Mr. C. Landinguin

For those that need to work on your study skills and organization, please review pages 2-6 in your homework planner. Also consult the "Study Skills Handbook" by Jay Armstrong.

Study skills are necessary to be successful in Jr. High , High School and College. To develop good study skills there are 7 steps that you should always follow.

Taking control means stop thinking of school as something that just happens, but think of your classes as a way to improve yourself and show your potential. You can take control by finding the right place to study, away from distractions. You can also take control by setting your own goals, and being positive towards school.

Step 2: Time Management

Plan your afternoons, how much time you are going to study and how much time you are going to spend on sports and free time. Learn how to prioritize things from most important to least important. Make it a habit to make "to do" lists, and to use them, this includes using the homework planner. Track the amount of time you spend on homework a day. If you are spending 3+ hours on homework every night, chances are, you need to work on your time management. Always use time given in class, study hall time, or after school time to finish your homework.

Step 3: Improving Your Memory

Figure out ways or tricks for memorizing information. Remember to always review what you learned, as often as possible. Try reading out loud as much as possible to help you remember. Try making flashcards, testing your friends or your family. Sometimes the best way to learn something is to try to teach someone else.

Good listeners are active listeners, meaning they participate, ask questions and paraphrase what they just heard. When you are listening to a lesson, listen for the "main points", which is the information that is usually repeated many times during a lesson.

Step 5: Good Note Taking

The best thing you can do be prepared for a class is to take notes. Always write down things that the teacher puts on the board, and also always write the "main points" of a lesson. Do not write down everything! When a teacher tells you something is important, write it down. Paraphrase when you take notes. Some people take notes by outlining, others take notes in clusters, do what works best for you. Your Homework planner suggests that you listen 80% time and write down 20% the time. Hint: come up with some special Shorthand or way to shorten down words, to cut down on note taking time. Hint: If parts of your notes do not make sense, go back to your book and check for places where you may have missed the information.

Step 6 Building Your Vocabulary

If you don’t know what a word means, look it up, and once you know its meaning always try to use that word in everyday language so that you will never forget it. Hint: Reading builds your vocabulary! The more you read the bigger your vocabulary.

Hint: The bigger your vocabulary, the better you will do on tests like the SAT and on essays.

Step 7 Preparing For Tests

Always listen and take notes during chapter and test reviews. Write down whatever the teacher tells you will be on the test. Organize your information so that it is easier to study. Use memory aids like flash cards to help you study. Over learn the material that will be on the test. Never assume you know everything, most times you don’t. Always come mentally prepared to take a test. If you come with a negative attitude, you will not do well. Make sure you eat breakfast so that your stomach is not a distraction. Always read the question; most mistakes occur when the student doesn’t read the question carefully. Take time to review your test before turning it in. Try not to second guess your answers, most mistakes occur when people second guess their answers and change them.

True and false tests: If there are words like all, none, always and never, then most likely its going to be false. A statement has to be completely true to be true. If its partly true, then it has to be false

Multiple choice: After reading the question try to figure the answer before looking at the answer choices. Always try to eliminate answers that you know are wrong. Once you have eliminated the obviously wrong answers, choose the best remaining answer.

Matching Questions: Do the easiest items first, that way you have eliminated some choices right off the bat.

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