How to pass exams… Put in the time Revise Practice There is no short cut!

Why revise? Reduces panic – gives you control and confidence→ Means exams reflect what you can do, not what you didn’t bother to do – show what you know! Helps you to identify problem areas

Where to start? When to do it? Work out how much time you have, being realistic. Take into account your ideal time of day to work – work out when you will revise Break it down to make it seem manageable. ‘Revising for GCSEs’ sounds like too much hard work. ‘Revising French names for countries’ is doable.

Resource 4 Eat…sleep…socialise…relax…work…play A week in my life… MonTuesWedThurFriSatSun Day time (till 5)

Revision timetable – long term (or use the school one) Week commencing Subjects and topics Day to revise them Time to revise them e.g. English – Short StoriesMonday8-9pm

What and how?!?! 1)Find out what you need to know. What will actually be tested in the exam? E.g. Romeo and Juliet was for English coursework, not the exam, so you can put aside any notes about it. Your subject teacher will tell you this! 2)Get the notes/ material that you need. Get the exercise books, textbooks, folders etc. that contain the information that you need. (Most revision guides will have this already summarised)

Action Points: (what I need to do before I start to revise)

What and how?!?! (2) 3) Pick your revision method(s). We learn: 10% of what we read (so just reading notes is almost pointless!) 20% of what we hear 30% of what we see 40% of what we see and hear 70% of what is discussed 95% of what we teach to someone else Revision

Revision Buddy - this is a powerful way of revising providing you both do it seriously. Remember 95% of what you teach to someone else you learn!! Short Sharp 20 minute slots are much better than ‘1 hour pretending to revise sessions.’ ‘Little and Often’ is the mantra.

A selection of revision techniques for different learning styles – mix them; try them out! Visual: Use post its + stick on wall Summarise notes Highlight or circle important info Use a traffic light system to indicate progress in learning and action points Draw diagrams, pictures, mind maps Auditory: Make up mnemonics, rhymes Tape yourself and listen Test yourself or friends Be the teacher – teach someone else something you’re revising Kinaesthetic: Make your own PowerPoint presentation Complete past papers/ plans Complete summary sheets Act topics out! Play a game on BBC Bitesize/ use SAM learning

Using a highlighter Your brain can’t remember a whole textbook/ folder. You have to sift through to find the key points. Just looking for the key points makes your brain think about the topic so you remember it better. With your highlighters, find the key points in the following text:

Science text: Anatomy of the human arm The human arm contains 30 bones, joints, muscles, nerves, and blood vessels. Many of these muscles are used for everyday tasks The humerus is the (upper) arm bone. It joins with the scapula above at the shoulder joint (or glenohumeral joint) and with the ulna and radius below at the elbow joint. The elbow joint is the hinge joint between the distal end of the humerus and the proximal ends of the radius and ulna. The upper arm bone is not easily broken. It is built to handle pressure of up to 300lbs.

Now you need to make that key information memorable… What do YOU remember best? –Words or -Pictures or -Sounds?

Making study cards Taking your summarised information from the highlighted text, make yourself a study card on that topic. Use coloured pens/ highlighters/ pictures MAKE IT MEMORABLE! Just MAKING that card is revision and is helping your brain to revise.

Study card example Key facts - plants Need food and light... They take in carbon dioxide They give out oxygen Collects CO2 O2 Out Plants need: nitrogen h ydrogen o xygen c arbon ↓ N ever H ide O ur C ar

Making mnemonics Mnemonics that you probably already know: * Never Eat Shredded Wheat (North, East, South, West on a compass) *Richard Of York Gave Battle In Vain (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet for the colours of the rainbow) What are they for? They give your brain a ‘hook’ to hang a memory on. You use the first letter of each word that you need to remember to make up a memorable catchphrase (rather than just trying to remember random words) Try to make up a mnemonic to help you remember all the bones of the arm in order

The sections of the arm – use a mnemonic to learn them C_______________ S_______________ H_______________ R_______________ U_______________

Using acronyms Work in a similar way to mnemonics E.g. in English, your writing is marked for: Purpose, Audience, Format, Spelling, Paragraphing, Vocabulary, Punctuation and Sentence Structure ↓ PAFS and PVPS – easier!

How about…? C R U S H »(for the sections of the arm?)

Designing diagrams/ mindmaps You can use them to summarise information You can use them to test yourself. They make your brain pick out the key bits of information.

Useful to summarise main ideas Topic Main idea

Useful to show hierarchy

Useful for showing processes......

Using Post-Its Active/ movement Use your post-its for your key words Put these in places where you will see them frequently e.g. the mirror, kettle, wardrobe.