Study Skills & Test Taking Strategies

Reflection Questions: Please answer on the paper provided Have you been taught any specific study strategies or test taking strategies? If so please list them. Describe how you typically study. Do you have strategies for taking tests? Do tests make you anxious? If so, what makes you feel better?

Key Questions to Consider: What does studying look like in middle school? When should I be studying? How should I be studying? How can I get help studying? What are test-taking strategies? How do these differ from study skills? What are some strategies I can use to be less anxious during a test?

Are you ready to study?

Banana Weather C L O V E R Article Fear

Now record as many items as you can recall from the previous slide

Banana Weather C L O V E R Article Fear

Now record as many items as you can recall from the previous slide

“Yes, I looked over my notes” Did you study? “Yes, I looked over my notes”

What is studying? https://caitlinpowers23.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/mnemonic-devices/

- Oral questioning / “quizzing” - Flash cards (hand written) - Foldables - Mnemonics (Acronyms, loci method, etc.) - Songs, chants, rhymes - Visuals for vocab, color code notes - Concept Maps - Redo papers from class - Create own test, Quizzlet Study Skills Studying is like playing an instrument, or a sport - you won’t get better by just staring at your music or playbook - you must DO something with the material… practice … often.

Study Technique Samples Types of Evidence for Sea-Floor Spreading M - Magnetic Stripes A - Age of rocks P - Pillow Rocks “Mantle rock is heated, it becomes less dense, it rises, it cools, it becomes more dense, it sinks.” Examples: Foldables, mnemonic devices, colorful visuals, & concept map.

Study Methods can be aligned with learning styles: https://info.examtime.com/files/2012/11/learning-styles-mindmap1.png

Test-Taking Strategies

Now that studying is over… There are also strategies to employ during the test: “Brain Dump” Loci Method - (visualizing objects/ info) Deep breathing Brain Breaks Skip difficult questions Focus on key words Use the test to take the test Cover choices to MC questions

Reflection - Exit Slip On your final note card, write one new study strategy you will try this year & the test-taking strategy you think might be most beneficial

Conclusion “Reading my notes” studying Although study guides are helpful, study guides focus the what to study, they are not the how to study Studying should be a frequent, active event. Engagement and interaction with the material in as many ways as possible will increase the likelihood of retention and form lasting connections with content. During an exam use test-taking strategies; brain dump, focus on what you know, use key words, and take brain breaks as needed.