1. Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning individual Work SKIL SKIL cards are sets of cards that explain how to use different learning strategies. They are designed to help you learn by improving your Independent Learning skills. This set of cards gives you detailed instructions on how to develop individual strategies for: 1.REVIEWING SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE 2.APPLYING KNOWLEDGE 3.REVIEWING MARKED WORK / EXAM PAPERS Just follow the instructions on the cards. Year 12/13

2. Time: 20 mins to 2 hours A) REVIEWING SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE: MIND MAPS 1.Choose a section of notes to review – this can be any size from a 2 page sub topic to a whole unit of work. 2.Write the title/main theme in the middle of a blank piece of paper. 3.Have lines coming out from the main idea connecting it to the next sub-section, draw a picture and have single words or simple phrases to explain the connection. 4.Use pictures, lines and arrows of any kind to continue connecting different parts of the topic. 5.Use your notes to help you with the information & make sure that it fits on one piece of paper. SKIL i1 SKIL i1 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 1 Extension: Use a mind map to help you think through a solution to an exam question, when researching a topic or when planning a long answer. You can have as many branches to the map as you like. Year 12/13

3. Time: 20 mins to 1 hour A) REVIEWING SUBJECT KNOWLEDGE: SPIDER DIAGRAM 1. Choose a section of notes to review – this can be any size from a 2 page sub topic to a whole unit of work. 2. Write the title in the middle of a blank piece of paper. 3. Draw lines (or arrows) out from the title and add sub topic labels at the end of each line. Use your notes to help you with the information. 4. Keep drawing lines out from each sub topic until all the information is presented in the diagram. Make sure that it fits on one piece of paper. SKIL i2 SKIL i2 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 2 Extension: Use a spider diagram to help you learn a topic before you answer questions on it. You can have as many branches to the map as you like. Year 12/13

4. Time: 20 to 50 mins A) Reviewing subject knowledge: Clock sequence 1. Choose a section of notes to review – this can be any size from a 2 page sub topic to a whole unit of work. 2. Draw a clock in the middle of the paper. 3. Sequence key ideas from your notes around the hours of the clock. Extension: This method connects key points to a mental picture that is already familiar to you. As an extension choose a different picture to use. SKIL i3 SKIL i3 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 3 Year 12/13

5. Time: 15 to 30 mins A) Reviewing subject knowledge – Look Cover Write 1.Choose some information that needs to be remembered e.g. a set of definitions. 2.Look at the information trying to find patterns. Try to ‘peg’ each piece of information to a familiar thing e.g. a room in your house. 3.Remove your notes so you can not see them and write out the information on a sheet of paper. Try to recall the information e.g. by remembering the room in your house and what you have ‘pegged’ to that room. 4.Check your written sheet with your notes and correct any mistakes and write out anything that is missing. 5.Repeat until your written sheet and notes match. Extension: Start small and then make the amount you need to remember larger. Return every few weeks to the same information and try recalling it without first looking at your notes. SKIL i4 SKIL i4 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 4 Year 12/13

6. Time: 20 mins to 2 hours A)Reviewing subject knowledge – Flash Cards 1. Choose a topic and look up the key definitions from that topic. 2. Fold a sheet of paper up and cut out small card-size pieces. 3. Select the definitions you would like to work on. 4. On one side of each card write the key word and on the back write out the definition 5. When writing the definitions, look for the key points within each one and write these using a different colour. 6. Shuffle the cards up and start testing yourself by defining each key word and checking the answer by looking on the reverse of the card. Extension: See if you can give the key word from the definition. Ask someone to test you. SKIL i5 SKIL i5 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 5 Year 12/13

7. Time: 30min B) Applying knowledge – questioning 1.Choose a long answer type question. 2.Chunk your answer so that each chunk satisfies one mark for the question. 3.Cut the answer up and then lay it out using the different parts of a room to represent different parts of the answer. Extension: This could also be used to learn different sequences in a topic. SKIL i6 SKIL i6 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 6 Year 12/13

8. Time: 30min B) Applying knowledge – questioning 1.Look at how many marks there are for the question you have chosen to do. 2.Do the question, using your notes, timing yourself – the time you should give is the amount of marks in minutes plus 5 mins i.e. if a question is worth 10 marks then give yourself 15 minutes to do the question. 3.Mark your work using the mark scheme identifying where to improve. Extension: Give yourself the same number of minutes as there are marks e.g. 10 mark question should take 10 mins and then try to do them without your notes. SKIL i7 SKIL i7 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 7 Year 12/13

9. Time: 30 min B) Applying knowledge: Drawing connections 1.Choose a topic and draw pictures representing the different parts of the topic. Use your notes to help you. 2.Draw arrows between each drawing that is connected. 3.Write words or sentences on the arrows to describe the connections. Extension: Try doing the activity without notes. SKIL i8 SKIL i8 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 8 Year 12/13

10. Time: 50min + B) Applying knowledge – questioning 1.Choose a topic which you would like to work on. 2.Collect 3 or 4 exam papers together and identify questions from each paper that correspond to your chosen topic. 3.Read through the questions you have identified and choose one part from each question to answer (use your notes to answer the questions). 4.Mark your work using the mark schemes. Extension: Answer all the question and identify where questions repeat themselves. SKIL i9 SKIL i9 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 9 Year 12/13

11. Time: 20 min or more C) Reviewing marked work: 1.Obtain the mark scheme for the work that has been marked and go through your paper, correcting it and understanding where you could improve. 2.Do the work again e.g. redo an exam paper. 3.Mark your re-done work. Extension: Re-do the work two weeks later to reinforce what you have learned. SKIL i10 SKIL i10 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 10 Year 12/13

12. Time: 20min C) Reviewing marked work: 1.Choose a piece of work that has been marked (yours or someone elses). 2.Analyse the marked questions (use a mark scheme to help you). Write a few bullet point about why the marks were achieved and why marks were not awarded, correct work as you go. 3.Look at your bullet points and sum up in one sentence what can be improved upon next time. If your work then keep this information and use it to improve. Extension: Before starting the task then revise that part of the subject and complete the task without reference to notes. SKIL i11 SKIL i11 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 11 Year 12/13

13. Time: 20 min or more C) Reviewing exam papers: The aim of this task is to self-assess your confidence then you can improve it 1.Look at a complete exam paper. 2.Read through the exam paper, put the numbers 1, 2 or 3 next to each separate question according to the following criteria. 1 = Not confident at all in being able to answer the question 2 = Feeling OK about the question, about 50% confident if I had to do it 3 = Feeling confident that I could answer the question and get it right 3.Add up all the marks available for each of the gradings 1, 2 and 3 and turn them into a percentage. 4a. Work out what grade you would get if you got all the grade 3’s correct then all the grade 2 & 3’s correct. Is it near your target grade? 4b. Identify what subject matter most of your grade 2’s are and review that material. 4c. Identify what subject matter most of your grade 1’s are and review that material. Extension: Complete the paper, mark it and then identify the percentage marks you achieved for your grade 1, 2 & 3 questions. SKIL i12 SKIL i12 Strategies & Knowledge for Independent Learning Sheet: INDIVIDUAL WORK 12 Year 12/13