What do you do when you don't know what teacher wants in an assignment?

In first grade we learned how to read and write<br>In second grade I learned spelling words and reading books aloud<br>In third grade I learned the multiplication table<br>In fourth grade I learned to divide numbers<br>In fifth grade I learned how savagely the US government treats NA <br>In sixth grade I learned how to study <br>In seventh grade I learned how to make friends <br>In eighth grade I learned how to be a pick me girl<br>In ninth grade I learned how to write essays<br>In tenth grade I learned how to write better essays <br>In eleventh grade I learned how to do better in school <br>In twelfth grade I learned how to flunk like a pro<br><br>I'm in eleventh grade and I'm having a hard time figuring out what my teachers want in an assignment. I work hard and I try to follow the instructions and I try to do what they taught in class and sometimes I still get a low grade and I don't understand why. I can't help but feel stupid that I can't do simple assignments so I don't have to get F on my report card. Do you have any advice for me?<br><br>Sorry for posting this here, I usually post in r/student and I thought that was what I did this time too.