‘How to Revise’ A Guide for Parents and Students

First things, first

What do I need?

Mobile Phones – Friend or Foe? FriendFoe

How to ‘Revise – Maths’ The best way to revise Maths is to DO IT! The Maths team recommend

Corbett Maths ‘5 a day’ worksheets at 3 different levels, Numeracy, foundation and Higher. These also have answers and worked solutions. Videos, worksheets and exam style questions for all GCSE topics Revision Quizzes Practice GCSE papers

There are 5 questions for everyday for students to try. Have a go then check your answers.

How to ‘Revise English’ Spend 20 minutes a day on the web site which as everything you have been studying. You can read/practise and extend and develop your notes. Or use your AQA English Revision Workbook for 20 minutes a day – this book has been made just for your exams and it really does improve your grades! Also, CGP Key Stage 4 Reading and/or Writing books are good - from Amazon/W H Smiths etc. If you need more Reading help then get the Reading one, and more Writing help get the writing one. Find your own websites for grammar or punctuation or good vocabulary and practice sentences – youtube has some funny ones!

Visual Learner? – Use YouTube!

How to Prepare for English Language Questions 1.Study an advertisement in a magazine or newspaper or on the internet. Decide who the audience is, and how you know, what is the advert trying to say and how it says it. Think carefully about the words and images that have been used. Think about the size of the picture and the words – what effect is the advert trying to have on you? Jot down some words to describe the effect you think the advertiser is trying to create and then use a thesaurus and

How to Prepare for English Language Questions Read a newspaper report from The Guardian, The Times, The Independent or The Telegraph every day for 2 weeks. Look outside your bedroom window. List four things you can see. For each thing, describe how it looks, sounds, tastes and smells. Write four sentences, each one beginning with either an adverb, or an adjective, or an exciting and dramatic finite verb (e.g. Whirling across the road, the leaves brushed the tarmac, bruising the cold concrete with the fresh, acrid smell of decomposing life.)

English Literature There will be questions about The Novel – Of Mice and Men – John Steinbeck The Play – ‘An Inspector Calls’ The Poetry – ‘Moon on the Tides’

How to prepare for questions about the Novel Create a time line of the key events in Of Mice and Men, giving each chapter a heading and remember it, in which each event is located. This will help you in your exam to find the evidence quickly when you need to.

How to Prepare for questions about the Play Compile a list of the ideas or themes that are used An inspector Calls. Brainstorm some of the events that happen in the play under those headings. Identify the passages in the play where you think this theme is explored and find how the writer describes these ideas.

How to Prepare for questions about the Play Select two poems and choose three phrases from each that best sum up for you the content and meaning of the poem: and write a SQUI for each one explaining HOW that phrase explores the meaning of the poem.

How to Revise for - Science Use the Revision Work books produced by the science team. One for each Physics/Chemistry and Biology in Core and Additional Science. They include worksheets that students can work through.

How to Revise for Science Use the Revision Guides and gather all your content in different ways. Use colour and diagrams, highlight formula so they stand out. Make postcards with lots of information that you can keep in your pockets. Practise Past Papers and use the mark scheme to see where your gaps are

How to ‘Revise for other subjects’ Staff of options subjects have provided some handouts specific to those subjects – these are available to take away at the end of the session.

How to ‘Learn from your Mistakes’ Use your Mock paper! Teachers will have given you feedback about where you lost marks, work on your biggest areas of weakness first. Marks are lost usually by Reading the question incorrectly. Interpreting the question wrongly. Silly mistakes (missing things out, doing half the question, turning over 2 pages!) Knowledge – just not knowing your stuff

How to ‘Get Started’ Make a list of the topics you need to cover for each subject – you can get this from your specification. Plan your day – how many sessions? what subjects, how long are your breaks? Have a purpose to each session e.g to revise ‘methods of training’ Have some form of assessment at the end of every session e.g try a question, test yourself/get someone to test you, do an on-line quiz.

How to ‘Help your children’ ( what can parents do)? Provide the equipment/resourses they need. Help them plan their time – be involved so you know what they are supposed to be doing. Encourage by negotiating rewards (short term e.g a good day’s work could mean a trip to McDonalds/see their friends) Medium Term a good week/fortnight = trip to cinema or new game for xbox for example) Long Term - what can they look forward to if they achieve their targets?

How to ‘help them revise’ Don’t be afraid to test your child – you may not be an expert in the subject but you can ask them questions from the revision guide. Talk to them about the English texts – maybe watch the videos of ‘Of Mice and Men’/’An Inspector Calls’ (really good) ask them about the different characters or what the themes are. Ask them to explain topics to you, this a good way of getting them to remember facts and inform you as well.

How to ‘help your child during the exam period’ Know when their exams are – put their timetable somewhere visible (the fridge door is a good place!) On the day before exams make sure they get a good night’s sleep and they have everything they need. On the day of exams make sure they are up in plenty of time and get some breakfast. (If you are at work, try and call them to make sure they are up and ready) they should try and get to the exam room 15mins before the exam starts.

And if in doubt…..? Please ask. We are more than happy to help, no question is too trivial.