LO: How to Revise

Some revision ideas Just writing notes is boring and just reading them through doesn't always work. Here are a few alternatives:

Do something with your facts and information: Make graphs, charts and illustrations - draw pictures around the text to sum it up - make flash cards of dates, operations, key terms, facts - make colourful mind maps - illustrate the story - make a concept map for an event showing who, what, when, where and why - write an A-Z of the topic - write a story from the point of view of an inanimate object

Verbalise the information in some way: Record your notes and play them back (you can download free podcasting software called ‘Audacity’ and make it into mp3 files to put on your iPod) Create songs/mnemonics to remember key facts Discuss the topic with another student or teach a bit of the topic to each other Tell someone else about your topic and get them to take notes on what you say

Be active: - Write a quiz/make a game to play (with the answers!!) - Get big marker pens out and make diagrams - Prepare a presentation on your topic - Type up a summary of your notes - Write the story out, cut it up and put it back together - Skim read the source and summarise it in a few sentences, summarise that until you get one word - Make posters

- In your mind, walk yourself through an imaginary version of the topic as if you were there - Write key words from the story on post-its, stick them to things in the room. - Walk around the room telling yourself the story until you can imagine the walk and tell the story in your head - Write a lesson/activity for teaching the topic to the younger students.

Some silly ideas you need ‘reasoning’ for: - Who would win in a fight between - Link two ideas together in five steps 60 seconds to prove your point ‘Arrest’ a character and justify their actions What would have happened if …? (virtual history) Put your music on shuffle, relate that song to the topic Make a coat of arms for a person from the course Make Top Trumps for 6 people/weapons/events, how would they be scored? Justify your scoring - Make a living graph showing the experiences of people over time, did it get better or worse?

Good revision sites: http://getrevising.co.uk/resources/areas/history?q=mary+seacole&go= http://www.s-cool.co.uk/gcse http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/gcsebitesize/ http://revisionworld.co.uk/gcse-revision http://getrevising.co.uk/