task for 15 minutes.
Another helpful trick is to make a list of what needs to be done before starting an assignment. Then she can feel a sense of accomplishment after each task, or even take a short break.