Study Tips for 8th Grade Students
Review nightly
o Spend 10-20 minutes each night looking over notes/work from your classes
Work with an adult
o Ask an adult to read definitions and you guess the correct vocabulary term
o Ask an adult to let you read your notes aloud to them
o Ask an adult to quiz you on your notes
Take things home
o Re-read the section in the notes/book over which your are being tested
o Take time to review the graphs/diagrams/figures on each page
o Read the section/notes aloud to a parent
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Create Flash Cards
o For each vocabulary word, write the word on the front and the definition on the back
See a teacher
o Get extra help before the assessment to make sure that you are getting any questions about the material answered before the test
Schedule study and review sessions on a regular basis
Find out what the assessment will cover
Use the provided study guide or create your own
For math, use old homework/classwork problems and just change some of the numbers to create new problems
Invest time in a quiet environment; no t.v., computer, etc.
Set the scene for study.
o Studying for a test requires concentration, organization and motivation. Make sure all possible distractions are moved out of the way and that the environment you are in best fits your study habits.
Ways You Remember:
1. Repetition! Repetition! Repetition!
2. Reading aloud to yourself, an adult, a friend
3. Writing the information again
4. Seeing visuals such as charts in your text book
5. Quiz yourself or having an adult or friend quiz you. When you are able to recall the information without looking at your notes, you really know it.
6. Participating in class
7. Really trying to understand what you are learning and not just “going through the motions”
8. Working hard on your homework assignments
9. Paying attention to what your teachers are sharing with you
Flash Card Study:
1. Take the first pile and place the memory trigger/question side face up in front of you.
2. Look at the top card. Study the memory trigger or read that question. Try to recall the information or the answer.
3. Turn over the card to check your answer. If you were correct, place it in a discard pile. All cards placed in the discard pile contain material you have committed to memory.
4. If you were unable to give an answer or if your answer was incorrect, reread the card again aloud. You may need to read the card a few times to commit it to memory. Return the card to the bottom of the pile. You may only place the card in the discard pile when you can answer the question correctly.
-1.
Acronyms are a word or phrase composed entirely of letters that are cues to the words we want to remember. EX. HOMES (names of the Great Lakes: Huron, Ontario, Michigan, Erie, Superior)
Acrostics are sentences or rhymes in which the first letter of each word is a cue. EX. My Very Educated Mother Just Served Us Nine Pizzas. (Planets: Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto)
Note-taking and Active Reading: underlining and highlighting, taking notes in margins, asking questions to oneself while reading, reviewing, making webs and outlines
Test Taking Tips:
1. Start Smart and Take “2”- take two minutes before beginning the test to unload the information you know on the back of the test. For two minutes, and ONLY two minutes, jot down all of the names, dates and phrases you can remember. When the two minutes are over, begin your test. When you come to a difficult question, refer to your take “2” notes to help you remember the answer.
2. Read the directions carefully.
3. Mark questions you cannot immediately answer and continue with the test. When you are done answering the questions you know, go back to the ones that you marked. If all else fails, guess the answer.
4. Double-check your answers if time permits.
5. Use clues on throughout the test to help you with questions on the test.
Compiled by the 7th Grade Team 2010-2011, Reading Middle School