Tools for Academic Success!

Steps to being a responsible student

- Set goals - What do you want to do?

- Plan your time - When are you going to do it?

- Study every day - Yes, get something done everyday

- Take notes in class - Notes help you to remember

- Have the tools you need - Come to class with books, notebook, pen,etc

- Keep your commitments - Become dependable, do what you say you are going to do

- Get ready ahead of time - You’ll be on time and good to go

Developing good study habits

Using good study habits everyday leads to better grades.

Here is how to build good study habits or break bad ones in just four weeks:

1. Chart your current study behavior in the first week--keep track of what you do, how and when you do it. Don't try to change anything. Just write everything down in a time chart.

2. Decide what you want to change. For example, perhaps going to help sessions after school is what you need. Or maybe you just want to set a specific study time everyday. Perhaps finding a quieter study spot would help. You decide. If you need help, ask a parent or a teacher or your counselor.

3. Whatever you decide to change, do it every day for the next three weeks. Use the time chart to keep track or write it down in an assignment notebook.

Want some ideas on how to improve your study habits?
                           • Study, Study, Study

Study Skills Self Help Information: http://www.ucc.vt.edu/stdysk/stdyhlp.html

• Study! This may be stating the obvious but you would be surprised how many students don’t bother.

• Studying with soothing music in the background can enhance your concentration.

• Studying in a soft chair or on a cushy bed may not be the best strategy. Active learning may require walking around the room or sitting on the edge of a chair. Wake up your body and wake up your mind.

• Study space: Your regular study space should be quiet and comfortable as possible and large enough to have easy access to everything you need for studying (text & reference books, paper, pencils, rulers, computer, calculator, etc.)

SQ3R Reading Method

* SURVEY
Scan the reading assignment to discover the author’s main concept. Figure out the overall purpose what you are going to study.

* QUESTION
Make up questions about what you need to learn: what, why, how, when, who and/or where. Your teachers may help with this part by giving you questions about your reading assignment.

* READ
Read specifically to answer the questions. Most paragraphs contain one or more main idea that support the concept you are learning. Pay special attention to bold or italicized type,and to tables, graphs and illustrations.

* RECALL
Pause every 15 minutes or so to recall in your own words what you have read. Write a summary of as much as you can recall about what you have read.

* REVIEW
Did you answer your questions and understand the new material. Reread difficult parts. Recalling and reviewing several times the same material over a period of several days is the best way to fully remember it.

Academic Assistance On-line

LD On-Line: http://www.ldonline.org/
The interactive guide to learning disabilities for parents, teachers and children.

Research Paper.Com
http://www.researchpaper.com/

InfoPlease.Com  - All the Information You Need
http://www.infoplease.com

Research and Writing for High School and College Students
http://www.ipl.org/

On-Line English Grammar
http://www.edunet.com/english/grammar

 

Homework Help

Schoolwork.Org
http://www.schoolwork.org/

Homework Help.Com
http://www.homeworkhelp.com/

The Shakespearean Homework Helper

http://www.shakespearehelp.com

World Languages

Magellan:

http://deutsch98.tripod.com/Four/
Grammar and vocabulary in German, French, Portuguese and Spanish.

Ask Asia
http://www.askasia.org/

Language Locator: http://www.babelfish.com/Languages/English/EnglishMachine.shtml
Translating English to Chinese, French, German, Japanese, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish

Math

The Math Archives
http://archives.math.utk.edu/

The Math Forum
http://forum.swarthmore.edu/

Reference Materials

Merriam Webster Collegiate Dictionary
http://www.m-w.com/dictionary.htm

Merriam Webster Collegiate Thesaurus
http://www.m-w.com/thesaurus.htm

Visuwords: online graphical dictionary and thesaurus
http://www.visuwords.com

Encyclopedia Britannica On-Line
http://www.britannica.com

The Internet Public Library: Teen Division
http://www.ipl.org/teen/

MSN Encarta 
http://uk.encarta.msn.com/encnet/features/dictionary/dictionaryhome.aspx