Freshmen - Learning and Studying Strategies
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Organization & Time Management
- Use class time and study halls to start homework and get extra help
- Use your student planner to keep track of assignments and your activities
- Create a schedule for completing homework, studying for tests and long–term assignments
- Prioritize your work. Tackle the most important, most difficult or least favorite assignments first.
- Go over your class notes each night. By doing this, you will make studying for tests and quizzes easier.
- Have a designated work area
- Turn off cell phone, TV and any other distractions
- Have a snack and drink before you start
- Have all necessary supplies in work area
Be Successful in Class
- Be in school, on time, every day
- Be prepared for each class; homework done, have needed supplies
- Learn to adapt to different teachers
- Participate in class
- Have a positive attitude. Treat others with courtesy and respect. Be aware of your body language.
- Take responsibility for your grades
Note Taking and Studying
- Be an active listener and studier. Be focused and pay attention.
- Take notes to help pay attention, both in the class and when you are reading/studying independently
- Recognize important information
- Go over your notes each day. Highlight important concepts and keywords.
- When studying, recite and discuss information so that your mind engages and is not wandering
Use Some Form of the SQ3R
Survey:
- Look over material to be read
- Note titles, headings and subheadings
- Review questions or teacher made study guides
- Summarize
Question:
- Turn the title, headings and subtitles into questions. Write question in the margins.
- Read questions at the end of chapters
- Ask yourself what you already know
Read:
- Read one section at a time
- Answer questions you have made up
- Answer questions from the chapter or study guide
- Study graphic aids
Recite:
- Summarize in your own words what you have read
- Write down in your own words what you have read using the notes you have taken
- Underline or highlight important points (or make notes on them)
Review:
- Look over notes at the end of each study session
- Make a study sheet or a practice test for content covered in that section
- Make flash cards or other memory aids
Memory Aids
- Use flash cards for vocabulary, facts and lists
- Acronyms - using the first letter of the words you want to remember to make up a silly sentence like, "My very elegant mother juggled seven ugly neckties." (Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune)
- Chunking - Grouping items for better recall, especially numbers
- Visualization - creating pictures in your mind or on paper
- Look for easy logical connections - Homer wrote the Odyssey, "Homer is an odd name.”
- Group or categorize information, write lists and diagrams