1. How to Prepare for the BIG Test PART I Ms. McChesney & Ms. Hutchinson Seneca Ridge Middle School 8 th Grade Semester Exam Preparation December 2010 1.Get Organized 2.Collect all “tools” 3.Study over time

2. When are semester exams? In Four Weeks Just over 30 days! January 18-21, 2011 Next Month

3. When are YOUR semester exams? Fill in when you have your exams & classes for this week!

4. Big DEAL? Why are they important? How are they going to help me in life? Why should I even study? Think/Pair/Share

5. What tools do I already have? textbooks study guides Quizzes textbooks counselor class assignments study buddies class notes TEACHERS parents tests

6. How am I going to remember all that “STUFF?”

8. “The more fully we process information over time, the more connections we make, the more consolidation takes place and the better the memory will be.” - Pat Wolfe Researcher Marzano indicates that a student needs to interact at least SIX times with a word, concept or skill for 50% retention/understanding to take place.

9. Memory Jam 5 Senses The Brain Short-Term Memory 15-30 seconds Working Memory A few minutes – 24 hours Tollbooth Long-Term Memory LOSTLOST

10. A Quick Peak At Our Brain Highly Visual Seeks Patterns/Colors Emotional Needs Relevance Remembers 70% When Practicing Remembers 90+% When Teaching Someone Else

11. What is the RECIPE? Repetition 10x24x7 (10 minutes, 24 hours, 7 days) Ingredients: Old Tests/Quizzes Textbooks Teachers’ WebPages Notebooks and binders (includes class notes!) Study Guides (will be handed out after winter break) Study partner/group Parents Your brain! Directions: Find out for each midterm……  … when your midterms are scheduled and in what order  … what % of your grade are your midterms?  … what do you need to study for the test?  … when will you begin to study?  … where will you study?  … what type of test is it? ... what are your options for extra help (resource, after school hours, make an appointment your teachers) Nutritional Information: Figuring out what works best for you and sticking to it = more self-confidence and increased positive results on your exams!

12. So…… let’s make a plan! Action Plan: Our Suggestions for You Before Winter Break Take home all binders and notebooks Organize papers in the right sections Identify key vocabulary for each subject you don’t know and make a study tool During Winter Break Go through every notebook and binder to see what important information is missing that could help you prepare for your exams Make a list of questions areas that were confusing for you and where you need further clarification Use your study tools to review vocabulary Week of January 3 rd Make a studying timeline or calendar for the next two weeks Make sure your notebooks are complete Ask teachers questions Week of January 10 th Complete study guides Ask questions Week of January 18 th - EXAM Week! Review about an hour each night Get lots of sleep & eat well-balanced meals

13. A Few Ways to Study Vocabulary Review with a partner (example) Make Q & A cards (example) Use a graphic organizer (example) Identify the similarities and difference for each word 4 Card Match (word, definition, picture, sentence) Make a foldable Write a rap, cheer or song using vocabulary words 3 Card Match (word, definition, picture) Create a quiz with the answers and swap with a study buddy Teach someone else about the words

14. Q uestion & A nswer Card Game Front of Cards Back of Cards Q 1 A 1 Best played with minimum of three people as a review Take a list of topics/vocab words from any subject and label them 1 – 15 (or however many questions/words you have) Using index cards write a question on the font side of a card and label the question # On the back side of the card, write the answer to a DIFFERENT question (that questions should appear on the front of a different card) and label that answer # Divide up all the cards among the players and take turns asking the questions but don’t tell what the question # is The player with the answer to that card (and knows it is the correct answer gets a point) If no one knows the answer, then give out the Question #, locate the matching answer card and read the answer Perhaps come back to that question # at the end of the game. A 2 Q 2 Directions: What is the order of operations? PEMDAS Parenthesis, exponents, multiple, divide, add, subtract Numerators are the numbers on top of a fraction Denominators are the numbers on the bottom of fraction What is a numerator and denominator?

15. Graphic Organizer

16. Similarities and Differences If I were __________________________________, I would be _________________________________. I would also be ______________________________. But, I would not be ___________________________, because that would be _________________________ _________________________________________. If I were __________________________________, I would be _________________________________. I would also be ______________________________. But, I would not be ___________________________, because that would be _________________________ _________________________________________. If I were __________________________________, I would be _________________________________. I would also be ______________________________. But, I would not be ___________________________, because that would be _________________________ _________________________________________. If I were __________________________________, I would be _________________________________. I would also be ______________________________. But, I would not be ___________________________, because that would be _________________________ _________________________________________. If I were __________________________________, I would be _________________________________. I would also be ______________________________. But, I would not be ___________________________, because that would be _________________________ _________________________________________. If I were __________________________________, I would be _________________________________. I would also be ______________________________. But, I would not be ___________________________, because that would be _________________________ _________________________________________.

17. 4 Card Match WordDefinitionPictureSentence

18. Shutter Foldable 1.Lay out the paper landscape 2.Fold the left and right side of the papers in to meet in the middle (looks like a shutter) 3.Using the left flap, divide it into sections to allow for each word to have a section 4.cut each section from the left edge to the fold (this allows the left side to become flaps) 5.Write the vocab word on the outside of the flap 6.Open the flap and write the definition on the left side of the fold 7.Draw a picture/symbol or write a clue on the right side of the fold (don’t go beyond the middle of the page) 8.Cut the same flaps on the right side of the page from the edge to the right fold 9.Write the vocab word in a sentence on the inside of the flap using the entire right side of the paper Center - where the folds meet Right fold Left fold llllllllllllll llllllllllllll clues sentences definitions

19. Let’s “Clean Up” Don’t wait till the last minute Make a plan/get organized before winter break Don’t start preparing on January 17 Use different study tools to review vocabulary Reviewing only the night before – Big No No! Use color and pictures to help the words “stick” Studying the day of – BIGGER No No! GOT IT ???

20. What’s Next? January Part II people and places dates/events memorize lists color linguistic? musical? kinesthetic? 1 st week of January through resource