This page offers students helpful tools for studying, homework completion and test-taking skills. These tips will include general study skills, as well as specific topics that relate to what they are studying in their classes. We hope that all Marie Murphy students use and find this page to be helpful. We encourage students, or others, to leave comments under tips they have tried, and whether or not they found it to be helpful.
An Active Reading Strategy
When you are reading a text for a class, you must be an ACTIVE participant during the reading. You need to be actively thinking while you are reading (about the text) and not just a passive participant who is allowing the information to go in one ear and out the other. One way to be an active reader (especially for those tough non-fiction readings in SS and Science) is to RCRC.
R – READ
- read a paragraph or short selection, thinking about the topic & important details
C – COVER
- cover the paragraph/short selection with your hand
R – RECITE
- tell yourself what you have read
* say the topic
* say the important details
* say it in your own words
C – CHECK
- lift your hand & check
- skim back though the reading
- if you forget something that is important, re-read
* One study found kids who were taught to do active reading & practiced it scored 60% higher on chapter content tests.
YOU CAN ALSO USE THIS GREAT STRATEGY TO REVIEW YOUR SS NOTES.
R – REVIEW YOUR NOTES FOR THE SECTION
C – COVER THAT SECTION
R – RECITE THE MAIN IDEA/DETAILS IN YOUR OWN WORDS
C – CHECK YOUR NOTES TO SEE IF YOU MISSED SOMETHING!
Dr. Anita Archer Content Area Reading /Comprehension 1/04
Time Management
Homework, soccer practice, piano lessons, Hebrew school, upcoming tests and projects, hanging out with friends… AHHHHHHHHHH! How do I manage it all?
If you have ever felt like this, then you are not alone. Many middle school students feel the stress of school becoming more demanding and life outside of school become more busy. How can you help alleviate some of this stress? One way is to organize your month by mapping out important dates both for school and your personal life. Scholastic.com offers a wonderful tool that lets you organize your month, so that you can make better decisions and not get overwhelmed or get caught off guard by a test or basketball game you forgot about. You can fill it out, print it and keep it handy by posting it in your room, on the fridge or anywhere you will see it.
Check it out http://www.scholastic.com/kids/homework/calendar.htm
Food for thought: Studying for your Social Studies test
START EARLY.
Mr. Ro gives his study guides (which can appear long and daunting) 4-5 days BEFORE the test.
But WHY??????
So you can organize yourself and study a little bit each night.
20-25 minutes a night should work!
For example:
Study guide is given on Monday and the test is on Friday.
Here is an example of how you could break it down.
Monday Night: Fill out Part A/B and review these parts
Tuesday Night: Fill out Part C/D and review these parts
Wednesday Night: Fill out the Practice Questions and review
Thursday Night: Review the entire studyguide
Friday: Come to school confident and ready to take the test
Taking good notes
1. Preview the section first. Look at heading, pictures, bold words.
2. Read the section.
3. Locate main topics and details
4. Paraphrase the notes in your own words. REMEMBER: THIS IS ONE TIME YOU DO NOT HAVE TO USE COMPLETE SENTENCES.
5. Go back and create main ideas/summaries for each section, using the notes you took.
Great study tips article
This is a great article for both middle school students and parents. It touches on tips that help with organization, homework, test-taking and general tips that are geared to supporting students towards more independence. We hope you enjoy the article.
