Higher English Supported Study 13 th January 2008 Miss Dobbie

Revising a Text  You will need to revise: themes, characters, techniques, key incidents, climax, turning point, etc.  Break your revision down into manageable chunks.  Try to consider all points in context i.e. what you might be asked about and what you can say.  Don’t just concentrate on the ‘best bits’ as these may not come up in exam.  Don’t learn quotes on their own, also revise what you can say about each one.

Top Tips for Learning Quotes  PEE Cards  Podcast  Sing it loud and proud  Every Little Counts – micro quotes

PEE Cards  We’ll start with PEE cards.  By breaking each text down into revision/study cards you will create manageable notes.  As a rough guide, 15 cards per text should provide adequate revision for a short text e.g. a poem.  You can use more than one quote per card if quotes are only a few words.  Your PEE cards can be collated to form small revision booklets or flashcards.  They can also be transformed into giant mind maps on your bedroom wall and colour-coded according to technique/ theme/ character, etc.

PEE Task  You are now going to create your own PEE cards following the example above, for one text of your choice.  If you cannot remember the exact quote, leave this line blank and you can complete it at home tonight.  You will need to bring all of your completed PEE cards for at least one text to the next two supported study sessions.  On the following slide is an example of a completed PEE card.

PEE Cards P - Armitage’s imagery is both shocking and harrowing. E - “shop windows are papered/ with faces of the disappeared” E - imagery, metaphor, human loss, devastation, searching, reaction, publicity, ‘disappeared’ completely obliterated, few bodies, ‘faces’ personal, emphasising someone’s child, someone’s mother/father, the victims staring out, pleas of the living, ‘papered’ emphasises volume. Using the example above as a guide, create as many PEE cards as you can for one text of your choice. You should be able to fit 6 PEE cards to one side of A4.

Podcast  Almost all of you will have an mp3 player or a phone with a voice record function. Why not use them to help you study. Simply read your notes or quotations aloud then listen to them over and over. They’ll soon be stuck in your head!  Here are some quotes from former pupils found on the website BBC Ouch! --- I found the best way to learn quotes was to record them onto audio tape (although you could use mp3) and listen to them. This meant I wasn't processing lots of words. I often listened to them when in bed. --- However further advice is make sure you select quotes carefully so that you have something to say about each one you have learnt, that way when your doing an essay in the exam and find you remember a useful quote you should immediately have something to say. Although remember to expand on this in your essays

Sing it loud and proud  Think about how many songs you carry around in your head.  Songs are a form of text and the lyrics are just like the quotes you need to learn for the exam, so why not set your quotes to the tune of your favourite song, or create a whole new song using your quotes and analysis.  That way in the exam if you can ‘listen’ to the song in your head to help you remember.  Here are some more former pupils’ comments: --- This may sound stupid but I found singing stuff to myself sometimes helps. --- I have also sung my revision notes to myself and used mind maps, I wasted time though trying to find the right tune though!! I did a tape of myself and would play it back before I went to bed to remind what was in my notes...heard it recently and I was really embarrassed, but I did pass the exams so it worked for me.

Mindmaps  We have looked at how PEE cards can be used to create mindmaps. But if you have a study period and can get to the library, there is a fantastic package called Inspiration which helps you create colourful, detailed mindmaps quickly.  Inspiration also allows you to print off linear notes for those who prefer wrote learning.  An Ouch! Moment: ---Mind maps are ok but you can waste time colouring in and choosing the "look" of it. Hedge your bets with mind maps and notes on card. I sometimes use doodles or stick pictures in to emphasise points and use different colours even in the note forms not just mind maps.

Every Little Helps – Micro Quotes  Quotes don’t have to be full sentences or lines, they can be one or two words each time.  Embedded quotations can be effective, e.g. 'When Claudio refers to Hero as a "jewel" he is using the conventional language of courtly love, but he also betrays an attitude of ownership...' etc.  By using just a few words each time you can usually remember more quotations.  Here’s another Ouch! moment: --- One of my students used to write up words and phrases from her texts in bright colours and stick them all round her bedroom walls. I have no idea how she ever got any sleep, but it did help her to get an A.