New Platform for Terrific Tips!

Thanks for visiting! 

The reason why there haven't been any new posts on here in a while is because I've moved over to a new platform! You can find these posts, plus many more, at 

TerrificTipsfromTeachers.weebly.com

See you over there!

Checklists

Checklists can be used for so many things from daily routines to math problems to writing. 

Checklists are helpful because they can take the load off of our working memory, which does have a limited capacity. The more you use a checklist, the more likely you will be to develop an efficient routine and thus not need to utilize your working memory to accomplish a task- the process will feel automatic.

Checklists can help us to stay organized and to be more efficient because they remind us to do everything we need to do the first time, and we don't need to return for missed items or do something all over again because we didn't fully complete it.

Here are some examples of when you could use a checklist, and what it might include:

Writing

• Brainstorm
• Outline
• Draft
• Revise
• Edit

Within each of those steps in the writing process, you could develop a checklist to follow too. For example, an editing checklist could include the following:

• Each sentence ends with a punctuation mark.
• Each sentence begins with a capital letter.
• I have read each paragraph out loud, or had it read out loud to me, so I can hear if it makes sense and if I have any extra or missing words.
• Every proper noun is capitalized.
• Each new paragraph is indented.
• I have checked the spelling and for proper use of homophones (e.g. their/they're/there; bear/bare; break/brake)
• I have asked for another person to proofread my work, as a "second set of eyes."

Math

CNA routine:

• Correct last night's homework
• look at the Notes we took in class today
• Work on tonight's new Assignment

*This is a great routine for other subjects too- not just math!

Simplifying equations:

• Distribute if necessary
• Take care of operations with exponents
• Rearrange terms so like terms are next to one another.
• Combine like terms by adding coefficients
• Combine the constants
• Check your answer if possible!

Spanish

Basic writing

• Check for subject/ verb agreement.
• Check to make sure verbs are conjugated in the correct tense.
• Check for agreement between adjectives and what each is describing
• male/ female
• singular/ plural

Checklists are also helpful for non-academic tasks, like packing your backpack or completing your homework. Below is an example of a checklist you could hang in your locker or where you do your homework, to reference when re-packing your backpack. (Perhaps you won't need all of these each day; maybe you circle the ones you will need as you go through the day, then check off each of those as you pack them.) 

• Laptop
• Charger    

• Math binder
• Math notebook

• History textbook
• History binder

• English novel
• English binder
• free reading book

• Foreign language binder
• Foreign language textbook

• Science book  
• Science folder
• Science notebook

• Other:_______________________________
• Other:_______________________________

As you probably know, you can make checklists on your phone and computer too (with the Reminders app on a Mac, or by downloading another great, efficient app). There are lots of options for how and when you can use checklists, and I encourage you to try it out by thinking of a task you have trouble completing (or completing thoroughly); then, think about the steps you would need to take in order to complete the task thoroughly. Make that list, turn it into a "checklist," and use it for a few weeks to see how it goes! 

Please comment below about how and when you use a checklist, or to share any questions or ideas you have!

Test Anxiety

Do you get nervous or anxious before or during tests?

If so, read then try some of the following tips and suggestions! 

If not, do you ever get nervous or stressed out?
If so, read the following!
If not, how do you avoid it? Please share your own tips in the comments section below!

In general: 

• Get enough sleep, exercise, eat healthily, and drink enough water! 
• See your teachers for extra help, and spread out your active studying over a few days.
• Practicing the stress-relieving strategies listed below in lower-stress situations can help you to figure out which work best for you, and can make you better able to use them effectively when you are in higher-stress situations.

Before a test:

•       Ask your teacher about the test beforehand; how many questions, same format as usual, or different? If you know what to expect, you can visualize yourself doing well and practice for it!
•       Make a practice test for yourself (which is basically what an Active Practice is), then take it in a test-taking-like scenario; if you’re feeling anxious or nervous while taking that practice test, it’s a perfect time to use some of the other strategies listed below.
• ·     Think positive thoughts; “fake it ‘til you make it!”
•      Use positive self-talk: 
• “I’m working hard, and learning that best I can.” 
• “I’ve done well before, I can do it again.” 
• “I’ve been doing my homework, paying attention in class, and going for extra help, so I’m doing everything I can to help myself learn this!” 
• “I’m going to pass, but if I don’t do as well as I want, I still have plenty of opportunities to increase my grade and learn this material better.” 
• “My teacher isn’t trying to trick me; he/she wants me to do well!” 

• Replace perfectionist thoughts with more realistic ones. 
• Instead of “I have to answer every question correctly,” think “I will do my best on every question, and know I’ll get many right even if some I’m not totally sure of.”
• Avoid talking about the test with other people who are feeling nervous.
• Visualize yourself taking the test, feeling confident, and knowing how to solve the problems!

During a test: 

If you feel yourself starting to experience anxiety in your body, acknowledge those physical sensations. Tell yourself, “This is just my body feeling anxious, but I know how to calm down.” Then, practice some of the following:

• Close your eyes and shift your focus to your breath. Take 5-7 long, deep inhales and slow, long exhales, really paying attention to the physical sensations in your body and breath.

• Focus your attention on a group of muscles in your body (shoulders, face, or hands are often pretty easy because we can identify when they’re tense). Acknowledge that they might be tense, and feel that tension for a few moments, before intentionally and gradually relaxing each muscle. Notice the difference between the feeling of tension and that of relaxation. Notice if your breathing or other physical sensations change while doing this.

• Take smiling breaths; set your mouth in a soft smile or grin, then slowly breathe in and out through your nose 5-7 times.

•  Use a beaded “breathing cord” and focus on the physical sensation of moving the bead slowly while you inhale slowly, and then a second bead when you exhale slowly. 

•  Take a break: slowly and mindfully walk to get a drink of water or to the bathroom to splash water on your hands or face. Just don’t take too long of a break!

• Stretch!

    If you have other ideas or strategies that work for you, please share below!

Top-of-page tips

Just a quick post about a simple strategy you can use when completing homework or practicing a new concept you're not totally familiar or comfortable with yet:

On the top of the sheet of paper on which you're working, write down the things you most need to remember for the procedure or the steps you need to take to complete whatever sort of problem you're working on.

For example, I was working with a student on her math homework today, and she's forgetting how to start the procedure of simplifying. After talking through what she noticed about the steps we were taking to simplify expressions, she wrote on the top of her homework page
1. Distribute
2. Combine like terms
3. Continue until you don't have any more like terms

She was also having some trouble remembering how to combine positive and negative integers, so I suggested she also write Same signs, keep and add; different signs, subtract and keep the sign of the larger number. (You may have memorized this to the tune of "Row Row Row your Boat," which is another great memory strategy!)

Writing these notes out in a place you can see them as you work can do at least two things for you:

• First, having a visual of the steps or important things to remember, can take some of the load off of your working memory (which has limited capacity), so it's freed-up for the computational aspects of the work. 

• Secondly, writing down these notes or steps on your paper can help you to, over time, become more automatic in applying them. If you're in the habit of doing this with classwork, homework, and other times when you practice the concepts, you'll hopefully also remember to do the same on assessments right after they're handed out!

This can work for a variety of subjects too, not just math. For example, maybe you write the -ar verb endings on the top of a Spanish practice page, so you can reference it when conjugating verbs in sentences. Or, sketch out the chart you can use to find direct objects, indirect objects, predicate adjectives, and predicate nominatives.

What are some steps or procedures you might write out as a visual for other classes? If you have ideas, please leave them in the comment box below!

Setting SMART Goals

It's that time of year when many of us like to set a goal or two for ourselves, related (or not) to our (school)work, personal health, or social relationships.

While goal setting is a great habit to get into, we shouldn't just set any old goal- we should be setting SMART goals!

SMART is an acronym that stands for

Specific

Measurable

Attainable

Realistic

Time-bound


Below is an example, to clarify these elements of a SMART goal:

not-so-smart goal: I will do more Membean so I have 50 minutes done each week. 

SMART goal: I will complete 10 minutes of Membean at 7:30pm each day, Monday-Friday, so I have 50 minutes done by Sunday.

This goal is specific- the outcome is 50 minutes of Membean per week, and it also tells when and how you will work to meet the goal. If you know you'll need a reminder to do this, set one on your phone to pop up at a specific time, ask a parent or peer to remind you, or, better yet- write in in your planner!

This goal is also measurable. "More" can't necessarily be measured, but 10 minutes is 10 minutes, and you know it's 10 minutes because the program times it for you.

This goal is attainable, because it's something you're likely to be able to achieve. Completing 3 hours of Membean each week would probably be a less attainable goal because you have a lot of other things to do, but most of us can find 10 minutes per day, 5 days per week, to do something.

This goal is realistic, because it's something you could actually do. The only thing that may not be realistic for some people is scheduling the Membean training for the same time each night.

This goal is time-bound, because you'll be able to assess whether or not you met it each week, and even each day if you did the training or not. By Friday, you'll know if you succeeded and met your goal, and if so, great! If not, you still have a couple of days to make some changes to get to the ultimate goal of 50 minutes of training per week.

After the time period for which you set your goal is up, it's always a good idea to reflect on how it went. If the plan you laid out as part of your goal worked, and you were able to meet the goal, awesome! Keep doing that!
If that plan you had for meeting the goal wasn't so successful, perhaps you should look more closely to see if it really is a SMART goal; you may need to be more specific and realistic about the goal and your plan for meeting it.


A few other tips for sticking to the goals once you've made some SMART ones:

Write down your goals, and hold yourself accountable by tracking your progress in a visible place. For example, use a monthly printout on the outside of your bedroom door, put a chart on the refrigerator, or even post your progress on social media! When you share your goals with others, you gain a community of supporters and they can help to hold you accountable too.

If you start to become overwhelmed by your goals, just pick one or two to focus on. You can't change everything at once.

Don't allow setbacks to throw you off course. If you mess up, fine. Just start again. If you miss your scheduled Monday Membean training, don't just not do it for the rest of the week! Instead, do 20 minutes on Tuesday to make up for it, or plan to make up the 10 minutes on Saturday!

Organization Check!

Happy New Year!

At the start of a new calendar year, people often make resolutions about changing and improving, so although it's not necessary to change anything, it is a great time to take a close look at your habits and systems, to see which are serving you well and which could use a little revamping.

You have a solid four months of school under your belt, and so you should have a lot figured out about how to be successful in your classes.

If, however, you've had some difficulty completing homework, remembering necessary materials for class, or even seem to be lacking free time, it may be wise to look at how you're organizing your materials and using your time.

Some things to consider:

1. What kind of system do you have for recording homework? 

Is it working well?
If not, what seems to be the problem? Is there a system that could work better?
If it is, and you're not missing or forgetting homework and you're successfully preparing for assessments, then keep on doing what you're doing.
Having an efficient, thorough way to record and track what you need to do is the first essential step to managing your time.

2. Are you able to find what you need, when you need it?

This includes your personal belongings and all of the materials you need for school (including what's on your laptop). Can you easily find what you have saved on your laptop or in Google Drive? Do you know exactly where to go in a binder or in your locker or backpack to find something specific? If you
can't find what you need, or if it's taking longer than you'd like, try to develop a system for what goes where. A friend, family member, or adult at school will likely have some suggestions about how you might do this, based on what works for them.

3. How much free time do you have?

Do you seem to have enough time to spend on the things you enjoy? Are you getting enough sleep? Do you feel rushed from one activity to another each day? If you feel you don't have enough time to do what you'd like, take a good look at how you're using the time you do have.

For example, during school, how are you using your free periods and study halls? Are you using them to chat with friends, or to get work done? Are you enjoying your electives, or do you think one period would be better spent in a study hall? Is your bus ride to school in the morning the best place to try to catch a few more minutes of sleep, or could that be used to do some Membean training? Where might you be able to find a few extra minutes here and there to devote to what you enjoy? Maybe your bus ride can be the time to check Instagram and go on Snapchat, but the time period between school sports and your hockey practice is when you should get some KBAR reading done...

Make a schedule of how to use your time, and stick to it. Then, assess how it went and what might need to be tweaked. Routines can save us time and energy, but they should be routines that are effective for our purposes.

Oftentimes, getting organized with materials and routines can save you time and effort, even if it takes small investment of time up front.

Easy Mindfulness Exercises!

Many of us, students and adults alike, rush through our days, getting things done while thinking about what is coming up next. While it's important to be productive, this can come at the expense of missing out on fully experiencing the present moment, and being fully present in our selves in those moments. 

Mindfulness practices are designed to help us do just that- set aside the myriad thoughts running through our heads, tune out distractions, and notice what's happening now. Below are a few mindfulness practices you can try right in the classroom or at any other time during your busy day.

Exercise 1: Close your eyes. Put your hands on your belly and/or on your chest over your heart. Notice the depth of your breath. Take a few deeper breaths, filling your throat, then lungs, then belly as you inhale. Exhale and notice the different sensations in your throat, chest, and belly. Repeat a few times before opening your eyes.

Exercise 2: Find a comfortable seat with your feet planted on the floor. Close your eyes. Notice your feet- the temperature, fabric touching your skin, the way the bottom of your feet feel, the way the top of your feet feel. Shift your focus to your ankles. Notice the sensations your ankles are experiencing. Move up your body this way, noticing the sensations in each part of your body. Once you've reached the top of your head, notice your whole body. Then notice your breath. Take a few more deep breaths before opening your eyes.

Exercise 3: Take off your shoes. Relax your eyelids so that you are looking at the floor. Begin to walk slowly, noticing the sensation of your heels, your arches, and your toes as they contact the floor. Notice what changes when you move slightly slightly slower. Take deep inhales and exhales, and slow your walking down so that one step takes as long as one inhale. Notice the shift in sensations in your feet and lower extremities. Continue for as long as you'd like, or as long as you're able.

Give one of these exercises a try today, and see how it affects you!

Communicating with your teachers and other adults in school

One thing I've been noticing is that many students have trouble communicating with their teachers in writing, in an appropriate and formal-enough way.

The way you communicate with your teachers can make a big difference in how (and if) they respond to a question, suggestion, or request.

For example, if one of my students emailed me and wrote

i dont know what the homework is can u tell me?!?!

my response, if I chose to respond at all, would probably be about a couple of things other than what the students wanted to know. I would want to respond that a.) their messages to me need to have some element of formality, and b.) that they should write the homework in their planner during class when prompted, check the website if needed, and ask a friend before reaching out to me. In short, to use their resources!

However, if they had already done those three things, and still needed clarification about an assignment, a much better way to go about asking for help would be to write

Hi Ms. Keenan,

I forgot the details of what the homework assignment is. I should have written down more  detail in my planner. I will plan to do that next time. I also checked the website and asked Student B already, but I'm still confused. Could you please let me know the details of the assignment? In the future, I plan to write down the homework in detail as soon as you tell us what it is. 

Thank you,

Student A 

Just a quick example, but I hope you get the point! 

 

During Reading Strategies

Here's another screencast...

This time, it's about a few strategies to use during reading. 

Pop some popcorn, enjoy the video, then grab a good book and start practicing the strategies!

Before Reading Strategies

As we know, being strategic about reading saves time and energy AND helps you to better understand and retain what you read. Being a strategic, active reader needs to happen before, during, and after reading. In the screencast below, learn about active reading in general AND a few before-reading strategies you can use to warm up your brain for the text.

Tips from parents!

Many parents can experience nervousness about sending their child to a new school, or are unsure what they- and their child- can expect as they move on to another grade. If you (or your parent) falls into this category, you're not alone!

Although we're now a week and a half or so into the new school year, some parents submitted excellent tips for easing the transition back to school.


"As nerve-wracking as it may be for parents and/or child to send your kid off to a new place for the first time, just remember that it is unlikely that this is the first time that the school, daycare, or institution is welcoming a new face. If you've done your research, you're going to be leaving your child in the hands of well qualified individuals who likely have a seamless process in transitioning new children into a new school year/ program. As a parent, take a deep breath, kiss your kid goodbye, and really try to appreciate the quiet adult time you'll have (whether it be at work, school, or home) while your kids are off socializing."
- Mrs. W., mother of 2


"Build and develop a relationship with your child's teacher(s). Get to know, understand, and have comfort in the person or people who are the experts and are charged with educating your child. Once you have established an open line of communication, trust and development can thrive, for the student and the parent."
- Mr. R., father of 1 


"Try to tour wherever you're sending your child and meet the people who will be working with them, PRIOR to beginning their first day. It will be nice for the child and for you to have a familiar face and sense of the atmosphere, come that first day of school...when those nerves really start to act up!"
- Mrs. D, mother of 3


"In the days before school starts, help your child do some "mental walk-throughs" of the first day of school. This way, when the first day rolls around, your child will have already had an opportunity to mentally rehearse what the experience will be like!"
- Mrs. K., mother of 5

"...Reassure your student that nerves are normal, and that there are many other students who will be having the same thoughts and feelings on the first day of school. This will be the first day for a lot of the kids!"
- Anonymous

"The night before, make sure everything is ready for the morning. For my kids, that means picking our clothes, having their backpacks by the door, and 2 of them shower the night before."
- Anonymous

"Practice your morning routine before the actual first day, so you can start the day by being on time and not in panic mode!" 
- Mrs. F, mother of 3

Any more tips to share? Please email or comment below!

It's (almost) that time again!

I don't know about you, but I'm actually looking forward to the school year starting soon! I have a lot of ideas and plans for how I can make my teaching more effective and engaging, and I'm looking forward to getting to know all of my new students and seeing returning students.

At the middle school, we just finished up a 4-day mini-course for new students, where participants were introduced to a variety of strategies that will help them become more skilled at things like time management, organization, active reading, memorization, note-taking, and self advocacy. We had a fantastic group of students participate, and I want to thank their parents for supporting their attendance too.

Below is part of a letter that was sent home to parents on the last day of the mini-course; these are just some suggestions of how parents might support their student's continued progress once the school year is underway. Parents- you may see something in here that could be applicable to your child, even if he or she is not in middle school. Students- you may see something in here for yourself too! Just throwing it out here in case it can be helpful to anyone...

•  Help your student create and follow routines for homework and organization.

• Talk with your student about the strategies he or she is using to complete tasks; this reinforces the metacognitive element of learning.

• Help your student break down long-term projects or assignments into smaller, more manageable tasks; we call this “chunking” or “breaking big rocks into pebbles.” Then, help them to plan (and write down!) when to complete each smaller task, starting with the due date and working backwards; we call this “backwards planning.”

• Talk with your student about what he or she is learning, both content-wise and skill-wise. Emphasize that different strategies work for different people, and that we all need to figure out how we learn best, so we can be efficient and effective learners.

• Part of a student’s middle school experience should be figuring out how to manage more responsibility and independence. For students to have opportunities to learn and practice this, they need to be allowed to grapple with tasks, attempt to problem-solve independently, and experience natural consequences for their actions and inactions. (The Gift of Failure by Jessica Lahey is an interesting book that builds on this idea.)

• Encourage your child to communicate with his or her teachers and/or advisor, especially if they are feeling confused, overwhelmed or unsure of themselves. You could role-play a conversation they might have, or encourage them to write a note or email the teacher if they’re hesitant to initiate a conversation with them.

• Encourage your student to attend extra help sessions with their teachers, and any other skill-building workshops offered by the school (e.g. the HLC’s Snack and Study sessions are held about 2 times each month, for an hour after sports- so your student would need to be picked up from school when it’s over. Upcoming Snack and Study topics and dates will be posted in the weekly TNN email, and they will be in the daily morning announcements as well.) If you're not sure what resources might be available, have your child inquire!

•  Maintain a growth mindset- that is, embrace the belief that we can grow our “intelligence” in different areas, with strategic practice and perseverance. In conversations with your child about schoolwork, grades, and “abilities,” emphasize that strategic practice of a skill actually changes the brain’s structure by building and solidifying neural pathways; so, they’re not “doomed” to always struggle with one task, skill, or content area because the brain is like a muscle we can exercise to make stronger. (See the work of Carol Dweck for more information on growth mindsets- it’s pretty interesting stuff!)

Enjoy your remaining days of summer vacation, 

and see you soon!

Public Speaking

I will be presenting at the Annual Conference for the Association for Middle Level Educators (AMLE) this October, in Austin TX, which is a giant leap out of my comfort zone. Austin and the accompanying queso dip is totally within my comfort zone however, so I have that to look forward to...

Thinking about putting together a presentation and making sure that my first experience of speaking in front of a collection of colleagues from around the country, is at first quite daunting- but also exciting. In anticipation of this, I have begun to do some research about what makes a presentation engaging, and something that the audience actually wants to pay attention to. All of us, students and adults alike, have opportunities to become better at public speaking and engaging an audience. The following tips may help you to be more effective and interesting the next time you have the opportunity to speak in front of a group of people. 

1. Rehearse out loud, and with props or slides you plan to use. Practice in the room where you'll actually do the presentation, if possible. Listen to how the words sound coming out of your mouth, so you can avoid tongue twisters or awkward phrasing.

2. Speak slowly and loudly enough so the person in the back of the room can hear you.

3. Make eye contact with various members of your audience. If you make eye contact with them, they're more likely to make eye contact with you and remain at attention.

4. Some rules about using slides:

• Do not read off your slides word-for-word; this can make you feel more comfortable because you're just reading out loud and not really having to think about presenting, but it's boring for your audience and they're more likely to zone out while you're talking. 
• Use just a few words per slide. 
• Use images that directly tie in to what you are saying. An image is more likely to stick with a person in the audience, even if they don't remember exactly what you were saying. 
• Keep lists to a minimum; do not have more than 5-6 items on a slide. (I'm taking this advice right now, and am about to wrap up this post.)

5. Act excited and enthusiastic about the idea you're presenting; if you come off as bored, your audience will almost certainly be bored by you and your presentation no matter how much good information it contains.


I don't know about you, but I will certainly be using these strategies as I practice my presentation, and in October when it's time to chew my last tortilla chip, wipe the queso from my mouth, and speak with the audience! 

Preparing for Exams (and other tests)

With summer just around the corner, students (and parents) may be starting to think about end-of-year exams. No need to panic though! Keep in mind the following to get through exam season without a hitch...

An organized visual schedule can be
a great cue or prompt
for sticking to your plan

Time Management is Essential! 

• Find blocks of 30-45 minutes in your schedule, and then plan what to focus on during those blocks of time.
• Map out the “what” AND the “how." 
• Doing this in advance can save you time (and stress) later on. 
• Build in a short break (2-5 minutes) for every 45-60 minutes of studying.
• Use a timer so your breaks don't get too long!

• Prepare by first collecting content from which to study; then, create study materials; then, actively engage with and utilize those study materials. (More tips about this are below.)

•  Some teachers will work with you in class, to prepare for exams, and may even give you a timeline and specific tasks to do for preparation. Stick to those recommendations!

Keep a Balanced Perspective

• Keep these tests in perspective.
• Focus on the process, versus the product. 
• This means emphasizing the habits that you are working to develop, and the process of figuring out the sorts of study techniques that work best for you as an individual, rather than solely emphasizing the grade you end up with.
• Focus on HOW you're studying, rather than HOW MUCH you study.
• Maintain healthy habits: eat well-balanced meals, get plenty of sleep, stay active, and continue to participate in the things you enjoy!

Use ACTIVE Study Strategies

“Reading over” textbooks and notes is NOT efficient studying!

“Chunk Down” the Content- Break large amounts of material into smaller pieces. Before setting out to attack your class material, color code or label it. Divide the material into what you know well (green), what you need to review (yellow), and what is unfamiliar (red).
 You can also consider breaking down your material into the categories outlined on a study guide given to you by your teacher, or according to how recent the material is.


Teach Someone Else-You’ll know that you’re really comfortable with the material if you can teach it to someone else. Teach a parent or sibling, encourage them to ask you questions...and then answer their questions.

CREATE Study Materials  

• Using pre-made Quizlet sets is okay, but you may retain more when you’re creating the study materials instead of just reviewing what someone else has done.

A graphic organizer, filled in or entirely created by you,
can be a great way to see the big ideas
and connections in your class material. 

• ŸGraphic Organizers: For many classes, it can make sense to create a graphic organizer or visual that shows the connections between the content/ topics that you have studied this year. Creating a graphic organizer can help you to not only see how the topics are connected, but can also help you to identify “big ideas” to focus on. 

• ŸNote Cards: On the front, write the term, big idea, event, etc. On the back, answer who, what, when, where, why is it significant questions. Does it take longer? Yes, but you will have a more thorough understanding of the material. 

• Create a visual trigger on the front of the note card. This can be a phrase or picture, or some other sort of mnemonic. In the testing situation, the visual trigger may be just the thing that pops into your mind and cues the answer.

• Play with the note cards. Rather than just flipping through and trying to memorize the words on the card, get creative. Make different groups and categories (e.g. leaders and battles; bones and organs; verbs and nouns) then re-categorize them. Compare the cards to one another. How were 2 leaders the same or different? Why was one battle more significant than others? By manipulating the note cards, you are engaging in higher-level thinking…the sort of skills you’ll need to practice in order to answer essay and other open-response questions.

• ŸTriple Note Totes: These are useful when you’re working on memorizing material. Fold a paper into three columns. In the first column, list the vocabulary you’re trying to remember. In the middle column, write the definition or important information about that term. In the third column, create and note down a mnemonic device for linking the term to the necessary information (definition, dates, importance, etc.).

Test Yourself- You’ve have had a whole year’s worth of experience taking tests and quizzes for a class, so you can use those old assessments to study from. You can:

• Make corrections to old tests and quizzes, using your notes and textbooks.
• Make up your own practice questions based on the sorts of questions teachers have used in the past.
• Look at chapter titles or section headings in a book, and turn them into essay questions.
• Turn class notes into fill-in-the-blank or short answer questions.
• Make practice tests to exchange with classmates.

Form a Study Group- Study groups can be good for reinforcing material you already know, and provide you with an opportunity to practice and review what you’re not as comfortable with. However, you must keep them structured and focused, in order for group meetings to be useful.

Have additional tips for dealing with exams? Share in the comments below!