STUDY SKILLS WEB QUEST

STUDENT NAME:HOME GROUP: HOME ROOM TEACHER:PERSONAL CHECKLIST

CLICK TO CHECK

I KNOW HOW MUCH TIME TO GIVE TO STUDYI KNOW THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF STUDYI HAVE CREATED A STUDY TIMETABLEI KNOW MY LEARNING STYLEI HAVE AT LEAST THREE STUDY METHODS THAT MATCH MY STYLEI CAN USE THE POWERFUL STUDY METHODS (NOTE TAKING, SUMMARISING AND MIND MAPS)I KNOW HOW TO PREPARE AND SIT EXAMS

The WebQuest has been designed to let you investigate and develop your own study skills. Feel free to jump around and complete sections as you feel they are most needed. There are video clips to help you gain these skills, but remember not everyone learns the same. If the method shown does not seem to work for you, give it a go and if it is not successful, try another method.

PURPOSE OF STUDY:There are three main purposes OF study:1. Revision to go over what you have learnt in a lesson and commit it to long term memory

2. Practice to recite or repeat skills or vocab

3. Task specific to prepare for an assessment like tests or exams.It is important that your study is more than just for exams and that you commit regular time to the process. You may be able to ace all your tests without study, youre lucky you if you can. This is Year Eight, however, and this probably will not be true in Year Twelve. It is important to learn these skills early as more will be required of you as you move on. It may be a real struggle to learn these skills and discipline yourself when you get to Year 12.HOW MUCH STUDY?It is important that you increase the amount of study you complete from year to year. As a guide the following table can help: YEARHOURS

81

91

102Study is NOT just homework.

112

123

This could include: Homework Learning vocab Getting ready for assessment Working on assignments Going over the days work

STUDY HABITSSuccessful students have good study habits. Read about each study habit. Highlight in blue those that you have.Highlight in red those that you dont have The descriptions are jUmBlEd, so rearrange them next to the matching words TIPDESCRIPTION

Try not to do too much studying at one time.Yes, weekends should be fun time. But there is also time to do some review. This will help you be ready to go on Monday morning when another school week begins.

Plan specific times for studying.If you try to do too much studying at one time, you will tire and your studying will not be very effective. Space the work you have to do over shorter periods of time. Taking short breaks will restore your mental energy.

Try to study at the same time.Reviewing your notes can help you make sure you are doing an assignment correctly. Also, your notes may include information that will help you complete an assignment.

Set specific goals for their study times.Study time is any time you are doing something related to schoolwork. It can be completing assigned reading, working on a paper or project, or studying for a test.

Start studying when planned.Studying at the same times each day establishes a routine that becomes a regular part of your life, just like sleeping and eating. When a scheduled study time comes up during the day, you will be mentally prepared to begin studying.

Work on the assignment they find most difficult first.Goals will help you stay focused and monitor your progress. Simply sitting down to study has little value. You must be very clear about what you want to accomplish during your study times.

Review your notes before beginning an assignment.Your most difficult assignment will require the most effort. Start with your most difficult assignment since this is when you have the most mental energy.

Tell their friends not to call or message them during their study times, or turn of your I.M. or phone. You may delay starting your studying because you don't like an assignment or think it is too hard. A delay in studying is called "procrastination." If you procrastinate for any reason, you will find it difficult to get everything done when you need to. You may rush to make up the time you wasted getting started, resulting in careless work and errors.

Review their schoolwork over the weekend.Two study problems can occur if your friends call you during your study times. First, your work is interrupted. It is not that easy to get back to what you were doing. Second, your friends may talk about things that will distract you from what you need to do.

((Ten Study Habits of Successful Students. http://www.how-to-study.com/study-skills/en/study-habits-of-successful-students.asp 3/19/2012

ORGANISING YOUR STUDY

1. Draw up a study timetable and block in all activities, work, class, and any household or other responsibilities you may have. Include meal times and travel time.

2. Work out your most effective study times. Morning, afternoon or evening?

3. Consider: Which subjects need the most study and revision? Estimate how many hours you think you need for each subject and try to match this with the hours available in your study plannertimetable.

4. Block in some study times, preferably 40 minutes at a time, with 5-10 minutes break every 40-50 minutes.

5. Start at exam periods or due dates for assignments and work backwards, blocking in more study time in the relevant subject closer to the exam/due date. Make sure that you prepare for each exam over several days and dont fill up the last few days too heavily. Also put in any events which may affect your study times, such as birthdays, social events and work functions.

6. You may want to plan in detail for each study session. Write down which topic you will be reviewing. (e.g. study notes, list of definitions, language exercise, essay plan).

7. If you have some smaller amounts of time available for study, consider how they could be used e.g. skim reading an article, proofing a draft, sorting a bibliography, using flash cards, etc. Travel time on public transport can also be used for reading. 8. You can occasionally use lunch to revise, but remember this is your mental break time. If you must study at lunch try doing a group study session.

(http://www.eng.monash.edu.au/current-students/download/preparing-timetable.pdf ACCESSED: 3/19/2012)

CREATING MY STUDY TIMETABLE

A weekly study timetable will make you aware of how much time you actually have each week, and will help you use that time effectively. Below is an example of a study timetable, however, this should include individual subjects, not just STUDY. Be realistic. This should be an actual timetable, which is possible, not some ideal that can never be achieved. Make enough copies to cover all the weeks leading up to exams or assessment. Try using the MS Outlook calendar.

To create your own study time table begin by thinking about which will requre more time and less study time. Rearange them in the table below from highest study time at the top to lowest study time at the bottom. MATHSHIGEST TIME NEEDED

ENGLISH

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGY

LANGUAGE

VISUAL ARTS

P.E.

LOWEST TIME NEEDED

Now think about those that you find easiest to motivate yourself to study and those that you find hardest to motivate yourself to study. Rearrange them in the same way as above.MATHSHARDEST TO MOTIVATE MYSELF

ENGLISH

SCIENCE

TECHNOLOGY

LANGUAGE

VISUAL ARTS

P.E.

EASIEST TO MOTIVATE MYSELF

Ok ! Now take a look at the table below.1. Block in any sporting commitments, family tasks, and social events. 2. Block in any travel time. 3. Block any rehearsal or musical instrument time. 4. Place those subjects that rated high in either scale in the morning or afternoon.5. Place those subjects that rated low in either scale in the evening. 6. Be sure to add 10 min. break gaps for every hour studied. 7. If it works for you colour code your subjects. HINT: Schedule small rewards for yourself if you stick to your study time. Start using your study timetable. See how well it works. What did you leave out? It can be changed as you go, but do this consciously: look at what is not working, which areas you need more time in and change the timetable. This is much better than just throwing the timetable away. STUDY TIMETABLE WEEK: _________________________MondayTuesdayWednesdayThursdayFridaySaturdaySunday

7 8 am

8 9 am

9 10 am

10 11 am

11 12 pm

12 1 pm

1 2 pm

2 3 pm

3 4 pm

4 5 pm

5 6 pm

6 7 pm

7 8 pm

8 9 pm

9 10 pm

For other hints on study timetables try:http://www.atarcalculator.com.au/how-to-study/make-a-study-timetable

You could also do this using the MS outlook Calendar. Here is a YouTube clip to show you how.

STUDY ENVIRONMENTA study environment is a place where you can maximize your concentration and be free of the distractions that friends or hobbies can bring. If you have to be studying then it pays to make it an efficient use of time. if you are not studying in the same place each night you are disadvantagedconcentration and motivation are easier if you establish a pattern organise materials at the start so you do not disrupt yourself. Including snacks !!.

MY STUDY ENVIRONMENTHave a look at the diagram below and then list the positive and negative things about your study environment.

(Smart Study Habits. http://blog.iqmatrix.com/mind-map/smart-study-habits-mind-mapACCESSED: 3/19/2012)MY STUDY ENVIRONMENT

POSITIVESNEGATIVES

Take a look at the MindMap above and YouTube Clip below and list 3 things in it that might help deal with the negative elements in your study environment.Mind MapYouTube Clip

1. ___________________________

2. ___________________________

3. ___________________________

1.___________________________

2. ___________________________

3.___________________________

MANAGING MY STUDY SESSIONS

DEALING WITH DISTRACTIONS

One of the first things to manage when you study is distractions. Maybe it is your phone, maybe that noisy brother. There are lots of simple ways to avoid distractions. For example, for some, plugging in some head phones and playing some music will work, but for some this is a distraction! Dealing with distractions is very individual. Take a look at the mind map below and highlight three things that would work for you.

1. ________________________2. ________________________3. ________________________

LEARNING STYLESYour study can be improved if you study in ways that cater for your learning style. Learning styles are the best methods a person can use to gain knowledge. When you study it helps you remember difficult content if you present it in a way that matches your learning style.

Try the quiz below to work out your learning style and then click your style and paste in the description. LEARNING STYLE QUIZMY LEARNING STYLEDESCRIPTION

MY STRONGEST LEARNING STYLE IS

MY SECOND STRONGEST STYLE

LEARNING STYLE STUDY METHODSNow you know your main learning style it is time to pick a study method that fits your style.Remember that different methods suit different subjects so you need at least FOUR methods.Click the hyperlinks to learn how they work Take note the methods in red are really powerful. Even if they are not your learning style it is worth using them at least a few times a week. LEARNING STYLESSUITABLE STUDY METHODS

VISUALMIND MAPSVISUALISATIONDRAW A PICTUREASSOCIATION HIDE WRITE COMPAREANALOGYFLASH CARDS

SPATIALMIND MAPSANALOGY CROSSWORD CREATOR STICKY NOTES (this clip shows how to us sticky notes)

SOCIAL INTERPERSONALSTUDY GROUPSSTORY TELLINGTRIVIA GAME

MUSICALUSING MUSIC SONGUSING RAP

BODY KINESTHETICDANCEHIDE WRITE COMPARELOCI

VERBAL LINGUISTICACRONYMS RECORDING (this link shows how to use audacity software)NOTE TAKING2.1.0 METHODACROSTICS REPETITION

INTRAPERSONAL STUDY GROUPSSTORY TELLING

MY STUDY METHODSNow you have done your research into your study methods record them below. Make sure at least one of your methods is a POWER method.

MY METHODDESCRIPTION OF METHOD

1.

2.

3.

4. (POWER METHOD)

POWER STUDY METHODS

NOTE TAKING Note taking is really powerful and it beats that very poor method of just reading through a text book. It can be used both as a daily revision strategy and to create study notes for an exam. It is a power method because your brain recalls things when you transfer information from one format to another.It is also powerful because it invokes both your sight and also the kinesthetic act of writing. There are a few ways of note taking and these often suit different subjects METHODGOOD FOR

Paraphrasing Summarizing

YouTube clipHumanities, Science

Bullet pointsHumanities, Science, English

Graphic organisers (tables, Venn diagrams, mind maps, fishbone diagrams, timelines)

A link to Graphic Organiser templates

English, P.E., Drama, Technology, Art

Highlighting

English. Humanities Science

Notes in a margin

Humanities, Science, English

NOTES IN THE MARGINThis can be very useful especially when studying a novel or a poem. Be sure that you do not write in pen in school textbooks. Most of your textbooks are now digital, so it should be possible to annotate them digitally. There are several ways to do this. The worst is to use a yellow highlighting marker (or hot pink, or whatever color you like). The main problem with this is that you will tend to find almost every sentence to be important or interesting. As a consequence, every page will become yellow (or hot pink, or whatever). Not only does this defeat the purpose of highlightingbecause if everything has been highlighted, then really nothing has been!but the pages of your text will become damp, curl up, and be generally messy.WRITTEN VERSIONDIGITAL VERSION

YouTube lesson on Notes with MS Word.

YouTube lesson Notes with Adobe Acrobat

Practice your highlighting on the next page using the word highlighting tool.

STUDY TECHNIQUES FOR EXAMS Find out about the exam Find out what format the exam will take i.e. Are the questions in essay, short answer or multiple choice format? Is the exam open book or closed book?

To do lists - Make a to do list before each study session. Breaking tasks down into small, manageable tasks will make it less overwhelming. Cross them off as you go.

Past exam papers - Ask your teacher for past exam papers. They can be a useful insight into what your exam will be like and can also provide a guide for what you know and the areas in which you need help. For subjects in which you will have to solve problems or write proofs, solve lots of sample problems from your text.

Study groups - Forming a studying group can be a helpful way to revise your notes and work through past exam. If you have questions about your work, a study group may be a good place to have them answered.

Wallpaper -Write down key concepts you have to learn on small sheets of paper followed by examples of how they are used. Post these sheets around your house, e.g. your bed, on the toilet door, on front of the fridge. It helps with remembering things like equations, quotes and languages.

Ask lots of questions of your teachers or tutor - Your teacher ortutor can help if you are having trouble with understanding subjects or a particular topic.Asking for help doesn't mean you're a failure or stupid - it's smart to tap into their knowledge to help you perform better. Revise and learn (don't just re-read) - Sometimes reading through notes doesn't result in learning or understanding. Include the following in revising each topic: vocabulary, technical terms definitions summaries of points formulae, rules, diagrams, charts Make a Study Notes Use your recopied class notes, together with your highlighted text and notebook, to make an outline of the material. Try to put as much as possible onto the front sides of only 1 or 2 sheets of paper. Then do all your studying from these. Write Sample Essays & Do Sample ProblemsFor subjects in which you will be expected to write essays make up some plausible essay questions, or get copies of old exams that have real essay questions on them. Then write sample essays. Although the essay questions that you find or make up may not be the actual ones on your exam, you will probably find that much of what you wrote in your sample essays by way of preparation for the exam can be recycled for the actual exam.

A STUDENT CASE STUDYView this students strategies and tick off which ones she uses. Find out about the exam To do lists Past exam papers Study groups Wallpaper Revise and learn (don't just re-read) Make a Study Notes Write Sample Essays Do Sample ProblemsParaphrasing SummarizingBullet pointsGraphic organisers Notes in a margin

THE DAY OF THE EXAMEveryone has those nervous butterflies zipping around in their insides the day of the test, but when you have just minutes before your teacher, professor, or proctor distributes the test, what else can you do? It's already the day of the test! Sure, it's probably too late to learn Quantitative Reasoning, but the day of the test is not too late to engage in some helpful activities that will increase your score.Prepare Physically.

On the day of the test, head to the bathroom before you get to class. Get a drink of water. Eat a breakfast that involves brain food! Don't forget to wear a watch. You'll need to keep an eye on the minute hand while you're testing. It is helpful if you divide up the exam in time chucks.Arrive early to the classroom. Give yourself time to relax and reflect for several minutes before the test begins. (SOURCE: http://homeworktips.about.com/od/schooltests/a/tips.htm 3/20/2012)

Manage your stressIf you are feeling stress try a stress management method like deep breathing.

DEEP BREATHING VIDEO

DURING THE EXAM

Look over the entire test as soon as you receive it. Take time to determine how much time you should spend on each section. For instance, if you find a multiple choice section followed by two large essay questions, be sure to give yourself enough time for the essays. Assign a time limit to each section. You can always go back if you finish early. Write down, on scrap paper, brief reminders (keywords) of everything that you remember about the topic of the question. For essays develop an outline of your answer. For an exam with problems to solve or proofs to write, do the easy ones first. Pay close attention to directions. Read them twice, if possible. Don't make assumptions. For multiple choice questions, try to answer the question before looking at your choices. If you're right, one of the choices will match your answer. Tackle the easy questions first. Skip over any questions you're not sure about. Sometimes answers come clear to you later, after you take a second look at the question. (Sometimes, the answers even appear in the essay question or elsewhere!) Every time you skip a question, be sure to mark it. How many times have you left an answer blank by accident? Ouch--whaFirst, read the entire exam all the way through.

When you are all done, review your answers carefully.

ESSAY TESTSFor an essay tests write an essay plan. If you run out of time some teachers will include this in your marks. Here is a handy clip to help you with the process. Also be sure you understand the tricky keywords in essays.In the table below insert the keywords from the hyperlink and add their definitionsKEYWORD WORDMEANING

MULTIPLE CHOICE Read the question carefully and think of an answer before you see your choices. Read the choices to see if your answer is there. If so, it is probably right. Read the other answers quickly to be certain. Cross out any answers that are obviously wrong. When you narrow your choices to two, try each answer with the question to see if they both make sense. Sometimes you'll find a hidden clue, like a subject/verb agreement that gives it away. If you are confused by "all of the above" and "none of the above" questions and they tend to take up too much time, leave all of those blank and go back to them. These questions have an element of logic to them, and some people take longer than others to work out logic problems. If you find that they require a little extra concentration, you may need to treat them as a separate section. Mark any questions that you leave blank so you'll know to come back to them. If you are stumped about a word, dissect it for clues. Think about the meanings of the prefix or suffix. Compare it to other words that start with the same letters. For example, the prefix "epi" is found in the word epidermis, which refers to the top layer of the skin. Dont second-guess yourself. If you make an educated guess the first time around, dont go back and start changing your answers around. Keep an eye on the clock to give yourself time to re-visit the questions you left blank. Bonus tip: If all else fails, choose B or C! A few studies show that those answers are correct at a slightly higher rate than A or D. (How to Study. http://www.cse.buffalo.edu/~rapaport/howtostudy.html#active ACCESSED: 3/19/2012)

YEAR NINE STUDY WEBQUEST TERM 2- 2012Page 1