Study Smart 9 th Grade Skills Needed for High School and Postsecondary Success Microsoft, 2011

Review What are 3 self-management strategies? What are 2 methods for taking notes? Discuss: – Did you do anything differently as far as managing your time or taking notes that worked for you? – What didn’t work? – What could you try that you haven’t yet?

Discussion Tell me about studying for tests: – How do you study? What techniques do you use? – When do you study? – How do you feel the day of the test?

Objective The 6 th tip for success in high school and college is to study smart! The purpose of today's lesson is to learn strategies to study smarter. Microsoft, 2011

Pre-Test 1.When you should study for a test? 2.What should you write on a flashcard? 3.What is one memorization technique that you can use to study for a test?

How to Prepare for a Test Start ASAP! – This is when your q- notes come in handy! – Regularly review your notes so you’re not cramming for the test the night before. Make a Study Plan – Use your time- management skills! Learn about the test

How to Prepare for a Test Review your handouts, notes, previous quizzes, and study guides. Use the end of the chapter questions to review what you’ve read Make up your own test questions and practice answering them Study with someone else and quiz each other Make flashcards Use memorization techniques

Flashcards How many of you make flashcards? What do you put on your flashcards? How do you use them to study?

Flashcard Tips Each card should only have 1 question/term and 1 answer/definition Make flashcards for information you know and information you don’t know. Keep your flashcards with you and go through them frequently. When studying, make piles for cards you know well and cards you need to study more.

Memorization Techniques You’ll be required to memorize some of the information you need to know for tests like names, dates, events, terms, definitions, and formulas. The following techniques and exercises use associations with letters, images, maps, etc to help you memorize the information you need to remember. – You don’t need to use all of the strategies. – Some will be helpful for you and others won’t. Choose those that will be the most helpful.

Acronyms Make a word/combination of letters to remember a list. – Example: ROY G. BIV is an acronym to help remember the colors of the spectrum Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet What are some other acronyms you’ve learned to help you memorize something?

Acrostic An invented sentence or poem where the first letter of each word cues the first letter of what you are trying to remember. – Example: – Music Scale with the notes E, G, B, D, F Acrostic = Every Good Boy Does Fine What are some other acrostics you’ve learned to help you memorize something?

Rhyme-Keys Works best with lists 1.Memorize key words associated with numbers (these will be the same every time you use this method) – Ex. 1 = Bun, 2 = Shoe, 3 = Tree, 4 = Door, etc. 2.Create an image that combines each item in the list with the key word. – Ex. Four Basic Food Groups 1.Dairy (picture cheese on a bun) 2.Meat (picture a cow with shoes on) 3.Grains (picture a bag of wheat hanging from a tree) 4.Fruits and Vegetables (picture a door that opens to a room full of fruits and vegetables)

The Method of Loci Works best for long lists of items to remember 1.Select a place you know well and can picture in your mind (like a room in your home) – Picture specific objects in that location – Picture the path you would take through the location and the order in which you would see each object 2.Assign each object with an item from the list. Make a story for moving through the room and seeing the objects and items. – Example: Memorizing presidents – George Washington,, John Adams, Thomas Jefferson You could imagine walking up to the door of your location and seeing a dollar bill stuck in the door (Washington); when you open the door Adams is reclining on the sofa and Jefferson is eating out of the refrigerator.

Keyword Method Select a word that sounds like the new vocabulary word – Ex. “Cabina” sounds like cab in a… Imagine an image that involves the “sounds like” word and the meaning of the word. – Ex. “Cabina” is Spanish for “phone booth” I’ll picture a cab in a phone booth On the test, when I see the word “cabina” I should picture a cab squeezing into a phone booth. Microsoft, 2011

Image-Name Technique For remembering names 1.Invent a relationship between the person’s name and their physical characteristics – Example: Shirley Temple. – Curly (rhymes with Shirley) hair around her temples (last name is Temple)

Chaining Create a story where each word or idea you have to remember cues the next idea you need to recall. – Example: a list of counties in the South of England: Avon, Dorset, Somerset, Cornwall, Wiltshire, Devon, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Surrey An AVON (Avon) lady knocking on a heavy oak DOoR (Dorset). The DOoR opens to show a beautiful SuMmER landscape with a SETting sun (Somerset). The setting sun shines down onto a field of CORN (Cornwall). The CORN is so dry it is beginning to WILT (Wiltshire). The WILTing stalks slowly fall onto the tail of the sleeping DEVil (Devon). On the DEVil's horn a woman has impailed a GLOSsy (Gloucestershire) HAM (Hampshire) when she hit him over the head with it. Now the Devil feels SoRRY (Surrey) he bothered her.

Memorizing Formulas 1.Try to make a story for the formula – Example: quadratic formula: – Story: A negative boy (-b) couldn't decide (+ or -) whether to go to a radical (the radical) party or be square (b squared) and miss out on four awesome chicks (-4ac), the whole thing was over at 2 A.M. (over 2a)

More Memorizing Formulas 1.Write the formula down several times on a piece of paper. 2.Close your eyes and try to say the formula out loud. 3.Make a mental picture of the formula. Most formulas, especially the quadratic equation, have a distinctive shape that you can remember like you'd remember a picture. 4.Work several practice problems using the formula. Application always helps with memorization. 5.Use flashcards of not only the formulas, but also of problems for which you identify the appropriate formula for the problem. 6.Group the formulas you've learned into lessons. One group for a particular chapter, and another group for a different one. It's kind of like a filing system for your brain 7.Sing the formula to a familiar tune – Example: Try singing the quadratic formula to the tune of “Pop Goes the Weasel”

Final Preparations Gather all of the supplies you will need Get some sleep! Eat a healthy breakfast Look over your notes, flashcards, and study guides one last time Relax and be confident that your preparation will pay off! Microsoft, 2011

Post-Test 1.When you should study for a test? 2.What should you write on a flashcard? 3.What is one memorization technique that you can use to study for a test?

Review Study for a test as soon as you get information that may be on the test! Start studying as early and as often as you can. Flashcards should have one term or question with one answer or definition per card What are some of the memorization techniques we studied?

Assignment Choose one study strategy or technique that you will try this week. – Be ready to report on how it went next class! Microsoft, 2011

References Forte, I. and Frank, M. (2003). Reading & Language: If You're Trying to Get Better Grades and Higher Test Scores, You've Gotta Have This Book! Nashville, TN: Incentive Publications. Microsoft Office Images. (2011). Retrieved from Mind Tools Ltd (1998). Academictips.org. Retrieved from “Shirley Temple.” The Official Shirley Temple Website. Retrieved from