1. Study Aids and Tools Bell Work. - Organize as a group, by table. -As a group, identify the BEST study aid or study tool you have used to learn or prepare for tests. -Appoint a spokesman to brief. -You have 5 minutes.

2. Objective Discuss study tools/aids the group already uses. Understand that the use of study tools/aids often improves retention and grades. Identify some new methods you may want to use while in high school.

3. Using “Foldables and Tabs” Foldables are great for studying and self-testing a large number of key facts, terms, definitions, charts and vocabulary. There are many types you can use.

4. Study Guides Study Guides are often given to students by the teacher, but you will soon have to do them on your own. Find a format, use colors and underlining to highlight key points, or stuff that is hard. Be creative based on your learning style! A well done study guide makes both tests and exams easier. Teacher Developed Student Developed

5. Graphic Organizers A Graphic Organizer is a visual representation of knowledge that structures information by arranging important aspects of a concept or topic into a pattern using labels. It helps logically arrange a lot of messy information, show relationships, etc. They are also great for developing an outline for an essay! Essay Organizer

6. Character Tree and Web Maps Character Trees and Web Maps are good for showing relationships, traits, and tying in themes, facts or ideas to a concept. They also work well for character development in literature. The Crucible

7. Venn Diagrams Venn diagrams enable students to organize information visually so they are able to see the relationships between multiple sets of items. They can then identify similarities and differences. A Venn diagram consists of overlapping circles. Each circle contains all the elements of a set.

8. Flashcards Tip: Check out “Quizlet.com”. It has thousands of flashcards and self-tests for many subjects. There are also apps that generate flashcards from notes. Flashcards are super easy to make, easy to use when you have a few minutes, and great for memorization of events, dates, names or vocabulary words. Flashcards are also good for group or solo studying, as well as for having notes for presentations. They are the one of the most effective but least used study aids.

9. One More Idea – A Mini Cram Sheet As you study and use your various study tools for a test or exam, highlight the “tough stuff” as you go…you know, the stuff that you are having a hard time remembering. Create a mini “cram sheet” with JUST THAT STUFF, and focus on it just before the test or exam. That way you don’t waste time on reviewing what you do know, and focus on what you don’t.

10. Other Benefits Ok, study tools make sense. But they also result in multiple repetitions with the data (creation, studying, etc.) which improves retention. You also logically begin to think about the likely questions that the teacher may ask. And if done consistently and SAVED, they make awesome end-of-semester exam prep aids!