1. How to Revise
Learning Objective: To explore what makes quality revision and find strategies that will work for you.

2. What is quality revision?
You will be given two post it notes, on one you need to write down something that leads to good quality revision. On the other you need to write down something that leads to bad quality revision.
Good quality revision
Bad quality revision
E.g. Finding a quiet place to work where you wont be interrupted.
E.g. Cramming at the last minute.
Ask students to place their post it notes on the board to find out what they already know about how to revise. Read out and discuss them as a class. E.g. If they say take regular breaks discuss how long this should be for, what do they do in their break, why is this important?
If you do not have post it notes, you can collect a set from the resources cupboard in Room 564.

3. What is quality revision?
Good quality revision
Bad quality revision
Creating a revision timetable and sticking to it.
Short chunks of revision – spend between minutes revising and have a short break of about 5 minutes or so.
Doing past papers.
Using a variety of revision strategies that work for you, e.g. Mind maps, getting someone to test you, teaching someone else.
Keep revisiting what you have revised and testing yourself after you have revised a topic.
Treat yourself after a good day of revision.
Simply reading the textbook or your notes.
Overdoing your revision and not taking enough breaks.
Leaving it to the last minute and panicking before the exam.
Having distractions around you, e.g. TV, phone, internet.
You may already have discussed these as a class and can move on, they are simply suggestions of things to discuss if they haven’t already come up.

4. Social Networking and Revision
Stand up if you have your phone near you when revising.
Stand up if you use your phone i.e. Text, snapchat when revising.
Stand up if you use another devise e.g. Laptop, tablet for social networking when revising.
This may already have come up in discussion from the previous activity. If people have stood up to any of these questions, ask them about the impact they think this has on the quality of their revision. Emphasise that social networking/phones are a distraction and don’t allow them to fully focus on what they are revising.

5. Social Networking and Revision
Would it bother you to turn your phone/laptop/tablet off for the period of time when you are revising?
Top Tips:
Websites/apps such as getcoldturkey can block social networking sites, games etc for a period of time while you are revising.
Revise at the same time as your friends and all agree not to snapchat etc for a period of time before you have a break.
Discuss why people keep their phones/social network sites on while they are revising. Is it because they don’t want to miss out on things? Because they are bored? Because they want to know what their friends are doing?

6. You are going to take a look at 5 examples.
Revision Tips
Websites such as The Telegraph, The Guardian, The Times and The Independent have a lot of articles about how to revise effectively.
You are going to take a look at 5 examples.
You will visit each article and spend a couple of minutes reading it through. You then need to write in your book at least one tip from each article that you like.
This is a carousel activity. Students need to spend a couple of minutes (depending on how much time you have left) reading each article. You could put highlighters next to each one. As they go round, students need to write down in their books at least one tip they like from each article. They can discuss them in their groups. Some of the articles are more lengthy, encourage students to skim and scan if they are short of time. Take class feedback after the activity. What top tips did they write down?

7. Extension: What methods of revising do you now know?
Come up with a class list of all the different ways of revising that you know. How many can you think of? 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.
Extension Activity – ask students to come up with a class list of all the different ways they know of revising. E.g. Mind maps, flash cards, recording themselves, teaching someone, getting friends/parents to test them, completing past papers, Red pen/Black pen revision technique, mnemonics etc.

8. What will you take away with you?
On your post it note, reflect on and write an answer to the following question:
‘What am I leaving with today that I didn’t have/know when I came in?’
Before they leave, each student needs to write down on a post it note their own answer to the question: What am I leaving with today that I didn’t have/know when I came in?
Encourage students to go home and read further articles on how to revise. They may want to take a picture of their exercise books with their favourite revision tips.