1. “How to Be a Confident Student”

2. SUCCESS ORGANIZATION CONFIDENCE NOTE TAKING How do I learn?
STUDY SKILLS
NOTE TAKING
SUCCESS

3. Confidence and success are our ultimate goals, right
Confidence and success are our ultimate goals, right? But how do we accomplish this?
Set a goal/goals
To accomplish goals, we need a PLAN
Today we are going to learn new habits….
7-21
The number of attempts required to develop a new habit

4. PRIORITIZE What are your rocks? What are your pebbles?
What is your water?

5. ORGANIZE Agenda/Planner Prioritize your time
Sunday: look at your week (month view of agenda); use your teacher’s websites to fill in all tests/quizzes for the week
During class, keep your planner on your desk – pull it out with your binder
At the end EACH class, write the homework for each class

6. ORGANIZE Binder Assign a divider for each class
All homework for each class goes into the folder of the divider
DO NOT put loose papers in your backpack; if you don’t have time, put them in the front pocket of your binder and put them away later
1-2 times/quarter, clean out old notes and file them in a folder at home

7. ORGANIZE Your Space Room- find a place for everything; declutter
Study space – NO distractions…no cell phones…no iPad/iTouch/TV, etc.
Locker – if you use your binder for all notes, handouts, tests/quizzes, papers, etc., then no TRASH should end up in your locker
Backpack – DO NOT shove papers in it, but put them in your binder

8. ORGANIZE Time Use your planner everyday
Each Sunday, have a meeting with your parents to discuss upcoming tests, games, practices, etc. for the week.
Each night, after you complete homework, put your binder, books and planner in your backpack. Place it by the door.

9. Take advantage of “down time” at school – during class, review your notes, read, practice problems, etc.
Complete homework at school
At home, give yourself a short break, no more than 30 minutes. Then begin your homework.
When you complete your homework for tomorrow, review notes from the day
Read ahead

10. Can you answer “YES” to any of these questions?
I sometimes don’t know what questions to ask in class
I have a hard time remembering information when I read a text book
When I have to write a paper, I don’t even know where to start
I think I could do a better job of taking notes and using my notes to study for tests
I don’t take tests well. I think I know the information, but I’m sometimes disappointed with my scores

11. READING A TEXTBOOK
Before you start reading, you have to get your brain ready to comprehend the information
1. Read all pictures and graphs
2. Read the questions at the end of the chapter/section
3. Begin reading the text, as you read, turn the headings into questions
4. Answer the questions at the end of the chapter/section

12. Time saving tips
Shhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh…..it’s a secret!
1. Read your text book before your teacher covers the material in class
2. Ask yourself questions about what you’ve read

13. How to take notes August 16 Date every page Why date every page?
Helps determine what information will be on specific tests/quizzes
Why date every page?
Keeps papers in order
Fold the left 1/3 of paper
Why fold the left 1/3?
Write notes on the right 2/3 of paper
Create summary questions on the left side (no more than 5 questions/page)
***Turning your notes into questions helps you learn information at a higher level and then remember it better
***The questions become an instant study guide
Why create summary questions?

14. Taking Notes (cont’d) Take notes when a teacher...
-Says “This will be on the test” (put a * next to it
-Says “This is an important point”
-Writes information on the board
-Repeats information more than once
-Slows down as she/he speaks, which gives you time to write
-Says “This is not in your textbook, but it is important”

15. Taking notes (cont’d) Other considerations
-When possible, draw visuals (sketches, diagrams, charts, etc.) as you take notes
-If you miss something, leave a “_____” and go back later to clarify
-Keep it short. Write as little as possible. Use the same abbreviations you use for texting or create your own!
-Use as much space as you need to create clear notes

16. Studying Notes
Review all notes within24 hours of class, as well as since the last test/quiz
Record any information/visuals you remember from class but didn’t have time to write down. Highlight information that you didn’t understand and ask your teacher the next day
Create questions that summarize important points – imagine you are creating questions for your classmates…make hard ones!
Read your notes out loud; or teach the information to a parent, sibling, dog, etc.

17. Do you want to avoid feeling like this before a test?

18. Test Taking Choose the correct answer:
I will perform better on a test if I:
a) cram and try to learn the information
the night before
b) take notes in class, read the text, and
create questions
A good study guide is:
a) based on what the teacher says is on the test
b) done the night before a test
c) is already done if when you use create
questions while taking notes and reading the
text book

19. Re-evaluate Goals
After a test, or at the end of a quarter, take time to re-evaluate your goals.
Were you successful? Did your plan work? What should you do differently?
Accomplishing your goals, no matter how small will lead to success and confidence!

20. Let’s review… Set goal/s – academic, extra-curricular, etc. Prioritize
Create a plan to accomplish goal/s
Use your planner to help organize time
Use your binder and keep papers IN it, not shoved in your backpack, locker, etc.
Read ahead in your text book; ask questions
Take proper notes with questions in the margins
Review notes daily aloud
Test prep – review notes, text book
Track your progress – re-evaluate your goals!

21. “We are not the person other people wish we were
“We are not the person other people wish we were. We are who we decide to be. It’s always easy to blame others. You can spend your entire life blaming the world, but your successes or failures are entirely your own responsibility.”
“Aleph” by Paolo Coelho

22. Works Cited
Kruger, Susan Woodcock, Soar-Study Skills.